Only Florida - Only Fly Fishing
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Vol. 4 No. 1 1
http://waterworks-lamson.com
Florida Fly Fishing
What’s Inside?
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Forecast for January 2013.......... 4 Everglades Winter Report 2013................................. 12 Bug Bites...................................................................... 18 The Saltwater Angler’s Guide to Tampa Bay............. 26 ...thoughts on gear...................................................... 28
Florida Fly Fishing Magazine Only Florida - Only Fly Fishing A Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Conservation Blue Ribbon Sponsor
Florida Fly Fishing Magazine publishes articles about fly fishing in the Sunshine State. It is published on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Dunedin, Florida.
Editor & Publisher Edward C. Maurer Contributing Editors: Ken Morrow Robert Morselli Dusty Sprague Contact: editor@flaflyfish.com (727) 798-2366 A publication of Edward Maurer Consulting, LLC. Copyright 2012 All rights reserved. Actions, activities, travel, techniques, etc. seen within are examples of what others do and participate in and should only be carried out by qualified individuals. The outcome of your activities remain your own responsibility. Properly wear and use all safety equipment. If you’re afraid of the water, stay away from it.
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Fishing can be good in January, especially if you are able to pick your days based on tides and weather. You may find reds and trout concentrated in potholes of Sarasota Bay or reds may tail on shallow grass flats. Snook should be in rivers, creeks and canals although docks in the ICW can also very good this month. You might also find sheepshead, reds and more around docks. Not much happening in the coastal gulf along the beach this month, although it’s worth checking for tripletail, false albacore (little tunny) and more when it’s warm. Snook season remains closed this month. Since they are very temperature sensitive, I won’t target them if the water temperature dips below 60 degrees. However, fishing lighted docks in the ICW at night with flies can be very good in January. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, Gurglers and shrimp fly patterns fished on intermediate sink tip fly lines should work well. I like the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for night snook fishing. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fly Fishing Forecast for January You should also find snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month. Fish deeper water in outside bends to locate snook where you may catch them with wide profile flies fished on sink tip fly lines. You may also find reds and even largemouth bass in the same areas depending on salinity. Reds are a hearty species that are comfortable in water in the 60’s so they should be a good option this month. You’ll find them concentrated in potholes of north Sarasota Bay when the tide is low. Fly anglers should score with lightly weighted flies fished on a 10’-12’ leader with a floating fly line. Reds feed on crustaceans this time of the year, so crab and shrimp fly patterns should work well. They may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound and lower Tampa Bay when the tide is low. You’ll need flies with weed guards to target tailing reds. You may also find reds around docks, along with sheepshead, flounder and more. Little Sarasota Bay has numerous oyster bars and docks that often hold reds in January. Use floating fly lines and lightly weighted flies to fish around oyster bars and sink tip fly lines to fish docks. You’re likely to find big trout
Florida Fly Fishing
in many of the same areas that you find reds. The same flies and techniques that are used for reds will also work for big trout. You’ll also find trout on deep grass flats in January along with blues, flounder and more. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with Ultra Hair Clouser or my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line. Since trout can sometimes hold very tight to a particular spot or area, try to cover as much water as possible to find them. Once you’ve located fish you can shorten your drift or anchor on them. Some of my favorite deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay; Middleground flat, Stephens Point, Bishop Point and near Buttonwood Harbor, have a good mix of grass and sand with a good tidal flow. Migratory species such as king and Spanish mackerel and tripletail probably have moved further south this month, however during warm ups they could reappear. Even though there isn’t much happening in the coastal gulf this month in the way of sight fishing it may be worth a look when it is warm. January can be one of the toughest months of the year to fish. However if you are able Look for reds in potholes and along to choose when you fish, it can be good. As sand and oyster bars when the tide fronts approach, fish will usually feed more. is low this month. Nick Reding, Following fronts, fishing may be tough for a from Longboat Key, FL, waded a couple of days, so fish afternoons or windows Sarasota Bay sand bar with Capt. of good conditions between fronts for the Rick Grassett and caught and best action. I also let the stage of the tide released this red on a Grassett Flats determine where I will look for fish. When Minnow fly. the tide is low, look for reds, trout and more in potholes or around docks. Look for fish on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit! Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor (941) 923-7799 E-mail snookfin@aol.com www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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WATERWORKS - LAMSON VELOCITY NICKEL REELS
High quality, sensibly priced, made in America
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The Waterworks - Lamson name has become synonymous with high quality fly reels at reasonable prices. In a market where even foreignmade reels are often priced higher than need be, Lamson continues to offer reels made in Boise, Idaho that have intelligent pricing. A case in point is Lamson’s new Velocity Nickel reel. Priced in the $250 $350 dollar range, the VN is a large arbor reel that demonstrates Lamson’s attention to function, quality and fair pricing. Lamson’s Velocity family has always represented value for money with large arbor, lightweight but durable reels that have excellent drag performance. With the introduction of Velocity Nickel, Lamson provides the discerning angler yet another first in this price range: a ported arbor to quicken line drying and produce the lightest Velocity ever. The Velocity Nickel is finished in the same beautiful Type 2 anodizing Lamson uses on its Guru. So you now have a choice in the Velocity line: Velocity Hard Alox for an incredibly tough finish, or the lighter and brighter Velocity Nickel. It is further accented with Lamson’s trademark burnt-orange anodized drag cassette. The Velocity Nickel maximizes the benefits of large arbor design by maximizing the arbor diameter-to-width ratio. The spool is large in circumference and wide so that line is stored in a shallow layer. The increased circumference provides a high retrieve rate and eliminates line coil memory. The wide, shallow line layer means there is little radius change as line is pulled from the reel resulting in constant drag torque during long runs, which eliminates the risk of The Velocity Nickel’s ported arbor quickens line tippets breaking due to drying and produces the lightest Velocity ever. drag force gain when a 9
large, fast fish first strikes or makes a sudden for the horizon. All the reels in the Velocity line share some important construction aspects that make these both extremely strong while being light weight. They seem to be designed more as an attempt at a hi-tech aerospace project than a fly reel. The first thing one notices before even picking up a VN is the great number of lightening holes in the spool. While holes seem to contradict strength, their presence contributes to stiffness because the edges of the holes create reinforcement perpendicular to the flat areas of the metal, much like that of ridges in a car body. These reinforcements add stability to the reel in all its planes and virtually eliminates flexing cause by the stress of a hard fight. If you’ve ever had a reel get out of round it’s because it failed materially and tried to collapse; it became less round. While the Velocity reels do have obvious “spokes” on their outer edges the need for such on the inner face is eliminated by these holes. A n o t h e r important aspect of all Lamson reels is their proprietary drag system comprised of a drag cone that rotates with the spool that presses into a stationary cone within the reel housing. This system provides several advantages: -This is a sealed drag systems that is impervious to water, salt and grit. Unlike typical reels, the Lamsons drags won’t be harmed by using them in less than pristine conditions. -The mass of these conical drag elements is centralized which makes the spool’s rotating mass much lower and makes the reel more responsive to light drag settings. -Because the average radius of the contact surface is much smaller (being conical rather than disk-shaped), start-up torque is too low to measure. With other reels using flat drag surfaces it’s this start-up torque that contributes to breakoffs during hard, fast strikes. The Velocity’s clutch is also different than that of other reels. While most other premium reels rely on a pawl type clutch mechanism, these are often vulnerable to stress related failure, contamination and wear. All of Lamson’s reels employ a Torrington zero-lash roller clutch. This mechanism relies on the locking effect of a number of ramps and rollers to achieve torque transmission. There are no “teeth” or “steps” to break off or wear out. And the zero-lash
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feature means instant engagement. This improves feel and eliminates “spike” that the reel, line and leader experience when a typical pawl clutch hooks up. What results from this dance of technology and style is a reel that weighs
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Lamsons can handle being immersed in salt water or laid in the sand. With a completely sealed drag system, Lamson reels are impervious to water, salt and grit. little (less than seven ounces for the Velocity 4 for 10/11 weights), functions flawlessly, is sealed against the environment, according to real-time reports seems to be highly bullet resistant if not actually bullet proof, is priced right and made in the USA. Let’s not forget it’s also a great looking reel with a soft pewter-like finish that will wear like iron.
See the entire Waterworks-Lamson line at http://waterworks-lamson.com 11
Everglades Winter Report 2013 Capt. Jason Sullivan
The winter fishing in the Everglades can be a challenge at times with the wind from passing fronts, and the extremely low negative tides that we have on the new and full moons. That being said, the North-Northeast wind clears the water up and sometimes if it is a strong enough wind, it will keep the tide out which means more sight fishing for fly fishermen. Enticing a fish to eat a fly and then watching that fish eat is extremely addicting. This time of year the Glades offers some of the best sight fishing opportunities in the world. Fly Fishing out of Chokoloskee has been very good this past month with a lot of redfish and snook being released. One trip we had this month was with Farrow Allen from Everglades City and Allan Albess from Davie, FL. We experienced some of the best redfishing I’ve seen in a long time. We spent the morning fishing outer Gulf shorelines and we didn’t go 5 minutes without having a shot on a fish. It’s good to see the increasing number of redfish. I have also been spending my time in the Chokoloskee backcountry and catching a lot of snook from 15-24 inches (post freeze snook), which tells you that the fishery is coming back strong from the 2010
Florida Fly Fishing
freeze. That 2010 freeze resulted in a pretty bad fish kill in the Everglades. These fish are very aggressive and on most days will eat anything that crosses them. Fishing out Flamingo, the southern part of the Glades, has been just as exciting. Baby tarpon can be found on most days and they also have been eating very well. The redfishing on the outside flats continue to be the main target. While fishing those same flats we have had some very good shots at some big laid up snook. A well placed fly to these fish usually ends up in vicious bite. The backcountry sweeper that Capt. Steve Huff designed has been the first fly I usually tie on for my clients. It is a great fly to throw on the shallow flats or deep in the backcountry along the mangroves. We have recently seen fish eat this fly like that have not eaten in a week! Capt. Jason Sullivan (954) 864-0592 www.RisingTideCharters.com RisingTideCharters@gmail.com
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Farrow Allen, Everglades City
Florida Fly Fishing
Allan Albess, Davie
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Florida Fly Fishing
‘Glades snook Capt. Jason Sullivan
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BUG BI TES
Article and flies by Robert Craig Tommy Thompson photos
When one thinks of bugs and saltwater they usually think of no – see – ems. This is not an article on biting midges—those small, female, blood sucking, pin head sized irritants. But, rather it is a blurb on a bug that redfish bite in the spring tide flooded marsh grass from St. Augustine north to Talbot Island. The first I heard of wading the grass for redfish was some twenty years ago. John Bottko, the owner of the now defunct Salty Feather fly shop in Jacksonville, pioneered this fishery in Northeast Florida. Equipped with a pair of wading boots, an eight weight rod strung with a floating line, some tippet, and a few choice flies a number of us walked, stalked, and occasionally pulled a red fish out of the spartina and tangled shorter vegetation. This type of fly fishing has been well publicized since those early days and continues to attract anglers to the Northeast coast of Florida. Fishing in the grass is all about timing. Low light, a bit of wind, and a 4.5 or better high tide is ideal for fishing the grass. Finding those three elements in combination occurs rarely. Light, wind, and tide can be figured with some certainty, but, low light gives way and tides vary with wind conditions and location. The golden hour or two when the grass floods and the tails wave mercurially is something to experience. To be there when it goes off is only part of the game. Finding fish is often
Florida Fly Fishing
the easy part. When they’re grubbing for food their tails let you know where they are. That bull nosed head, however, seems to be everywhere at once. The timing and precision of your cast has to be right on. You can work one of these tailing fish for a number of throws and they don’t spook, unless you line them, plop you fly down too hard, move it too much, don’t move it enough, close in too fast, have a poor angle of pursuit and and/ or commit a batch of other missteps. As the reader has already figured out I’ve found it in my best interest to make a list of excuses well in advance of an outing. These fish can be maddening difficult. I think they’re tougher than catching that single fish in the heavily pressured Mosquito Lagoon. Having a number of different flies can help but even then you’ll lose a lot more fish than you catch. In general, l rely on three different flies all dark brown in color with a bit of gold flash. The Chico River Shrimp, Bottoko’s, Fiddler in the Grass, and a take-off on one of Jim Stewart’s deer hair bug will fortify the angler well. The first two flies are designed to get the fly down fast and mimic the usual prey species of redfish. The deer hair fly on the other hand is an attractor or stimulator type of fly. The fact that it floats aids the angler in fishing the fly and makes for an explosion of excitement. My favorite fly to fish, but not necessarily the most effective on a given day, is a brown deer hair fly cut and trimmed in a most unlike bug way. I first saw this fly called the Snookaro created by Jim Stewart from Tampa in Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen’s book, Saltwater Fly Patterns. Tied with a few modifications the fly works over any dark bottom, vegetation rich, and stained water you might fish. 19
Recipe Hook: Gamakatsu B10 or TMC 8089NP Glue: Flexament or similar Thread: Brown and red Flat Waxed Nylon (210 denier). Tail: Four furnace and four orange grizzly hackle feathers (two furnace and orange grizzly tied per side splayed out), Four strands of gold and black Crystal Flash Spanflex in brown and orange Rayon chenille, fine, orange Body: Dark brown deer hair spun and trimmed Eyes: Doll eyes 7.5m 20 lb. hard mono for weed guard and non – fowling loop
thread wraps securing the mono.
Step 1: Build a thread base from just in front of the bend of the hook moving down the bend stopping at the top of vice’s jaws where the hook is secured. Tie in weed guard starting on the hook shank where the thread base was started. Cover the mono with the brown thread moving downward and then back up to your starting place. Loop a short piece of the 20 lb. hard mono and secure to the top of the hook. Apply glue to the Step 2: Tie in several strands of the brown and orange Spanflex above the mono loop. Using the chenille build a small bump as shown.
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Step 3: Select and align 2 furnace hackles over 2 orange grizzly hackles the feathers should be from 2 to 2.5 times longer than the hook shank. Secure the four feathers splaying out just in front of the orange bump of chenille and repeat on the far side of the fly. Tie in gold and black Krystal Flash on top of the fly.
Step 4: Clip a bunch of deer hair the diameter of a fat pencil and remove the under fur from the guard hairs. Place at a forty five degree angle to the side of the hook shank nearest you with the tips facing towards the rear of the fly. Secure to the bare hook shank using 2 loose wraps. With your bobbin and thread above the hook slowly add pressure on the deer hair as you release the hair. The deer hair will spin around the bare shank. Use three or four more wraps through the middle of the deer hair to fix it in place. Move your thread forward of the deer hair and secure the hair in the front with three or four wraps. Pack the hair against itself as tight as you can, pushing together from front and rear towards the middle at the same time. Push the thread wraps tight against the packed deer hair from the front making several more wraps tight to the hair. Apply glue to the forward wraps.
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Dunedin, Florida Properties by Deborah Scott The Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay and Orlando at your fingertips
Looking north with the 2008 No. 1 Beach in America, Caladesi Island, in the foreground with Honeymoon Island reaching toward the horizon. The Dunedin Marina is Central Florida’s Gateway to the St. Joseph Sound, the Gulf of Mexico and world-class fly fishing.
Located on the Gulf of Mexico between Homosassa and Boca Grande, Dunedin offers anglers the relaxed comfort of a top-rated small town combined with immediate access to the popular and highly productive St. Joseph Sound flats, tarpon-rich beaches of Honeymoon and Caladesi islands, fabulous Tampa Bay and the tournament-class lakes of Central Florida.
Deborah Scott
Realtor 727.204.0850 deborahsdunedin@gmail.com www.deborahscottrealty.com Van Hook Properties Inc. 949 Broadway Dunedin, FL 34698
Florida Fly Fishing
Step 5: Clip another bunch of hair from the deer hair patch. Cut off the tips Clean out the under fur. You will notice that the hair is thinner where you clipped off the tips. Dividing the hair in half take one bunch turn it around and recombine with the other half. Even the hair and roll it several time between your fingers to blend the hair. Your goal is to have equal thicknesses on both ends of the hair. Spin this clump and additional clumps of deer hair to the hook shank, packing and securing in the same manner as before. Step 6: Using a double edge razor blade trim the deer hair by degrees. First, make a flat cut on the underside of the fly. Next trim the hair into a box like shape, top and sides. Third, make a flat cut from the hook eye back a half inch or so. Fourth, starting at the hook eye trim back at a 45 degree angle on both sides even with the flat cut as in step 3. Continue trimming and shaping in bits until the profile looks like the picture below. Flexament the face and underside of the fly to give it some stiffness and durability. Using a burning tool or your scissors create a small pocket on each side of the deer hair for the doll eyes. Clip off 2/3 of the stem of the eyes and glue in place using Goop or epoxy. Secure the weed guard with thread as shown.
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RISE LEVEL SERIES SALT WATER FLY RODS
While other rod companies seem to focus on the bling factor of a rod or trying to build one that weighs less than a tippet, Rise Fishing Company builds a rod to catch fish. Their Level Series fly rods are simple, clean looking rods made to do one thing: work like a good rod’s supposed to. And they do it well. My Level Series. 4-piece, 9-foot 8 weight was the rod I used to cast the entire 90-foot Teeny Kayak line while seated in my kayak. Could I have done that with another rod? Maybe, but the smooth, fast action of the Rise made it seem like that line flowed through the guides like water. A couple design features I like on this rod are the ferrules marked with the rod model and size and an alignment mark. The other is the use of composite cork end caps protecting the grip and fighting butt. All in all this is a really good rod for a really good price. It’s as good as, if not better than, either of my other two, pricier and more widely advertised “big name” rods. As far as I’m concerned, for my money it’s hard to go wrong with a Rise. Ed Maurer
The Rise Level Series Saltwater Fly Rods are made from IM-8 and IM-10 Graphite. This series got a slight makeover in 2012. The action that made these rods so popular stayed the same but there are a few cosmetic changes. The rods all have a black anodized saltwater safe seat with over sized lightweight chrome guides. The fighting butt and cork handle are made from super grade cork with composite cork accents. The color of the Rise Level series rods are a rich blue with black wraps. All Level Series Fly Rods are 4 piece and come with a case and lifetime warranty.
http://risefishing.com/salt-water-fly-rod.html
Florida Fly Fishing
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The Saltwater Angler’s Guide to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida by Tommy Thompson
Reviewed by Robert Craig Fishing guide, professional photographer, outdoor writer, and food columnist Tommy Thompson, is well qualified to be a travel writer. In his current publication, The Saltwater Angler’s Guide: to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, Thompson gives us a practical and comprehensive volume on where to fish; inshore, near shore and offshore, how to get around, great places to eat, where to stay the night, locations of marinas, fly / tackle shops, launch sites and the names of USCG certified fishing guides in eight different locations from the upper Suncoast to the Ten Thousand Islands. The Guide is really two books in one. The first 200 or so pages provide the reader with detailed information on various fishing destinations. The next 100-odd pages gives one advice on the practical matters of the fish we are likely to catch in a given area and how to catch them. Rest be assured that the guide will appeal to outdoor folk of all types, not just to the angler. Place, time and location are relatively constant to the nature lover. Only the most pure and ardent among us will insist on using the long wand exclusively on an outing. While that is what may drive us, if that is the only way we roll then we might be trying to roll uphill. Take a camera, binoculars, a journal, and as scandalous as it may be, a bait caster and a spinning rod and you’ll have a better chance of a roll to remember. Using Thompson’s advice will increase the chances of having that roll with butter and honey included. The book is written for the many visitors and residents of our state who wish to experience our unique and varied coastal environments. For those who love the outdoors these places, rich in birds, fish, reptiles, mammals, vegetation and activities allowing us to see and experience them are not to be
Florida Fly Fishing
missed. The guide is regularly updated at its award – winning website, www. saltwateranglersguide.com. When Mother Nature, the economy, governmental rules and regulations and business ventures alter the lay of the land you can be sure that Tommy will be on top of it and direct you accordingly. For a little more than an Andrew Jackson this guide will provide you with enough local knowledge to get you started fishing a new location – and make catching a reality.
The Saltwater Anglers Guide To Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida by Tommy L. Thompson, University Press of Florida, 15 Northwest 15th Street, Gainesville, FL 32611 – 2079, http://upf.com $22.50. Also available from University Press of Florida, The Saltwater Angler’s Guide to Florida’s Big Bend and Emerald Coast, by the same author.
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...thoughts on gear Robert Morselli Who doesn’t appreciate quality fishing gear? (I thought so….) Quality gear is often—and wrongly—associated with a fat budget, but that’s just plain wrong. Here’s proof. 2012 has been a banner year for new fly fishing products, but I thought that more than a few products were over-hyped, and many others simply got buried in the media storm. The following items are a few gems that went somewhat unnoticed or just weren’t trumpeted loudly upon release. These items will build a strong and dedicated following in due time. I have little love for the trend in reel design this year, and even feel that one major manufacturer has lost its way. That said, there’s one new product that’s a standout: Abel’s 4/5/6 Classic. Anyone familiar with Abel’s spey reels will note that the Classic is a scaled down version of that product. Abel literature puts it best: “classic looks,with a state-of-the art build and materials.” The smartly designed and externally adjustable, 8-setting pawl/ overrun system will make any dedicated fresh water junkie take note: finally, a reel manufacturer with the fortitude to design, build and market a double pawl reel that you can confidently stalk large fish with. Comes in ported or solid configurations, depending on just how classic a look you’re aiming for. As with all Abel products, the 4/5/6 features flawless machining and a secondto-none anodization process. Requires minimal, DIY maintenance, and begs to be paired with a classic fly rod. Such as…. RL Winston’s GVX Select, which turned out to be a big surprise, mainly because a competing brand garnered nearly all of the headlines over the past year, so the GVX seemed to have slipped under the radar. If you get a chance,
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I urge you to give this rod a try. To my mind, no other graphite rod in the recent past has provided this much character for its (mid) price range: top-tier hardware, pleasingly smooth, powerful and a classic feel. So relax that cast, count a little slower on those longer ones, and the GVX’s attributes will come shining through. Graphite has been a victim of over-engineering in the last few years: many fly rods just feel and act the same, so it’s great to find the odd rod that is wellengineered yet harkens back to an earlier, softer action. Final note: the GVX Select is deadly accurate. Enrico Puglisi flies. I did a double-take the first time I saw a group of EP freshwater flies lined up in a shop display. A typical product description goes like this, “Everglades SP sports natural looking colors, a healthy profile, monofilament weed guard and realistic eyes all tied together on a sharp Gamakatsu hook,” but there’s far more to these flies than that. Innovative designs, and toptier materials and craftsmanship are what these little gems are all about. Many of the designs are strikingly minimalist and imitate the various shrimp, crabs and baitfish that populate backcountry mangroves. I read several product reviews and there’s a clear consensus: EP flies are magnets for snook, redfish and tarpon. I purchased my first Puglisi flies only one year ago and I’ve learned that they’re among the most durable flies available. Sold separately or as target-specific selections. RIO’s new SuppleFlex trout leaders are obsessively designed and calibrated to produce a perfectly balanced leader formula. The supple nature of the material allows for featherweight presentations and does not impede the natural movement of a fly in the current. No other leader like this currently exists on the market. In my mind it’s the ‘go to’ leader for dry fly/soft hackle experts. Oh, and one last thing: a little on-the-water etiquette would be nice (total cost: $0). It’s something we all read about from time to time, but practice too seldom. I’m no Mr. Perfect and have certainly been guilty of a few minor infractions over the past season. Whether you’re a newbie or a fishing pro, take a little time to learn or review the rules of being a considerate fellow angler. We all stand to benefit. 29
Florida Fly Fishing
www.jeffharrellart.com