Tail Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue #53 - May/June 2021

CELEBRATING 8 YEARS AS THE VOICE OF SALTWATER FLY FISHING

FLY FISHING MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2021

Join us in • MARK HATTER - THE GREATEST TARPON FISHERY OF ALL TIME • JESSE MALES - TYING THE FAT HEAD PALOLO WORM • CHRIS DORSEY - ON FISHING WITH TOM BROKAW, YVON CHOUINARD, THOMAS MCGUANE, MICHAEL KEATON & HUEY LEWIS • ED MITCHELL - SAND EEL MASTER CLASS • ANDY MILL - HOW TO BEAT BIG FISH • AND MUCH, MUCH MORE...

53 MAY/JUNE 2021

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 1

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Respected and admired for their strength and power, tarpon are also endowed with a mesmerizing beauty, their silver scales revealing a dazzling array of hues.

Photo: Neal Rogers

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the next generation

T&T Ambassadors Jose and Parker Ucan spending time together in their home waters of the Yucatan Peninsula. Legendary guide Jose is patiently imparting his love of fishing to 8 year old son Parker who at such a young age has already landed a Permit on Fly. Handing down our knowledge and passion for the outdoors to the next generation is key to the survival and growth of flyfishing. At T&T we see a world of possibilities out there and believe the next generation should too.

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Maybe it’s a baby permit, but it’s still a permit, meaning we’d take a shot at it given the opportunity. It’s clearly not a “trash can lid” or even a “dinner plate,” but does size even matter when it comes to permit on the fly?

Photo: Neal Rogers 6 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

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TM

GUIDE TESTED.

GUIDE TRUSTED. On the Cover: Mark B. Hatter took this Kodachrome photo in the 1980s and sold it to the Orvis Co. for use in its catalog. Mark contacted the folks at Orvis, who generously allowed us to use it for this issue’s cover.

Editor-In-Chief: Managing Editor: Acquisitions Editor: Creative Director: Food Editor: Travel Editor: West Coast Editor: Consulting Editor: Contributing Editors: Historians: Editors-at-Large:

Joseph Ballarini Trey Reid George V. Roberts Jr. Scott Morrison Kelli Prescott Peter McLeod Al Quattrocchi Chico Fernandez Andy Mill, Nicky Mill Pete Barrett, Ed Mitchell Joe Doggett, Mark B. Hatter, Tom Keer, Ryan Sparks, James P. Spica Jr. Copy Editor: Leila Beasley

Creative Contributors: Eric Anderson Pete Barrett David Blinken Monte Burke Luyen Chou Al Dopirak Chris Dorsey Tom Evans Pat Ford JackGartside.com

Jack Gagnon Willard Greenwood Mark B. Hatter Steve Huff Michael Larkin, Ph.D. Jesse Males Dan Malzone Andy Mill Ed Mitchell

John O’Hearn Jonathan Olch Kelli Prescott Al Quattrocchi Tom Twyford Elizabeth Wallace, Ph.D. Earl Waters Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

About Tail Fly Fishing Magazine is the voice of saltwater fly fishing in a bimonthly print and digital publication. We focus on delivering high-quality content, the very best photography, destination travel, reputable commentary, and technical features from the saltwater fly fishing culture. Tail Fly Fishing Magazine began as a digital publication in 2012 and debuted as a print magazine in 2016. Combined, the digital and print versions reach readers in more than 45 countries.

In many places throughout the world, fly fishing has become important to both people and the environment. As a method of fishing imbued with values of stewardship and conservation, it connects people with the marine world in significant and positive ways. We, the anglers, are the last line of defense for our outdoor spaces.

Tail Fly Fishing Magazine supports the arts and creativity, conservation, and organizations that trumpet this message. We’re grateful for your support and we welcome photographic and written contributions.

TFFM is published six times annually, and your print subscription includes the digital version. Subscriptions are available through our website. International subscriptions are also available for most countries. Please contact our general mailbox, admin@tailflyfishing.com, with any advertising, subscription, or submission questions.

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 11

CONTENTS 18

28

HOMOSASSA: A REMINISCENCE OF THE GREATEST TARPON FISHERY - Mark B. Hatter Tales of Homosassa’s giant tarpon weren’t just fish stories. After the decline of the world’s greatest tarpon fishery, some looked for answers while others simply mourned its loss. Mark Hatter’s history of Homosassa is both a personal recollection and a painstakingly researched analysis, including modern perspectives through the lens of hindsight and insights from the anglers and guides who made Homosassa famous (and notorious).

FLY TYING: FAT HEAD PALOLO WORM Jesse Males Backwater Fly Fishing’s Jesse Males returns with the latest creation from his innovative vise. The Palolo worm hatch in the Florida Keys is an iconic event, and Males shows us how to pair natural materials with a very unnatural foam head to match the hatch.

34

40 42

HOW TO FIGHT BIG FISH - Andy Mill Want to catch bigger fish and do it right? Andy Mill shows us the way. In this coherent and concise how-to piece, Mill explains that most of us are probably doing it all wrong—using the wrong parts of our bodies and our fly rods. You may not win five Gold Cups like Mill, but emulating his approach to fighting big fish will make you a better angler. Grab your highlighter; we’re cool with you marking up this article.

INSIDE THE BOX - Luyen Chou and David Blinken The striped bass migration is on along the Northeast coast, and this collection of patterns from Masters of the Fly founders Luyen Chou and David Blinken should be in your arsenal when you’re out there trying to intercept the seasonal run.

STRIPER REDUX - Jack Gagnon The late Jack Gartside had a legendary sense of humor, a fact that wasn’t lost on Jack Gagnon when Gartside introduced him to coastal striper fly fishing in the 1990s. After Gagnon’s first experience that night, it’s a bit surprising he ever returned. It took him a couple of decades, but when he did get back to the striped bass, it spawned this charming story.

“To me, the sea is a continual miracle; the fishes that swim, the rocks, the motion of the waves, the ships with men in them. What stranger miracles are there?”

—Walt Whitman Photo: Christian Hinkle

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48 54 58 68

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SAND EELS - Ed Mitchell When the migratory runs of sand eels and striped bass collide in the Northeast in late spring and early summer, it’s the stuff of magic. To make sure anglers are dialed into it, we turn to Ed Mitchell, who covers everything you need to know—size, color, range, where to find sand eels, and how to imitate them with flies—to help you catch more stripers when the action heats up.

GEAR GUIDE - TFFM Staff From high-end reels and travel cases to lighting up the night and keeping your beer cold, this issue’s Gear Guide won’t steer you wrong.

ANCHOR AWAY: ON ASSIGNMENT WITH TOM BROKAW - Chris Dorsey Fly fishing with a cast of characters that includes Tom Brokaw, Lefty Kreh, Huey Lewis, Thomas McGuane, Yvon Chouinard, and Michael Keaton, Chris Dorsey provides a behind-the-scenes view of Buccaneers & Bones in this excerpt from his new book, Casting Call.

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF GENETIC VARIATION AND CRYPTIC SPECIES - Elizabeth Wallace, Ph.D. Ever heard of a “golden” bonefish being caught in Belize or Mexico? Ever wondered why those dark bars suddenly appear on bonefish when they’re swimming over grass flats or after you’ve brought one to hand? Geneticist Elizabeth Wallace explains the science behind the answers to these questions in the second installment of a three-part series, focusing this time on genetic variation and mutations.

ON THE PLATE: UP IN SMOKE - Kelli Prescott Barbecue season is here. Kelli Prescott fires up the smoker—and our taste buds—with recipes for sticky, smoky beef short ribs. She also shows us how to cure and smoke bacon at home (you’ll never want to eat storebought bacon again). These recipes will make the short list for your Memorial Day cookout.

76 78 84 86

92 96

Q’S BLOCK PARTY MARGARITA - Al Quattrocchi Al Quattrocchi would rather tie flies than squeeze limes, so maybe that’s why his special Margarita recipe doesn’t require any actual limes. Say what? That’s right; this Margarita contains zero limes. But it does include a can of India Pale Ale. Confused yet? No worries—Q has the details for this simple but delicious recipe.

NEW LIFE FOR LAKE WORTH LAGOON - Pete Barrett The Keys aren’t the only place to fish in Florida, and thanks to a coalition of partners in Palm Beach County, Lake Worth is returning to past glory. Pete Barrett, TFFM historian and editor-at-large, shares the lagoon’s comeback story—and fishing tips.

NIGHT BLITZ - Willard Greenwood This poem taps into the sights, sounds, and smells of Northeast striper fishing, capturing the essence of what draws us to the water.

THE FREEZE - THE SCIENCE BEHIND BIG BONEFISH IN THE FLORIDA KEYS - Michael Larkin, Ph.D. If you suspect the quantity and size of South Florida bonefish have diminished in the past decade, you’re not alone. Michael Larkin explains the reasons the Keys have historically harbored big bones, and digs into research to show how 2010’s extreme cold weather and other factors may have affected the area’s bonefish.

THE AQUARIUM - Joseph Ballarini Some days on the water are better than others, but sometimes the stars align for a day that’s unlike any other. Hit the water in Puerto Rico with Editor-in-Chief Joseph Ballarini for a tarpon fishing experience he’ll never forget. You probably won’t forget “The Aquarium” either.

TFFM TRAVEL GUIDE Find guides, destinations, and more in our travel pages.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 13

— from the editor

decisions “[T]he choices we make dictate the life we lead.”

That quote comes from the 1994 film Renaissance Man. I mention it here because we sometimes reflect on our decisions through the years and too frequently refer to them as “sacrifices.”

Higher education can be trying, but it’s hardly a sacrifice. It’s simply a period of time when one engages in intense learning to gain knowledge and insight—maybe even leading to a preferred job. I “sacrificed” some time to educate myself and to make a better living. But it wasn’t really a sacrifice, and it actually sounds egocentric. (These days, with high-speed internet, online classes, and scheduling flexibility, higher learning sometimes seems like a life of leisure.)

There are people in this world who follow a calling and dedicate themselves to something that consumes them. Consider artists, or even fishing guides—they work hard but rarely reap the financial gains that are common in the medical, legal, and financial fields. Instead, they follow their passions and do what they love, often sacrificing monetary gain to live a certain lifestyle or work in a certain industry.

Others follow a calling to protect and serve—fire fighters, police, and our military. The latter group defends our freedoms, including our fundamental right of free speech, which allows us to publish this magazine. We do so with enthusiasm and pride, knowing that we’re making a contribution to something we love. And sometimes we even get a chance to make a difference in people’s lives.

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We enjoy hearing from our readers and subscribers, but one particular piece of recent feedback was exceptionally gratifying. It came from a reader who’s making a real sacrifice, serving overseas to preserve the freedoms that allow us to pursue simple pleasures like saltwater fly fishing and, yes, even reading magazines about it.

You’ll understand the impetus behind this letter when you see the next page. But to those individuals in uniform, doing the hard work and making sacrifices, thank you.

This issue is packed with great features and informative articles. We turn our attention to the Northeast and striped bass fishing, and there’s also a writer’s reminiscence about arguably the greatest tarpon fishery in history. Two scientific submissions will add to our understanding of some of the species we pursue. Andy Mill tries to make us better anglers with a great technical fish-fighting piece, and Chris Dorsey shares an excerpt from his new book that includes tales of fly fishing with celebrities like Tom Brokaw and Huey Lewis. I even get in on the action this issue with a story about an unbelievable day of tarpon fishing.

As we say each time, this one is better than the last. We hope you enjoy it, and please keep the feedback coming.

Sincerely,

Joseph Ballarini, Editor-in-Chief

I’d like to give a big shout out and thanks to Tail Fly Fishing Magazine for the magazines they donated to my squad of soldiers and me deployed overseas in Iraq and Syria. Needless to say, there are not a lot of fishing opportunities here, and the magazines they sent us really boosted our spirits and reminded us of the great fishing we have waiting for us back at home. Thank you so much again, and keep up the awesome work!

Tight Lines, Sgt. Peter Jacobs

Military Intelligence Company 1-73 Cavalry 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 15

R E T A I L E R S C A R R Y T A I L

ALASKA Mossy’s Fly Shop 750 W. Diamond Blvd, Suite 114 Anchorage, AK 99515 907-770-2666 mossysflyshop.com CALIFORNIA Bob Marriott’s Fly Fishing Store 2700 W. Orangethorpe Ave Fullerton, CA 92833 714-525-1827 bobmarriottsflyfishingstore. com

Seven Mile Fly Shop 1638 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 (305) 440-3406 sevenmileflyshop.com The Angling Company 333 Simonton St Key West, FL 33040 305-292-6306 anglingcompany.com The Tide 321 Park Avenue Boca Grande, FL 33921 941-964-2417

COLORADO

GEORGIA

Front Range Anglers 2344 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 303-494-1375 frontrangeanglers.com

Cohutta Fishing Company 39 S. Public Square Cartersville, GA 30120 770-606-1100 cohuttafishingco.com

CONNECTICUT

ORVIS Atlanta Buckhead Square 3255 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30305 404-841-0093 Orvis.com

The Compleat Angler 541 Boston Post Road Darien, CT 06820 203-655-9400 compleatangleronline.com FLORIDA 239 Flies 3431 Bonito Beach Rd SW Unit #205 Bonito Springs, FL 34134 (239) 908-3513 239flies.com Forgotten Coast Fly Company 123 Commerce Street Apalachicola, FL 32320 850-653-1024 forgottencoastflycompany. com

The Fish Hawk 764 Miami Cir NE #126 Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-3473 thefishhawk.com LOUISIANA Marsh & Bayou Outfitters 2600 Florida St Suite 3 Mandeville, LA 70448 985-869-7335 marshandbayououtfitters.com ORVIS Baton Rouge Perkins Rowe, Bldg. H 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd., Ste. 140 Baton Rouge LA 70810 225-757-7286 Orvis.com

NORTH CAROLINA Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd D5 Cornelius, NC 28031 704-896-3660 carolinaflyfishing.com OBX on the Fly 107 Sir Walter Raleigh St Manteo, NC 27954 obxonthefly.com RHODE ISLAND The Saltwater Edge 1037 Aquidneck Ave Middletown, RI 02842 866-793-6733 saltwateredge.com SOUTH CAROLINA Bay Street Outfitters 825 Bay Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843-524-5250 baystreetoutfitters.com ORVIS Charleston 535 King St, Charleston, SC 29403 (854) 999-4985 Orvis.com Southern Drawl Outfitters 1533 Fording Island Rd Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 843-705-6010 southerndrawloutfitters.com TEXAS Bayou City Angler 3641 Westheimer Rd Suite A Houston, TX 77027 832-831-3104 bayoucityangler.com

MARYLAND

Gordy & Sons Outfitters 22 Waugh Drive Houston, TX 77007 713-333-3474 gordyandsons.com

Mangrove Outfitters 4111 Tamiami Trail E Naples, FL 34112 239-793-3370 mangroveoutfitters.com

Alltackle 2062 Somerville Rd Annapolis, MD 21401 888-810-7283 alltackle.com

ORVIS Austin 10000 Research Blvd - B04B Austin TX 78759 512-795-8004 Orvis.com

Ole Florida Fly Shop 6353 N. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33487 561-995-1929 olefloridaflyshop.com

MASSACHUSETTS

ORVIS Houston 5727 Westheimer - Suite A Houston TX 77057 713-783-2111 Orvis.com

Florida Keys Outfitters 81219 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL 33036 305-664-5432 floridakeysoutfitters.com

Orlando Outfitters 2814 Corrine Dr Orlando, FL 32803 407-896-8220 orlandooutfitters.com ORVIS Ocean Reef 1 Fishing Village Drive Key Largo FL 33037 305-367-2227 Orvis.com ORVIS Sandestin 625 Grand Boulevard Ste 101 Sandestin, FL 32550 850-650-2174 Orvis.com

16 TAIL TAIL FLY FISHING FLY FISHING MAGAZINE MAGAZINE 16

The Bear’s Den 34 Robert W. Boyden Rd Taunton, MA 02780 508-977-0700 bearsden.com MONTANA Frontier Anglers 680 N. Montana St Dillion, MT 59725 406-683-5276 frontieranglers.com NEW YORK River Bay Outfitters 980 Church St Baldwin, NY 11510 516-415-7748 riverbayoutfitters.com

ORVIS Plano Preston Towne Crossing 2412 Preston Road Suite 200 Plano, TX 75093 972-596-7529 Orvis.com ORVIS San Antonio 7427 San Pedro Ave. Suite 104 San Antonio, TX 78216 210-812-3017 Orvis.com Sportsman’s Finest 12434 Bee Cave Road Austin, TX 78738 512-263-1888 sportsmansfinest.com

Swan Point Landing 1723 Cherry Street Suite 4 Rockport, TX 78382 361-729-7926 swanpointlandingflyshop.net Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. 1933 E. Levee St Dallas, TX 75207 888-824-5420 tailwatersflyfishing.com UTAH Fishwest 47 West 10600 South Sandy, UT 84070 fishwest.com 801-617-1225 WASHINGTON Peninsula Outfitters 19740 7th Ave NE, Suite 110 Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-394-1599 peninsulaoutfitters.com The Avid Angler 17171 Bothell Way NE #A272 Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 206-362-4030 avidangler.com WYOMING Lander Fly Shop 305 Main Street Lander, WY 82520 307-438-3439 landerflyshop.com Retail Chains: Barnes & Noble—630 retail locations in the USA Books-A-Million—260 stores in 32 states Bass Pro Shops—95 locations in the USA Dick’s Sporting Goods (select locations)—over 700 stores in the USA Field & Stream Stores—35 locations in the USA Indigo Books—over 200 stores under various banners BAHAMAS Blackfly Lodge Schooner Bay Abaco, Bahamas 904-997-2220 blackflylodge.com CANADA Drift Outfitters & Fly Shop 199 Queen St. East Toronto Ontario M5A-1S2 647-347-7370 Driftoutfitters.com

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homosassa

by Mark B. Hatter Captain Earl Waters stripped off 60

said, directing Charlie Madden to do

Madden made his cast. Seemingly

feet of line from the reel and handed

the same drill.

satisfied with the results, Waters fired

me the thick, one-piece composite rod. “Here,” he said curtly. “Cast.”

up the outboard and zoomed south Waters had stopped his pristine,

toward the flotilla of boats spread

teal-green Silver King skiff, with

across the expanse of shallows outside

I unfurled the length of the line after

a coral-colored cap, about a half-

of Chassahowitzka Channel.

a couple of back casts, shooting the

mile out in the Gulf, just outside of

fly straight to nowhere in particular.

the Homosassa River channel. We

It was May 15, 1993. Madden and

were apparently being interviewed

I were, at last, tarpon fishing the

realtime for a skills check.

equivalent of golf’s Augusta National.

“Hand the rod to your buddy,” he

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We were rubes, with about a year of saltwater fly fishing under our belts, and had thin wallets with just enough credit between us to split two guided days at Homosassa and two nights at the storied Riverside Inn. Booking it had not been easy; we couldn’t find a guide who’d take us.

Without a history and a bankroll to fund at least a week or more on the water, Homosassa guides were not particularly interested in taking on new clients, especially neophytes.

We reached out to David Olsen, former manager of the now-defunct Fly Fisherman in Orlando, Florida, for help. A few days later, Olsen called back: “If you guys can fish May 15th and 16th, I have a guide who’ll take you. Name’s Earl Waters. I vouched for you guys—told Earl you could cast and see fish.”

Thus, the on-the-water interview, which had really begun at the Homosassa launch ramp.

Our initial introduction at the ramp wasn’t much more than a head nod of acknowledgement that we were Waters’ clients. After readying his skiff, he examined the four-piece graphite rod and Islander reel that Madden and I planned to share.

“You can put that rod back in your car,” Waters directed.

Reading the perplexed look on my face, he answered my unspoken question.

“That rod is too small for these fish.”

I was bummed. The four-piece, 12-weight Loomis IMX, stamped

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He suggested they drive up and fish Homosassa, where the weather might be better. “Where the hell is that?” asked Evans.

“DEMO” just above the single cork handle, was my prized tarpon possession. I’d found it in a bin marked “half-price” in a sporting goods store in Denver on a recent business trip. That it was now being relegated to the hotel room, along with the dozen IGFA-leadered flies, neatly fixed in a new leader stretcher rigged specifically for this trip, was painful.

In retrospect, I fully appreciate the atmosphere of that morning.

Waters expected much, considering his clients and friends included the likes of Al Pflueger and John Emory.

Indeed, in Monte Burke’s Lords of the Fly (an extraordinary, must-read compendium on the 50-year history of fly fishing for tarpon—specifically for record fish at Homosassa), the arcing intersection of legendary guides and anglers, chasing tarpon for the better part of half a century, explains it all.

Over our two days, Waters became genuinely sociable, and generous with information on all manner of tarpon fishing, even though finding the tarpon proved elusive. Shots were few and far between, but Madden did manage one bite and landed a classically average Homosassa tarpon.

Despite the slow action, Homosassa was mesmerizing. It possessed a magnetic draw for Madden and me that could not—and would not—be ignored.

In the Beginning Homosassa, situated on Florida’s Gulf Coast about 70 miles north of Tampa, is legendary. Its legacy of tarpon fishing began about 1970.

“When Lefty Kreh wrote about a trip he’d made to Homosassa in The Tampa Tribune, fishing with ‘the MirrOlure guys,’ Harold LaMaster and Kirk Smith, the word got out,” Captain Dan Malzone said in a recent interview. “LaMaster and Smith invited Kreh to fish with them as they chunked lures into the hole around Black Rock, which was stacked thick with big tarpon. I owned three sporting good stores at the time, so

Keys, they had breakfast with Duncan at a local diner. He suggested they drive up and fish Homosassa, where the weather might be better. “Where the hell is that?” asked Evans.

“We drove up to Homosassa,” Huff said in a recent interview, “launched the skiff … and never saw a fish all that first day. So the next day we hired a plane from a local airport to fly over the area to look for fish.

And we found them … tarpon were everywhere.”

Huff and Evans hit the water soon after they landed. “Tom hooked up

naturally, I’d heard about it.

on a big fish,” Huff recalled. “He

“In 1972, Keys anglers Normand

the big fish at Homosassa and

Duncan and Gary Marconi caught wind of Homosassa’s giant tarpon that nobody fished and started fly fishing there. They invited me to fish with them in 1974. In the mid -1970s,

immediately became smitten with wanted to come back.”

The following year, Huff and Evans spent three consecutive weeks fishing Homosassa. The flats were

we were the only guys on the water.”

still mostly absent other anglers and

Subsequently, Malzone would fish

had gotten word of Homosassa’s

Homosassa three days each week, Friday through Sunday, the only days his businesses would allow him, for the next several years.

In 1976, Florida Keys guide Steve Huff and angler Tom Evans, who would book Huff for 45 straight days, had had a rough spring, nasty weather keeping them dockside more often than not. One windy morning, with a low-pressure system settling on the

skiffs, but record-chaser Billy Pate giant tarpon. Like Evans, Pate had the financial wherewithal to pursue big fish for weeks at a time, and he spent the entire tarpon season chasing records at Homosassa.

“On Memorial Day 1977, Pate and his guide (Hal Chittum) were the only ones on the water besides Tom and me,” Huff said. “About three in the afternoon, fish began pouring in from the west by the thousands. Tom

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 21

22 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

caught seven tarpon that afternoon,

prevent word from getting out about

nearly a decade earlier. Still, we could

all over 150 pounds. His seventh fish

the massive, frozen carcasses left

no more repel the magnetic pull of

was 177 pounds.”

by Huff for mounting at Pflueger’s.

Homosassa than we could alter the

By 1978, the flood gates had

phases of the moon.

That fish would prove to be a record

opened, and the crowds arrived at

on 15-pound tippet (when the

Homosassa for the next tarpon

At the time, Madden and I couldn’t

IGFA took over record keeping, the

season. Established, venerable Keys

afford guided trips. We considered

15-pound tippet was changed to 16

guides, with their wealthy clients, put

an unguided trip, but the aggressive

pounds, then 8 kilograms when it

Homosassa on the map with indelible

ballet of professionals, constantly

switched to metric, which is actually

ink. In parallel, a handful of young,

adjusting their skiffs’ positions with

17.6 pounds when converted from

local guides from Florida’s west coast

tricked-out dual trolling motors,

kilos).

began carving their own careers at

gave us pause. But our apprehension

Homossassa, each earning individual

lasted only three weeks.

At the end of the 1977 trip, Huff

notoriety. (You can find the the who’s

returned to the Keys “with three

who on guides and anglers in Burke’s

In the second week of June 1993,

frozen tarpon wrapped up in the

Lords of the Fly.)

we returned to Homosassa, having

back of my station wagon weighing

borrowed my dad’s 16-foot Key West

162, 177, and 186 pounds.” Huff had

Shifting Baseline

brought them back to have them

There’s a defining point in time

mounted on the stern and a white

mounted at Pflueger’s Taxidermy.

for everyone who’s experiencing

fiberglass push pole, identifying us,

The 186-pound fish was caught by

an ongoing act for the first time.

even from great distance, as the

Huff, who refused to have it officially

At Homosassa, that moment for

rubes we were.

weighed, “because I was guiding, and

me was 1993. For the earliest fly

it didn’t seem right.” At the time of

fishers, it was 1972. Burke describes

So we poled around the periphery

the catch, Evans was indisposed from

this critical beginning as “Shifting

of the fleet, always maintaining

some bad food and had given Huff

Baseline Syndrome,” an individual’s

at least a quarter-mile distance

the green light to throw at a wad

point of departure from when the

from the nearest boat. There were

of approaching fish. Evans officially

act is occurring. Depending on when

tarpon everywhere. Madden and I

claimed the 15-pound tippet record

and where the departure point

took frequent turns throwing store-

with a tarpon weighing 187 pounds

occurs, one’s shifting baseline could

purchased flies to big tarpon using

in 1981. (Huff and Evans fished

well be the high-water mark for that

my demo Loomis.

together in Homosassa through the

individual’s history if the occurring

1981 season. “Then, Huff fired me,”

act is in decline. In short, it gives real

Just before noon, I got bit—and

Evans said in a recent interview.

meaning to the phrase “You should

learned why the demo rod was a

Evans fished with Dale Perez in 1982

have been here yesterday.” (Huff’s

bad idea. As Madden drove the

and 1983, then settled in with Al

1977 baseline included a day when he

skiff in doughnuts with the single

Dopirak in 1984. Over the decades,

ran his skiff for 20 minutes through

electric motor trying to keep up,

there have been multiple stories

an endless tarpon swarm, the fish

the fish owned me. The fight ended

of tarpon exceeding 200 pounds

“chaining and swirling, making

unceremoniously, about 10 minutes

being hooked and lost on the storied

shapes like the old Ballentine beer

later, with a broken tippet. I’m

waters of Homosassa; to date, the

label.”)

not sure the fish even knew it was

200-pound mark has officially been

skiff. It had a single electric motor

hooked because the rod couldn’t

surpassed just once, when Jim

While Madden and I were struck

generate proper pressure to manage

Holland Jr., guided by Captain Steve

with awe by what we perceived as

the beast.

Kilpatrick, caught a 202.8-pound

an amazing tarpon venue in our

tarpon in May 2001.)

first experience in 1993, we had no

While too poor to buy more guided

idea that the greatest fishing at

trips, we found easy boat credit with

Homosassa had already concluded

long terms. Madden called Winter

In 1977, no amount of secrecy could

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 23

“Tarpon came to Homosassa for a reason,” Huff explained. “Blue crab are high in protein and are a tremendously important food source for tarpon. But the crab needs fresh water to spawn.”

Park Marine later that summer and

invited me, he said, because I wrote

tragedy of the commons, mankind’s

ordered a new Hewes Bonefisher with

for magazines. “I want you to

overexploitation of a resource to its

twin stern-mount electrics, replete

write about the Homosassa guides

ruin. Indeed, the white-hot tarpon

with air switches. Two years later

‘beating-up’ the fish,” he said,

fishing at Homossassa, brought to

I arrived at Homosassa with a new

“making it impossible for those of us

public attention about 1978, was

Maverick 16-foot HP, with stylishly

who fish further to the south to get

already in decline for a litany of

different, trim-tab-mounted Lenco

a shot.” (Burke’s book has an entire

reasons, the least of which related to

electrics.

chapter detailing Erra’s shenanigans

angler pressure.

with other anglers on the water and In the succeeding years we became

at the boat ramp. One day I returned

As Central Florida changed from a

frequent Homosassa visitors, always

to the Bayport ramp to find three of

largely citrus-agriculture economy

trying to maintain a respectful

my truck’s tires slashed; Erra was on

in the 1960s to one of service and

distance from the icons with their

the water that day, and I’m convinced

entertainment, boundless real estate

earned deference. On a good day

he was the source of the vandalism.)

development brought bad ecological

we’d surreptitiously celebrate with

decisions and their consequences

beers at the Bayport Inn bar, rubbing

Although it was Erra’s intent for me

to the pristine environment along

elbows with captains like Tommy

to publicly punish what was perceived

Florida’s west coast (as well as

Locke, Tom Mohler, and Jim Webber,

as bad behavior by the guides “up

the rest of the state). Developers

hoping they would ask us if we’d seen

north,” I walked away with more

dramatically increased water

any fish.

clarity about what most of us in the

consumption from Florida’s aquifer,

meeting intuitively already knew:

meaning less freshwater flow, the

Homosassa’s glory days were over.

region’s life blood, to the coastal

In 1995, I wrote a magazine story, “The Holy Grail,” about the

marshes. Compounded by the ever-

Homosassa fishery. In an attempt

Captain Al Dopirak, arguably the

increasing, nutrient-rich runoff

at reverence, I listed the uncodified

greatest of all Homosassa guides,

leaching into the aquifer from

“rules of engagement” we had

attended the Erra summit.

extensive use of fertilizers across the

learned from Earl Waters. It was

state’s belly, it began the death spiral

a call to the unwashed, listing the

“It’s the resource.… It’s gone,” he told

of Florida’s central-Gulf Coast tarpon

protocols of how to fish Homosassa

the attendees. “There’s not enough

fishing by the early 1970s.

without pissing off the pros, who

fresh water. There’re no more blue

were there chasing records and

crab to keep the tarpon around, so

“Tarpon came to Homosassa for

earning livings.

the fish have left. You can’t fault a

a reason,” Huff explained. “Blue

guy who is trying to earn a living by

crab are high in protein and are a

My actualization of Homosassa’s

keeping his client on the few fish he

tremendously important food source

decline came to the forefront in

finds. That’s his job.”

for tarpon. But the crab needs fresh

another magazine piece in 2013. I

water to spawn.”

was invited to a preseason “summit”

Dopirak’s assessment was spot

in Homosassa, organized by the

on. My eventual story attempted

Lower flows from the region’s

notorious angler Bobby Erra, who

to capture the moment; it’s a

freshwater springs has resulted in a

24 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

more saline coastline, reducing the

Despite its demise, Homosassa still

Melancholy Memories

once-abundant blue crab populations.

harbors a few transient giant tarpon.

It’s midafternoon, June 12, 2019, and

For the last 25 years, Dopirak has

I’m poling north on Oklahoma Flat,

“Blue crab are the best indicator for

faithfully and expertly guided Tom

just offshore from Pine Island and

a watershed,” Huff said. “When the

Evans to record tarpon in the ever-

its notorious rock piles, the white

crab are gone, so go the predators

diminishing fishery. Evans landed a

sand beneath me tinted yellow by

that feed on them.”

record 191-pound tarpon on 16-pound

the afternoon sun. I arrived at the

tippet with Dopirak in 2003. In 2010

Bayport launch ramp about noon

Huff shared a story about a 1970s

Dopirak guided Evans to perhaps

after towing the skiff north from

trip up the Suwannee River, north of

the greatest record of all time, a

a deplorable morning on the water

Homosassa, when locals warned of

195-pound tarpon on 12-pound

around Honeymoon Key north of

jumping tarpon presenting a boating

tippet.

Tampa.

around the springs then, you could

Like Huff, Dopirak’s recollection of

I could’ve just gone home, the

read a newspaper on the bottom at

the early years was similar: “When I

likelihood of a push at Homosassa

60 feet.”

first started guiding at Homosassa

being close to nil based on the result

hazard: “The river was so clear

in the 70s, my trim tabs used to trail

of my no-push morning farther

Malzone recalled a time when, “You

blue crab chains, each crab holding

south. But I’m a tarpon angler, and

could barely make headway on a plane

the other’s claw. I agree that fresh

Homosassa was a bit closer than

coming back into the Weeki Wachee

water is the key to life at Homosassa.

home.

River at Bayport on a strong outgoing

It’s a shame we will never again have

tide…. The fresh water flow was that

what we once had.”

The empty Bayport ramp parking

strong. Just about everywhere we

lot was another reminder that I was

fished along the coast, you could smell

wasting my time. But the tide was

the freshwater.”

pushing out, the sky was clear, and

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 25

I had a sandwich and a beer. So I launched.

Although the tide was pulling out hard, it didn’t have that “smell of rain” or the velocity of flow that makes your skiff “almost stand still while on a plane,” as Malzone described it.

Still, it was Homosassa, once the world’s greatest tarpon fishery for truly mammoth fish.

I holstered the push pole, grabbed my beer and tuna sandwich from the cooler, then sat on my platform, scanning the flats for signs of life. The moment was melancholy; Homosassa’s entropy was palpable.

Tomorrow, a new angler with a next-generation guide may fish Homosassa for the first time, maybe even getting a shot at a transient fish. It would become that angler’s shifting baseline, another high-water mark for another angler in a fishery that has seen a half-century decay.

(Editor’s note: The author thanks captains Steve Huff, Al Dopirak, Dan Malzone, and Earl Waters for graciously answering questions and sharing personal histories, as well as Tom Evans, who also was generous with his time and memories.

Thanks also to Monte Burke for his permission to use passages from Lords of the Fly for reference in this article.)

Bio: Mark Hatter has been shooting photographs and writing about saltwater fly fishing for more than two decades. He’s a regular TFFM contributor.

26 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHY: MATT HARRIS

“DROP IN ON MILL HOUSE PODCAST AND CATCH HISTORY IN THE MAKING.” - FLIP PALLOT -

WATCH LISTEN AND LEARN AT MILLHOUSEPODCAST.COM / @MILLHOUSEPODCAST TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 27

28 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

The Palolo worm hatch in the Florida Keys is an iconic event that draws tarpon fanatics from all over the world. In reality, there’s no shortage of fly patterns when you want to mimic this food source. But they’re not all created equal.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how I used my Fat Head fly design to create a worm pattern that will have the right buoyancy and profile to make these fish commit. It’s a simple fly that requires only very basic tying techniques and a little patience, so it’s great for fly tiers of all levels of experience.

This is a simple way to create an effective fly for tarpon fixed on Palolo worms, and it’s fun to tie.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 29

30 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

BACKWATERS FAT HEAD PALOLO WORM Materials Hook: Gamakatsu SL12, size 2.

Thread: Danville 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon, any color.

Loop and Weed Guard: 30-pound monofilament.

Tail: Red marabou topped with a rabbit Zonker strip, red or off-pink.

Body: EP Wooly Critter Brush, tan or sand.

Head: 2 mm sheet foam, tan and olive.

Adhesives: Zap Gel and Loon UV Clear Fly Finish (thick).

STEP 1: Clamp a hook in the vise, attach your thread, and wrap from just behind to the eye of the hook to the bend, laying down a thread base for the fly. Next, use your thread to attach a short piece of 30-pound mono to the back of the hook.

STEP 2: Pull the other end of the mono back to the hook shank and tie it in. This will create a small loop at the back of the hook to keep the tail from fouling.

STEP 3: Tie in a pinch of red marabou at the bend of the hook.

STEP 4: On top of the marabou, secure the rabbit strip by tying in the rear end of the skin.

Then tie in another pinch of red marabou to the underside of the fly.

STEP 5: Fasten the Wooly Critter Brush to the shank of the hook just forward of the marabou.

STEP 6: Wrap the brush forward four or five turns while pulling the fibers back to ensure none get trapped under the wire. Secure the brush with a few thread wraps and trim the excess. Clean up the fly with a half-dozen thread wraps to trap any stray fibers.

STEP 7: Pull the end of the rabbit strip forward and secure it to the top of the hook shank.

STEP 8: Cut three rectangles from 2 mm sheet foam that measure 1 cm by 0.5 cm. I like to use two tan pieces and one olive piece. These will create the foam head. Poke a small hole through the center of each of the foam pieces.

STEP 9: Add a few drops of Zap Gel to the shank of the hook where the materials meet the thread.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 31

BACKWATERS FAT HEAD PALOLO WORM STEP 10: Slide one of the tan pieces over the eye of the hook and onto the shank.

STEP 11: Continue sliding the piece of foam down the shank until it hits the materials.

Glue it, and then hold it in place for 8 to 10 seconds so the glue can set.

STEP 12: Add a bit more glue to the thread wraps as well as to the first foam piece we set in place.

STEP 13: Slide another piece of tan foam over the eye of the hook and place it against the first piece of foam.

STEP 14: Add a bit more glue to the foam and thread wraps.

STEP 15: Slide the olive piece of foam over the hook eye and up against the second piece of tan foam. Use sharp scissors to cut the edges off the foam head. You may also need to trim a bit off the top and bottom to make sure the hook gap isn’t covered.

STEP 16: Add a 30-pound mono weed guard to the front of the fly between the foam and the hook eye.

STEP 17: Build up a small head on the fly and whip finish. Use Loon UV (thick) or your preferred UV gel to cover the thread wraps and to lock everything in place.

Bio: Growing up in Florida, Captain Jesse Males’ passion for fly fishing was something that developed naturally over time. His quest to follow the fly fishing lifestyle has resulted in his becoming a full-time guide in Costa Rica (506outdoors.com). His fly tying business, Backwater Flies (backwaterflies.com), provides flies for tarpon, bonefish, permit, redfish, and other saltwater species. At the end of the day, all is well with his soul.

32 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 33

We’ve all been there before, hooked

minutes ago. In reality, you never

lose it, we’ll never really fight it with

into a leviathan for more than an hour.

really grasped the fact that this fish

all we’ve got. There’s no way we’re

Your arms are smoked out, your clothes

has been a survivor for 100 million

going to pull hard enough to take the

are drenched, and you’re hoping it

years, it’s a 140-pound tarpon, close

chance of breaking it off. Second, we

breaks off sooner than later—and yet

to 60 years old, and it thinks it’s

really have no idea how to pull hard

you don’t want to lose it.

going to die.

or even what the limit is. When your

Your guide is encouraging, “Come on.

As neophytes, we have to understand

probably just lean back and put a

You’ve got this. Pull harder now.”

a couple of things about how to

bigger bend in the rod. Wrong.

guide says “pull harder,” most anglers

successfully subdue huge fish. First, No, you don’t have “this.” Your

when we finally get the fish of our

The key to catching big fish with

mental composure was gone 45

dreams on and we don’t want to

excessive power is understanding

34 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

by Andy Mill

not only how hard you can pull on

more suitable for feel and lighter

nothing about the subject. But trust

that fish with the class tippet you’re

resistance. If you misuse the rod or

me—it’s useless. That’s why anglers

using, but also understanding the

your body—and usually it’s both at

end up fighting fish for an hour and

anatomical ability of your fly rod as

the same time—the catch you’re

sometimes much longer. That can

well as your body.

hoping for is highly unattainable.

also kill a fish because of the high levels of lactic acid that build up

The tip of a fly rod is used for short

Here’s an example: Leaning back

casts, the middle is for medium to

with a high, big bend in your rod

longer casts, and the butt is used

while trying to subdue a big fish

There is a place for fighting fish

for fighting fish. Your body is similar

does nothing more than bend the

with a high, bent rod tip. When trout

to the rod, with some parts capable

tip, which has zero resistance.

fishing with light 7x and 8x tippets,

of extreme power and other parts

It looks good to those who know

or saltwater fishing with 2-, 4-, and

during long battles.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 35

The more you understand this and practice it, the sooner you’ll become a great angler capable of catching those big fish that used to intimidate the hell out of you.

36 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

6-pound-test tippets, the sensitive

tarpon have been 16-pound Mason.

tip will help absorb the energetic

I used 16 because the biggest

thrashing of a fish. But that’s not our

tournament in the world required

You may escape a bad mistake fishing

scenario here.

anglers to use it, and I wanted to

with 40-pound class, but you’ll never

keep my feel for that class of line.

pull harder than what I just mentioned,

12 to 18 pounds.

and over time it will prevent you from

It’s also impossible to put a big bend in the upper part of the rod without

International Game Fish Association

using your biceps. That single biceps

(IGFA) fly fishing rules require anglers

muscle holding and lifting the rod

to use 20-pound test or lighter;

I wrote about understanding reel drag

will grow fatigued in no time if you’re

even offshore marlin anglers are

and marking your reel with Sharpies

trying to apply 12 pounds of pressure

confined to this guideline. Tom Evans

or paint in our last issue. But there’s

or more. If you reach up with the

caught his 273-pound blue marlin on

even more to consider. When you

other hand to the midsection of the

16-pound test—one of the greatest

measure drag resistance with your

rod to help, you’ll change the fulcrum

fly records of all time.

line coming straight off the reel, you

becoming a better angler.

get a clean number before you start

and break the rod.

For all those guides and anglers

to bend the rod as if fighting a fish. If

You must learn to use the butt of the

who use 30- and 40-pound test, I

you measure how much friction and

rod and lift with your legs, shoulders,

challenge you to the blindfold test.

resistance your guides create with a

and back. If you lift the rod higher

Take four rods with 20-, 30-, 40-, and

well-bent rod, it’s about 20 percent

than 45 degrees from the water level,

60-pound-test tippets and connect

more than with a straight rod. So if

your biceps comes into play. To bend

them to a scale. Stand back and pull

your drag is set at 10 pounds, it’ll now

the rod, you have to bend the elbow.

with a fish-fighting rod position—not

take 12 pounds to pull line off the reel.

a straight rod—for 15 minutes, and

It’s important to understand that

Most of the class tippets I’ve used

see what the scale reads. I suspect

your drag setting doesn’t accurately

for the last 35-plus years catching

none of the rods will pull more than

represent what you think it does

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 37

38 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

when you compare the preset value

air. Don’t let it go back to the ground;

weight will rise and fall easily. Soon,

to a fish-fighting scenario. A fairly

hold it with the bent rod. Take

you’ll lift the rod a bit higher as you

straight rod angle to the fish will be

another step forward, and bend the

pull the fish closer to the boat, but

pretty close to your drag setting.

rod more, again keeping the weight

then very quickly reel down with the

suspended. To keep it off the ground,

rod tip close—and sometimes into the

If you want to take the guesswork

the rod has to be lifted higher and

water—and start the process over.

out of it, you can also set your drag

higher, creating more bend. Take

with your rod bent in a fish-fighting

another step forward. Feel the heat?

angle. You don’t want to set your

The rod tip may be only inches away from the fish’s face when you direct

drag too close to the breaking

Initially, with a straighter rod and

strength of your tippet. You need to

slightly bent arms, the weight will

have a little room for error and the

come up easily, but the closer you

As you practice moving back and

fish’s first run.

move toward the bench, it becomes

forth from the pulley, you’ll find the

more and more difficult as the rod

rod’s sweet spot and the stronger

If you have a tight drag and you have

gets higher and higher. As you do

parts of your body working together.

to clear 30 feet of fly line before

this, you’ll be using more of the

you get the fish on the reel, there’s

sensitive mid-section and tip of

The more you understand this and

a good chance he’ll break when that

the rod. As the rod bend increases,

practice it, the sooner you’ll become

slack is gone and it hits a tight drag.

you’ll see how much more tension

a great angler capable of catching

And if the drag is set too close to

is transferred to your biceps in your

those big fish that used to intimidate

the breaking point and a 100-pound

lifting arm. The rod also has to work

the hell out of you.

fish falls on your leader, it’s over.

harder as the resistance that keeps

Many greats over the years learned

the weight suspended is moved from

If you’re interested in seeing all of

to apply resistance by hanging onto

the butt section to the upper, weaker

this in action, visit YouTube and

and letting go of their fly line with a

part of the rod.

search for “82 & Sunny.” You’ll see a

minimal drag setting.

him into your guide’s hands.

seven-minute film we shot last May Holding the weight in the air

catching a number of fish, including

The fly rod and your body need to

becomes almost impossible, as the

one that taped out at over 172

work together, so I want to tell you

workload on your body is moved from

pounds and caught in 30 minutes.

about the greatest fish-fighting tip

the bigger, stronger muscles of your

I know. This drill matches up your

back and legs to your weaker biceps.

It’s nothing but great music and a

weak and strong body parts, as well

As you keep creeping forward, you’ll

pile of big fish. I hope you enjoy it—

as those of the rod. It’s a revelation

soon realize it’s almost impossible to

and learn even more about how to

that will make you a better angler.

hold the dumbbell off the ground.

catch big fish.

Mount a pulley to the underside of

Now start stepping back from the

Bio: TFFM Contributing Editor, Andy

a workbench. Take the butt section

bench, lowering the rod but keeping

Mill, is one of fly fishing’s leading

of your leader, string it through the

the weight suspended. It’ll be

authorities. He has won more

opening, and tie it to a 12-pound

obvious that the weight becomes

invitational tarpon tournaments

dumbbell sitting on the ground. Now

easier to keep suspended with the

than any other angler, including five

walk back 30 to 40 feet. Straighten

heavier part of the rod now being

Gold Cups. Andy is the author of

your rod to the pulley, and lock your

used along with your body’s larger,

A Passion for Tarpon (Wild River

drag all the way tight so no fly line

stronger muscle groups.

Press). You can listen to the

will come off the reel. Now walk back

fly fishing podcasts produced

until the dumbbell comes off the

With the rod anchored against your

by him and his son Nicky at

ground. As it hangs suspended, take

stomach and with a slight bend in

millhousepodcast.com.

a step forward, bending the rod as

your elbows, you can flex and push

you step to keep the weight in the

back with your thighs. Now the

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 39

by Luyen Chou and David Blinken

varying styles, sizes, and colors— down our patterns and imitate the

weighted and unweighted to cover

Fly fishing the waters along the

color, profile, and behavior of the

the water column. David’s Jellyfish is

coastal Northeast encompasses a

critters on the flats—from small

a Deceiver-style fly tied with splayed

wide variety of species, conditions,

baitfish like spearing and sand eels

white hackles (like a traditional

approaches, and techniques. That

to crustaceans like juvenile crabs

tarpon fly) and a short Farrar Blend

means Northeast fly fishing also

and shrimp. The Little Brown is

wing to avoid fouling. Tied on a

requires a variety of flies.

typically tied to match the color of

Tiemco 800S or Ahrex SA280, it has

the bottom (usually light brown,

great movement, tracks well when

Even when focusing specifically

hence the name), and freshwater

stripped, and is highly visible.

on striped bass, our most popular

hackles are used for a slender profile

coastal quarry, anglers need a diverse

and to encourage lifelike motion,

In recent seasons, the traditional

assortment in their fly boxes to

even when the fly sits at the bottom.

Rhody Flatwing has seen a popularity

address the varied situations they’ll

It’s important to use a light but

resurgence in Northeast coastal

inevitably face.

strong hook like the Tiemco 811S for

waters, its main advantage being the

these delicate flies. As delicate as

wider vertical profile from the single

On the flats, David’s Little Brown is

it is, however, the Little Brown is a

hackle tied perpendicular to the bend.

our go-to fly. Shallow-water bass can

surprisingly durable fly, and can catch

These flies have a lot of movement,

be as wary and selective as bonefish

many fish before being retired.

even when suspended. The Chouser,

or spring-creek trout, particularly

a play on Luyen’s last name, is a

in the crystal-clear waters around

For inshore and nearshore waters,

variation of Dan Blanton’s Flashtail

the east end of Long Island. In

we keep a variety of flies in our

Half-and-Half, tied more sparsely, but

these circumstances, we like to slim

boxes for different applications in

with the signature flash extending

40 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

past the hackle tips and tied with

Beast Fleye, created by Bob Popovics,

sessions have featured some of

brighter colors like chartreuse and

and Jonny King’s Kinky Muddler,

today’s most innovative tiers, who

pink. These flies are particularly

which has bulk and a realistic profile

have generously shared the stories

effective at attracting striped bass

from all angles. It’s critical that

and philosophies behind their

in deeper, stained water, which are

these bulky flies are tied on a strong,

most effective patterns. For more

typical conditions in the New York

wide-gap hook like the Varivas 990

information, visit mastersofthefly.

Bight, Jamaica Bay, and Raritan Bay.

to ensure a proper hookset when

com, or connect on Instagram and

inhaled by large bass.

Facebook @mastersofthefly.

In open waters where migratory bass are found chasing larger baitfish

Bio: Luyen Chou started Masters

like Atlantic herring and menhaden,

of the Fly with fly fishing guide

which have made a spectacular

David Blinken, a frequent TFFM

comeback in Northeast waters in

contributor. Launched in 2020

recent years, large flies are essential.

as a series of Zoom fly-tying

They push a lot of water and can

gatherings, the sessions have

be cast long distances on 9- and

gained enormous popularity. Recent

10-weight rods. Good choices are the

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 41

Striper Redux

by Jack Gagnon

Photos courtesy of jackgartside.com

In 1993, when Massachusetts artist Alan J. Robinson released his limited-edition book Trout and Bass, it included 18 flies tied by the renowned Jack Gartside, who was recognized by his peers as one of the most innovative fly tiers of the modern era.

42 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Part of Gartside’s genius was

I met Gartside while helping at

I was more concerned with the

developing deadly yet easy-to-

Robinson’s booth at a fly fishing

waves filling my boots. When I

tie flies. His Gurgler and Slider

trade show in Marlborough,

realized I couldn’t walk, I yelled

topwater patterns became

Massachusetts. Robinson’s friend

for help.

saltwater standards. Jack’s book

Dale Linder was also attending the

Striper Strategies was described

show. Gartside was holding court,

“Don’t worry!” Gartside replied.

by reviewer Steve Raymond as

joking and tying flies at a nearby

“When your waders are full,

“one of the most remarkable

table. He invited the three of us

you’ll reach neutral buoyancy.”

striper-fishing manuals to see the

to try fly fishing for striped bass

light of day.”

when the weather warmed up.

Linder had more humanitarian instincts. Luckily, he was also

Gartside, who died in 2009, was

On a bright June afternoon, we

strong. He waded over and

one of a kind. He appeared on

waded onto a Newburyport striper

hoisted me up. I leaned forward

the cover of Fly Fishing in Salt

flat. Gartside caught one small

and dumped out the water. I

Waters, making a cast while

schoolie after another while the

headed to shore on wobbly legs,

riding his large inflatable giraffe

rest of us got skunked. Not one to

telling myself, I don’t belong

“Gerald.” When Lefty Kreh was

mince words, Gartside told me my

here. But we weren’t done.

asked his opinion of Gartside, he

retrieve resembled a motion he

Gartside had another spot for

said, “His paint don’t dry.”

associated with self-gratification.

night fishing.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 43

The evening sun was slipping from

I grabbed the line below the first

from view as the tide came in.

guide, pulled, and got enough slack

We stumbled through the grassy

to free my trapped digit. There was

hummocks and sucking muck of

a momentary tug of war, then the

a tidal flat and arrived at a point.

hook pulled out, and the line went

Gartside walked out onto a rock jetty

limp. Robinson and Linder made a

and started casting. Robinson, Linder,

few casts, but the fish had departed

and I spread out along the shore.

to deeper water. As we reeled up to leave, Robinson said, “Well, at least

I was using a borrowed 8-weight

you had one on.” It wasn’t much

outfit heavier than anything I’d ever

consolation.

used. The sink tip and bulky streamer added another degree of difficulty,

We found Gartside standing where

and I was hesitant to wade out very

we’d left him. He had a fish taking

far in the dark, unknown waters.

drag, but it turned out to be an unremarkable striper, foul hooked in

I’d make woefully short casts, sit

the tail. The walk back to the car held

down on the sand for a while, get up,

another surprise.

and do it again. I sweated, cursed, and caught nothing. Around 1 a.m.,

Gartside inflated a small rubber raft.

the agreed time to depart, I heard

I was puzzled. It looked like a child’s

Robinson and Linder talking as they

pool toy. But it became apparent that

walked back up the beach. Then I

we’d need the damn thing to get back

heard a splash.

to terra firma. A wide ditch that was ankle deep on the way in was now a

There was enough moonlight to see

flowing canal. Gartside assembled

surface swirls of what I suspected

a plastic paddle, handed it to me,

were feeding fish. I slapped out

and said, “We’ll go one at a time.” A

another cast, stripped twice, and got

length of thin rope was attached to

a jolting strike. Slack flew up through

the raft for retrieval.

the guides, but before I got the fish on the reel, a loop of line was yanked

Some experiences enlighten us.

tight around my right index finger.

Others just remind us of the fragility of our existence. I paddled anxiously

The rod was straight out now. So

across the outgoing current as

was my finger. Unaware of my

Gartside yelled, “Row a little faster,

predicament, Robinson started

Jack, unless you want to go out to

yelling, “Let the fish run, Jack! Let

Plum Island!”

him run!”

44 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Here We Go Again Fast forward to 2017. I’ve lived in Lakeville, Maine, for 18 years.

Ed Roberts, who I frequently fish with, lives half the year near Grand Lake Stream, a premier landlocked salmon fishery, and half the year in Florida. Both of us have more than 60 years in the rearview mirror, and like me, Roberts is originally from Connecticut. He’s a stalwart friend with a good sense of humor.

Among other things, Roberts timeshared a Battenkill River fishing camp with Joan and Lee Wulff. He made his living as a mechanical engineer, and he’s also an expert rod builder who works with bamboo as well as graphite. It’s not a cliché to describe him as young for his age.

Forget white hair as a marker of senescence. For arm exercise, he does hammer curls with dumbbells I strain to lift.

When he captained an offshore sport boat on the Connecticut coast, Roberts and his clients fished for everything from sharks to yellowfin tuna. Now he fishes the flats when he winters in Vero Beach, Florida. He also spends a week in Rhode Island every summer, fly fishing for striped bass at night. He invited me to try it.

Wading the ocean after sundown?

Fishing a channel coming out of

a tidal marsh? I had my doubts.

The house we rent, like our arrival

we fish. It’s silly to think of other

Roberts described a spot where he

routine, has become pleasantly

fishermen as interlopers, but our

rarely encounters other fishermen. To

familiar. Boxes and coolers are

sense of ownership is reinforced by

get down to the water, he hangs onto

emptied into cabinets, drawers,

the solitude we have come to expect

a rope tied to the base of a tree. He

refrigerator. The portable grill goes

once the sun goes down. Half an

says it’s easier than it sounds.

on the table out back. Tackle goes in

hour before dark, we turn onto the

the front room.

familiar grass-crowned two-track. No

I was still hesitant, so he had me try

one else is parked at the sandy dead

the fly rod he uses; the action fit

We sit at a small table on the front

me to a T. He offered to build me an

porch overlooking Narragansett Bay,

identical 9-weight. Okay, Ed, I’m in.

decompressing from eight hours

We suit up and walk in. Crossing

on the road. Roberts lights a cigar

the elevated field, we can see the

Into the Night

end.

while I poke through fly boxes. We

incoming tide filling the back reaches

It’s June 2019—my third trip now. The

decide when to eat. After supper, we

of the marsh. Two herons stand

long day’s drive from Maine includes

assemble rods, check tippets. Tackle

motionless on a distant mud flat. The

the usual stop in New Hampshire for

goes back into Roberts’ SUV.

air still has the low-tide tang of salt

tax-free liquor. We arrive in Rhode Island late in the afternoon.

and clean decay.

Fishing at night, we don’t attract unwanted attention to where

The coiled rope is where we left it

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 45

hidden last year, tied to the base

Roberts, next to me now, says, “Don’t

The plug splashes down in the

of a small cedar. The slope I once

let him get around the bend, Jack, or

shallows like a violation, then it’s

imagined as daunting is neither long

he’s gone.”

retrieved back through water we

nor steep. The rope is a convenience,

can’t reach with a fly. The angler’s

not a necessity. Roberts gives it a

I screw down the drag and start

casts cover the area we never fish

test yank before we go down.

walking again as I reel down on

until the tide is visibly moving again.

the fish. The bass thrashes on the

Fifteen minutes later, he reels up,

We walk through ankle deep water,

surface and finally relents in the

and they leave. “Good,” Roberts says.

matted grasses, a mound of bone-

shallows. I grab it by the lower lip and

“The fish aren’t here yet.”

white limpet shells, then down a

beach it.

shore strewn with kelp and a few

Half an hour later we stand up and

expired horseshoe crabs. An old tire,

Roberts points his headlamp beam

stretch. The flow out of the marsh

half-buried in the sand, is a dully

with mine as I kneel to remove

has quickened, fanning a widening

obscene monument to someone’s

the hook. It’s a glistening, thick-

braid of currents out into the bay.

carelessness.

shouldered bass about 2 feet long,

If fish are going to show up here on

with turquoise and green hues across

the outgoing tide, this is prime time.

We stop at the mouth of the rising

its back, and stripes as distinct

Roberts clicks on his headlamp to tie

creek, the surface now a sheet of

as a referee’s. Ten minutes later, I

on a new fly and tells me, “Go ahead.

corrugated chrome in the twilight.

stand over Roberts as he crouches

I’ll catch up.”

I click on my headlamp, check the

to unhook an almost identical fish.

knots in my bootlaces. Silversides

It slips from his hands and fins back

I wade in up to my knees and start

scatter, rippling the surface. Good!

into the depths. He glances up at me,

casting. I’m thinking I need to get the

Bait is being swept in with the

smiles, and says, “I wonder what the

fly out farther when a striper slams

current. Every trip here is planned

poor people are doing tonight.”

it and starts running straight out. I

around the convergence of tides and

tighten the humming drag a bit and

moon. On a clear night like tonight,

As the tide turns, we gravitate to

angle the rod sideways against the

it’s like the sun never quite goes

the lowest reaches of the creek. Fish

fish as line flies off the reel. I look

down.

often stack up along the undercut

back over my shoulder.

bank to intercept bait being swept I start casting near the top of the

out from the marsh. We’ve hooked

channel. The current is quick, narrow

seven striped bass and beached five

enough to cast across. Roberts walks

before the water level drops and the

down to where the creek widens,

outgoing tide takes the fish with

gradually turning into an expansive,

it. They’ll move in near shore again

slow-moving pond.

when the outgoing flow from the

“Hey, Ed!” “What?”

“They’re here!”

creek gathers momentum. So now On my fourth cast, my retrieve is

we wait.

stopped dead. The rod bends hard

Bio: Jack Gagnon was a monthly contributor and part-time editor

left, and a streaking fish takes drag

It’s 1:20 a.m. We’re sitting on a grassy

for the Northwoods Sporting Journal

as it runs in with the current. I point

rise, well back from the water’s edge.

(sportingjournal.com) in West

the rod at the fish and begin walking

Waves hiss softly. A waxing moon

Enfield, Maine, for 15 years. His work

down the sandbar. I gain back some

hovers with a few stars as a small

has appeared in Trout, Fly Fisherman,

line and angle the rod back to apply

plane drones overhead. We hear two

Virginia Sportsman, Gray’s Sporting

a little pressure. The fish goes on

voices, then see bow lights. A small

Journal, The Upland Almanac, and

another tear. Line slices through the

boat drifts toward the beach. They

Sporting Classics.

water as my backing knot flies up

drop anchor, then one of them begins

through the guides. The bass heads

casting. We sit quietly out of sight.

for the refuge of the marsh.

46 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

LITESPEED

www.waterworks-lamson.com

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 47

sand From the crest of the dune, we looked

water for swirls or any other sign of

Picking up the pace, I moved toward

out over the calm waters of Vineyard

striped bass feeding on sand eels. We

the birds, peeling line into my

Sound as a light sea breeze rose to

split up to increase our odds. I headed

stripping basket as I went. I spied

greet us. It was hard to imagine a

east. Phil went west.

several swirls clustered in a tight

prettier scene. To our left the sun

pattern out about 50 feet. The bass

settled silently into the west, its

At first, I saw no activity, but up

were there. Flexing the rod, I sent my

orange glow signaling the waning

ahead where the beach took a jog,

sand eel fly into the foray, allowed

hours of a perfect day. The only

I spotted a group of terns diving

it to settle for a second, and began

sound was the hush of gentle waves

into the water. My hopes rose. Terns

my retrieve. The rod bowed with the

against the beach mixed with the call

love sand eels. Most likely they had

weight of a striper.

of terns darting over sandbars.

located a school, and likely there were stripers underneath them. It’s a

Collision Course

We headed down the face of the

classic tactic; if you don’t see swirls,

The coastal fly rodder sees many

dune, out across the beach, and

follow the terns. They will lead you to

combinations of predator and prey,

then over to the water’s edge. Our

the bass.

each staged in its own circumstance

strategy was simple—search the

48 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

and season. But if you had to capture

eels

by Ed Mitchell

the essence of Northeast saltwater

water. At roughly the same time,

a raw clam, it was fantastic—no

fly fishing in a single scenario, my

pulses of migratory stripers are

wonder sand eels are relished by a

pick would be the situation I just

surging up the coast, especially

wide range of gamefish from bonito

described—walking and wading a

on stronger moon tides. Ravenous

and striped bass to weakfish and

long, sandy strand in the ebbing

from the energy demands of their

beyond.

light, terns wheeling overhead, and

northern trek, these bass focus

beneath them striped bass swirling

heavily on sand eels.

What’s in a Name?

on sand eels.

During one epic blitz I saw hundreds

Sand eels, more properly called

On Cape Cod and the Islands, the

of sand eels driven up on the sand

sand lances, are not eels at all. They

finest of this fishing usually takes

at my feet. After watching striped

are a schooling fish of the genus

place from late May into early July, a

bass devour these critters for years,

Ammodytes, whose elongated shape,

period when the seasonal movements

it was time for me to try one myself.

with long dorsal and anal fins, gives

of striped bass and sand eels collide.

I picked one up and popped it in my

them an eel-like appearance. There

Sand eels have pushed inshore from

mouth. A bit oily, with a fresh fish

are two species, an inshore variety,

their wintering grounds in deeper

flavor, and a salty tang not unlike

Ammodytes americanus, and an

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 49

offshore one Ammodytes dubius.

The offshore variety is more apt to be encountered by boaters, although some North Atlantic-facing shores may hold them, too. The inshore variety is of more concern to fly rodders.

Range and Habitat Ammodytes americanus ranges from roughly Cape Hatteras in the south, northward to the Canadian Maritimes. They are primarily plankton feeders and therefore attracted to areas where plankton is plentiful. Coastal river mouths, salt ponds, inlets of all kinds, bays that face the prevailing wind, and warmwater releases from coastal power plants are typical locations.

Since current tends to concentrate plankton, sand eels feed near rip lines, especially those that form where the exiting flow of an estuary funnels over a bar. They are also found where longshore currents travel along an open beach.

In all such locations, sand eels seek soft bottoms where they can quickly bury themselves to avoid predation. As their name indicates, sandy bottoms are their preferred habitat. You will also find them over mud bottoms and places where the bottom is mixed rock and sand. A sure bet is any section of coast with nesting terns. Sand eels are a crucial part of the tern’s diet.

Size and Appearance The sand eel is a slim yet attractive

50 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

fish, with a head slightly long for

years have better young-of-the-year

does not mean sunrise. I’m referring

its body, a pointed snout, and large

numbers than others. They spawn in

to “false” dawn, which occurs about

eyes. Adults reach a maximum length

winter, and weather plays a critical

an hour and a half before actual

of 9 inches, but nearshore anglers

role in their reproductive success.

sunrise. In this dim light sand eels

rarely encounter sand eels that

Research indicates a cold December

emerge from the sand to reform their

size. More likely are adults 2.5 to

is best for survival of the young,

schools. And the stripers are there to

4.5 inches. Farther north, along the

while warm winters hinder their

nail them. Expect this bite to last less

open Atlantic coast of Cape Cod up

success.

than an hour and end suddenly when

to Maine, sand eels up to six years of

the sun peeks over the horizon.

age ranging 5 to 6 inches in length

Sand eels within a general area

are more common.

typically segregate themselves by

The most consistent action,

size. This is not to say they never

especially for larger bass, happens

Young-of-the-year sand eels, on

mix, only that there is a noticeable

at night. After the sand eels bed

the other hand, are much smaller,

trend for large and small sand eels to

down at dusk, the action usually

about 1 to 1.5 inches, roughly the

visit different areas, especially in the

goes slack for a time, but about an

size of a paper match. Despite their

spring. For instance, small young-

hour or two after sundown, a good

diminutive size, they are frequently

of-the-year sand eels are a regular

number of sand eels pop out of their

found in large numbers along New

feature on the flats of Monomoy in

sandy safe havens for a plankton

England beaches in June, attracting

late spring, but literally just around

snack. On a dark night plankton rise

great hordes of striped bass. (It is

the corner, in the swift waters of

to the surface to pull in the faint

crucially important in those locations

Chatham Inlet, much bigger sand

light of stars. Feeding sands eels rise

to have a fly of the right length.)

eels are found. On Martha’s Vineyard

too. This action can last until first

you see the same trend. The beaches,

light, particularly on moving water.

Like many marine fish, sand eels

harbors, and ponds on the eastern

(Recognize that fishing at night can

can match their coloration to

end of the island have larger sand

be risky business. If you are new to

different habitats and thereby

eels in June than one can find farther

this game, I strongly urge you to go

better camouflage themselves.

west in Lobsterville.

with a veteran.)

bright silver flanks with a beautiful

Timing the Bite

Late Night Blitz

iridescent sheen and a white belly.

Once you have a place in mind, the

On beaches where the tidal range is 6

But their backs take on various hues.

trick is to be there when the action

feet or more, a high tide at dusk may

Along Cape Cod’s outer beaches, for

happens. The best bets are dusk,

produce an all-out feeding frenzy

example, with the gin-clear water and

dawn, and the middle of the night. As

later that evening. The high water at

light sand bottoms, sand eels often

the shadows grow in late afternoon,

sunset allowed the sand eels to bed

have a light green back (although

schools of sand eels move into the

far up in the intertidal zone. As the

I have seen a few with tan or even

water’s edge to bed down out of

water level drops during the night,

pink backs on Cape Cod). In the more

harm’s way. Stripers instinctually

the sand eels are forced to get up

discolored waters of Long Island

follow them. This may be a slow

and move seaward or be left high and

Sound, sand eels are darker, with

bite, but it can offer several hours of

dry by the ebbing tide. Striped bass

backs varying from olive brown to

decent fishing until sundown, when

sense this and form a line just off the

black.

things go quiet.

water’s edge, ready to intercept sand

Sand eel reproduction goes through

The dawn bite is apt to be far more

can be a furious bite with some of

periods of boom and bust, so some

intense, but also far briefer. Dawn

the best action you can imagine.

Nearly everywhere, sand eels have

eels as they attempt to relocate. This

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 51

I first wrote about it in in the early 1990s. It’s a popular tactic here in the Northeast salt. You’ll come across it from New Jersey to Maine, although it’s far less common as you travel south.

The technique calls for putting the cork grip high under your casting arm, pinching down with your upper arm to secure the rod. Typically, the reel slightly protrudes behind your armpit. Next, reach forward with one hand and pull down on the fly line as the other hand climbs to do the same. Make alternating, continuous pulls, one hand after the other. Keep the rod tip fairly low.

Tailing Bass

retrieves are the answer, and in the

If you spend a lot of time night

dead of night, the fly should just

You are essentially hand-lining the fly.

fishing, sooner or later you’ll come

creep back. It’s not as easy as it

When you feel a take, strike by pulling

across striped bass digging up sand

seems. At extremely slow speeds, it’s

down on the fly line with a sharp strip.

eels with their blunt snouts, feeding

difficult to keep tight enough to the

Do not lift the rod. As the fish runs,

in much the same way as bonefish.

fly to detect a take and set the hook.

use the hand under the rod to keep

This is most often found on a shallow

It’s imperative to keep the rod tip

some tension on the fly line while

flat or bar during an ebbing tide.

down during the retrieve to eliminate

reaching across with the other hand

As the bass tip down to excavate

slack in the line.

to take the rod from under your arm.

their food from the sand, their tails

Keep the rod tip low for a moment,

and dorsal fins break the surface,

Saltwater anglers employ two styles

as you clear line from the stripping

particularly as water levels drop. In

of retrieve, and each has its merits.

basket, and lift when it clears.

these situations, the bass are not

The single-handed strip retrieve is

wary, often allowing you to get very

the most popular and well known.

The two-handed retrieve forces

close. Since the bass are tipped head

The index finger of the rod hand

you to strip-strike, an excellent

down, floating flies or suspended flies

pinches the fly line to the rod, while

habit to acquire for many saltwater

should be replaced with sinking flies

the other hand strips down short

adventures, and because you are

that quickly drop. Keep your leader

lengths of fly line, resulting in a stop-

hand-lining the fly, this retrieve is

short. Bass will hit the fly as it bumps

go action. With a weighted fly you

very sensitive to even the lightest

across the bottom.

get a jigging motion that can be very

take. It’s also capable of a greater

appealing, especially in colder parts

range of retrieve speeds, and you can

Retrieve Styles

of the season when fish are sluggish.

produce a steady retrieve, which is

Sand eels are not speed demons, so

It’s also a valuable tool for hopping

how bait often swims. Need more?

fast retrieves are of little practical

a fly along the bottom as in flats

You don’t cut up your damn finger.

use. Moderate-speed retrieves are a

fishing, or for working poppers.

And since the rod is hands-free, you

good starting point during daytime.

The two-handed, hand-over-hand

can instantly use both hands to undo

As the light dims, however, slow

retrieve, in my estimation, is superior.

a tangle or knot.

52 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Sand Eel Flies Fly tiers along the Northeast coast have long known the value of a good sand eel pattern. One of the first created was Bub Church’s Tandem Sand Eel. It can be seen in Kenneth Bay’s 1972 book Salt Water Flies.

spot, but for general daylight work, a

little wonder that floating flies are

green-over-white fly is a safe bet for

effective. Sliders are usually made

clear water, while black over white is

from foam, balsa wood, or deer hair.

more accurate in discolored water.

They create a V-shaped wake across

Black flies are best in all locations at

the surface that draws the attention

night.

of striped bass, and because it’s the wake that’s attracting fish, the slider’s

Size

size and color are not critical. The deer

A complete box of sand eel flies

hair Borski Slider was not developed

contains patterns from 1.5 to 6

as a sand eel imitation, but in smaller

this essential forage.

inches. That covers every situation

sizes it’s a good choice. The venerable

you’re apt to run into. But because

Farnsworth Fly has been popular for

Construction

sand eels tend to be slender, you

three decades and is now commercially

should take care not to bulk them

available with a replaceable plastic

up as they get longer. The smallest

paddle tail (farnsworthfly.com). Carl

young-of-the-year sand eels are

Harris’ Crick Biscuit is another fine

roughly the width of a paper match,

foam creation and reportedly works

and the biggest adults are rarely

well. It employs an ultra-suede tail

wider than a pencil.

for extra action. It’s available from

Some of the early sand eel patterns were actually developed for sea run brown trout, which also preyed on

Sand eel flies can be exceedingly simple. An excellent example is Lou Tabory’s Sand Eel, one of the first widely known on the East Coast. It consisted of just two materials, a brown bucktail tail, with the hook shank tightly wound with black wool.

(In the early years I made a simple fly using a Q-Tip, cutting off the cotton ends, covering the plastic shank with silver Mylar tubing, lashing it

CGH Custom Tackle in New Jersey

Hooks

(cghcustomtackle.com). Harris also

I use standard-length hooks for most

makes a good-looking subsurface sand

of my sand eel flies, and I prefer heavy

eel called the N95 Minnow.

wire hooks such as the Gamakatsu inch flies. The heavy hook helps the fly

Weighted Sand Eel Flies

dig in during the retrieve and tightens

Weighted sand eel flies are important

the leader so you can stay in touch.

in three situations. When plankton

This can be critical in choppy water or

descend on bright sunny days, sand

when using a very slow retrieve. Given

eels follow. Where sun is bright and the

the slim shape of a sand eel, long-

water more than 8 feet deep, your fly

shank hooks make sense, especially

should sink, too. Fast rips, like the ones

with 5- and 6-inch patterns. I use

you see on Cape Cod, are another place

them occasionally but urge caution.

where weighted flies can be essential.

During a protracted fight with large

Sand eels often hang deep out of the

stripers, long-shank hooks are prone

flow, so you need to get the fly down,

to opening. So when using them, take

even if it requires a sinking fly line and

(Steve Farrar’s Blend is an example.)

care when applying pressure.

short leader. Weighted flies also work

Color, Size, and Shape

Sliders

to the hook shank, and adding an eye—nothing fancy, but it matched young-of-the-year sand eels nicely and worked well when moved slowly.)

Today’s tiers benefit from a wealth of new materials, especially in the area of synthetic hairs such as Craft Fur and Polar Fibre. Bucktail still works, but the synthetics are more durable and come in a wider range of colors.

Flash materials have also expanded greatly, and in some cases synthetic hairs come premixed with flash.

Sand eels have a white belly with an iridescent sheen that can be easily imitated with various flash materials.

Since the dorsal color can vary from one location to the next, you can fine tune your fly’s color for a specific

SL11-3H, particularly for 1- and 1.5-

in tailing-bass situations.

Where waters are calm, a slider

Make Your Own

is deadly medicine—it is both

You can find a step-by-step look at

productive and fun to fish. The

building my own Dogbar Sand Eel,

strikes are visual and often audible,

constructed in a style popularized

and a slider swinging across a current

by noted Long Island fly tier Glen

brings violent, jarring strikes. With

Mikkleson, at edmitchelloutdoors.com.

plankton coming to the surface at night and sand eels following, it’s

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 53

GEAR Sea Run Fly Fishing Travel Cases Adventurous anglers soon will be taking advantage of relaxed travel restrictions, and if you’re one of them, you’ll appreciate the Sea Run Fly Fishing Travel Case. Made in Italy by Negrini, a company with a 40-year history of manufacturing travel cases for fine shotguns and rifles, Sea Run cases are secure (TSA -compliant), lightweight, and compact—perfect for itinerant anglers. We’re very impressed by the quality of construction and the thoughtful interior layout. The bottom of the case contains recessed, padded compartments for storing reels, spare spools, leaders, fly line, fly boxes, and other gear. A divider wall separates the top of the case, which has space for four to five fly rods plus additional storage. We haven’t been this excited about a new piece of fly fishing luggage in years. (searuncases.com) $499-$569

54 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

VR Reels Salar Perfection VR Reels are uber high-quality reels made in the Ukraine by designer, engineer, and angler Vladamir Rachenko. The Salar (Spanish for “salt”) is one of the finest reels we’ve ever fished. In addition to its incredible functional capabilities, the Salar boasts an impressive aesthetic that cannot be ignored. With a diameter of 5 inches, it retrieves line well, and easily holds 300 yards of 30-pound backing and a 10- to 12-weight line with room to spare—while weighing a mere 13 ounces, not much for a reel of this size and strength. The Salar is cut from premium-grade titanium, which is stronger and lighter than aluminum and other metals. The sealed drag has almost no start-up inertia and is buttery smooth. It doesn’t creep when casting, and the handles and knobs are comfortable and easy to manipulate, even while fighting fish. It’s a stellar reel in every sense of the word and a highly recommended addition if it’s within your budget. (vr-reels.com) $1,800

GUIDE Umpqua LT Large Baitfish Foam The large baitfish box is a new product for this year, but it’s actually a retread from years past. Umpqua brought it back into the lineup for 2021 because it’s an excellent baitfish box that easily holds 18 to 24 large flies, and people—including us—kept asking for it. We like it for tarpon flies, especially backwater and worm-style patterns that run 2 to 2.5 inches and take up a lot of room in boxes. The layout and cut of the foam keeps flies organized and accessible—and spaced the way you want them. The best part is that, unlike many well-made sturdy boxes on the market, this one isn’t heavy. It’s lightweight, has a clear top for instant identification, and packs a highly functional foam. What’s not to like? (umpqua.com) $29.99

ICEMULE Classic A good day on the water becomes a great day when there’s a cold beverage waiting at the end, and the IceMule Classic makes it easy to enjoy an icy drink without sacrificing the space and weight that come with a traditional hard-sided box cooler. The Classic is available in four sizes—9, 10, 15, and 20 liters—and they’re all easily slung over a shoulder or stowed in an out-of-the-way place in the boat. IceMule’s proprietary technology includes a layer of lightweight insulation sandwiched between extremely durable outer and inner fabric layers. An air valve lets you create airspace between the layers for additional insulation, and when not in use, you can deflate the cooler and roll it into a tight bundle for storage—perfect for a far-flung fishing getaway where baggage space is a consideration. Its roll-top design functions like a dry bag and keeps the cold inside. We’ve put ours to the test in tropical conditions and can attest that the beer’s still cold after eight hours on the flats. (icemulecoolers.com) $49.95-$79.95

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 55

GEAR Black Diamond Storm 400 The Storm 400 headlamp is built for all conditions, and even though it’s usually associated with hunting, camping, and climbing, there’s a place for this tool in fly fishing—like one of the nighttime striper fishing excursions featured in this issue. The Storm 400 has a robust waterproof and dustproof housing and casts 400 lumens of light. Its updated user interface includes a secondary switch for easy mode selection, allowing users to toggle between the bright light needed to navigate a darkened path to the shoreline and a dimmer setting for switching out flies and leaders.

The device’s “PowerTap” technology provides access to maximum brightness by simply touching the side of the housing. Three low-light color settings—red, green, and blue—are available for those times you’d rather not attract attention. Updated optical efficiency provides brighter light and saves battery. We love the LED battery meter on the side to keep tabs on battery life instead of guessing about the need to change the AAA batteries. (blackdiamondequipment.com) $49.95 Yakima Double Haul Organization isn’t always easy. Remember the days of pushing your rods up to the front window of the SUV, or having them in two parts ready to assemble at the marina?

Not anymore. The Yakima Double Haul is not the first of its kind, but it’s a solid investment if you travel by car to fish. This unit is sturdy, ensuring your rods will be protected. It weighs in at almost 50 pounds. It does take two people to set it up, but once installed, it can hold four fully rigged fly rods up to 10- to 11-weight class in a lockable compartment. The Double Haul enables rods to be strung and loaded the day before a trip, minimizing prep time once you’re at the water. Our editor-in-chief enjoys this unit because it saves both time and aggravation. And we like it when the boss is happy. (yakima.com/ products/doublehaul) $699 56 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

GUIDE Sunray Competition Float Fly Line with Overhang Marker We like the Sunray Competition Float with Overhang Marker for a number of reasons. First, the design combines the best aspects of both conventional weight-forward fly lines and integrated shooting heads. The Competition Float sports a 40-foot head backed by an ultra-thin shooting line, much thinner than conventional running line, which allows for longer shoots. Provided you can comfortably carry the entire head outside the rod tip, this line allows for your ultimate distance cast. To aid with this, the Competition Float features an Overhang Marker.

Several feet of blue line at the end of the head section lets you know when the entire head is just outside the rod tip—no guessing at the sweet spot. Simply get the Marker outside the rod tip and let it fly. Perhaps most noticeable, Sunray coatings are made from special polymers—not PVC. Designer Tom Bell explains that these polymers lower the impedance of energy as it travels along the line. Analogous to a fly rod being fast, Sunray’s fly lines are fast. The head of the Competition Float is configured as a Spey taper; that is, the bulk of the weight is concentrated at the rear of the head, near the rod tip, for a smooth turnover of both large and small flies. The Competition Float will perform in fresh water or salt in temperatures from 14 degrees to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees to 35 degrees Celsius). The line is ivory in color and gray at the tip— very visible on the water. Welded loops at each end allow for quick attachment of leaders and backing. Available in weights from 5 to 9. (sunrayflyfish.com) $90.70

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 57

by Chris Dorsey Take the cause of saving the

communist states, just to remind the

The concept of the series was

saltwater flats ecosystem, add a

poor bastards what they’re missing.

simple: Celebrate memorable

worthwhile conservation organization

The business approach was part of a

flats fishing throughout the

in need of awareness, and introduce

winning formula developed over years

Caribbean and beyond, the focus

a famous cast willing to help. Those

of avoiding honest work: Support

area of the South Florida-based

were the ingredients that conspired

our planet, help give a worthy cause

nonprofit called Bonefish & Tarpon

to create a decade-long television

identity, have some fun along the

Trust. So little is known about

series with the tongue-in-cheek

way, and get someone else to pay

the importance and fragility of

title of Buccaneers and Bones. The

for it. The last part being the most

these ocean nurseries that BTT

programs have been seen over most

important. Check, check, check—and

was formed by some friends at

of the free world and even a few

check’s in the mail.

Ocean Reef, a community that

58 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 59

There’s always one guy in the room who has an I-didn’t-seethat-one-coming story. Brokaw is always that guy.

sits between Key Largo and heaven

One thing you learn when producing

(closer to heaven) to raise money to

a series like this is that celebrity is

study these fish and the ecological

a funny and oftentimes fickle thing.

ribbon where salt and turf meet. It’s

People tend to live in worlds of their

amazing what can be accomplished

making, constructs they create built

over cocktails and dinner when

around passions, their friend pool,

people such as Tom Davidson, Russ

the entertainment they seek, the

Fisher, Adelaide Skoglund, and Bill

sports they love, and the like. I recall

Legg—some of the founders of the

shooting one season for the series

organization—get together to figure

at Bair’s Lodge, one of the Nervous

out how to save the Earth, or at least

Waters properties on South Andros.

their little piece of it.

I was waiting at a nearby dock for my flats boat to arrive for a day of

Each season, we identified a new

fishing and filming when a couple of

region to showcase, selecting a

local guides not affiliated with our

lodge to house our cast of angling

shoot approached me.

A-listers that included Tom Brokaw, Michael Keaton, Huey Lewis, Liam

“Are you part of the group filming the

Neeson, Jimmy Kimmel, Patagonia

TV show?”

founder Yvon Chouinard, novelist Tom McGuane, Jim Belushi, Lefty

“I am.”

Kreh, and many others. Seeing wellknown individuals sharing a passion

“Love that show, man … who’s fishing

for fishing became a lure to attract

this season?”

angling audiences and, by extension, supporters of BTT’s work.

“We’ve got Huey Lewis … Jim Belushi … Jimmy Kimmel …Yvon Chouinard …Tom McGuane … Lefty Kreh …” He cuts me off.

“Lefty f---ing Kreh is on the island?”

I’m certain the man would have traded a week of guiding for the chance to meet Lefty. In his mind, there are two folks who can walk on water—Lefty and some guy named Jesus.

This season we are headed to Belize and Turneffe Flats, a sprawling lodge compound on Belize’s Turneffe Atoll, the country’s largest marine reserve.

It’s a Caribbean getaway famous for its ready access to productive flats fishing as well as diving and snorkeling. We are here to see about the bonefish and permit and judge

60 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

for ourselves if the fishing is as good

I’ve known Brokaw for several years,

to get them talking and see if there

as the rumors of it.

mostly owing to the TV biz and a

were any gems to be mined later

shared passion for chasing fish and

in post-production. I simply asked

I join Brokaw as we strike off with

fowl. I always wonder what occupies

them to share their favorite fishing

guide Dion Young to explore one of

the mind of a man who has been on

story. Keaton went first, followed

countless flats a short boat ride

the front lines of history for much

by McGuane. Chouinard pleaded the

from the lodge. Brokaw’s been a fly

of his adult life, more than 20 years

Fifth, then Brokaw said something

fisherman much of his life, and his

at the anchor’s desk of NBC News.

that tied geopolitics into catching

ranch on Montana’s West Boulder

How does the stimulation of covering

a permit in Belize, and we were all

River gives him as much practice

wars, meetings between Gorbachev

slightly bedazzled by the story. Then

as his challenging schedule will

and Reagan, and standing on the

it was Lefty’s turn.

allow. Still, pitching to trout in a

rubble of what was formerly the

small mountain stream is the minor

Berlin Wall compare to finding a fish

“I remember fishing with Castro and

leagues of casting, for the flats

the size of a calf muscle?

Hemingway in Cuba,” he starts as

demand more. Whenever I head to

matter of fact as a peanut butter

bonefish waters, I tend to spend the

There’s always one guy in the room

sandwich. “I probably should have

first day of the trip working the rust

who has an I-didn’t-see-that-one-

paid more attention to what Castro

off my cast, trying to get my double-

coming story. Brokaw is always that

and Hemingway were talking about,

haul timing down to deliver a fly to a

guy. There was a shoot, early in the

but I was too busy trying to figure

bonefish’s nose at 60 feet, instead of

production of the series, when we

out how the hell our guide was tying

the back of my head.

parked our fishing notables in a

the mackerel on the hook so that we

semicircle of chairs. We just wanted

could catch marlin.”

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 61

As we ease along a bank of

The South Dakota kid delivers a strike

a memory and conversation starter

mangroves, Brokaw is up first and is

and the fish takes it. I’ll be damned.

that will play out in all its glory later

doing some dry casts to straighten

It changes zip codes in an instant,

at the lodge. If not for the evidence

out his line and smooth his cadence

the reel searing as if it’s going to spin

of film, this would surely be a

before there’s a bonefish in sight. It

off the rod. While much of the work

12-pounder. Indeed, when I was just

isn’t long, however, and he’s getting

of the encounter has been done to

a magazine writer—not a TV host—I

instructions from Young, who is

this point, third base isn’t the same

used to catch much bigger fish.

perched like a pelican on the edge of

as home plate. There’s still time for

his poling platform.

rejection. What could possibly go

“When you make a great cast and

wrong, you ask? How ‘bout stepping

hook up, it is rewarding beyond my

“There he is … 10 o’clock … 50 feet

on the line? Wrapping the line around

ability to describe it,” says Brokaw.

… big bonefish … look at the size of

the reel? A wind knot snagging a rod

“Because when they grab it … BANG!

that one!”

guide? Loose line hooking a cooler

They’re gone.” That answers the

snap? Need I go on?

question, I guess, about how meeting

What looks like the dorsal fin of a

a bonefish compares to greeting

small shark knifes out of the surface.

Brokaw focuses on the task at hand.

Then its tail forks out of the water

There’s no premature celebration

as it feeds, in case we aren’t already

because he knows the possible

Therein lies the magic of bonefish, for

aware that this is a brute. Nothing

sources of error are endless and, in

if the fish could look in a mirror they

like starting with a 9-pounder out

any instant, his line could dangle like

would undoubtedly see a barracuda.

of the gate … no pressure, Brokaw, I

a participle. When the fish reaches

They swim the way a peregrine dives,

think.

the boat, the beast of a bone brings

traveling so quickly through water

62 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Gorbachev.

that they can move faster than the

plenty of reasons to get together

With Brokaw basking in the glow of

human eye’s ability to track them—

apart from the series taping. I once

his recent bonefish performance, it is

shadow or no shadow. All that’s left

had the two of them to my place

my turn to step up and see what the

is the rumor of a fish and a sand

on Montana’s Big Hole River. Lefty

fish gods might deliver my way. It is

contrail in the water. If your fly is in

was nondenominational when it

mere minutes before a single bone,

a fish’s mouth as it streaks off, you’ll

came to fishing pursuits—though

a hefty one at that, begins nosing

be witness to what amounts to the

nothing surpassed his fascination

its way out of the mangroves toward

angling world’s hit and run.

with bonefishing—for it gave him an

us. When it hits 60 feet, I give it a

excuse to hang with the people he

shrimp fly and the fish accepts the

most enjoyed.

invitation, shooting parallel along

“If you tied the tail of a 10-pound bass to the tail of a 10-pound

the mangroves until it decides to use

bonefish,” Lefty once told me, “the bonefish would strip the scales off the bass pulling it backward.” His teachings are often illustrative.

One of the most rewarding parts of producing Bucs and Bones for so many years was seeing the

As we enter the lodge, Huey Lewis is holding court, obsessing over his new quest to land a permit. Clearly, it is his new drug and he’s in need of a fix.

friendship—kinship, really—develop between Brokaw and Lefty. The duo became fast friends and found

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 63

In 10 years of fishing for this series, only a handful of permit were ever caught on camera.

64 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 65

my fly line to tie a bow around some stems sticking out of the water.

That’s when a really good guide will think quickly, hop out of the boat, and untangle the line, which is exactly what our captain does. The strong fish makes it to the leader—a handsome 7-pounder that fights like he could have been closer to 10. Video again ruins what could have been yet another Moby Dick moment.

Brokaw picks up a few more fish and I do the same before we return to the lodge and reconnect with the rest of the traveling troupe of castaways.

As we enter the lodge, Huey Lewis is holding court, obsessing over his new quest to land a permit. Clearly, it is his new drug and he’s in need of a fix.

As luck would have it, there are few places better than Belize to find the species.

The next day, I join Lewis for a permit hunt. The morning breaks partly cloudy and mostly gray, with a good bit of wind … maybe 15- to 20-mile-per-hour gusts. We’re going to have to see the fish’s swordlike tail sticking out of the water if we hope to find one, for the deeper water is margarita murky in the muted light.

If there’s one thing that’s never in short supply with Lewis, however, it’s enthusiasm—no matter the weather.

An hour into our three-hour tour we spot a pair of fins 60 yards to our left, moving parallel with our boat.

The fish look like they’re cruising to a new location but they are the only permit we’ve seen all morning so we ease that way­—about 70 feet distant—when Lewis gives them, what else, the news, making a solid cast about 10 feet ahead of them.

66 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

“That’s perfect … wait … strip now,”

Lewis never did connect with a

programming. His company, Dorsey

says our guide.

permit on that trip, but the permit

Pictures, continues to produce a

hooked him. He’s since gone on to

variety of programs for a multitude

land his hard-won permit. Lefty Kreh

of networks, including Building Off

Nothing.

went to fish the flats on the other

the Grid for the Discovery Channel

“Damn, what did I do wrong?” asks

side, undoubtedly improving St.

and Tiny House Big Living for HGTV.

Lewis.

Peter’s back cast. Brokaw continues

This article was excerpted from

to fail retirement, writing another

Dorsey’s new book, Casting Call, a

“Nothing, man … that’s permit

book and training a new Lab. Keaton

celebration of the world’s greatest

fishing.”

is winning every acting award but

fly angling. Writes author Thomas

wishing he could spend more time

McGuane: “The lucid descriptions

In 10 years of fishing for this series,

on the water. Chouinard continues

of the lands, waters, guides, and

only a handful of permit were

to practice social distancing, usually

Dorsey’s own family members

ever caught on camera. In one

with a fly rod. And Montana trout

keep his book from being the usual

case—season eight or nine—we had

and Florida tarpon have joint custody

self-aggrandizing fare of the angler

to bring in a ringer, famed South

of McGuane.

abroad. It is instead an angler’s

Florida permit guide Will Benson, so we could prove to viewers that the

celebration. I put his book down It’s a wrap.

species would actually take a fly. Up

with the feeling that I’d been on these wonderful outings with

until then, the notion seemed purely

Bio: A former editor of Sports Afield,

him.” To order a copy of Casting

theoretical.

Chris Dorsey is one of television’s

Call, along with its companion

most prolific producers of outdoor

DVD, visit wildriverpress.com or sportingclassicsstore.com.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 67

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF GENETIC VARIATION AND CRYPTIC SPECIES

by Liz Wallace, Ph.D.

The incredible diversity among

to marine species, even in the open

species that occur globally are found

organisms has been a subject of keen

oceans.

among microorganisms (such as soil microbes and single-celled aquatic

interest since well before Charles Darwin’s day. During his voyage on

The observations Darwin made during

algae). These microbes disperse to

the HMS Beagle, Darwin kept detailed

the Beagle voyage formed the basis

suitable habitats very easily, and

notes and drawings that documented

for his theory of evolution. Working

sometimes they’re aided unwittingly

the variations he noticed in wildlife.

independently, Alfred Russel Wallace

by people.

developed the same theory, and they One example is goose barnacles

published jointly in 1858; it remains

There may be fewer examples of

(Lepas spp.), among which he noted

the foundation of biology today.

cosmopolitan, globally occurring marine species. In addition to

distinct varieties found in different locations. These barnacles are

As the methods used to investigate

Darwin’s barnacles, others that

pelagic drifters, carried on ocean

species diversity have improved, the

appear to be valid are the giant squid

currents. Today, we recognize seven

number of recognized species has

(Architeuthis dux) and violet sea-

species, two of which are considered

increased, and scientists continue

snail (Janthina janthina). Successful

cosmopolitan, or occurring globally.

to discover far more diversity than

cosmopolitan species must be

But even those two are isolated by

previously realized. There are three

extreme habitat generalists—flexible

water temperature and currents:

possibilities for how many species

enough to survive across a wide

temperate/tropical (L. antifera)

exist within any given group—more

range of conditions.

and Southern Ocean/Antarctic

than we know, exactly how many

(L. australis). Their distributions

we think, or fewer than we realize.

It’s far more common these days to

highlight the existence of barriers

Interesting examples can be found

hear about exciting new discoveries

at both extremes. Most instances of

that reveal more species exist within

68 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

a group than we previously realized.

they remain relatively understudied,

native species’ gene pools through

In biology, we refer to these as

and discoveries of cryptic species are

accidental interbreeding with

cryptic species: distinct species that

frequent (more than 6,000 species are

nonnative species.

are very similar in appearance and

currently recognized).

thus difficult to distinguish visually.

Black basses remain popular subjects In the United States, black basses

for anglers, too. All the excitement

In the first article in this series, I

(Micropterus spp.) are under

surrounding the recognition of

discussed bonefish diversity. With 12

taxonomic revision because of

cryptic species has led to fun new

known species that are remarkably

the identification of cryptics. Of

angling challenges. In Florida, we

similar in appearance, bonefishes are

13 accepted species currently in

have Florida bass (M. floridanus),

great examples of cryptic species.

Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, ten

Suwanee bass (M. notius), Choctaw

Correct identification of most

are endemic to the Southeast (a few

bass (M. sp. cf. punctulatus), and

bonefishes requires genetic analysis.

have been introduced elsewhere),

shoal bass (M. cataractae). With a

and four species have been recently

good strategy and a fair amount of

described. Many other provisional

driving, you could potentially catch all

Recent headlines reveal other examples of cryptic species. A 2020 study of gentoo penguins revealed four species that were previously thought to be a single species.

Similarly, African giraffes have been split into four species. Both these cases used genetic data and other evidence to verify species status (well beyond mere population-level variation). For the gentoo penguins, physical differences emerged after carefully examining museum specimens, and they matched the genetic differences. The giraffes, on the other hand, are true cryptic species—very similar in physical appearance.

four in a single day of fishing in the

BONEFISHES ARE

Florida panhandle.

GREAT EXAMPLES

In the gray zone, somewhere in

OF CRYPTIC

species continuum, lie ensatina

SPECIES. CORRECT

amphibians are known as a ring

IDENTIFICATION OF

from their distribution encircling

MOST BONEFISHES

too hot and dry for salamanders.

REQUIRES GENETIC

geographically and genetically

ANALYSIS.

the middle of the populationsalamanders. These Pacific Coast species; the term originates California’s Central Valley, which is Research has documented distinct forms, some of which possess large physical differences.

Despite these differences, some forms can still interbreed. Ensatina

This phenomenon of cryptic diversity

forms exist that soon may receive

remains a favorite study subject

is particularly common among

formal species recognition with

for evolutionary biologists because

freshwater fishes. Once discovered,

ongoing research.

they represent the challenges that

distributions of the cryptic species in

exist in properly diagnosing and

a group tend to be drainage-specific,

The lengthy and complicated history

describing species. These issues are

matching the geologic and geographic

of stocking various black basses

not merely academic; they provide

history of the region they inhabit. This

into nonnative ranges is a source of

critical information for species

makes a lot of intuitive sense—the

considerable difficulty for researchers

conservation. Misunderstanding

evolution of separate species usually

trying to untangle diversity in the

can lead to mismanagement using

requires some physical separation

genus. Across the southeastern US,

flawed strategies, which can have

of populations. Freshwater fishes

substantial efforts are now made to

real-world consequences. We need to

of the neotropics, which include the

preserve the existing native diversity.

use the right tools for the job (and

Caribbean, Central America, and

Stocking activities are carefully

need enough information about the

South America, are the most diverse

monitored and restricted to native

species to know which job needs to

group of vertebrates on Earth. Yet

ranges, preventing pollution of the

be done).

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 69

What about variation within a

skin (chromatophores) that regulate

identification challenging without

species?

pigments. The pigments originate

a lot of experience or a good fish

from different sources—black, gray,

guide. Scientists aren’t yet sure why

We can observe a wide range of

and brown shades are produced by

juveniles of these species are so

variation among members of a single

melanin, while red, orange, and yellow

different from adults, though one

species. Semi-isolated populations

shades are produced by carotenoid

hypothesis suggests it may help

may develop unique traits, either by

pigments from a fish’s diet. Shrimp,

reduce aggressive behavior.

chance or as a local adaptation to

for example, contain carotenoids

differing conditions. Unique traits

that give them a pink-orange color.

There are other adaptations

do not necessarily mean populations

In contrast, white is reflected

related to skin pigments—rapid

are diverging substantially on the

light bouncing off crystals in the

changes in color or pattern to

way to becoming separate species.

chromatophores. Green, blue, and

mirror surroundings or as a form of

Instead, it more often represents the

violet shades are usually structural,

communication (such as flashing).

large degree of natural variation that

produced through light reflection and

These can signal danger and

exists within species. This variation

refraction off of skin and scales.

also are used in competition and

among individuals is important for

Pigments serve two main purposes:

courting behaviors during spawning.

a species’ continued survival; they

sun protection and as camouflage

Bonefishes are well known for

must be able to adapt to changing

from predators. Many fish species

coloration changes depending on

environmental conditions. The

are darker along their back, while

their surrounding habitat—a fish

building blocks of adaptations at

their belly is light. Known as

swimming over seagrass or in deeper

the population level are genetic

countershading, it is an adaptation

water will appear darker with a

variations among individuals.

to avoid predation by blending

greenish tint along its back. That

While genetic variations are fixed

in with the surroundings when

same fish swimming over sand will

in an individual, some interesting

viewed from above or below. Other

appear pale silver. Dark vertical bars

physical traits can vary over time

examples of color morphing can

can sometimes be seen on bonefish

in the same individual. Perhaps

be seen in the drastic differences

swimming through grassy or hard-

the most noticeable are coloration

in appearance between juveniles

bottom habitats. These bars can

changes. Many fishes are renowned

and adults. Many reef species, such

also be found on fish when they

for their color-morphing capabilities,

as damselfish and angelfish, are

are under stress (such as during

achieved with specialized cells in their

famous for this, which makes correct

angling). Chromatophores are part

70 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

of the endocrine system, so they

animals occasionally make news;

new species. Four species of bonefish

can be regulated by hormones such

leucistic squirrels and snakes have

occur in the Caribbean and western

as cortisol, which is associated with

been spotted in the wild. (Florida

Atlantic—extensive genetic analysis

stress response.

angler Johnathon Morris caught a

of fish collected across the region

leucistic red snapper in 2016. Note the

(including Belize and Mexico) have

eye is dark, not red as in an albino.)

not revealed any additional species.

Some variations are the result of genetic mutations. Certain mutations

Similarly, a golden tarpon made the

result in strikingly different

Xanthochromism is another trait that

headlines when it was caught in 2016

appearance from the species’ typical

results in unusual pigmentation; in

in the Tampa Bay area; it was likely a

form. They are usually rare and often

this case red is replaced with yellow.

xanthic individual. FWC staff have also

result in low individual survival. One

Relatively common in birds such as

reported xanthic snook and mullet.

familiar example is albinism—the

cardinals, warblers, and woodpeckers,

recessive version of any one of

it’s also found in insects, fish,

Another familiar trait, piebalding,

several genes prevents the formation

reptiles, and amphibians. The

results in patchy bicolor patterns

of pigments normally found in the

condition is usually caused by a

in animals. Most frequently seen

skin, hair, feathers, and eyes. Albinos

genetic mutation, but diet can

in domesticated animals like cows,

have low survival in the wild; they

sometimes cause xanthochromism

horses, cats, and dogs, piebalding also

stand out vividly against surrounding

as well. Florida Fish and Wildlife

occurs in the wild. This distinctive

habitat, making them an easy target

Conservation Commission researchers

pattern is caused by a mutation in

for predators. The absence of dark

recently caught a xanthic blue tilapia

the KIT gene during development.

pigments (like melanin) also makes

in a canal near Boynton Beach.

This gene regulates how fast pigment

them susceptible to skin cancers and

Have you ever heard stories about

cells migrate in an embryo. The

retinal damage.

“golden” bonefish around Belize and

result is clumped patches of white

the Mexican Yucatan coasts? It’s

and dark. You may recall stories of a

A related phenomenon is known as

likely these are xanthic individuals,

piebald tarpon caught in Florida in

leucism, which results in partial loss

occurring because of a genetic

2014. Reports of piebald white-tailed

of pigmentation. Leucistic animals

mutation or diet. While the exact

deer are fairly common.

usually have blue eyes and may be

cause of this yellow color morph in

white or have patchy coloration.

bonefish hasn’t been documented,

Sightings of leucistic and albino

it’s safe to say they don’t represent a

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 71

ON THE PLATE

by Kelli Prescott

UP IN SMOKE: Bacon and Beef Short Ribs It’s that time of year again—the sun is out and my smoker is fired up. With summer just around the corner, I’m using my new smoker as often as possible. (John got me a new pit for Christmas, and I think he also might have had himself in mind.)

Endless slabs of smoked beef, pork, fish, and bacon—what’s not to love? While there’s great beauty in a pellet smoker’s ease of use, there’s nothing like the flavor imparted by fresh chunks of post oak crackling and smoldering on a big, offset quarter-inch steel beast.

No matter what kind of smoker you have, these recipes are sure to become two of your new favorites.

72 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Kelli’s Best-Ever Bacon Ingredients

1 tbsp cumin seeds

If you’re still buying bacon, you’re missing out. Homemade bacon is easy, rewarding, and tastes ten times better than what you can buy at the grocery. You control the amount of salt, the level of smokiness, and the thickness of each slice. I developed this recipe when I worked as a butcher at a restaurant. The restaurant and I both still use this formula.

1 tsp pink curing salt

outside air can enter. I like to use

You’ll want your smoker anywhere

a Sharpie to label the bag with the

from 200 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit

The first thing you’ll need is a pork

time and date, so I don’t forget when

for the duration of the smoking

belly. For this recipe I use half of a

I started the process.

process. Once the smoker is heated,

1/2 slab of pork belly 1/2 cup kosher salt

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper 1 tbsp red chile flakes

whole pork belly and ask the butcher

the pork belly slab goes directly on

for the meatier side. You can easily

After you’ve wrapped up the belly,

the middle rack. Continue to add

double the recipe and use a whole

place the bag in the back of the

chunks of oak, alternating with

pork belly. Bacon freezes extremely

fridge and let the cure work its

hickory or mesquite to maintain the

well, and I warn you, this bacon will

magic. I like to cure it for four days,

desired temperature while varying

not last long in your refrigerator.

but anywhere from three and a half

the flavor profile.

From breakfast to burgers, cubed up

to seven days will yield delicious

for soups, stews, and beans, and even

results.

candied, my bacon is good for just about everything.

Smoke the pork belly for two to four hours until the internal temperature

After your desired curing time has

at the thickest point reaches at least

elapsed, remove the pork belly from

145 degrees and up to 160 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients for the

the bag and rinse thoroughly with

cure in a bowl, and then generously

cold water—you want to remove all

Place your finished slab of smoked

sprinkle all sides of your pork belly

of the curing mixture. A few cumin

bacon on a baking sheet to rest

with the cure. You want a generous

seeds, chile flakes, and cracked

uncovered in the refrigerator

amount of cure on all sides, but you

pepper may be left, and that’s okay.

overnight. (Warning: Your entire

don’t want so much that you can’t

Our main goal is to remove all of the

refrigerator will smell like smoked-

see the pork belly through the spices.

salt. After rinsing the pork belly, pat

bacon heaven for a few days.)

it dry with paper towels.

Once the pork belly is coated in the

Once rested, it’s ready to slice. Use

curing mixture, place it in a zip-top

Return the pork belly to the

a long slicing knife and take your

bag and remove most of the air. If

refrigerator on a baking rack. Let it

time. Do your best to make long even

the pork belly is too big to fit into a

hang out there while you fire up the

slices that are one-eighth-inch thick,

zip-top bag, you can wrap it tightly

smoker. At this point, you can also

or slice it thicker or thinner to your

in cling wrap and place it in a baking

leave the pork belly to rest uncovered

preference. When the ends of the

dish; you can even use a clean

in the fridge overnight.

belly become hard to slice, I like to

garbage bag and tie it up. Anything works, as long as it’s sealed and no

cube them for soups, stews, bacon I like to use oak to get the fire going.

bits, and more.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 73

Sti y, Smoky Beef Short Ribs Ingredients

4 large, bone-in chuck short ribs

Marinade

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup mirin

10 cloves garlic, grated 2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp cracked pepper 1 tbsp onion powder

For the Braise

1 yellow onion, sliced thin 5 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/2 cup water

1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp cracked pepper 1 tbsp onion powder 2 tsp kosher salt

Ask your butcher to cut the meatiest ribs possible. You’ll want them about 8 to 10 inches long and about 3 inches wide. If you’re having trouble finding the right size short ribs, or don’t have a nearby butcher, you can substitute any size bone-in chuck short ribs available at the grocery store—just buy more of them.

To prep the short ribs, whisk together all ingredients for the marinade.

Place the short ribs in a zip-top bag with the marinade and let them hang out in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to three or four days. Beef short ribs are a heartier cut with lots of connective tissue compared to more delicate cuts, so you can’t really over-marinate them—

74 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Inspired by one of my favorite meals at State of Grace restaurant in Houston, these decadent, fall-off-the-bone short ribs are the perfect combination of sticky, smoky, and sweet. I serve them shredded, nestled in duck fat tortillas, topped with pickled vegetables and lots of fresh herbs. longer is better.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking dish with foil, and

Once the ribs have soaked up the

combine all ingredients for the braise

marinade, it’s time to fire up the

in the dish. Nestle the short ribs in

smoker. Heat your smoker to 250

the braising liquid, and cover with

degrees Fahrenheit, using any variety

more foil. Bake for two to three hours

of oak. Place the short ribs directly

or until fork-tender. Let rest before

on the middle rack.

serving.

Maintain a temperature of 250 to

To serve these sticky, smoky short

300 degrees for four to six hours.

ribs, you can eat them as is, or serve

Every hour or so, give your beef ribs

them with quick pickled vegetables

a spritz to keep them from drying

and loads of fresh herbs. The quick

out. I like to use a 50-50 mixture of

pickles are bright and crunchy and

apple cider vinegar and honey for all

provide balance to the decadent ribs.

of my barbecue needs. Whisk honey

I use a 50-50 mixture of mirin and

into apple cider vinegar to dissolve,

rice wine vinegar. Bring those to a

and pour the mixture into a spray

boil, and then pour the hot liquid

bottle. Whether it’s a pork butt, pork

over sliced cucumbers, radishes,

ribs, brisket, or beef ribs, spritzing

and watermelon rind. Let sit for 30

during cooking will lock in moisture

minutes, and then drain.

and flavor.

When the pickles are ready, shred the After four to six hours have elapsed

meat from the ribs, and assemble

and you’ve achieved a nice bark on

your tacos—a big handful of shredded

the short ribs, it’s time to finish them

beef, pickled vegetables, and a

with a braise.

healthy dose of cilantro and mint.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 75

Q’s

BLOCK PARTY MARGARITAS

by Al Quattrocchi

76 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Ingredients

In pre-Covid days, Janet and I hosted

1 12 oz. can of frozen concentrated

some of our close fly fishing friends

LimeAid 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups quality tequila 1 large orange—halved, squeezed, and strained

a little get-together each summer for at our Los Angeles home.

We call it the annual fishing barbecue, hosted by the Qs. It’s very informal, and we throw some Carolina

1 12 oz. bottle or can of India Pale Ale

ribs on the Traeger and make a batch

Pour all ingredients into a blender

cob, homemade coleslaw, deviled

and blend until frothy. Serve over ice in a glass garnished with a lime wheel. (If desired, salt the rim of the glass before filling it.)

of pulled-pork sliders. Corn on the eggs, potato salad, and ice cream cookie sandwiches round out the menu most years.

It’s always been a great way to connect with the friends we would normally only see while fishing, gathering them all in one place. The highlight, however, isn’t the food; it’s the house Margaritas.

The simple, foolproof recipe was one my lovely wife stumbled upon many years ago on the internet, and we’ve never needed to look for another.

One friend demands them each year and brings a few bottles of top-shelf tequila to ensure they stay on the bar menu.

The simplicity of the recipe makes them perfect for this type of gathering. Unlike traditional Margaritas, these are made with beer, which adds complexity and depth when mixed with fresh-squeezed oranges. Because most of the ingredients are used in equal parts, I just use the LimeAid container to measure them.

Everything goes directly into the blender for a spin until frothy, and then they’re poured over ice. Voilá.

You are now holding Q’s Block Party Margarita.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 77

New Life for Lake Worth Lagoon

By Pete Barrett

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club

is listed on the National Register of

like a tsunami. Fishing and water

is an old-timer. Founded in 1934, it’s

Historic Sites, and also recognized as

quality began a gloomy decline

rooted like a mangrove along the

a Florida Historic Site.

until disgusted local residents,

banks of Lake Worth Lagoon, where

anglers, boaters, businesses, and

its historic clubhouse was built along

At the time of the club’s creation,

environmentalists had finally had

Flagler Drive, not much more than

the historic waters of the Lake

enough. By 1994 a new awareness

a long fly cast to the water’s edge.

Worth Lagoon were home to

for water-quality improvements,

The clubhouse is a treasure trove of

teeming populations of gamefish,

combined with habitat restoration

fishing memorabilia, artifacts, fish

and surrounding towns were in

and enhancement, culminated in

mounts, burgees and pennants, a

relative balance with nature.

the creation of the Lake Worth

library, and a collection of historic

But the post-war South Florida

Lagoon Initiative.

photographs dating to the 1930s.

population explosion swept away

It’s an important part of history and

the beautiful mangrove estuary

78 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

How to Fish Lake Worth

The resilient estuary that had

lake, but his little inlet created an

provided club members with so much

amazing new saltwater habitat of

For all of these restoration projects and

remarkable fishing was in need of life

lush seagrass and water-filtering

islands, an 8-weight rod will do yeoman’s

support, and it arrived through the

oyster beds perfect for Florida’s

work. On calm days a 6-weight is a delight

extraordinary cooperation of town-,

snook, tarpon, jacks, trout, and

for casting 2- to 4-inch Deceivers, Clousers,

county-, and state-government

Spanish mackerel. More sophisticated

EP and Polar Fibre Minnows, and the Eat Me

agencies, along with the club, to

manmade inlets were attempted in

fly designed by West Palm Beach Fishing

embark on a journey to restore and

the late 1880s, and by 1915 the Port

Club member and local fly fishing guide

enhance the Lake Worth Lagoon.

of Palm Beach created a permanent

Scott Hamilton. Any minnow-like flies that

The 21-mile estuary, extending from

inlet that improved it to what it looks

imitate glass minnows are effective for

North Palm Beach to Boynton Inlet

like today.

snook and jacks. Shrimp and crab patterns

on the south, was about to be reborn.

often fool trout and redfish on the flats.

Development and construction from

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club is

the late 1940s until the 1980s—

If you like the visual eye candy of surface

often thought of as a big-game club,

dredging, canals, seawalls, landfills,

strikes, try a Gartside Gurgler, Bob’s

but the label is far from accurate.

roads, malls, commercial buildings,

Banger, or any balsa-body popper. At

Yes, sailfishing flows through its

and residential communities—so

daybreak, the chances of scoring a jack

veins; the club was the first to

severely injured the saltwater

crevalle of 10 pounds or more are excellent,

commemorate the release of sailfish

ecosystem that portions of the

but carry a pre-rigged 9-weight for them.

with red release flags that are now

lagoon became oxygen-starved

Good colors include white, chartreuse and

used around the world. But inshore

trenches where nothing lived. Sewage

white, and white with an olive wing. Your

light tackle and freshwater and

polluted the waters, making them

box should hold several sizes to imitate the

saltwater fly anglers have always

toxic. Freshwater runoff and silt

predominant bait, which range in size from

been part of the club’s membership.

smothered acres of precious seagrass

1- to 2-inch glass minnows to 3- to 6-inch

The club keeps records for 38 species

beds, turning the bottom into gooey

mullet.

of popular local gamefish caught by

mud. The loss of spawning sites and

members in 12 categories, including

nurseries for grouper, snapper, tarpon,

The shallow water mandates a floating

12- and 20-pound fly tippets.

trout, snook, and other gamefish

line for most fly fishing, although a floater

caused a severe decline in fishing.

with a short intermediate sink tip or a

Its membership has included fly

full intermediate line can be good at high

fishing notables such as Joe Brooks;

Happily, the once-deteriorating

tide. Tom Twyford, Palm Beach Fishing

Mark Sosin; A.J. “Al” McClane; Curt

waters of Lake Worth Lagoon are

Club president, says many local guides

Gowdy; Lee and Joan Wulff; Stu Apte;

dramatically changing for the

and experienced fly anglers favor simple

Lefty Kreh; Fred Schrier, founder

better, and the West Palm Beach

leaders based on a 40-pound butt section

of the Salt Water Fly Rodders of

Fishing Club is deeply embedded in

tapering to a 12- or 20-pound class tippet

America; and Lou Rossi, founder of

revitalizing the estuary. A lot of credit

with a short length of 25- or 30-pound

the Salty Fly Rodders of New York.

goes to Jim Barry, a life member of

fluorocarbon for the bite tippet to avoid

the club, who also wore many Palm

cutoffs from the snook’s raspy mouth and

“The Lake,” as locals call it, has lived

Beach County hats over four decades

razor-sharp gill plates.

a schizophrenic life, alternating

before his retirement from county

between a freshwater and saltwater

government. His management of the

“Many members of the West Palm Beach

lake as hurricanes opened, then

county’s dredge-permitting program

Fishing Club are enthusiastic fly fishers and

closed, several inlets along the

had a special impact on enhancing

willingly share their Lake Worth Lagoon

barrier islands. Augustus Lang, an

and restoring Lake Worth Lagoon,

experiences at monthly meetings,” Twyford

orchid grower, is generally credited

and he was able to secure permanent

said. “We always welcome guests to the

with opening the first manmade

funding by allocating a portion of

club’s monthly meetings that feature

inlet into Lake Worth Lagoon in

boater registration fees for habitat-

instructional seminars, and also to the

1866. It destroyed the freshwater

enhancement projects.

club’s monthly fly-tying get-togethers.”

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 79

According to Barry, the county’s first

was filled, graded, and contoured to

renewal effort focused on Munyon

form the base structure for a string

Island at the lagoon’s north end.

of new islands. Limestone riprap and

Restoration began in 1997 with a 10-

11 acres of red mangroves stabilized

year project that included removal of

and contained the spoil. An additional

nonnative plants and trees, soil removal,

40 acres of seagrass beds have begun

creation of tidal pools and ponds to

to grow, and there are now 2.2 acres

increase water-flushing, and restoration

of oyster beds to help purify local

of mangrove trees and salt grasses.

waters.

The end result was a 23-acre maritime hammock forest with protection of

According to Tom Twyford, the West

underwater seagrass beds.

Palm Beach Fishing Club president, more material came from Viking

The results are encouraging, with increases in both gamefish and baitfish, enlargement of seagrass fields, and general improvement of the mangroves, oyster colonies, and Spartina grass.

Soon after the success of Munyon

Yachts when they received approval

Island, Palm Beach County expanded

to dredge their facility and agreed to

its efforts into habitat-enhancement

place the spoil on the Snook Islands

projects. The first was the Peanut

project. It benefited the lagoon, fish,

Island/Snook Islands Natural Area

birds, and anglers, as well as the

project. Over 1 million yards of sandy

public and local businesses.

dredge material were excavated from Peanut Island and barged

In 2004, the 7-acre John’s Island

downstream to a deep slough laden

Environmental Restoration Project,

with poisonous hydrogen sulfide.

located across from and slightly north of the Snook Islands project,

“Peanut Island, located just inside

added more habitat. Palm Beach

the Lake Worth Inlet, was filled to

County, aided by the US Army

the brim with sandy dredge spoils

Corps of Engineers and supported

from inlet maintenance and was

by the Audubon Society and the

unable to accept future material,”

Town of Palm Beach, expanded the

said Eric Anderson, senior biologist for

mangroves, planted cord grass, added

Palm Beach County Environmental

a 1.4-acre maritime hammock for

Resources Management. “An anoxic

wildlife, and improved water flow.

‘death hole’ slough at the Municipal Golf Course was selected to receive

Other island-creating projects and

the Peanut Island material. It was

habitat enhancements have been

also much less expensive to barge

built in recent years, including the

the materials than to truck them to

South Cove Natural Area within the

inland sites, and it created the Snook

shadow of downtown West Palm

Islands. It was a win-win for everyone.”

Beach, Bryant Park, John’s Island, Grassy Flats, Ibis Isles, and Ocean

80 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

It launched a new era for the

Ridge. The latest project, now under

Palm Beach County Environmental

construction, is called Tarpon Cove.

Resources Management team to

It’s just south of the Flagler Bridge

create enhanced habitat for fish,

and offshore of El Cid residential

birds, mangroves, oysters, and the

community. Homeowners have

interlocking chain of estuarine life

been happy to put up with the

that was needed to sustain a healthy

construction, knowing the Tarpon

environment. The Snook Islands site

Cove islands will provide a scenic

natural area for birds and wildlife,

anglers, guides, and fly fishers will

Anderson’s research and species

good fishing, and clean water.

tell you they’re excited about the

collection also documented several

new enhancement and renovation

bonefish.

Anderson touted an ironic new twist

projects that restore or create

called the Living Shoreline Project

these natural areas, and they’ve

Each natural area offers unique

that turns bulkheaded shorelines

been experiencing better fishing. To

fishing opportunities by kayak and

into miniature mangrove forests.

keep track of progress, the county

flats skiff, and some by wading.

Semicircular and crescent-shaped

began quarterly monitoring in

limestone riprap structures, as well

cooperation with the Florida Fish and

“Fly fishers in shallow-draft skiffs can

as bench-shaped concrete structures,

Wildlife Conservation Commission

cover a lot more water, and they have

are built along bulkhead areas and

at Snook Islands and Grassy Flats.

the benefit of hopscotching from area

then filled with mangrove shoots.

The results are encouraging, with

to area, working the tide to search

The planters are designed to allow

increases in both gamefish and

out some great fishing opportunities,”

an interchange of tidal water and

baitfish, enlargement of seagrass

Twyford said. “We’re fortunate that

provide ecologically friendly natural

fields, and general improvement of

Palm Beach County is especially

homes for birds, fish, and other

the mangroves, oyster colonies, and

friendly to boating fly anglers, and

wildlife.

spartina grass.

there are numerous launch ramps all along the lake that offer safe and

The cooperation between multiple

An annual Lake Worth Lagoon

convenient launching for flats skiffs.

government agencies, conservation

Fishing Challenge provides friendly

The ramps are well maintained with

groups, local anglers, and the

competition for local anglers and

good docks and excellent parking.

West Palm Beach Fishing Club is a

generates important catch data.

Some ramps require a daily fee or a

remarkable example of what can be

More than 60 species of fish have

seasonal permit.”

achieved when citizens band together

been caught in the competition,

to benefit a valuable estuary.

including snappers, snook, blacktip

Kayak launching is available almost

sharks, several species of jacks,

any place that has water access,

ladyfish, croaker, and tarpon.

but check local parking regulations.

So how’s it working out? Local

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 81

Information on ramps and kayak

The Snook Island and John’s Island

mullet run. The transition between

launching is available at discover.

natural areas are maturing, and their

first light and dawn seems to trigger

pbcgov.org/parks.

seagrass beds are growing steadily.

a feeding spree, but the snook can

As the mangroves increase in size,

be caught any time there’s a moving

There are several tackle shops

more snook, snapper, and jacks use

tide. As the mangroves continue to

that service fly anglers, including

the areas.

grow, the abundant life surrounding

Fisherman’s Headquarters, Lott Brothers, and Tuppen’s Marine.

their roots, boulders, and nearby In the winter, when harsh easterlies

grass flats serve up a buffet of crabs,

blow, I fish the east side of the

shrimp, baitfish, and worms.

Munyon Island has been a favorite

habitat-enhancement areas to

of kayak and wading fly anglers, who

escape the wind. By wading, kayak, or

Jack crevalle are another prized

fish the channels, seagrass flats,

skiff, there’s a lot of excellent fishing,

gamefish for fly rodders, and they

and mangrove shorelines bordering

even when the wind is howling.

grow big in the lake. Many jacks will

Munyon Island, Little Munyon Island,

be palm-sized “silver dollars,” but

and MacArthur State Park, where they

Snook are the premier target for fly

there also are numerous 5-pounders

find increasing numbers of snook,

anglers. Most of them stretch the

that pull hard, as well as much bigger

tarpon, jack crevalle, and sea trout.

tape between 18 and 30 inches, but

jacks that roam the flats, mangrove

bigger fish can be caught on the fly,

edges, and sea walls.

especially in the early fall during the

Snook are the premier target for fly anglers. Most of them stretch the tape between 18 and 30 inches, but bigger fish can be caught on the fly, especially in the early fall during the mullet run.

82 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

IT’S ABOUT TIME . . .

JT VAN ZANDT

BUILT FOR LIFE www.seaholmautomatic.com

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 83

Night Blitz

by Willard Greenwood Beach air tastes of salt-weed, wet, expectant, like stripers might be in— and they are. Teeming multitudes converge to massacre menhaden.

The jetty extends into the night.

I sense huge spawners gliding, on the move, eating the wounded below the fray.

The inlet is alive with stripers, my freshwater Clouser returns with a straightened hook.

The tide knocks stones off the bones in my feet and small schoolies flit at my toes like bats and sand sucks up around my ankles.

Everything stops—raspy inhale— my line drawn out in a screech of suffering gears.

Night smothers dusk.

Standing house lights and passing headlights dim and flicker enough to show me pulling against darkness and I feel it running headlong, going with the drain of tide.

I hear waters break, way out, as I am whispering to myself that I do not want Heaven, just this fish and to be a local legend.

84 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 85

The freeze

The Science behind Big Bonefish in the Florida Keys

by Michael Larkin, Ph.D. Fly anglers fish for bonefish in tropical waters around the globe, but the Florida Keys fishery is known as the home of giants.

Data support the claim; 66 percent of International Game Fish Association (IGFA) bonefish records came from the Florida Keys. If you take a closer look at the IGFA bonefish records, you’ll find many Keys bonefish that exceed 14 pounds, the biggest registering 15 pounds, 12 ounces.

86 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Why Do the Florida Keys Have Such Big Bonefish?

What makes bonefish grow larger in some areas than others?

Dr. Daniel Pauly is one of the founding fathers of fisheries science, and he wrote a book on the factors that influence fish growth. In summary, temperature and diet are the two most important factors affecting growth rates of saltwater fish.

Temperature impacts growth

because the higher the water temperature, the lower the oxygen concentration in the water. So with a higher water temperature, fish must use more energy to obtain oxygen to breathe. More energy used to draw oxygen from the water leads to less energy available for other metabolic activities, including growth.

The temperature factor is related to latitude because the higher

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 87

latitudes are farther from the Equator and will have lower water temperatures. Each fish species has a range of temperatures where it can live. Because of the inverse relationship between temperature and oxygen, fish from the same species in higher latitudes—within their viable temperature range— will have higher growth rates than fish at lower latitudes.

The Florida Keys are on the higher-latitude, cooler-water side of the bonefish’s range; their waters have a higher oxygen concentration than bonefish areas closer to the equator. It’s one of the reasons Florida Keys bonefish have higher growth rates than bonefish in the lower-latitude, warmer tropical areas such as Belize or Puerto Rico.

Diet is the second-most significant factor that affects the growth of saltwater fish. There are numerous examples in the scientific literature where fish shift their

88 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

diets from invertebrates (shrimp and crabs) to fish, and it causes an increase in their growth rates.

Florida Keys bonefish are an example of this diet shift. The juvenile Florida Keys bonefish’s diet is mostly penaeid shrimp (the same shrimp you buy at the bait store in Florida), but when bonefish reach about 18 inches fork length (about 2.5 pounds), they start feeding on Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta).

Why don’t bonefish just eat toadfish when they’re small? Well, they can’t. Bonefish can’t just bite into their prey like a mackerel or shark. They’re suction feeders, not biters. Bonefish suck in their food and then crush it with their bony tongues and the teeth on the roof of their mouths. A bonefish’s diet is limited by the gape size of its mouth. Small bonefish have to develop a larger gape before they can inhale larger prey items like toadfish.

The caloric gain associated with the shrimp-to-fish shift allows an increase in growth rates. A Florida Keys study found the caloric output of a penaeid shrimp is about 120 calories compared to a Gulf toadfish’s 565 calories, almost five times more than the shrimp.

Bonefish in other areas don’t display the diet shift from shrimp to fish. For example, bonefish in the Bahamas eat primarily clams and crabs and don’t switch to fish at older ages, so they don’t benefit from the increased caloric gain and corresponding increased growth.

The Myth of Florida Keys Bonefish Coming from Deep Water I spent a decade running a bonefish tagging project in the Florida Keys, interacting with many bonefish guides and avid anglers. A frequent topic of conversation were the big bonefish (exceeding 12 pounds) caught on the flats in the late fall, winter, and

early spring. Some guides believed the big bonefish lived in deep water and seasonally arrived on the flats.

The tagging data, however, showed otherwise. We tagged more than 8,000 bonefish and had more than 350 recaptures.

The big bonefish caught in late fall, winter, and early spring are the same bonefish caught on Florida Keys flats in the summer.

The difference is the weight of the fish, which changes because of the bonefish’s reproductive state.

Bonefish caught in late fall, winter, and early spring haven’t yet become involved in spawning.

Before they spawn, female bonefish will hydrate their eggs, meaning the eggs fill with water before the females join a spawning aggregation. This egg hydration adds significant weight. In some

fish, such as winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), egg hydration can increase the fish’s weight by 40 percent. I’ve recorded bonefish showing a nearly 20 percent increase in weight from egg hydration.

For example, I tagged an 11-pound bonefish in Biscayne Bay in August. I measured the length and weight of the fish before releasing it. That tagged bonefish was caught in an Islamorada bonefish tournament the following April. The length didn’t change, but the fish weighed in at almost 13 pounds at the tournament. It increased its weight by 18 percent.

Another example is the IGFA bonefish fly fishing record for the 8 kilogram weight class. The record fish weighed 15 pounds, 6 ounces, and it died during the weighing process. The fish was given to me for research, and even though it

was heavy, it wasn’t the longest bonefish I had seen. Its fork length was 28 inches, which is long, but I’ve also recorded Florida Keys bonefish at fork lengths of 29 inches, and they weighed less than the record fish. When I opened up the gut of the IGFA record bonefish, it was full of hydrated eggs, which added to its weight.

Male bonefish also add weight during spawning season, expanding their gonads and filling them with milt. The process doesn’t add as much weight as the female’s hydration of eggs, but it still increases weight.

The tendency to use weight as a measurement may explain guides’ and anglers’ beliefs that big bonefish live in deep water and seasonally show up on the flats. It’s understandable to use weight, because length is just

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1,600

No Fishing 2010 Fishing Mortality Rate

1,400

Double the 2010 Fishing Mortality Rate

Number of Bonefish

1,200 1,000

800 600

400 200

0

0.1

1.4

3.9

6.5

8.5

9.9

10.9

12.0

Weight (lbs)

13.0

13.8

14.6

15.3

15.9

one measurement of a threedimensional object. But weight captures the entire size of the fish, its only downside being that weight can change significantly over a very short time. The reproductive influences are one way it happens, but a bonefish that has been feeding heavily on the flats obviously will weigh more than one with an empty stomach.

Why Is It Now Uncommon to Catch a Big Bonefish (12 Pounds or Bigger) in the Florida Keys?

I moved away from bonefish research and took a job in fisheries management more than a decade ago. I left South Florida and moved to the state’s west coast, but I still keep in touch with many Florida Keys bonefish guides and avid anglers. The recent message I’m getting from them is they’re not currently catching many large bonefish (greater than 12 pounds).

What happened to these big fish?

I propose two scenarios to explain the decline in abundance of the large Florida Keys bonefish.

Scenario 1: Fishing Mortality Has Increased.

There was a project that evaluated the status of the Florida Keys bonefish population, but it ended in 2010, so I can’t tell you the status of the bonefish population now. But I can tell you that, in 2010, the Florida Keys bonefish population wasn’t experiencing overfishing (too many fish dying each year). In 2010, the population was not at or above a critical

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overfishing level, but it was headed in that direction. (You can find the study and details with a Google search of “Florida bonefish assessment.”)

So what would happen to the availability of bonefish at different sizes if the population was experiencing overfishing? I did an analysis that addressed this question as part of the Florida bonefish assessment project. But first, here’s some background. I knew the current fishing-mortality rate of the Florida Keys bonefish fishery. Even though it’s primarily a catch-and-release fishery, there’s still fishing mortality. If a shark eats your bonefish when you’re reeling it in, that’s an example of fishing mortality. Another example is a bonefish dying after being caught and released (exhaustion, gut hooked, too much air exposure, etc.) From studying the availability of size and ages of bonefish in the Florida Keys fishery, the results showed that about 10 percent of the bonefish population die every year from fishing mortality.

I already knew a lot of information on both the fishery and the bonefish population: different size and ages of the population by percentage, which size and ages of bonefish are impacted by fishing mortality, bonefish growth rate, and natural mortality rates (from predators and other sources not related to fishing). I put this information into a simulation

to see how it would impact the size structure of bonefish in the Florida Keys. I ran the simulation making three different changes: 1) assuming no fishing mortality rate, 2) using the current 2010 fishing mortality rate, and 3) doubling the 2010 fishing mortality rate. The results showed that, if you increase the fishing mortality rate, the availability of large bonefish decreases in the fishery. So one possible explanation for the current decline in large bonefish could be an increase in fishing mortality.

One component of fishing mortality is fishing effort. If the fishing effort increased (such as more people fishing for bonefish, or people fishing more frequently for bonefish), it could lead to an increase in fishing mortality.

Scenario 2: The Cold Water Event of 2010 Killed Multiple Bonefish Age Classes, and the Population Is Still Rebuilding.

In January 2010, the Florida Keys were impacted by an intense cold weather event that lasted 12 days. The average upper Florida Keys air temperature was 54 degrees Fahrenheit. It resulted in a massive fish kill. The Florida Keys bonefish population was certainly impacted by this event.

Guides were calling me during the cold spell to report dead bonefish on beaches and flats. I scoured shorelines in the Keys and collected 146 dead bonefish from just a few square miles. I

always wondered how many more dead bonefish were out there that I couldn’t access (far back in the mangroves or other areas I missed). The dead fish I collected ranged from 7 to 28 inches in fork length. I determined the age of the fish and found a range from one to 18 years, but most of them were one to three years old, showing that certain age classes were more susceptible than others.

An examination of the age and weight data shows a 10-pound bonefish being nine years old or older. The possibility exists that today’s current paucity of large bonefish in the Florida Keys could be caused by several younger age classes being wiped out in the 2010 cold event. Several age classes weren’t available to grow up to become big bonefish.

The good news is that anglers and guides are reporting lots of 3- to 7-pound bonefish currently being caught in the Florida Keys. As long as we don’t have another cold weather event, these 3- to 7-pound bonefish will eventually grow up to be big bonefish.

From the two scenarios here— fishing-induced mortality and weather-induced mortality—I can’t tell you which is more likely; that’s for you to decide. But if we reduce fishing mortality and don’t have another extreme cold weather event, then big bonefish will be back in the Florida Keys.

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The Aquarium

92 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

by Joseph Ballarini

It was a typical day in the small fishing village of Boquerón, Puerto Rico.

Captain Francisco Rosario,

Neither of us could imagine what was

living eating discarded food from

affectionately known as “Pochy,” was

about to happen.

the numerous homes along the

our host, and this was my fourth

backwaters. (Pochy has a fly he calls

visit to fish with the unassuming

As we ventured out of Boquerón’s

papa frita, which he says is the only

guide. I traveled there with one of my

launch/marina/bait shop/auto parts

thing the tarpon like as much as the

closest friends, who had landed his

store, the wind shifted 180 degrees

french fries the kids feed them from

first tarpon the previous day. After

and began to rip from the south.

the docks.) Even the sun seemed

jumping six and landing four on our

Reality was about to set in. The

hesitant that day, unable to peek out

first day out with Pochy, we both

tarpon we had seen everywhere the

past the low clouds on the horizon.

conceded the remainder of this trip

day before were nowhere to be found.

This was a different fishery—now

could be nothing but disappointing in comparison.

We couldn’t even locate the

ominous and strange.

scavenger tarpon that make their

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 93

Being a longtime captain and the

Pochy didn’t waste any time and

landed was about 40 in five hours.

former host of a television show,

began poling the northeastern

Grover tends to embellish a bit, so

Pochy was not rattled. He took us to

shoreline. A few snook made an

30 is probably closer to the truth.

places protected by structure in an

appearance close to shore, but none

Nonetheless, it was a lot of tarpon.

attempt to avoid the wind and find

of the tarpon that were the reason

some fish. After a few unsuccessful

for Grover’s visit. We didn’t have time,

During the ride back to Boquerón and

stops, he sat on the poling platform

however, to become disinterested.

later at dinner, Pochy explained that

and stared off to the south for a few

this was one of the rare occasions

minutes before uttering words that

“Do you see them?” Pochy asked in a

when the conditions aligned

no fly angler could ever refuse.

calm, relieved voice. “I thought they

perfectly. The tarpon playground

would be here.”

was created by a combination of an

“I think we can try something that

incoming tide with a big tidal shift

will either be very good or very bad,”

We definitely saw them; there was no

two days before the full moon, as well

he said. “We can go to a place where I

way to miss them. We were suddenly

as the shift from a north wind to a

think the fish will be, but we have to

surrounded by hundreds of tarpon, if

south-southwest wind in early spring.

travel far in the ocean, and the water

not thousands.

is very rough. You probably will get

It doesn’t happen every year, as I’ve

wet, it will be very choppy, and I cannot

They were off the bow, off the stern,

discovered over the last decade. It

promise that there will be fish there.”

rolling everywhere, from 10 feet

was the only time in numerous visits

away to 300 feet. The lagoon was

to Cabo Rojo that I experienced the

With almost perfectly synchronized

packed with fish, most in the 30-

phenomenon. Grover still refers to

voices, Grover and I said, “Let’s do it.”

to 60-pound range, and they were

that little cove as “The Aquarium,”

gleeful, completely oblivious to our

and it remains his first choice when

So we went south into the wind,

presence. We didn’t just teleport to

we discuss a tarpon trip.

toward the tip of Cabo Rojo along a

another country—we teleported to an

rocky coastline through sketchy water.

aquarium filled with hungry tarpon.

There were permit feeding on the

It’s a day I’ll never forget. If I end up with dementia, I hope this is one of

surface, picking off crabs that were

Within five minutes we had our first

the memories my aging brain locks

dislodged from their rocky perches

hook up. It was a modest-sized fish in

onto and makes me relive each day.

by the strengthening wind and

the 30- to 40-pound range. That fish

merciless chop. The lower unit of the

and many others ate a green-and-

Pochy is still there and still guiding.

skiff scraped along the tops of rocky

white, Clouser-type fly. We used blue

His game is a little different after the

peril hidden just below the surface,

and white, green and white silver

hurricanes and some chronic back

undetectable in the agitated water.

Gummy Minnows, anything that

issues that finally caught up to him

After a few spine-crunching drops on

looked like a baitfish that was 2 to 3

after bouncing through chop for 40

the bow and some hair-raising scrapes

inches long.

years, but he remains the best guide

of metal hitting rock, I began to

in Puerto Rico—and one hell of a nice

question our decision. Grover put away

After a few singles for each of us, we

his camera and asked Pochy where

thought a double hook up would be

the life vests were.

fun. It was not a great idea. An even

You can look him up at

guy.

worse idea was the triple hook up we

lighttackleadventuretarponfishing.

It actually wasn’t a long ride, but it

achieved by having Pochy cast from

blogspot.com/.

felt like an eternity. We finally pulled

the poling platform.

into a cove that was shielded from the wind. The water was calm. It was

While rerigging all three rods and

like we teleported to another part of

laughing about fatigued body parts

the world.

and skinless thumbs, we determined the unofficial tally of fish jumped or

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 95

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CONNECTED WITH FISH AGAIN…

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WITH FLATS AGAIN… WITH FRIENDS AGAIN… WITH FAMILY AGAIN… WITH FUN AGAIN!

WE’RE OPEN AND MISSING YOU! GET CONNECTED AT EL PESCADOR

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 97

In-Shore Coastal Waters | Bays and Harbors | Catalina | Offshore

Capt. Vaughn Podmore (714) 235-7715 saltyflyhb@yahoo.com U.S. Coast Guard Master 50 ton captain’s license.USCG#04706 DFG#70777

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 99

GO AHE AD, TA K E TH E B OW.

SH O P N E W F IS HIN G APPARE L AT

D U C KCA MP.CO M

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