Fly Fishing

Fisherone · Newbie Joined: Jan 19, 2006 Posts: 5

I'm going out fishing in the Naples FL area next week. I've been on guided trips a few times there before but I have a specific question. This has come up through countless hours of casting and catching in head in anticipation of the trips I have booked. OK. Say I heave a nice long cast and it hits the spot. A fish follows the fly as I strip towards the boat but it doesn't strike until the fly is nearly at the boat. At this point I've got tons of line at my feet. My question is this. What if this fish never takes all the line and I never get the fish " on the reel? " Do people play fish only with the line in hand and not with the reel? What's the strategy here? Obviously you don't want to give the fish any slack.
Also, how do you perform a strip strike? Do you lift the rod tip at all? And once you've got the fish on must you then set the hook repeatedly? How?
Thanks for any advice. I really want to have a couple good pics to post with a story when I get back.

hedrush999 · Newbie Joined: Aug 16, 2004 Posts: 49

fisherone,

I would say that 90% of the fish in this area never make it to the reel. Sometimes this makes for a challenge from a line management perspective, but it also makes for a fun tug o' war. There are a few variations of the strip strike, and with snook and reds sometimes it involves coming tight on the fly, and then hitting them low with the rod to really bury the hook. Big snook, in my opinon are one of the hardest fish, next to tarpon, to get the hook into. Use at least 40lb shock tippet...I use 52lb, and rip their faces off when you hit 'em.

jeremy · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:19 am Post subject: yo

yo ... a few years ago i was fly fishing with dave and kevin down in the everglades for snook .. and experienced what seems to be the same situation you are referring to ... the florida guys have been responsible for really helping my saltwater hooksets ... anyway .. go to the videos section and find the video entittled "Everglades Experience" .. you will see me "trout set" a snook .. and then those guys say "dude, you steelheaded it" .. since that video, i have really been working on stripsetting all saltwater fish and "hitting them low" with the hookset as and keeping the rod low as dave and kevin and all the boys in florida have tought me and continue to drill into me if i "trout set" a fish .... so, for me, i don't know if it's as much a matter of if i care if i catch the fish or not .. as it's a matter of i don't want to catch any slack from all the florida boys who give me a ton of grief is i "trout set" or "steelhead a fish".. Very Happy

....... .. so, check out that "Everglades Experience Video" .. and then take a peak at the "Tarpon On Foot" video and you will see that when I hooked my very first tarpon, I definately MADE SURE I did a strip set and then "hit him low" ... again, not so much because of anything else other than when i hooked the fish i thought to myself "ok dave and kevin and all you other floridians who prey on trout guys .. how do ya like this!" i really put the wood to that fish .... i think i did it "right"? .. it felt right, that's for sure .. and i landed my first tarpon ...... "trout setting" a tough habit to break ... but worth it, in the salt and for fish that have rock hard mouths like tarpon .. a must .... so, maybe this video of me doing it wrong and then right and learning from kevin will help ya .. it helped me. good luck.

lordoftheflies · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:39 pm Post subject:

How'd you make out in Naples? I was there the same week you were...did you hook up?

bonefishwhisperer · Newbie Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Florida

hello...I have found that tarpon will "take" the fly and 99% of the time will turn...I keep the line taunt and when it turns palm the reel and "put the wood to it"...the fish will usually hook itself...rod should be low...of course things dont always go according to plan Crying or Very sad

I will be going tonight myself and hope to practice what I preach...full moon and rain yesterday so the canal gates wil be open and water will be flowing from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay...YAY

jeremy · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:38 am Post subject: gates

duh ... i just realized something when reading your post ... there are GATES that open and close on the trail .... and, that probably explains why sometimes there is lots of water and other times virtually no water? all these years i thought it was just a tide thing .... probably dumb questions here .. but..

1. how many "gates are there?"
2. does the water always flow in one direction ... from naples to miami or visa versa?
3. how much does tide also affect the trail?

too funny ... i always saw the "gates" .. that look like "dams" .. but never connected the purpose ...

one more question -- so, is there a "better" and "worse" time to fish depending on "gates being open/closed" ... meaning, i never even thought of that as being a variable when fly fishing on the trail .. but, it seems that you are saying that "the gates being open" is a good thing??

let me know .. definately NOT looking for your spots or anything like that .. just kinda some info on the dynamics of the "gates" and there purpose on the "trail" canals .. and their effects on fishing conditions .. thanks man.

bonefishwhisperer · Newbie Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Florida

YES it is better when the gates are open...it creates current that sets up ambush preditors...the gates are opened when water level hits certain depth...its automatic but also scheduled...you can get a schedule online thru the water management office...this will create a current usually running to Biscayne but also changes the flow as far as the tamiami trail...the runnoff is all screwed up due to manmade diversions and that is part of the EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROJECT to try and fix...there is a gate near KROME RD that is particularly good when it "on"...there are also big peacocks and largemouth up to 10lbs that I have seen caught...when its bad its really bad...these gates are everywhere and I only fish a few...there is one on Old Cutler that separtes C4 canal from the bay and it has its moments for snook /baby tarpon and jacks ...one thing to remember...the fish swim both ways when this is open and the snook and tarpon will go into the canals....that why they are in the canal in the 1st place...this is also when the BULL SHARKS come out to play in the fresh water run off...it also ruins the flats for a few days as the water turns drinkable for miles
I see you are on top of the game Jeremy...when terrorizing the trail next time leave one for me Very Happy

jeremy · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:54 am Post subject: on top of game

I would say that "i am on top of my trail game" .. to the degree that i know a couple little spots that produce .. but honestly, the closer i get to the miami side .. it's all greek to me .. i have wanted to catch peacock bass for some time now .. still no luck ... and after all these years .. only NOW do i realize the effects of the man made "gates" ... duh .. i always thought it was TIDE that was presenting the various fluctions in water levels .. but, i could never dial into the pattern in terms of tide cycles.. and now it makes sense and i understand why ... becasue TIDE is not the only variable affecting flow and levels .. the GATES play a big roll ..

anyway .. the trail is 100 miles long .. i know a couple spots .. still MUCH to learn ...

so -- one more question -- how much, if at all, DOES the tide play a roll in the canals on the trail? ... i really love fishing the trail .. cuz if you think about it .. it IS deep in the everglades, in the sense that if rte 41 wasn't there and you had to take a boat .. it would be a good journey to get back in there for sure .. so, even though the cars wizzing by and such on rte 41 .. certain sections of that trail are pretty remote ...

oh ya .. i also took rte 75 from miami to ft myers after my last trip .. and notest alot of people fishing on that canal .. it looked a little less dynamic than the 41 trail ... and from the road it look very "fresh water'ish" ... interesting though, never even knew that canal was there .. it did seem to be significantly bigger than the 41 trail .. but like i said, not as dynamic .. pretty much just a big cannal .. no mangroves etc..

MarshallD · Newbie Joined: Feb 06, 2004 Posts: 88

Here on the Naples end, the Gulf tides will push on the creeks leading to rt 41 but the salt water will push the fresh back only so much, only for so far too depending on tide strength, wind and how deep in the creek goes....all variables. Now if there's a lot of rain in the glades (the other side of the road) that will fill up the small marsh creeks quickly and all the water has to flow somewhere, so it flows towards the ocean especially when the tide is down. That can mean poor fishing for species that don't like too much fresh water, I think. Maybe too much fresh water can drive baitfish away?...or even draw some to it?.If there are man made gates anywhere, that complicates everything with the natural flow but it can create all sorts of new flows. That's what the Whisperer has a handle on at the East end of the Trail, ...open gates=free-flow. He's watching the rainfall too and then seeing what they do with the gates and then watching what the bait does and who eats who....that's the stuff of how we learn. good thread... Very Happy

bonefishwhisperer · Newbie Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Florida

its all fresh water once you pass EVERGLAES CITY coming to miami...the tides dont directly affect the trail but the rain does because the water has no place to go due to reroutining of the Everglades runnoff...the peacocks will be right up to the Everglades but not any farther..they need the underground auqafir for constant water temp thru out the winter...under 70 and they die...this has self regulated the peacocks basically to Miami without danger of spreading...the sad part is everytime they open the gates to regulate the water level you will see peacocks and exotics getting flushed into Biscayne Bay...this is where the snook/cudas and sharks really clean house