Fly Fishing

joey · Location: Colorado

Its that time of year again the baraometer is sinking low and the days are getting real short. Images of sandy beaches and warm days are oftne on my mind as I bear through another chilly day. Hopefully this winter I'll get a chance to get down to FL for a week or more and do a little fly fishing with my Dad who lives down ther for a good chunk of the year. I have been fly fishing down there of and on for the last 5 years and have my favorite flies for snook, jacks, and ocassionally tarpon. I have never caught a bonefish so maybe this year will be it. For snook I like glass minnows in green, blue and silver. these work real well for me especially at night under the lights. Jacks and ladyfish will crush these too. I always have a good assortment of these becasue they get mangled so easy. I have caught my one and only Tarpon on a Black Death which was a total trip in itself. The video is on here and you can see me get the rod pulled out of my hand. So needless to say I have some Black Deaths kickin' in my salt box. EP Finger Mullet Patterns and EP Anchovy's work well for me to back in the mangroves. If anyone has some reccomendations for me It would be greatly appreciated. I am pretty rusty when it comes to the salt so I will take it all in. Bonefish patterns? I think this is the year.

http://www.fliesandfins.com/article364.html -- tarpon pulling the rod outta my hand....ooops.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Joey,

Nice grab on that fly rod, in the video. Sounds like the guide was pretty stoked that his rod/reel didn't take off with the Tarpon. Like you, have done a fair amount of fly fishing in Florida (not nearly as much as some folks) but a fair amount throughout the years. I have been lucky enough to catch baby tarpon, bonefish, lots of snook (no real monsters though), redfish, barracuda, Jacks, spanish mackerel, Kingfish .. I think that's it ... The Permit is next on my list and a big tarpon would be sweet too! .. Florida is pretty sweet cuz there is just so many species of fish and so many opportunities on foot, on the flats, near shore and off shore .. anyway, I guess my "best bets" based on my personal experiences would be as follows.

Snook under lights - glass minnows, brown/white clouser

Snook in mangroves - EP peanut bunker black/purple & Chartreuse/White - Plain white deceiver with red throat

Baby Tarpon - Something with a dear hair head, that looks like a big muddler minnow (not sure of the name)

Jacks - Anything white pretty much (white deceiver, etc..)

Bonefish - i'd roll with the kwan crab

Permit - a crab pattern (but, this is not based on catching one or any success with permit; rather just a best bet .. based on what i have read and heard and seen guys fish with for permit)

Barracuda - any deceiver'ish type fly .. flashy, bigger and on the red'ish side of things, stripped fast

redfish - a black wooly bugger looking thing with lead eyes. (again, don't really know the name)

Big Tarpon - don't know .. never caught one, so I would just be guessing. and at this point .. i'd probably go with what you threw. "Black Death" sounds good to me.

curious to hear what other peoples "best bets" are for florida fly patterns?

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

joey,

Let's fish the trail when you come down. Very Happy

Dock lights: I had fun a few yrs. ago with your Dad in V-bay. True, the glass minnows don't last long after hits, I'd try some tiny EPs or, small olive and white Clousers.

Backcountry Snook and Reds: Tom's Tantrums in Black, Chartreuse and white, Tom's Light Bulb, Redfish Candy.

Bones and Permit: I'd check with Dave Tepper and tie up some of his deadly Crabs. I don't know their name, but he or Will Benson developed this fly which has been deadly here in Naples on Snook and Reds as well as being the top fly for Permit on the film, "Connected". I love sight fishing, so this fly's going to be my season fav.

Baby Tarpon: Anything Muddlery dark, and small. I like a sink or sink tip line for Trail Tarpon.

When you get down here, stop by Tom's fly shop and check out the bins, maybe I can show you Dave's pattern as I've been tying them in 3 different weights.

joey · Location: Colorado

Marshall we'll definately have to hit the water. I am going to try and fish more this year when I make it down. I usually get suckered into working with the old man the whole time I am there. Although I do get out...just not as much as I'd like. I will have to call Tepper and try to score some of those crab flies from him. Ill give you a shout when I make my way south. Probably march...I am thinking the whole winter next year. Laughing

zdog · Posted: Thu 11/20/08 6:23 pm Post subject:

hey i love to fly for tarpon i use a 10 weight gloomis crosscurrent and hardy mla 375 if you want some advice just ask me

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Marshall,

For the baby tarpon .. on the trail or trail type water ... what is a good prospecting pattern if fish are not rolling or visible? something big or small? light or dark? .. thanks.

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

I like to use small flies prospecting for Baby Tarpon in the Trail Creeks. Small, dark Clousers on a clear, slow sinking line or sink tip. Olive and white Clouser barred with a black marker to imitate the little baitfish in the canals. No reason an olive or black Shminnow wouldn't work or a small dark muddler...I've caught them on those as well...but always on a smaller fly. They say you can trick trail Tarpon on top but only during the summer time. I love spending an early morning chasing rolling Tarpon along the trail....it seems the best bite occurs right at dawn, which comes early this time of year.

zdog · Posted: Fri 11/21/08 6:06 pm Post subject:

hey i use a 50 pound floro shock tippet and mixed colored clousers my favorite i have tyed that has worked is a pink and gray clouser

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

z-dog.

are you saying you use "pink and gray clouser" tarpon, bonefish, snook or permt? or are you saying that is what you use for all 4 of those species?

zdog · Posted: Sat 11/22/08 10:41 am Post subject: clouser

i use it for tarpon on the trail but works for snook also

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

good to know. call me a sucker for simplicity. but, i love it when .. out of all the options ... someone boils it down to something as simple as "a clouser" ... i have actually heard that straight up clousers work great too for bonefish. so, for a guy like me who travels down to florida from maine to enjoy some sun and fishing and hopefully some catching .. its nice to know that i am in the game with some clousers:) ... so, for the tarpon on the trail .. how big are these clousers you use? and do you used them with floating, intermediate or sinking line? .. thanks so much.

zdog · Posted: Sat 11/22/08 5:42 pm Post subject: tarpon

jeremy,

i like to use a 3 inch to 4 inch clouser and intermediate fly line on calm days and on windy days a sinking tip will do just fine