This spring I’ve been incredibly fortunate to do quite a bit of traveling in a short time. It all started towards the end of April when my girlfriend I met up with my brother and some of his friends for a double birthday and fishing extravaganza in Florida. See my brothers blog for his tales of the trip to Sanibel Island. I had never done any Saltwater fly fishing prior to this journey so I didn’t really know what to expect…it was unbelievable. Every fish we pulled out, I had no idea what it was, but they put up a hell of a fight.
Dave feeding a bird some bait fish
The flies we used were way less intricate then some of the trout flies that I normally tie, but all you really needed down there was the schwminnow and a glass fish. Our first day Jourdan ripped the most fish out of the Gulf and I struggled a bit to read the water. What I learned was there is a lot of waiting for the birds and tides during the day time or just hire a guide and they will take you to where the fishing is on fire.
Celebrating Jourdan’s BDAYJourdan with a Sea TroutSunset on a boatRipping snook up after dark
Flying back to SLC
Once Jourdan and I arrived back in Salt Lake I had the opportunity to drive the delivery van for the ski shop back to Colorado for the summer. I brought my fishing and snowboard gear along for the ride. The snowboarding did not work out, but the fishing did.
Sometimes when you have to drive 500 miles in a day you have to set out at 4 AM to get a half a day of fishing inTraffic jam in route to the fishing
The “Gold Ribbon” stretch of the Frying Pan
Fishing in Colorado is way different than fishing in Utah. Stream access is not nearly as good. There are some assholes in Utah trying to ruin our stream access, but that’s a whole different story. I stopped by Taylor Creek Flies for some advice before hitting the stream.
Their knowledge worked. There are a ton of fish in that river, but also a ton of people.
After some nymphing and some midge dry fly action I had to pack up and continue on Frisco.
The road to A Basin
The next morning I woke up and dressed to go snowboarding up at Arapahoe Basin. However, my pass that was lined up for me fell through so I had to fall back on my back up play to do some more fishing before catching my ride to Denver International to get back to Salt Lake.
Another small Colorado stream with some snow still lingeringHowever, there were some nice fish to be caught.
Once home, Ted and I went to some more familiar territory for me.
A moose spyTed with a healthy RainbowTala and Jefe enjoying the beautiful weatherHealthy TroutThis adventure comes to a close, but there will be more. Fishing and the sites you see is awesome
Following the lessons with Joe Mahler and watching Snook cruise the beach everyday, we were rightfully anxious to hook into one. The Gulf remained choppy throughout our entire trip making it near impossible to sight fish for the monsters.
Fighting fish in the backwater.
Both Norm Zeigler and Joe Mahler recommended we go out with Captain Daniel Andrews; he is a young guide, ready to help you work the water to produce Sea Trout and Snook. According to Captain Andrews, there are several highly productive means to catch fish on the Fly Rod in Florida. Dock light fishing is the most productive Fly Fishing experience you will discover in Florida. Waterside illumination is a bait attractors and predators like the Snook seek out the bait.
Brenton with a Lady Fish, treating her right.
We met Captain Andrews at 3PM on the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp for an evening of Rippin’ Lips, he advised us first we would hit the backwaters for Sea Trout, at dusk the plan was to move over to a good dock light with a plethora of bait. To add adventure to the trip, there were thunderstorms off in the distance. We would need to avoid them if they started to head towards us. (In Florida, it seems, there are always thunderclouds in the distance.)
Jourdan’s first Sea Trout.
Captain Andrews made it a quick ride into the backwaters, taking us out to some Mangrove islands to cast. Saltwater fishing is a whole new Fly Fishing experience; there is an incredible amount of wildlife seeking fish(food) while you are out there. At certain points Osprey, Pelicans, Cormorants and Dolphins surrounded us all looking for their next meal. As we casted out the Schminnow hundreds of greedy eyes looked on with jealousy.
The First Snook
The afternoon started out very slow, we all discovered that saltwater fishing is very tide dependent. You can either wait for the tide to change or head out in search of fish. The seach will require a lot of casting. We did a bit of both; Captain Andrews took us around, in the boat, seeking hungry fish. Brenton, Jourdan and I hooked into Ladyfish, Sea Trout and Mackerel, all the while, out running ominous thunderclouds. The afternoon was progressing nicely, that is until the Dolphins surfaced. The presence of top-level predators does wonders to make fish hide. Anyway, it was about dusk and the slowdown was an excuse to seek out a perfect dock light.
Chris’ first Sea Trout on the fly.
Not all dock lights are created equal, if you want to catch fish by the light; it pays to go out with a guide. Captain Andrews anchored us, in a heavy current as a result of the tide, placing Brenton and I within casting range of our target.
Measuring a Snook.
Captain Andrews advised us that we could cast but waiting until the moment the sun went down would be more productive. Right on queue, the sun disappeared over the Gulf and the fish went nuts. The shrimp were literally jumping out of the water to get away from the predators all around them. Everywhere you heard the tell tale pop of Snook eating juicy shrimp.
Chris’ 20+ inch Sea Trout.
Brenton was up first on the casting platform, he double hauled his Schminnow out at the head of the dock structure. As instructed, he then pointed the road down towards the current direction and stripped line in one-foot increments. Pointing the rod down the current prevents the Schminnow from experiencing drag. Drag, of course, tips the fish off to the fakeness of your bait. A few strips and Brenton had a Sea Trout; quickly, he threw the Schminnow back out there and Snook on!
Chris’ first Snook on the fly.
After that first Snook, we did not have a break until we left around 11PM. Cast after cast; a beauty was hauled out of the water. A short cast yielded Sea Trout; a perfect cast would haul out a Snook. On the far side of our boat, the Dolphins were frolicking.
Chris’ last Snook of the night.
Unfortunately, the next afternoon we all had planes to catch…until the fall Sanibel Island.
Jess and I are leaving the Bahamas today. Over the past week, I have picked up several more bonefish as well as a small mutton snapper; however, the last bone I caught is the one that will stay with me. I hit the flats early morning at the mid point of an outgoing tide. The water was shallow enough to see tails but just deep enough to keep the bones from becoming super skittish. I was wading close to shore when 50 feet away I saw a large tail quickly break the surface, and then it instantly disappeared. I froze, continued to peer towards the surface disturbance, and then saw a small mud puff from a feeding fish. After one cast and a small strip of my size 4 bonefish scampi, I felt a strong tug and my reel was singing. The first run of this bone was the tell tale of a large fish. The fish had 3 more runs, and I landed him after a 15-minute fight. I was astonished when I landed him, measured him up using my fly rod, snapped a quick picture, and released him. (It is extremely hard taking a picture of a bonefish standing in the middle of a knee deep flat). He was around 32 inches long. Cross referencing Randal Kaufman’s Bonefishing!, he was estimated between 11-13lbs, which puts him into trophy category by anyone’s standards. It was the culmination of my bonefishing efforts over the past month. I wish the picture below did the fish more justice.
This guy pushed the limits of my 9wt for 15 minutes
Our time in Green Turtle Cay was amazing. Jess and I felt that the people were welcoming, the food was excellent, and the bonefish were challenging. My next bonefish trip will more then likely be the typical several days on flats skiff with a guide; however, I will never forget my trials and tribulations, paying my dues on the flats, and learning through first hand experience. Special thanks to local fly fisher and bonefish guide, Ronnie Sawyer. He spent many nights tutoring me on strategy, fly design, and approach for his local waters and bonefish. It’s now off to the Adirondacks chasing good old fashion trout as well as a host of other warm water species!
We’ll miss these shoresLocal Junkanoo FestivalBahamian tradition: Kaliks and Conch FritersGoombay Smash: Dark Rum Coconut Rum Pineapple Juice Touch of CointreauThis four foot lemon shark scared off every bonefish for the rest of one afternoon.Feral Pig PopulationSunset over Abaco
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