Home again...

After three long days of driving we are back home.  I already miss the keys.  I need to start plans in motion to get back there!

BIG BARRACUDA!

This is the second time we have seen this barracuda in our canal.  It is BIG!  Has to be close to four feet long and 24-28 inches around.  I wish I would have had some thing rigged up to toss at it.  I bet it would have been an amazing fight.

Charter day!

So I decided I needed to tangle with some bigger fish.  I booked a charter with Captain Shane Smith.  Even though I learned just how poor a fly fisherman I am I really had an awesome day out in the back country with Capt. Shane.  He spent a couple hours in the morning poling me around a flat littered with tarpon.  I mean it was just filthy with fish.  I however could not put a fly in front of them.  At one point we had two schools moving toward each other and I still couldn't get the fly in the right place.  Shane was awesome though.  He never gave up trying to get me a shot.  I wish I could have hooked one just to make him feel better.  We moved on to another flat that was holding a couple really skittish permit and some very willing jacks following a ray.  First cast to the back of the ray produced a very fun jack crevalle.

We moved around a bit chasing barracuda, jacks and other hard pullers.  We took a break from sight fishing and tossed some jigs for sea trout.  After slaying a ton of trout the bite turned off and Shane decided to pull anchor and drift for a bit.  We hit a few schools of big ladyfish and scooped up a couple to use as bait.  Anyone who gets upset at catching ladyfish needs to give their head a shake.  These fish are almost too much fun.  The aerial displays are epic and if like me you are able to hook a big one they put up one hell of a fight.

After lunch we headed back to some flats we visited earlier trying to find some sharks or barracuda.  Shane cut up the ladyfish and dropped them over the side.  I waited patiently for a visit from the man in the gray suit.  Well he must have called in sick.  We found some decent sized barracuda at our next stop but none would commit to eating my lure.  So many follows.  Those cuda have some serious commitment issues.

One more move and finally the man in the gray suit shows up, and he brought friends.  I toss a piece of cut ladyfish and miss slightly behind.  The jacks following the shark didn't seem to mind, good thing too.  Once the jacks started on the ladyfish the shark quickly took notice.  It was one of the greatest takes I've ever seen.  The shark was looking right at me and opened wide and bit down hard.  I never would have thought a fish could be so much fun.  Wow those buggers pull hard, run and head shake with the best.  In the end it ended up at about five feet long.  

A picture and a quick release and I had a smile that lasted all the way back to the ramp.

Inshore Mutton

More species that should be offshore in deep water.  This 15+" mutton snapper came up and said hello. Just a bit short of the 16" minimum.

Mr. Goliath, you are next!

That's right I'm coming for you!

Grouper, grouper, grouper!!!

Yes I finally got him!

Eat at Jack's? Eat hat jack? EAT THAT JACK?

Opps I miss typed that. Yes I said it.  Eat that jack.  Most people consider the Jack Crevalle to be an unpalatable trash fish but I read recently that they are good table fare.  I've been catching quite a few of them lately in the evenings and had been tempted to keep one.  I got my chance the other night when I gut hooked one.  Rather than waste the fish I quickly bled it and put it on ice.  Later that evening I filleted it.  I was very impressed with how white and firm the meat was, not to mention how much meat was on this rather small specimen.

I fried it up last night along with some snapper we had caught.  I am very pleased to say it was very good.  White, flaky and mild.  Had I slipped it into the pile of snapper fillets I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to tell you which was which.

When I filleted it I removed most of the darker red meat since this is where the pin bones reside.  I would have no issue keeping another.  I need to find some larger ones now to see if the same holds true of bigger fish.

Next time you catch a Jack think twice before tossing it back.  When bled and iced quickly after catching they really are quite tasty.

Here fishy, fishy

Just a couple quick shots from under our dock.  The little ones are glass minnows.  The others are mangrove, schoolmaster and yellowtail snapper.  

Big surprises in little water.

Last night my family and I were fishing off the dock for snapper.  I've been haunted by a black grouper that has been stealing fish off our lines.  I was looking under the dock to see if it was around when I saw something out of the ordinary.  It was a Goliath grouper.  Just a juvenile but it had to be close to 60 pounds and three feet long.  I managed to get it to eat a dead pinfish but failed on the hook set.  Hopefully it will come back and give me another try.

Today we went out and the girls were fishing when a 30 or so inch Barracuda came and tried to grab the fish my oldest was reeling in.  That was a very surprising sight, and a little scary.  We were snorkeling in the canal just a couple days ago.  I've rigged up my heaviest rod with 50 pound braid and 66 pound steel wire.  I'm ready for anything!

Full house, Jacks over ladies

It was a calm with overcast skies last night, perfect weather for jack fishing.  While most people consider jacks and ladyfish nothing but trash, on appropriate tackle they they are extremely fun.  Jacks travel in schools so when you catch one you can be almost certain that there are others.  Many people say that pound for pound the Jack Crevalle is the hardest fighting fish in the water.  I won't deny it.

Last night I landed three small jacks and a pair of very aerial ladyfish.  All were caught on live shrimp free-lined into the slow current.  Weather permitting I'll be back out there tonight.  Hopefully with a few more shrimp!

A day on the flats

I got out for a couple hours this afternoon on the flat in Lower Sugarloaf Sound.  It is a very beautiful place.  I had a blast catching small barracuda on the fly.  The wind was nice and calm and the cudas were hungry.  They were all small and not a great challenge on a 7wt but boy do they put on a show.  I'll be dragging my 5wt along next time :D

Mr. Grouper, I'm coming for you!

There is a large grouper hanging out under our boat lift.  He is tormenting me by taking my bait when I am on a very light rod.  I've gotten him to eat once on a heavy rod but he still cut me off on the structure.  I think I've got him figured out now.  I spooled up 50 lbs braid on my rod and moved up to 60 lbs leader.  Tonight Mr. Grouper I will invite you to dinner.

Flat calm flat

Woke up this morning and was greeted with this

I'm going fishing now :D

Vicious predators of the canals...

well they could be if you were a fish. 

I caught these over the past couple days.

Crabs!! So many crabs!!

I've been tying like mad these past few weeks.  Trying out a lot of new patterns and coming up with a few variations.  Here are a few crab patterns that I really like.  They are based on  Don Lee's Furry Foam Crab V2.  I had to make some adjustments as I didn't have the right materials but I think they came out pretty nice.

Only 24 days to go!

My very first original fly pattern

I sat down at my vice the other night with the idea of crafting some flies for my trip to the keys.  I've been tying crazy charlies and Gotchas, shrimp and crabs and all manner of bait fish.  I was looking for something else to tie up so I just started tying and came up with this.

I guess it would resemble a shrimp or small crab.  Lots of sili-legs and a little flash.  I used magnum rabbit strip for the wing.  This color is peach barred with brown.  I used pink 6/0 thread over wrapped with pearl mylar tinsel and clear vinyl V-dub.  The antenna are brown rubber hackle and the legs are pearl barred sili-legs.  I really like the way it came out.  Just thirty days until I can see if it works!

Well I hope you like it.  I'm quite proud of how it turned out.

TFO Mangrove Series Fly Rods

I've been doing a lot of fly fishing over the past year or so.  Ever since I started I've really enjoyed the challenge and the serenity of fly casting.  It took me a while and quite a few different types of rods to find something that fit my rhythm.  Well I've found it in Temple Fork Outfitters new Mangrove Series of fly rods.

Temple Fork Outfitters is a well know name in fly fishing.  They have  been around for a long, long time and have some of the best fly casters and fishermen the sport has ever seen.  TFO has a reputation for building quality rods at affordable prices.  They may not use all the super fancy materials that you see in some of the priciest rods on the market, but they are always top quality and have possibly the best warranty in the business.

I was very excited after hearing reports from a few friends about these rods.  Generally I don't like to buy a rod without having a chance to cast it, but since these rods are new I couldn't find one in a store.  So after much waffling I ordered two from templeforkoutfitters.ca.  I have bought from them in the past and felt comfortable enough to do so again.

They arrived on Friday.  Sadly I wasn't home to receive them.  So Saturday morning I rushed off to the post office to pick them up figuring I'd hit up a couple spots I know that hold some very large carp.  Give these babies a real test right off the bat.  The weather was perfect, warm, sunny, very little wind.  Some one forgot to tell the carp though.  So I headed home and went to the park by my house to at least get in some casting practice.

With my trusty Orvis Mirage IV spooled up with Royal Wulff  BTT7F I fired off a couple casts with my T&T Horizon II to get warmed up.  I measured off 45 feet, marked off a two foot circle and put the IV on the 7wt Mangrove.  First cast feels good, second even better.  Hitting the target with almost no effort.  Now I'm not a good caster by any stretch of the imagination.  I'd say competent at best.  I really liked the feel of this rod. So I add ten more feet to 55 feet now and still casting at a two foot circle.  55 feet seems no more difficult than 45.  To 65 feet now.  This is beyond my comfort zone and pushing the limits of my normal reach.  I can't say I nailed the target every time but I was close more often than not, even casting a bit over the target on a couple occasions.  I tried at 70 feet but it was just too far.

The thing that made the biggest impression is the feel of the rod loading.  It loads deep and easy with superb feel.  I'm sure it goes without saying but I really like this rod.  With a price tag of only $250 (USD) this rod is a great value.  It was designed for a saltwater environment, but I'll be using it for pike, bass, carp and what ever else I can get to eat a fly.  I can't wait until July when I can test these out on the flats off the Florida Keys.

Until then I'll leave you with some pictures.

Trout opens tomorrow!

Inland trout opens tomorrow!  We've had a lot of rain lately and the rivers are muddy and swollen.  I'm hoping that the water clears up a bit.  I'll be heading out with my fly rods and kayak.  Hope to see you out there.

Dolphin asks diver for help.

I just watched this video and I had to share.

Gives you a new respect for a dolphin's intelligence.

Glass rattle bend back

I want to share a fly pattern that I have been using recently with a lot of success.  The bend back is a staple for saltwater flats fishermen, but I haven't seen it used much up here in the north.  Funny thing is it is a great pattern for bass and pike especially in the weeds.  The rattle seems to really stir the fish up. So lets get started.

For this example I used a Mustad C52S 2XL size 2/0

I bend the shank of the hook with a pair of pliers.  Just until the shank is parallel to the point.

I use a small piece of heat shrink tubing to attach the glass rattle to the hook.

Place some mylar tubing over the rattle and hook shank.

Tie off the back side of the mylar.  Here I used some mono thread.  Ship finish and trim off the ends.

Start your thread at the hook eye and work back to the mylar.  Capture the open end in the thread and continue up the shank until you get to the bend.  Here I tied in a couple pieces of gold flash as well.

Tie in your wing.  The wing can be made up of almost any material you prefer.  Here I used some white EP fibers.  With a bend back you don't want to use too much material.  Follow a less is more approach.

Next tie in a little red for gills.  I used a bit of maribou but you can use whatever you like.

Next I tied in a little chartreuse to finish off the wing along with a bit more flash.  Finish off by shaping the head and whip finish.

Trim the wing until it resembles the shape of a small fish.  I like to keep the overall length to less than twice the hook length, but feel free to experiment.

Glue (or paint) and eye on each side.  I like the big eyes like I have attached here.  Finish off the head with five minute epoxy.  You can paint it after t is dry if you like.

There you have it a very simple pattern that is very effective.  Here are some more examples with an without rattles.

My fly tying skills are a bit lack luster so take from these what you will.  Good luck and tight lines.  Hope to see you out on the water.

Great fly fishing video

If you have ever considered fly fishing for tarpon you should check out this video
http://vimeo.com/59767477

New boat...

...well it's kind of a boat.  My new 2013 Native watercraft Slayer 14.5 arrived early last week.  I had to wait until Friday to pick it up in Niagara Falls, New York since they don't ship to Canada.  The wonderful folks at Austin Canoe and Kayak were more than helpful.  I must have emailed them a dozen times with a multitude of questions before I finally placed an order.  Their responses were always quick and to the point.  They really made me comfortable purchasing from them, even though they are in Texas and I wouldn't have an easy time if anything went wrong.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend ACK to anyone looking for a kayak or kayak gear and accessories.

 The Slayer doesn't come with any rod holders installed so I ordered two flush mount holders.  A few hours after I had completed the order online I received a call from one of the service techs asking if I would like them installed.  First question out of my mouth was what would it cost.  I can say I was very surprised when he replied "no charge".  I was really taken back, could this get any better?

Well the kayak shipped out on February 28th on the back of a semi.  I got notification on March 5th that if had been delivered to my US holding address.  Texas to Niagara Falls, NY in just five days.  Faster than many of the packages I've had shipped with UPS or FedEx.  Having to wait until Friday was rough.  Having to wait two more months until I can put it in the water will be hell.

I had the weekend to myself with my wife and daughters at a wedding up in Northern Ontario.  So I got to rigging it up for fishing.  I mounted my Humminbird 597CI HD DI Combo, installed one of the two anchor trolleys and one of my two camera mounts.  Enough talk time for the pics.

And there she is, taunting me.  Hopefully spring comes early again and I can be on the water by late April, early May.

Hurry up spring!!! @&$#!

March is here and it is still damn cold out.  Spring needs to hurry up and come so I can get back out fishing.  I ordered a new kayak this winter.  It should be delivered this coming week.  I wanted some thing I could stand and fish from.  It took me a while to decide but I ended up picking the new Native Watercraft Slayer 14.5  The Native boats have the most comfortable seat of any kayak I have paddled.  Stay tuned as I rig it up for fishing here in Niagara and the flats down in Florida.  Can't wait!