Greetings from the Captain!
After a somewhat uneventful January/February, I’m happy to report that “Spring is here and the fishing IS good”! Although Tarpon didn’t show up until a little later this season, when they did show up, they came out in numbers. We had 15 to 18 large Tarpon on, with 5 being landed. A breath of fresh air after a long, unconventional winter.
We’ve also had great luck this year with smaller sized Tarpon, up to the 30 lb range. We see them congregating in the smaller back country creeks—more remote areas which can sometimes be, this time of year, downright ‘buggy’. However, it’s well worth the minor distraction to be able to witness the Silver King going airborne immediately after inhaling one of my home-tied flies. As we have found, these elusive babies can easily be fooled with a well thrown popper or gurgler.
During the months of March and April this year, winds were stronger than normal. However, when they finally let up, we were right back to sight-casting clearer waters and hooking up with other great fighters, including Redfish, Black Drum, and Snook. On March 19th, an angler sight-casting with me just north of Chokoloskee, spotted a very large Redfish some 90 ft away from the boat. After positioning the boat and a well-placed cast, the fish ate without hesitation, and was brought to the boat not once, but twice! This monster powerhouse, which eventually managed to free itself, was the largest Redfish ever caught from my boat. We estimated her to be over 40 inches! There, for just a moment, I thought we were fishing the bayous of Louisiana! This amazing experience—bringing in a 40 inch Redfish in approximately one foot of water—was just one of many distinctively unique moments experienced in the back country this season.
I also had the good fortune to be able to spend a week on beautiful laid-back North Andros Island in The Bahamas, where we cast to and caught a multitude of Bonefish. It was interesting though how I kept finding my imagination wandering back to the back bays of The Everglades and visions of massive Tarpon exploding in shimmery silver, high above the water’s surface!
This season marked my 12th year casting flies from the bow of my 2004 Maverick HPX-Tunnel. Many memories, many “firsts” were had from this reliable vessel….but it was time. Without shedding a tear, I traded up this spring to a 2016 Maverick HPX-S, a comparable boat for poling the shallows, and better for running the outside and keeping my customers comfortable and dry. And yes, there’s nothing like the smell of new hatches and comfortable seats.
Please keep in mind that the summer months here can be very productive, with only a handful of other anglers to compete with. We fish early and late, with a slight sea breeze, and we say to ourselves…Life IS good..
Signing off….
Captain Buddy