Greetings from the Captain
What an interesting past 2 months; Mayweather defeats Pacquiao, the Cleveland Cavaliers lose to the Golden State Warriors, the Rolling Stones perform in Orlando (more spry than they were 30 years ago!), and Capt. Buddy Ferber fishes ridiculously hard for the ever-illusive Permit. The more I fish for them, the more humble I become. We saw lots of tarpon, landed several, and saw lots swim away. May and June were extremely busy for me, with many charters, tying flies, and keeping my boat and equipment in top condition. Snook fishing was good, but as water temperatures rose, they came out of their back country haunts. Between water temperatures and their spawning ritual, the closer to the outside passes, the better. As June approached, I did my best to fish the shady spots during the warmer parts of the day. Also we watched for pods of bait, which is where we concentrated our efforts. Sometimes the Snook and Redfish were extremely picky when feeding on large pods of bait, but I could generally find a pattern that worked.
Now, with the water temperatures being between 85 and 90 degrees during the day, fish early and/or late. If you are hiring a guide, it would be worthwhile to pay a little extra for a split day. I can’t tell you how many times during the heat of the day, I saw a promising catch swim right by a well-presented fly. The fish are often somewhat lethargic during the mid-day hours and will always feed better in the evening and morning. Quite frequently I’ll fish later in the day to give my angler the optimum chance to catch a trophy class fish.
Redfish, Black Drum, and Trout were also readily available over the past few months. Another fish that most fly anglers do not target, is the Tripletail. We caught some great Tripletails using some small baitfish patterns. After catching a few in the 10-15 pound class, I realized that they pull at least as hard, if not harder, than a Redfish. The initial runs on the larger ones took us into our backing. They appear to be more aggressive than most game fish. Shallow, off color bays are the key. I know you always hear of them being caught in close proximity to buoys, etc.; however, my experience recently has been that they also linger or school in the shallow back bays. When casting, most of the time you’ll be casting towards a dark spot only a couple of shades darker than the water, but when that ‘dark spot’ turns on your fly, you’ll be glad you did!
BI-MONTHLY TIPS
Fight the fish with the butt section of your rod, not the tip. Tire the fish quickly by lowering your rod and putting the bend in the butt section.
- Stay aware of the wind direction as well as the reported tidal flow. It might predict a small negative tide, but with an east wind on the Gulf side of Florida, it could be a much lower water level than you anticipate.
- Use larger flies during the summer months.
- Consider purchasing an inexpensive bug-proof, netted jacket for the summer months. I looked high and low, and found that Columbia makes a good one which is affordable. For your legs and feet there is an under garment called Rynoskin, available in most sporting good stores. Rynoskin under your pants and socks, sun gloves, and a little bug spray on your hat, neck, and face, and you’re ready for night fishing in the Everglades! It’s all worth it when the silence is broken by a large predator fish exploding on your popper!
- Remember it’s not just about the catching….have fun savoring the total experience!
Signing off……
Capt. Buddy