GUIDED FISHING CHARTERS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS, FLATS, BACKCOUNTRY AND BISCAYNE BAY AREA WATERS – SALTWATER FLYFISHING
LIGHT TACKLE SPIN AND FLY FISHING GUIDE FOR TARPON • SNOOK • REDFISH • PERMIT • COBIA • GROUPER • BONEFISH • SHARK
Bonefish, Snook, Permit, Tarpon, Redfish, Fly Fishing South Florida• Fly Fishing Techniques, Tactics and Tips for South Florida• Flats Fly Fishing Primer - Working With Your Guide • Using the Clock Method to Make More Accurate and Effective Fly Casts |
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FLORIDA SALTWATER FLATS FLY FISHINGAsk any South Florida saltwater fly angler where they consider the best fly fishing can be found and you’ll usually get the same answer – on the flats. Flats fishing gives you a unique window into the world that game fish like Tarpon, Snook and Redfish call home for a great part of their lives. Clear and shallow water makes it possible to see the fish, and observe how a fish reacts to your flies and the way in which you present them.The Florida Keys and Everglades National Park offer up some of the world’s finest flats fly fishing. What seems to the untrained eye as a wide, wide area of nothing but the same old habitat is in all reality a very well camouflaged collection of habitats, all of which provide food and shelter to the species that inhabit the flats. Areas of marsh grass are excellent areas to hunt Redfish. Hidden channels, often only seen on plotters/fish finders, can hold Permit and Snook on the edges. Mangrove lined shores of small islands or “hammocks” create the perfect attack zone for Tarpon. Knowing what to look for is the job of your guide and a good guide will know these waters like the back of their hand. Perhaps the most important skill for the prospective Everglades and Keys fly fisher is the ability to make accurate casts. Most casts will be within 60-80 feet when sight fishing these flats, however, water clarity can often make shorter, more accurate casts necessary. Learn how to double haul the fly line and you’ll quickly be able to make accurate long casts and shorter, very accurate casts. Fly anglers who can double haul and deliver an accurate 40 to 50 foot cast will have more prime opportunities to catch fish. I offer casting instruction as part of my charters but the better prepared you are to deliver accurate casts, the more time I can spend focusing on finding you fish. As we take to the water and hunt our target species, I’ll be using the clock method to help you locate the zone to cast to. Here’s how that works. • The bow of the flats skiff is at 12 o'clock with me standing or poling behind you at 6 o'clock. • If, for example, I call out, "Fish 50 feet at 3:00 o'clock," that means you need to cast your line quickly 50 feet to your right front. If I spot a fish at 12 o'clock, give me a brief moment to pole the skiff off to the side so that you’ll have the line to cast to the fish without catching me on your back cast. Trust me, I’m no trophy and I’m definitely not good eating. • As I’m up on a riser, I’ll have a much better vantage point to see the fish react to your fly. When the time is right, I’ll call out to you to “strip fast”, “strip slow” or “let it sit.” After just a few sessions like that, we’ll be working like a well-oiled machine. Dependent on whether you’re right or left handed, I’ll try to position you so that you’ll be casting into the 9 to 11 o’clock position if you’re right handed… 1 to 3 o’clock for you lefties. This will keep you in line with the fish and utilize the natural mechanics of right or left-handed casting. One last tip is to point your rod in the direction you think you should cast and hold. I’ll then let you know to move slightly right or left until we have you lined up to get that fly right in the face of our prey. While we want to get the fly close and in front of the fish, it’s important to remember that too close can be a bad thing. Land one on the fish’s head and you’ll usually just spook him off, along with all his friends that we didn’t see. Many fly fishers unaccustomed to fishing the flats tend to make too many false casts. One false cast or a double haul and then a quick presentation to the fish or else your prey will be gone by the time your fly hits the water. Simply put, the more times you can put the fly on target, the more hookups you'll enjoy during your trip. One critical factor in flats fishing is the need for light. A full day flats trip tends to go from approximately 8am to 4pm. The optimal time for most folks to fish the flats is from 10am-2pm, when the sun is at its brightest. Polarized glasses are a necessity for spotting fish on the flats. Also, a hat with a dark under brim will help reduce glare. Another crucial weather factor is the seasonal tides. Keeping track of the moon phases and how they influence the tides is integral in flats fishing. A new or full moon tends to bring the spring tides, which are stronger and tend to produce the best fishing. Flats fish tend to feed and move from deeper to shallow water depending on the tidal cycles, with each flat having its own distinctive characteristics. If you've never fly fished before, try booking three half-day trips. On the first day, you'll receive casting instruction. The second day will be a trip blind casting for snook and bay tarpon. On the third day, you'll move to sighting and casting to a wider variety of flats species. Keep in mind that the recent explosion of flats fishing has led to a horde of so-called “flats guides”. The more experienced flats guides are happy to tell you about their background and can describe in detail their boat and the fly-fishing gear that they use for flats fishing. If they can’t convince you that they have the background, experience and local knowledge, FIND SOMEONE ELSE!! Finally, remember that this sport is called "flats fishing" not "flats catching." A flats guide can guarantee you'll see fish, while poling through a breathtaking location. However, whether or not you land a fish depends on both your casting skill and how well the fish are feeding. The bottom line…. Just like the Boy Scout credo says, Be Prepared. The better you’ve tuned up for some flats fly fishing, the better the results. If you’re an experienced fly caster, that may mean prepping your gear, tying a few of your favorite flies. For a novice, that may mean a little backyard casting practice or just coming to see me with an open mind, a few days time, and the want to learn what is quickly becoming one of the most exciting methods of fishing the flats. Tight Lines, Captain Jim Hale |
SOUTH FLORIDA FLATS FLY SAMPLESHere's a small sampling of some of the more common flies we cast when fishing the South Florida Flats of the Evergaldes National Park and the Florida Keys. You can always bring your own flies, but rest assured that we take the time to match our flies to current fishing conditions often tying new flies the morning of your trip to truly "match the hatch".
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