Swamp Fly

All of this reminds me why I think that a recreational boat operators license is a good idea, especially one that can be revoked/suspended. I've launched at the ramp right there a couple of times. That area can be a zoo on the weekends. I expect that's one of the reasons Mike was in a side channel headed towards backwater. I'd do the same. I like to fish the freshwater side of the Everglades. This time of year unless you are in a yak or on an airboat you are stuck in the actual canals. Leaving your truck at the more remote ramps can be dicey at best (though it's gotten better). That means some boats are running 10-20 miles of canal to get to where they want to be. It's not like the saltwater side where you can really get away from everyone. I like to get away from people as best as I can so I'll run to do so. This is dispite the fact that I can catch just as well 20ft away from the ramp. When the Glades are "hot" it gets crowded and you can have a boat every few hundred yards for the first 5 miles coming from the ramp. That first five miles could take an hour at idle speed. If I'm in a wider canal I don't have a problem with staying on plane, however I'll look at a boat and the people on it. What kind of boat is it? How much free board does it have? Are there kids (or pets)? Are people standing? Just how close to the bank are they? If I don't see anything I don't like I'll stay on plane but I'll move as far towards the other bank as is safe then I'll open up the throttle and put the bow down to minimize my wake. In a narrower canal I plan on coming off unless they wave me through. Myself I almost always wave boats through (I just want them gone), especially faster sleeker hulls. They don'y make much more than a big ripple on plane (see, bass-car has it's good points!). I have very little free board and I just turn the bow into the wake. Now does it bug me when a boat just blows by without a by your leave, yeah it pretty rude and can be dangerous if I'm not ready for it. What I hate more than anything though is someone with a bay boat with an i/o that slows down just below planing speed. That creates the largest wake possible. When I come off plane I'll keep a reasonable wake until I'm about 60-50 yards away and then I come to an idle for a few yards to completely drop my wake before giving it just a little throttle. Also I'll throttle back some far away enough on approach so the other boat can hear me drop engine rpm, that way they can give me a pass and I have enough space to really get back up on plane all the way. If I don't have that space when they wave I drop down anyway. I don't hate people in general, but I get on the water to get away from everyone. If I don't see but one or two boats all day and they are just close enough to signal with something bright I'm happy. Unfortunately right now we have the least amount of people on the water that we will ever see again in our lives. Enjoy it while you can....

Boat #1 did the best as far as I can tell. Boat #2 well let's just say this is a family show and I'll refrain from saying the first thing that comes to mind. Boat #3 was a bit of a challenge but he had good reasons for doing what he did. I can't say if the other bank would have been just as good to run down. See deep water vs shallow water below. It did look like he might have been on plane when he went by which is uncool. Prop wash: Every airboater I've ever known was very well aware of where their prop wash was going. When they are slaloming between others, sometimes there isn't a choice but to hit someone. In my opinion #2 knew exactly what he was doing. I might even be inclined to think it was intentional but only he can know that. Deep water vs Shallow water: Air boats function better in shallow water and if there is some vegetation they don't slide as readily which helps as well. There is a saying, there are two types of airboaters, those who have sunk a boat and those that will. Not sure about others but I'd rather recover a boat from a few inches of water. Noise: Mufflers are mandated by law in FL if an airboat doesn't have them they are running illegally. Personally I think some of the "approved" mufflers are a joke but that is another discussion. Unfortunately this is a complex problem. Performance is usually affected negatively by adding a muffler. Arguably (and the arguments are spirited) the prop puts out just as much noise if not more than the motor depending on the setup. The most viable solution seems to use a wide prop with fewer blades in combination with a gear reduction. Both cost money, a direct drive prop by comparison can be 6-10K less than a gearbox/belt drive and big prop. The positive is that there are a bunch of airboaters out there that enjoy working on that sort of thing and there are actually contests to see who can put together the quietest boat.

I agree with Mike, too far north for most of the exotics. You might find an errant Myan since they seem to be the most hardy of the bunch, but I doubt it. For beach fishing, like Flats mentioned small white flies. Your 7wt will be just fine for most of the snook on the beach (inlets/passes are another story). If your feet are in the water then you are standing on the fish. Cast parallel to the shore. Get out early, before the sun worshipers show up. I can put you on some exotics (mostly Oscars and Myans), but it's 2-3 hrs to me from Tampa and then further south from here to the areas that I am familiar with. There are peacocks (and Mayans/Oscars) in Naples, but I've only fished there once or twice. Islander727 might be able to give some advice for the area a little north of me.

I use the craft of macrame to make hanging baskets for Wife's flowers and for some of our bird feeders. LOL, bird feeders? I can't decide if you are being mean to the birds or your cats! That's like putting a ribeye and a good beer on the table and telling me I can't have them! In the mean time the steak is thinking aw jeez every time I eyeball it?! You gonna install a teeter totter with tacks glued to the seat for the neighborhood kids (after all you've expressed how much you love kids!)? Come to think of it, I'm thinking you are a shoe in for a live action Despicable Me movie, a curmudgeon with a soft center . Too funny.... For the newer folks: Tongue very firmly in cheek.

I really like that! Great pattern and top notch execution to go with it (as always).

Lol, temporarily "misplacing your own location on a map" is not lost! I should know. The trick is to get lost in increments, just a little past where you were lost the last time... BTW, carry an old fashioned compass with you, no batteries to drain and it will sort of help maintain a general heading even with all the twists and turns.

Bob, sorry for the derail but I really need to comment on this... Flats, color me impressed. It sounds like you are giving the environment it's due respect. Exploring is a right of passage and I can only encourage it, being smart keeps you in the gene pool. With the attitude you are showing here you will have my respect for what it's worth.

I remember having conversations about Eastern Shore tarpon with people that constantly looked left and right to make sure no one was eavesdropping back in the mid 80's. I had a 16' tri-hull, no way I was going across the bay to try and find them.

Rocco, O-rings?

Have to say this fly is what may have tipped me over the edge to mess with the material.

Weird my post disappeared into the void. Powershooter, LOL that was always the joke when I was growing up on The Peninsula! I spent a lot of time in and around the James, my Fathers house is less than 2 miles away. Of course it was still a Ketone infused mess back then.

Humm, not as tough as I might have hoped for then. I might play with it anyway.

Sounds like a plan!

Good for you! Have figured out what specialty you want to focus on?

Yeah, that dog will hunt all day long.

When I first saw the squishy worm flys that uses the material from toy balls, they just did not interest me that much. The material just looked to coarse to me. Well with time the techniques have evolved and I've become more comfortable with the concept of the material. My question is just how durable is this stuff? Nothing lasts forever, but do the fish tear it up and how well does it age? I'm not a fan of one fish flies or something that disintegrates on it's own in short order. Toothy critters are another mater, nothing is bullet proof, and I'm not talking decades.

I read that as grams.

Planking shad is a traditional way of cooking them in VA, low and slow. They are rather bony and that technique is supposed to soften the bones. I've never done it myself, I suspect it's like a traditional BBQ: Kill the pig, start cooking the pig, drink and socialize till it's done. There used to be an even that involved planking shad and consuming some bourbon which was attended by the who's who of the political scene years ago. Think Virginia Good Old Boy network at it's finest, cigars and tumblers in hand. I've always wondered what major deals, legislation, or disasters began there. That event might still be happening for all I know. Supposedly every VIP had a State trooper assigned to keep them out of trouble on the way home. That way there wouldn't be a news storys about anyone the next day. Shad row is famous and helped to wipe out stocks up and down the east coast. They are great fighters. When I was a kid growing up in VA they were in a small local reservoir that I fished. They would school up and swim in tight circles to the point that they would create a vortex on the waters surface. We would snag them for the fun of it (not something I'm overly proud of today but well...). I'm fairly certain I must have eaten a few, but I just don't recall. I've caught them around the Lemon Bluff area of the ST Johns River (Chell's general neighborhood). I've also seen them trying to get over the jack dam at Lake Washington in Melbourne (FL not AU) which is probably another 50 miles up stream at a guess. I wasn't in a position to fish for them at the time. They were also introduced in California and the fishery is well loved there.

Steve, with the exception of Peacock Bass all of the exotics were either dumped or are escapees. Lots of theories on if it was little Tommy aquarium owner or some fish farm/aqua culture entity per given species. After Hurricane Andrew SE Florida could have charged admission for being a zoological park between the reptiles, monkeys, and birds that the storm liberated.

Well I like it. I wonder how that would look as accents over guide foot wraps. Might add some weight if you want a smooth finish but I bet it would look style'in. Guess my brain saw what it wanted to as far as a spiral. I was just trying to figure out how you did it it was, I can think of a couple things to try, but what a PIA it would be to make it look natural and neat.

Okay, I get it now (I think). They are bands, not a single spiral that tapers.

Okay I gotta ask, how did you make the tapered wrap?

Bet they cast just fine on a 6wt or less depending on the rod. Those hooks are "small" 1/0s, very light wire too. With a weed guard they must be murder on bass in the pads. Nice ties.

Been doing this for about 15 yrs, it works great. The rolled up paper trick is a new one on me though. Slick. I'm convinced that EP fiber is made from Bonnie Braid (BB) or both are made from the same stock. Years ago I saw a complete list of colors for both BB and EP and every color that EP was offered in was also available in BB (not the blends obviously). Not sure that BB is sold in as many colors these days, it's popularity in the crafting world seems diminished. I've found that both are identical after you brush out the BB. Unless there just isn't any white in the pattern I just use white BB and then just use markers to color. For $20 you can have a lifetime supply.

White poly (polypropylene) yarn. It floats, folds a up a bit in "flight", and is tough as nails. Don't just toss the fly into a bin and be done with it, give the stuff plenty of room in a fly box. Like most synthetics it will take a set that is tougher to pull out than with natural materials.