Swamp Fly

Got a calf tail on the hoof right now....

Humm, I'm guessing that would be Mike...

I know, it will be nightmarish. Heck I bet my cows will get all fuzzy because of it. Kinda funny actually, they do that a couple of times in the "winter". Looks like someone stuffed them in the dryer. My wife loves it.

LOL, if I didn't I wouldn't get to fish at all! 75% humidity, I wish...100% without rain is more like it. Being on the water and having a tarpon or snook crush a topwater bug up against the mangroves will make you forget just about anything, even your own name for a few minutes.

Well I won't mention that I had to kill the errant skeeter while sittin at the reloading bench last night then.

Everglades City/Chokoloskee is an hour and a half away and Flamingo is an hour and a half away. When you nail down your time here let me know. If time at all allows I'll see if I can't put you on some fish. I just can't promise anything right now (I would feel horrible if I had to cancel).

7wt will be just fine. Unless you are looking for an excuse to acquire a 6wt, then yes you will never catch anything without a 6 wt! LOL!

Flats, I agree. Snook on the beach might not be quite there yet at that time, it all depends on water temps etc. If the family wants a beach day, it's perfect. Sanibel is famous for beach snook. Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel is worth a try too, many people fish from the bank and lots of culverts to fish. Heck it's worth doing the wildlife drive just to go, I highly recommend it.

Vicente, baby tarpon are resident year round but can get cranky at times. IMO like many fisheries, the fish are most comfortable when you are most comfortable. The time frame you listed should be good. Keep in mind "baby" tarpon can mean less tha a pound up to 80 lbs, bring appropriate gear. Most will be in the 5-10 lbs range, I generally use a 6-8 wt with the 6 getting the most use. Snook should be out of their winter hideout and looking to put on weight from the summer spawn. Reds (which hate me, lol) will be there as always, the speckled seatrout (actually in the drum family) will also be going at it. Spring time is a great time to fish in the greater Charlotte Harbor area. Google Fishing Franks, it is a tackle shop in Port Charlotte that has very good and up to date information on fishing the area. I believe they also have archived reports to peruse (I think). The canals in Cape Horrible, I mean Cape Coral <grin>, can be good producers or so I hear from reputable sources. Further south past Naples on US 41 (Tamiami Trail) you will find a great fishery for baby tarpon and snook. I'll be happy to give you or anyone more detailed info on that. There are also the exotics in the Glades (fresh water side) as well and at that time of year they should be on fire, hundreds of fish a day kind of on fire. It really depend on how low the water level is, lower water = more fish in a smaller area. The exotics are an favorite of mine. There is also Lake O within an hours drive, but Caloosa Bug has probably forgotten more about that place than I will ever learn I'd contact him about that. There is more, you just need to narrow it down a bit more. Will you be on foot or will you have a boat? How much time can you devote to fishing?

I seem to remember seeing a white mop bath mat in Bed Bath and Beyond 2'x3' or maybe even 2'x4' for around $15. It's been about 6 months so don't quote me on that. That is a lot of material but you could dye sections for custom colors. Also I think olive over chart is just as good, I just usually stick with chart/white because of habit.

Take that Gasparilla Minnow and make it chartreuse over white and it would slay in this area. I fish The Harbor as much as anywhere and unless I'm way back in the creeks chasing baby tarpon, I find bay anchovie imitations rule. I avoid the zoo at The Pass but Gasparilla can be good fishing though I tend to focus on Bull and Turtle Bays (fewer boats). Very nice fly and colors as it is though, really like the lateral line (just like a bay anchovie). I'm going to have to play with this. That color scheme should do well in the Glades and probably on Lake O etc. Now if I could just find a good substitute for peacock herl that lasts longer. Love the way it looks and moves hate the lack of durability. Again, great fly.

The only thing I really don't like about flying is the PITA security factor (like arriving hours before a flight for international). Oh I should add the one jackwagon or obnoxious family that seems to be on every flight. Flying itself I don't mind at all. As a once to twice a year flyer going across the pond I hear ya on the drive. Hope you trip is uneventful in a good way.

You could always get yourself put on the No Fly List.... Of course that tends to be somewhat permanent and driving to all of your destinations might suck.

Byron didn't mean to imply your particular contractor was shady, sounds like you have that covered. In fact it's getting much tougher to find "bad" tradesmen of any kind because of readily available feed back from previous customers. Truly bad apple tend to go under these days. As far as books, the basic homeowner books all seem to have the same information in them give or take. Find one that has the information presented in a fashion that suits you. Big box home centers, book stores, and online sources are full of them. I wouldn't pay more than $20-$30 for one.

Byron, along those lines talk to your electrician about running a 220 line to your shop and then putting in a sub panel if your main panel isn't already there. This leaves room for expansion, you only have to run on line from your main panel, lets you run 220v to bigger equipment (usually better for it), and keeps you from going elsewhere to flip a breaker that you will blow sooner or later. If your main service is already there it's obviously a mute point. You may also talk to the electrician GFCI breakers rather than outlets. Get yourself a basic book on home electric if only so you can have an intelligent conversation, if you get an unscrupulous contractor they won't be able to sell you "super special reverse polarity AC wiring" or some such. Electrical is not difficult but it can hurt you, kill you, or burn down your house. Having some basic knowledge can save your butt even if you don't do more than trouble shoot or some basic maintenance. Just knowing how to run a multimeter (which should be covered in a good book) can save you a lot of time and money. Nice saw BTW, hope it serves you well.

And now we know why you like cichlids so much....

Clousers to match local prey fish. In our case here in S Florida, olive/white, chart/white, tan/white, brown/white, olive/orange/yellow.... I've caught many specks on top when fish get shallow (3-4') with tan deer hair sliders/divers.

Thank you Kimo. Looking forward to the tutorial.

Cream, those are just plain old money right there. In that size just about anything that eats for a living is going to take a swipe. In olive/brown/tan those wouldn't last a minute in the Glades. BTW thanks for the popper face tutorial. I think my vacuum cleaner knows what's coming, it's already sulking. Kimo, you have just been on fire lately. your assassin(s) about makes me want to see what a lip piercing feels like. I mean dang! Questions about the damsel. How does it cast? Any issues with spinning? Also could you show the abdomen/ventral a little better? You've got me very curious. I'm thinking I have to ask for the recipe and tying tips on this one. Be kind of over kill on the local panfish but I might just have to give it a whirl. Like all of you flies that damsel is meticulous, but it is also just begging to actually get fished. It not just Cream and Kimo, everyone just has their A game going this month. Can't wait to see what's coming when it really gets cold up north.

Petri Heil Thomas!

I'll take a look at the 444 series. I'll consider giving them a call, wee will see. I've used "cheap" lines and I'll do so again I'm not a hater. I just really like what I have now and want to replace it with something really close. Ben. I'm not really having heart burn over how my rods interact with softer lines, for me half of it is line management. I'm assuming you mean favorite line. For this particular application, well this one. It has it's drawbacks that is for sure, like it needs lots of stretching and does not float very high, but I'm good with that here. I really like the way it feels in hand and that it doesn't wrap around the nearest object five times given that chance. Thanks everyone.

That is exactly the problem, even finding a 6wt tropical line is tough enough as it is. I've used standard lines here often enough and will need to continue to do so. Regular lines work just fine of course, even down here. Let's face it we as fly fishers have never had it so good as far as the capability of our gear. That 4wt stiff mono core line is just head and shoulders above regular lines and I want to replace it with something close if I can. Those really stiff mono lines from 10-15 years ago were a real pain to straighten, but boy did they work well in the Florida heat once you did. I tried contacting Rio but no response. Rather disappointing, I've spent a lot of money on their products in the past. Not so sure I'll be doing that anymore at lease not without a serious discount/closeout. Sure, I can be bribed in that fashion! LOL! Right now I'm pretty cranked with them though. A non reaction from customer service is a real serious turn off for me, even worse than clueless customer service. At least acknowledge my email. Yes they do. Not so sure about loosing a fish because of that. I'm not chasing 100lb Tarpon with a 4wt anyway. Line management, shooting line and keeping the gunk off of a softer line is harder at least it is for me. Thanks guys

Beat me to it on the fuel line...

I've been experimenting with Q-tips tubes for a while as well. I've found that some silicon fuel lines for RC engines work well as junction tubes. The problem is that every time I fine some that works really well I will have already forgotten the brand and ID by the time I have a chance to play with it. Luckily the stuff is not that pricey and buying a foot of the most likely sizes doesn't break the bank and a foot of the stuff lasts me a year or two. I really think that tarpon tube flys have a real future, I've been halfheartedly messing those for a few years. I really like the idea of being able to tie on a "fresh" hook. BTW a variation of Flip Pallot's snake fly tied on a tube with a small bass worm hook is stellar when ripped through spatterdock or lilly pads. I tie it up in all black with some flash. Bass just want to kill it. The worm hook is pretty weedless when used like this, even more so with a simple post mono weed guard. Throw it into heavy cover and when it is about to hit a pocket of "open water" just jiggle the fly without moving it for a few seconds before stripping it across the open water like it's trying to get to the other side and get away. Not recommended for folks with heart issues....

Sounds like a classic example of a gator that has been fed fish by fishermen. They see someone fishing and they come running. I come across a few every year. Wish I could find the idiots that fed them and then feed them to said gator. Sad thing is that those gators are destined to be "removed" (AKA harvested) by nuisance control. Gators that just show up in someones back yard can and do get relocated, but fed gators don't ever really unlearn that kind of behavior. Best they can hope for is a spot as a captive in a zoo or rescue, I'll bet you and I have a better chance at wining the lottery then a spot opening up for them.