Swamp Fly

I've heard the same. I've also heard this from Ron Taylor, he is a very well respected Biologist here in FL. No reason there should not be, after all there is a population of snook in the lake. I would expect that catching them is not such a common thing though. If you want to catch some baby Tarpon there are more reliable places. Now that I think about it I recall that a few were found washed up on shore in the lake along with all sorts of unexpected fish including a couple of baby bull sharks after Hurricane Charlie. I remember seeing the photo of one of the bull sharks in the paper.

The fibers make good paint brushes, or in my case pottery brushes. I agree with Agn, the natural brown/tan over white makes excellent flies especially in brackish/mangrove areas. Just the brown makes good panfish sized streamers/flies.

Well sometimes my thumb gets sore from lipping too many bass or I get twitchy when I keep having tarpon crush a gurgler unexpectedly. Does that count? Bwahahaha! Seriously, good fishing and catching to be had all over the county and the world. I love it here but I also really like doing things I can't do at "home".

Adam, look up offshore fly prices. It would seem they can run up to$40 or even more. Most pike and Muskie flies seem to range (it was just a very quick search) from $9-$20. Figure out how much it will cost to buy a pack of hooks, thread, and packages of the various materials even if you already have them. Be reasonable, don't expect to charge for a whole Jungle Cock cape for 6 flies. A package of 12-20 feathers would be in order. When pricing out materials most industries charge "by the bundle" and the rest stays in inventory and is part of "profit". This is especially true of materials you don't regularly use. If the patterns are familiar or similar enough to flies you usually tie then you know how much time it takes to tie a dozen of them. If it is new then practice with substitute materials to get an idea. Charge by the hour. See what your local cobbler, tailor, or other craftsmen charge in your part of the world. You aren't someone in a third world country, part of the product you sell is YOU. That is why it is "custom" work, not mass produced. Make sure the flies are as "sturdy" as you can. If I pay for custom I expect quality. Having the fly unravel would not make my day, having sharp teeth destroy a fly is normal. Don't sell yourself short but you still need to make it so a customer is willing to pay a price for your work. I'm not a commercial tyer but I am a potter so there is some comparison. I am also familiar with fabrication work. Take it for what it is worth.

I agree, lots of snook in the river. Come fall some big girls start hanging around the small creeks ready to duck in for cold snaps. I cross the river every day on the way to work, unless it's nasty out I just want to turn around and get the boat. FlaFly, not me! Too many Men in Gray Suits around the pass...

Humm, that might be true. Maybe other boats would keep a more reasonable distance though. It might be worth a potentially long paddle back to the ramp.

That should do just fine and not just on Macks. I'd try and tie everything further back if I wanted to target macks. I'd also switch to a long shanked hook like a mustad 34011 or 340011(stainless). I've never been able to figure out why a hook shank sticking out of the front of a fly spooks less fish than a few inches of wire. That is the case though. Make sure to be liberal with your head cement of choice, it stinks when your fly looses bucktail because the thread has been cut and can unravel.

Ah, that is why. What makes you think I'm keeping fish from urban canals? While I am not disagreeing that some canals and ponds are just nasty, not all of them are. The canals I like to visit most are way out in the Glades. I have yet to see a shopping cart or any other "urban water structure" out there. Now in all fairness The Glades also have mercury issues just like the Atlantic and any other water system these days. I can't really think of any body of water on the planet that is still truly pristine. As to micro organisms in the water, if you look at a drop of water from any healthy waterway you will see lots of bugs swimming around that is normal and good. I'm more worried about "dead" water that won't support life. Myans are all over the place not just Miami, I've seen them on both coasts from a line crossing the state at about the north side of Lake Okeechobee. Given a few more years without a hard freeze and they might make it to Orlando or even further north. I just about stepped on one in my backyard today while messing around with an UL spinning rod that I built a couple of weeks ago. I'm in southern Charlotte County way out in the sticks. Worst pollution I have to worry about is one of my cows pooping in the water next to me (they must really wonder why I wave a stick around in the swamp). While I never have, I wouldn't have a second thought about keeping a few fish for dinner from here. Honestly I don't keep many fish. Yes, I keep a bunch of Mayans and Oscars when the glades are dry in the Spring. Occasionally I'll keep the odd spanish mackerel, pompano, or tailor bluefish. Usually I just let everything go. It used to be purely for ethical reasons, now I think I'm just to lazy to clean bunch of fish.

How do you substantiate that?

As I see it the biggest threat from having waders on in the water is that the open top can act like a sea anchor. Moving torso first in any direction can be a challenge. Some people panic at that point. So wear a belt as close to the top of the waders as is practical to minimize that. No mater what you can tread water and make slow headway, you just won't set a record lap time. You sir are a genius! Fish Naked!

Mayan Cichlid. They can get to be about 1.5 lbs. Guilt free diner too if you like to keep fish, state wants them gone.

Capt. Sorry I missed your response the first time. I along with friends have been catching Peas along the Alley/Miami Canal for a decade or more. Not every trip, yet sometimes I'll catch a dozen in a day. The biggest I've caught is about 2.5-3 lbs, most average 1.5-2. They are a welcome by-catch. I have also seen but not caught them along the Trail as far west as a point between Midway and Monument. The airport lakes have some bigger fish in them, but those lakes are deep so the survival rate is probably pretty good. There is a healthy population starting at Holiday Park. I almost always get a grab or two when I run down that far from the Alley. I don't fish those waters all year, just during the dry season. When the fish are stuck in the canals the hook up rate can get stupid. Great fun on panfish sized gear. That is over for this year, especially after this week...

Welcome. Nice fish. Being in Clewiston are you fishing the Lake proper or the periphery? One way or another it's going to be interesting for a while with all the rain...

Not that I'm willing to pay it, but from what I read on their web page I have the impression that that each of the heads is hand painted. If so then $10 is justified given the likely labor involved. Many "tarpon" flies sell for that at retail and more, labor costs money. If they want to make a few bucks to pay for their materials they will probably do okay, they aren't likely to retire next week from sale though. The other option is that they don't want to have to make a butt load of these things and have priced them to reflect that. More power to them, best of luck, etc. I'm not saying these are the best thing since sliced cheese or anything. I too am not likely to tie with pre made/molded material regardless of how effective they can be. Well that is not true, I use dumbell eyes and those are "premade". There is an invisible and variable line though. I still have a couple of packs of material used to make gummy minnows. I have never been able to get myself to tie a gummy minnow let alone use one despite the fact that they are very effective on fish. It's a personal thing and there isn't any logic involved, it just doesn't feel right to me is all. It's an old argument. There was a time not very long ago that the argument was about synthetic materials of any kind being okay for flies. It still rankles some. Some folks won't fish if they can't use sub #20 dry flies during a definitive hatch. As long as they don't rain on my parade who cares.

That could get awkward when "private time" with the misses comes around!

Capt Bob, I have caught peacocks way out in the Glades (this year and every year), which is well beyond the range that was expected. I remember talking to a state biologist about peacocks out in the field while I was fishing. I was told I would never see them west of US 27, I responded that perhaps they should tell that to the half dozen fish I just caught less than a hundred yard away. we were miles west of 27. She asked if I was sure, to which I responded by giving her a full description. I'm afraid I did not make her day. I agree that they take a huge hit during freezes, but Darwinism will prevail and some will learn to bury themselves in the mud to keep warm. Some may even become more cold tolerant from a biologic point of view. That genetic knowledge will prevail and the range will expand but only to a point. Physics is physics, too cold is too cold, even being in the mud will not help below a certain number of cooling hours.

I'm going to have to disagree with FR on catch and release. Many many are kept, we have as many meat fishermen as anywhere else. The population seems to be stable so it is a mute point. Two species of peacock were released in to Florida waters, the Butterfly peacock and the Speckled Peacock. Because the Speckled does not become reproductively mature until it is larger than the minimum size limit of the Butterfly, and people can/could not tell the difference in the field, only the butterfly has done well. I'm not sure there are any Speckled left. Since they get much larger than the Butterfly we would be seeing photos. A nice peacock catch here in Florida is 5-8 pounds. Eating quality is said to be excellent. Personally I have never eaten one, however I have friends that fish for them in the Amazon regularly and invariably they are part of a shore lunch at least once per trip and I'm told they taste very good. If the Oscars and Mayan Cichlids that we have here are any indication I would have to agree since both are rather tasty. A fact I reaffirm as often as I can since both are exotic invasive species and on the state hit list (no size or bag limit). Peacock bass were release by the state in 1984 under the guidance of Paul Shefland with the intent of having them control the smaller exotic invasives. Whether or not the release has helped or not is up to debate. If you were to have a gathering of scientists and fishermen to discuss that, I'm sure the debate would devolve into an all out brawl in short order with chairs being thrown within the respective groups not just at each other. One thing is certain and that is that peacocks are here to stay along with all the other exotics. I also know that there are extremely healthy populations of exotics of all stripes. How much worse it would be without the Peacocks I don't know. I think that peacocks are voracious eaters and that the exotics make a target rich environment for them so I'd wager that they eat more exotics than natives. Where I fish I have noticed that the native fish do much better for a number of years after a hard freeze (which kills exotics by the millions) so I would have to say we are better off with the peacocks than without but that is purely anecdotal. LOL you can keep your Snakeheads, we already have a thriving population of our own species of Snakehead. The fishery has not collapsed, the sky has not fallen, children aren't being eaten, churches aren't being razed to the ground, we just have one more player to deal with (and catch!). Snakeheads probably eat more exotics than natives for the same reason peacocks do. We have a veritable Zoo here in FL both on land and in the waters. While I would rather have the "old" Florida back from an ecological point of view, that ship has sailed. Now I enjoy catching the new kids on the block as much as the old, perhaps even more at times. Lemons and lemonade. ETA: I do agree with FR that I would not eat peacocks or any fish from some of the retention pounds. Chemlawn does very well here in FL.

...or eyes that aren't as young as we'd like them to be. One of the reasons I like the Davy Woton (or double) for line to fly connections where I don't care about free fly movement as much. I can tie that one by feel if needed.

That really is a nice Shellcracker.

True enough, watched a pair 3 feet from the boat for about 15 min a couple of weeks ago.

N. Ft Myers.

Yeah our side of the state has more cooling hours on average that the same latitude on the east coast. Kind of a bummer when to comes to the exotics. Rather live here though...

Rumor was years ago that there was a population in Vero for a while. Never witnessed it personally but the sources were reliable. I really don't fish north of the Alley so I could not tell you for certain. West Palm certainly has them, but I would not expect to find anything much north of there. Perhaps in Jupiter. The population expands and contracts with with the periodic hard freezes. I do know they are in the Golden Gate canals in Naples but that is west not north which is what you are asking.

Nice! I like the knitting needles, I might have to steal that idea. You coulds always use some 220 grit sand paper to rough up the lip and then mark your own ruler.

For controlled wildlife the basic rule that I live by is if there is an official hunting season in my state/area then having feathers in my area is fine. If not, I don't want any part of it. The reason I say in my area is that there are animals which are legal to hunt in one part of the country but not in another. Sandhill Cranes are a good example. The last time I checked you could hunt them in Texas, but not here in Florida. Now even if I were to acquire feathers from Texas, if FWC stopped me and suspected Sandhill Crane feathers they could confiscate my fishing gear and possibly my boat, car, trailer etc. (all gear used the illegal activity) until a DNA test could be done to prove which population of birds those feathers came from. The labs are backed up as it is so who knows how long that could take. Absolutely not worth the hassle. These days, unless you are tying historically accurate patterns finding a substitution that the fish will buy into is easy enough. To use Tidewaters example, a trimmed yellow chicken hackle will fool fish all day long, been there done that. If you just have to tie a fly with an original ingredient I'm sure you can get the right permits or buy documented old stock depending on what it is. But you better have those papers handy and you could still get all of your things (as in all of your tying gear) confiscated until everything is sorted out. BTW don't count on any particular LEO, even wildlife enforcement, to be able to tell the difference or know the law for something that specific (I'm not throwing rocks). If they wonder, they will probably decide to let the courts figure it out. I don't even want to think about what happens if the Feds get involved.