Swamp Fly

Hi JackOC. Depending on where you are located and the local fishing community, it may be easier to contact a local fly fishing club and have someone come out and look at the stuff for you. As a warning, "used" supplies usually don't get premium prices unless you have some very sought after items such as a collectors grade Jungle Cock cape for example. The reason for the low pricing is that it can be difficult to ascertain just how much is left, the quality of what is left, and the condition of what is left of a particular item. This is especially true "over the internet". Most tyers like to smell, touch, taste before buying. Not trying to rain on your parade, I just don't want you to be disappointed. That is not to say you should not do some research and get fair market value (I wouldn't sell a top of the line $600 tying vice for $.05 on the dollar). YMMV. Best of luck to you.

I'm very familiar with South Florida Canal fishing, I just hooked up the boat for tomorrow morning. If I could only take one rod with me and my goal was to catch bass, it would be an 8wt. I can chuck a big hair bug with it and then horse a big girl out of the pads. I don't fish my 8wt with lighter than 20# test for that kind of fishing just so I can show the fish some wood (learn how to fight fish "Down and Dirty" a la Stu Apte). Now that is not to say that you can't fish small flies with one, you fish a trico hatch if you want. If you are spooking fish it is more likely your presence or your casting than anything else (that is usually the culprit with me). Do your flies slap the water or do they (along with the fly line) gently float down onto the surface after your cast is done? Most of the time I want my fly to hit the water with a little energy to get a fishes attention but if the fish feels like someone is throwing rocks in the water they will shoot away. If a fish is in really skinny water and that skittish use a longer leader (11',13',15'). Also, if I remember you caught that fish on a clouser, clousers are not stealth flies. Change to a softer landing fly if needed. Having said that, I love to fish my 3wt for panfish and bass. I have caught +5lbs bass on a 3wt using a size 14 clouser, it took a while to figure out who was pulling who around but I won in the end. I rarely fish with less than 10# test so I have a better chance of keeping fish out of structure and I'd rather re-bend a straightened fly hook than loose it to lily pads. If the wind comes up I switch to a 4wt or 5wt. I also carry a 6wt because it is easier on my arm than the 8wt and I am not as likely to give a small fish "flying lessons" than with the 8wt. If you had asked me which one rod size to get for S. Florida I would have said an 8wt. It's perfect for Bass, Snook, Tarpon (up to 50#), Redfish, Bonefish, Jacks, Ladyfish, and the list goes on. I would get a 6wt next, but that is just because I don't have any problems poking at small (<3-7lbs) tarpon, snook, and trout all day. If you want to fish the inlets, I'd say a 10wt. If you want a panfish rod I'd say a 4wt. Big tarpon, big jacks, or Sailfish then a 12wt. The point is that the 8wt is a great all around rod. Now go mow some lawns to buy whatever specialty rod you like best knowing that the new rod may have limited applications.

This. It works very well on single hooks. I can't speak directly for doubles, but every time I've seen trebles get buried it's been two points and the second one never goes in parallel to the first so I'm not sure this method works then. The trick is you have to push down on the eye firmly and you cannot be tentative about snatching the hook out. If done correctly there is no pain, the downward pressure distracts and all you feel is a little twitch. I've had to do this on others and once on myself. Practice on a roaster chicken like suggested above. It leaves a small hole, no tearing even in the chicken which has thinner skin. Unless you get really unlucky and hit a blood vessel there is only a small drop of blood. On really big hooks(big game etc.) I would want to use twine or fly line if I had it. On smaller hooks, leader butt material works. Cut a length long enough to make a knotted loop that you can stick your hand through and let run out across your palm (a la dog leash), have enough slack that you can get "a running start" when you snatch. It sounds terrible but it isn't. The usual response is "That's it?".

Green with envy! Lol! Pics when you get it!

Congrats on your first fish caught on your own fly! Pretty little Pea at that. Caught that ones brother two weeks ago on a steamer the length of my thumbnail. Yours was certainly brighter than the one I caught. So yes they will take smaller but a #2 is an appropriate size and if I was targeting them that is where I would start the day size wise. Peacocks tend to like lots of motion, they like fast hard strips in my experience. If you strip and pause make your first strip after a pause hard (whether short or long). Having said that I have had them sip hair bugs all day before, but usually they like it fast. You will develop nerves of steel, as you experienced they love to buzz a fly several times before they commit. Not yanking the fly out of the water before they actually grab it can be a challenge. Capt Bob is absolutely correct, Tammiami trail (US41) is a great place to fish. Do be careful of the traffic. I usually start with baby tarpon and snooklets starting at SR92 and fish west till I'm done or hit 997 on the eat coast whichever comes first. Things start in the salt on the west coast and it gets more fresh the further east you go. That doesn't mean you won't catch snook, tarpon, and bass together. And yes there are Peacocks in there. Just be aware of the gators, they can get grouchy if you start to catch fish and they are used to being fed. Please don't make the problem worse by feeding them too, move down the way a bit or change spots outright. I'll switch form one side of a bridge to another and then back again as needed. If it gets too bad I just drive a quarter of a mile to the next bridge. An aggressive gator is dangerous and those usually get put down no mater how big or small. The Land Captain is a hoot to put it mildly. If you get to see him live, do it. He is especially entertaining when he gets in one of his irreverent moods. He has been a prolific writer and I have always liked his writing style and wit. Be prepared for snark and sardonicism if you are lucky. Thanks for bringing him up Capt. Bob, it put a smile on my face, I still remember a fly club meeting presentation he gave in Melbourne wearing a faux Memes Headdress. I remember walking in and thinking that he was already in an entertaining mood and he had not even started yet. If you have a boat (small is just fine) the canal system along I 75 is really heating up. The place is just lousy with big (up to 1.5 lbs!) Oscars and Mayans right now. Once the dry season progresses and the water drops even more, the food competition will become extreme. You can then catch fish on the proverbial bare hook. Catching a few hundred Bass/Oscars/Mayans/Bream is the norm for a full day of fishing. One of my absolute favorite fisheries. Takes me about 2 hours to drag a boat down to the visitors center just west of Lauterdale. For that I don't mind the 4 hr round trip. Once the rains of summer bring up the water far enough, the fish will disperse onto the flats. Hidalgo's book is a good one. I should probably go find my copy agian... agn54, yup that color combo works very well. Funny how Peacock colors catch Peacocks. You didn't hear it from me but on the west end of US41 a #2 Clouser in those colors won't can get annihilated by baby tarpon. Nope wouldn't know anything about it, didn't catch ten of them in the first hole I fished that day... Congrats again FlatsRoamer

Those scream Everglades. Bright ones on the fresh side grey and tan in the salt. All of them in either though. Put some weed guards on them and pitch them in the spaterdock (type of lilly) or mangroves. Very nice indeed.

I used fast snaps or the equivalent when I was a kid for a short time. I got tired of not having a fly on the end of my tippet (snap was still there) after a while. Maybe the quality has improved since then or the fact that I was teaching myself to cast and was abysmal at it was more to blame. Don't know. Over 30yrs ago I put them on that same list as the barbed connectors useto connect a leader to a flyline, it's the "looks good on paper but my results sucked" list. Most of the fish I catch in salt water abrade mono so badly that I need to retie after a fish or two anyway. In freshwater even bream force reties after a half to a dozen fish (a problem I try to have!). Snaps won't help there either. Mike I agree. Most often line shyness is not an issue for me. It certainly can be, but not for most of the fishing I do here in FL. I've certainly experienced getting better results on really picky cold water trout, I can certainly say that. As for loop knots, I usually tie them on streamers to allow the fly to move more. It especially helps with any fly that has enough mass to want to keep moving after you stop to pause, the fly is much more free to dart back and forth or up and down. If I am fishing over submerged weeds a loop knot can hurt by letting the fly nose dive into the weeds more and get fouled. I have found a loop knot is a negative on most top water flies with the exception of walk the dog type flies.

To keep hollow hair from flaring tie some wraps that are snug but not tight and then bring your thread back a bit before tightening things up. The looser wraps act as a collar to keep the hair from flaring. The other thing is to use the correct hair. The further out on the tail you get the more solid the hair becomes. Solid hair does not flare unless it is cranked down onto a soft base. It will roll around when you don't want it to and is notoriously slick to the point of wanting to pull out which may become cause for the hole in your wall to get a sibling but it won't flair.

The way you have your eyes tied in (which is the standard way), that fly should ride point up unless you are just ripping the fly through the water and then it is more likely to just run sideways till you slow down and it will flip back to hook point up. If two toned, I tie the lighter colored material on the "belly" (opposite of the fly you posted). I usually match my thread colors to the color of the "back" and to the "belly" in turn whatever those colors may be at the time. I've also used black regardless of color if I'm just feeling lazy and I'll also use fl. orange. I don't think the fish care much unless I'm using the thread as an attractor/hotspot (orange etc.). I would add one or two more strands of flash per side just in case some get nipped off. I like a little more flash anyway, but one or two strands would still be a subtle amount if that is what you are after. You may want to tie the buck tail that is on the hook shank back a little more, to the bend of the hook or so. Lots of folks don't tie the body down all, in other words one color is just stacked on the other especially if using very light bead chain eyes. This will help flip the point up. I use 60 degree jig hooks on most of my clousers so that is not an issue for me regardless of weight. Both the amount of flash and wing style are up to you. Add more glue. I use UV glue, epoxy(rarely), or CA glue over the eyes, both before and after tying material over them. Fish teeth will cut the tight material to make it look like a brush. I generally just extend the glue over the entire body for added durability. Truthfully the fish don't care, fuzzy or not. Using glue before the buck tail is tied over the eyes will help lock them in place. I'll tie eyes on all of my hooks and then glue all at once (thread will be covered, use whatever). Then I add my fibers whatever they are (natural or synthetic) for the belly. Next I glue those down. I switch thread color to for the second color fiber and the tie that color in. I go through enough clousers that I tie st least a dozen at a time so for me it is worth the assembly line procedure. Over all, that dog will hunt. A smoother head and body is just nit picking (in a good way). Untwist your thread at the end for a smoother finish and use an unbonded thread to help. I use flat waxed unless the fly is just too small for it, I tie clousers down to size 12-14. Twist the thread for strength, untwist for appearance or lack of bulk.

If you want, visit next years Alafia Renezvous in January on one the two public days. It's a little south of Bartow. They have merchants from all over that carry all sorts of leather, hides, furs, horn, etc. It's a neat experience regardless, lots of things to see and poke at. Worth the drive IMO. Also if you get over to Melbourne stop by Christian Workshop (they have a web page). Tim is a super nice guy and he has all sorts of leather, fasteners, buckles laying around. I've had to haggle up a few times in the past just to keep a clear conscience, of course I've know him since the early nineties so your mileage may vary. It's worth it just to have an excuse to drool over the shop. He is not in the supply sales business so if things looked busy, I made myself scarce and came another day. I'd not drive over just for that. I miss that resource since moving away.

Nice work. You getting your leather and supplies local?

Mike by and large I agree, there is however a small or maybe not so small, population (I don't know) of land locked Atlantic Salmon in the Great Lakes. I caught one around Pulaski 15 years ago while fishing for Kings and Silvers. FlatsRoamer, no summer steelhead? Bummer. Okay, now make lemonade. Lots of fish you will not find here in S. FL. Smallmouth, walleye, yellow perch, musky, pike etc. Mikechell frequently posts a URL that gives local fishing opportunities in just about any puddle you could think of. It is takemefishing.org I think. Mike? Now if you can pick where to go and steehead are your desire, I would have to agree with others, I would pick the Pacific Northwest. It's on my own bucket list. I would go not just because of the fish, I'm sure there are arguably just as productive waters elsewhere. I'd also go because of the history of the fishery and the location itself. For example we can fish for Peacock Bass/Oscars/Mayans when ever we want, lots of fun and I highly recommend it (I plan on it tomorrow as a matter of fact). However I'd rather go to the Amazon if given the choice. It is the Amazon after all. Atlantic Salmon? Scotland, Ireland, Quebec. Nothing against Maine (I'd go in a second), but those locations are just more romantic and fabled. I would do some serious research about gear, guides, best times, etc. regardless of what you decide.

Yup, ain't life grand (pun intended). Reg saltwater rated TM is more than half that. Mine had died and I wanted to upgrade to the remote/gps stuff eventually anyway. Love it, haven't looked back. Moves all of my little boats pretty good and leaves my hands free.

Vicrider, I usually fish by myself. Works out great. I have not seen that commercial. I simply had a "well duh" moment a while back. My TM was a little over a grand, I opted out on the self deploy etc. So I still have to unload/load the boat normally. Was not worth the extra $1500 to me. The TM, electronics, and fishing gear cost more than my the boat/motor/trailer. Drives me nuts, but I'd feel sick if I had 30-60k in a boat in my position. More power to the folks that want and(!!!) can afford it. I agree, go up a voltage group(or two)if your boat needs it. If a boat needs extra power to move, it can probably handle the weight of an extra battery(s).

Mine's on the bow, it has a lot of bells and whistles though($$$). The GPS built into it will not only track a course once you set it, but will adjust to maintain a speed if you want. If the current/wind speed is higher than your setting it will actually slow you down (that puts you in a stern first drift at times). I have the remote control around my neck so I can be anywhere in the boat. The boat ramp is fun, pull up, step onto dock, kick boat out, send it out 20-30ft, and hit anchor button. Boat stays put while I get the truck then remotely drive it back to the dock or to the trailer. People kinda freak sometimes. I don't tie up the dock this way and there is less of a chance of someone grabbing something while I'm at the truck. I've never done this in ripping current, if the motor is just barely able to hold or even struggling at all in a given current I would not try it. But it does really slow me down enough to fish.

If the wind is pushing me faster than the water moves (if it moves at all) then yes a sea anchor. Otherwise a drag chain. Poopdeck's comment on sudden stops because of snags should be heeded. I've had some, ahem, interesting moments. I also wonder what damage a drag might do in some environments so I usually don't even carry a drag with me anymore. My IPilot with cruise control does a fantastic job on most days to keep me in a range of the drift speed I like. I don't usually need a sea anchor or drag at all. I'll use the trolling motor with the sea anchor to keep the stern inline with direction of travel when the wind wants to blow me around though.

Rod Harrison's version of the no slip loop knot. Quick, easy, and tested out the strongest of the three no slip loop knots (only by a couple few percent). I've tied it in 8x to 100# test. One of only three knots that I use for hook eyes to tippet/shock.

Get on the Custom Gheenoe forum. Most of those guys love showing off their ride. Where are you located at?

But that eliminates the best part of welding, when a customer walks in and you stop what you're doing and give them the ...."Luke, I am your Father" The reverse is also true. Nothing says "go away" like flicking down a helmet. For the stubborn ones, I've found that if you time your trigger pulls/strikes in cadence with when they open their mouth they get frustrated. Of course if you are serious about getting someone to move on, extending 6-8" of mig wire and tapping it to your table will give you a nice little glowing light saber to ward off any unwanted visitors.

Thanks. That is about what I thought: Heavier but not an issue.

That is sweet. That is probably my favorite grip that you have made. I'm having a hard time getting used to all of the "new" materials used to made grips these days, that combination really works for me though. It is elegant yet updated, not just a "because I can" use of material. Blank color is just right (on my monitor at least). Craftsmanship is top notch as per usual. How long do they make that blank in a 3wt? That appears to be a 2 piece blank (which I prefer over 3) do they come also in a 4 piece? What other colors? One last question. Speaking of the newer composite grip materials, I would think they would have to be denser that pure unadulterated cork. Is the difference appreciable? Not sure it would make any difference on a heavier rod, I do wonder about 0,1,2 weight rods. Probably a non issue, but I am curious.

You guys are missing the obvious. You use 'dillo hide for scud patterns. Best used on big bluewater scuds. I hear black marlin will sip them if you suspend them in the surface film on a calm day. Opossum is part of 7 course meal down here. 'Possum pie and a six pack is the haute meal du jour! Personally I have a vendetta against opossums, bloody egg stealing, chicken killing, Bastards. Together with 'coons they keep the ammo mfgs in business around here. Keep the gators fat and happy though. Yup, armadillo eye lashes, material for the elite collector of fly tying materials. Almost as sought after as Hens Teeth but much more prized than Frog Fur whose dubbing will tie down to a size 46.

It means he is Fab-u-lous! Cool video.

Water is starting to clear up again. Wall to wall fish right now, more fish that water in the camera view. Looks like a big group of fresh fish at that, not a lot of white on them yet. I've only salmon fished for a week once (Salmon river area in NY), I remember catching a few were my thought was "Darn, now I have to touch the swimming fungus farm!". It's on my bucket list v2.0 of things to do again some day. I kind of wish they showed an overhead shot of the pool those fish were as well. That would be kind of cool to see both views at the same time.

Yup all the way south. South Florida can be lousy with them, just talk to folks that live in the east Naples area. I've seen fresh panther and bear tracks on top of each other while I was slogging around the Everglades.