Flats Boots?

[dontheo 0]

Just a thought, but fly fishing is a passive sport, if one considers it a sport at all. However, there are not many trips I go on that don't result in a bruises, blood and aches and pains. If you are not bleeding when fishing, you are not fishing hard enough.

[mikechell 0]

Just a thought, but fly fishing is a passive sport, if one considers it a sport at all. However, there are not many trips I go on that don't result in a bruises, blood and aches and pains. If you are not bleeding when fishing, you are not fishing hard enough.

Ummm ... by definition ... if you are bleeding or bruised, isn't that the opposite of a "passive sport"?

[mikechell 0]

I am not into arguing either, but I did look up as much as I could about the Blue-ringed octopus before I posted that it's not in the Caribbean. I haven't been able to find one notification, news article, marine biology report or anything that says they are present here. You're guides and references are in error.

The Lion Fish IS an invasive species and IS doing terrible things to the fishery in Florida. They are voracious and don't have a depth preference, so are found at all depths.

 

Here's what I usually find when checking web sites about the octopus.

World Range & Habitat

OBIS Distribution map

Blue-ringed octopuses, Hapalochlaena maculosa, can be found only in the temperate waters of southern Australia, from southern Western Australia to eastern Victoria at depths ranging from 0-50 m. Hapalochlaena lunulata can be found in shallow reefs and tide pools from northern Australia to Japan, including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Philippines, and Indonesia and as far west as Sri Lanka at depths ranging from 0-20 m.

[dontheo 0]

Mike:

 

My exact thoughts!

 

Have you ever had a feeling like, maybe you should have not brought that fish into the boat?

 

What part of the gulf do you fish in? In Galveston it seems like there is a Ray ever other two feet once you get out to the second cut. I will go bare ass (which I have by losing my shorts) rather than leave my Ray Boots on the beach. It's a nasty thing if you have ever seen a sting before. Not much you can do either. This side of the guld also tends to be very silty and the water is dark. Nothing like Florida.

 

T

 

Ted

[mikechell 0]

If you're talking to me ... I don't fish in the Gulf. I stay in fresh water. But when I am ready to go salt water wading, I'll be sure to have one of these.

 

 

[dontheo 0]

Yeah, iwas was responding to your comment of the gulf being one of the safest places to fish. I probably didn't read the entire post.

 

Where do I get one of those:)

[agn54 0]

dontheo, I wade the gulf occasionally in Florida and it gets pretty murky here as well, at least compared to our Atlantic coast. We also have tones of rays on both coasts, but especially the gulf. I do most of my wading on the Atlantic side of the state but still have to be careful there. Landlubbers always think I am crazy when I tell them I am more afraid of rays than sharks while wading (but if I see a large shark you will see me walk on water!). Rays don't always move when you approach and only swim off after you kick them with a shuffle step. In murky water that can scare the crap out of you

[dontheo 0]

agn54

 

I know, one of my buddies I fish with got stung and we didn't know anything about it or what to do at the time. I am now an expert but hope I never have to go through that again. About the only thing we did right was to get the barb out, take two vicodin (I needed one too so I could calm down:)) and get him to the hospital which is a whole other story.

 

When I fish with live shrimp in the gulf, I always have a quick release on the floating bait bucket in case mr sharky decides to have lunch.

[Guest]

I hafta write a couple of points here; as an aquarist who enjoys bothfresh and saltwater species, the several species in the volitans group of Lionfish are beautiful and a joy to keep in the aquarium. Having said that, the introduction of a species into an environment where it doesn't belong can be one of the worst possible things to do for the environment and for the hobby, because government types tend to avoid thinking and go with the "ban them all" approach that now has me unable to keep snakehead species which are restricted to tropical waters and could never survive this far north.

 

Funny that these same government bodies reserve to themselves the right to introduce species according to their will. The bottom line is that their presence is a problem, and should be treated as such for everyone's sake.

 

NOW.... the very first pair of wading boots I ever bought were Orvies Flats Booties, and they lasted from the late 90s until this past November, when they finally fell apart beyond my ability to repair. They were inexpensive but extremely durable canvas, and I think they would serve you well. I have searched all over for another pair but cannot find them. If you can find a canvas bootie that goes up past your ankle, invest!

[mikechell 0]

Yeah, iwas was responding to your comment of the gulf being one of the safest places to fish. I probably didn't read the entire post. Where do I get one of those:)

sorry ... My comment about the Gulf being safe to wade is from my "guide" friends, my past experience and research. While there are always dangers in salt water, the Florida coastline part of the Gulf is not as populated with some of the nastier denizens of open ocean. Since these waters tend to stay warmer all year long, they aren't frequented by deep water critters cruising into shallow waters for a bite.

[agn54 0]

Yeah, iwas was responding to your comment of the gulf being one of the safest places to fish. I probably didn't read the entire post. Where do I get one of those:)

sorry ... My comment about the Gulf being safe to wade is from my "guide" friends, my past experience and research. While there are always dangers in salt water, the Florida coastline part of the Gulf is not as populated with some of the nastier denizens of open ocean. Since these waters tend to stay warmer all year long, they aren't frequented by deep water critters cruising into shallow waters for a bite.

 

I would actually disagree with your view Mike. If you are talking about things like manowars, urchins, jellyfish, etc than yea the Atlantic has more. But as one who has waded both coasts of Florida regularly I can tell you I feel a lot safer on the east coast than the gulf. The gulf has a lot more rays than the the Atlantic coast, which are probably my biggest fear. Also, at least the part of the gulf I most often fish in the big bend, there is a huge population of bull sharks, far more than in the Atlantic (based on personal experience not science). There is probably no shark I fear more than a bull. Lastly, the water in the gulf tends to be a lot murkier, making a chance encounter with a shark or ray more likely. The people you always hear of getting bit by sharks on the east coast are always surfers and swimmers, not wading fisherman

[mikechell 0]

Okay ... no arguments from me. I haven't read anything about flats fishing and the water being murky. Usually, it's all about being stealthy because the water's so clear. But then, I think I may be reading about people who go out to places in a boat, not shore anglers closer in.

Murky water and Bull Sharks ... yeah, that's bad.

 

I'll leave any further comments about salt water to the salt water guys. Since I don't fish it anymore, I don't really have any right to talk about it.

[dontheo 0]

So the wife and I move to Texas in the early eighties. I am all excited because I have read all about Galveston and the beaches and fishing. The first weekend we head out to Galveston and I was really disappointed. Of course that was before they cleaned up the waters. The beach was lined with trash from the offshore rigs and maybe visibility was 6 to 12 inches deep.

 

A few weeks later we decide to go to the blue and clean water South toward Padre Island. Four hours later we arrive and the only difference was less plastic bags on the beach. Later I find out that another few hours would have done it.

 

I had a place over on Clearwater too and the water on that side of the gulf was very clear. I heard it has to do with the tides but I really don't know.

 

The water has improved in Galveston and is green about a mile or so out. But wading in the surf is still murky due to the silt. We have these troughs right off the beach known as cuts. You walk out and it gets deep, the first cut, and the you are on a sand bar. Keep walking and it gets deep again, the second cut and then you are on another sand bar. There are three cuts. The trick is to observe the water and see how the waves break. The fish run up and down the cuts and were there is a break between them this is the spot you want to fish. Food and bait fish are swept between the cuts or troughs.

 

Clousers on the fly rod and live shrimp on a spinning rod.

[agn54 0]

The water where I fish on the west coast can be gin clear at certain times of year, but after periods of heavy rainfall and wind it can get really dark and murky, sometimes lasting an entire season. This past summer the water was black and tannicy from all the freshwater pouring out of the rivers and creeks. The water was so fresh there were gar fish rolling a half mile off shore. When the rains subsided, the winds kept up and throughout the Fall the water became like coffee with cream. Visibility was maybe a few inches to a foot. It really varies incredibly

[Saltybum 0]

Getting off track about flats boots/shoes.

 

I have worn out a pair of Hodgeman's and Bass wading booties and currently wear a pair of Pinnacle dive booties with very sturdy soles and sides. The neoprene is a bit thick but I would rather be warm than risk injury.

Stay away from those cheap slip on reef shoes. I suffered a bad cut right through the soles looking for bait one day. Turned out to be a broken quart beer bottle. A couple inches over and it would have gone right through the top of my foot.

 

Hundreds and hundreds of dollars for fly rods, reels, line etc. DON'T scrimp on footwear that could ruin not only a fishing trip but maybe your ability to walk.