| FISHING REPORTS |
ARCHIVE: |
Your search returned 33 items (most recent reports for all waters in )
Now showing items: 1 - 10. Select page: 1
2
3
4
|
Venice - Snook Alley - June 14th, 2010
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED: 
90 °
FISHING: Excellent
He had to roll out of bed at 4am three different days, but Bob Cole FINALLY was rewarded with hooking his first tarpon ever. And what a monster it was! Bob originally contacted me last season, but his schedule and mine simply didn’t mesh so I gave him the name of another guide in the Venice area. Bob never really said how they did that day, but when he called a month ago to set up a trip he told me “we want to fish with you.”That’s what I like to hear! I scheduled the trip for him and his neighbors at Pelican Pointe, Dan Griffith and Warren Rothmann, for June 4. Unfortunately, after getting up in the middle of the night we all decided that the thunder and lightning just wasn’t giving us that “warm, fuzzy feeling.” More like hair standing up on the backs of our necks. So, we rescheduled for June 10. The weather was wonderful, but the tarpon fishing wasn’t. Everybody decided that another crack at these big pelagics was in order and we went after them this morning with a vengeance. The weather was absolutely spectacular. We were using my new Rhodan GPS+ trolling motor to hold us at anchor at a particular spot off Casey Key that is a magnet for tarpon, and visibility was more than a half-mile.We had a lot of fish swim by well within shooting range. A LOT of fish! Dan was tossing a fly line, while Warren and Bob were drowning crabs.A big pod of tarpon, that we’d been watching for ten minutes, finally got within 20 feet of the boat and everybody had a line in the water. Within seconds, I heard the music.“GOT HIM,” Bob yelped in the clipped British accent he hasn’t lost in 30 years of living as a Yank.I told Dan and Warren to get their lines back in the boat as quickly as possible, then we settled in for the fun.Before I bore you with the details, let me cut to the chase. This fish never jumped. It finally broached the water like a submarine, though, and it’s back looked wide enough to launch a flight of F-14 Tomcats. It was, in my best estimation, pushing 200 pounds.Right. That’s no typographical error. I said 200 pounds!Bob used the rod and I used the throttle of my Hewes Redfisher to chase, herd, and generally harass that big fish for one hour and forty minutes. We had to ask four other boats to “please give us some room because we’ve got a real pig towing us around.” And, they were gracious enough to do just that.That tarpon took us more than three miles! Finally, it looked like it was time for the coup de gras so I told Bob to pump the rod and reel up the slack as quickly as possible. We had this guy. I was sure of it.Then I heard the sound of a .22 pistol being fired. In other words, 25-pound-test line giving way. When Bob was reeling after pumping the rod, line overlapped on the spool and snarled. The fish made one last desperate lunge for freedom and won.I said something that can’t be repeated here. Everyone else just groaned.Of course, we spent a long time in the most-mortem discussing every aspect of the hookup, chase, fight and heartbreaking loss.Bob was quite naturally disappointed. So was I. This has been a season of big fish—I THINK because the oil spill way up north is keeping those monster tarpon down here in the Venice area (WE DO NOT HAVE OIL HERE!!!)—but this was the biggest of the big.I hooked an 80 and a 160 Memorial Day Monday fishing with Capt. John, and this tarpon today was way beyond them in weight and strength. But, that’s why we keep chasing these magnificent animals. If you’re an angler, you really haven’t lived until a fish like this slaps you across the face and challenges you to give it your best shot! MICHIGAN Kate tells me the temperature has dropped again, shutting down the hatches. Who knows? Maybe I WILL get a chance to chase Hexes when I get back. Paul Mesak, our vet in Grayling, and Bruce Patrick, a retired Michigan fish-cop, are coming down for tarpon over the Fourth.That’s my last scheduled Florida trip at this point (although I will stay longer if the fish and clients insist). If so, and if the weather Up North stays this erratic, I might be on the Manistee at midnight in my Au Sable Longboat looking for The Big Bugs. ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE Ghost continues to act like a puppy, even though she turned 13 last month. Heart ALSO continues to act like a puppy, although he turned 3 yesterday! How on EARTH can either one of them be that age?Heart’s still decimating my front porch screens in his thwarted attempts to reach the mourning doves feeding under Kate’s hanging feeders. “He’s an absolute madman.” Kate says, every time I ask. “There’s no question he knows his destiny in life—birds, birds, birds.”Which will be a very good thing come Grouse Opener September 15! MONTANA Capt. John’s running his McKenzie boat down the Madison and Missouri. If you’re planning a trip west this summer, get with him soon because he books up pretty fast. Runoff’s about done, and fishing is very good. Tight Loops,Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - June 1st, 2010
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
88 °
FISHING: Excellent
YOW! The tarpon fishing is red hot. That BP oil spill is nowhere around us down here in southwest Florida. We give thanks for that, but offer our prayers to fellow guides, commercial fishermen, sport anglers, citizens, and wildlife being effected by this horrendous catastrophe. God willing, somebody’s going to come up with a workable solution to the problem pretty damned fast. In the meantime, I must say we’re seeing larger tarpon cruising the barrier islands off Longboat, Lido, Siesta, Casey, and Manasota Keys than ever before. And, they’re eating! Capt. John and I went out Monday because our schedules have been so conflicting that we haven’t even seen each other since he drove in from West Yellowstone. We were in the backcountry and I was dangling a gray rabbit-strip fly on a Royal Wulff Ghost Tip line when I felt a tuuug and set the hook. Then I set it again. Then I set it a third time and a very nice tarpon of about 80 pounds went airborne. Gosh he was a pretty sight to see. He thrashed. He jumped. He did all of the magnificent things we expect from tarpon. Finally, Gospo sidled up to me and whispered, “how ‘bout letting Joe feel that fish?” Joe Carney had driven over from West Palm Beach, and was staying with John for a few days. I handed Joe the TFO Teeny Series 12-weight and he promptly busted his knuckles on the Terry Hayden reel’s handle when the fish bolted. Joe clamped down on the flying spool and it was “Sayonara Baby!” We played around in the deep hole a bit longer, then John inched us up onto “The Flats,” which are just a couple feet deep yet hold a surprising number of equally surprisingly large tarpon. Sunning themselves, I suppose. Anyway, my second cast had barely settled on the water when I made a short, slow strip and felt a jolt. Then there was a magnificent boiling of water. “Mamma Mia,” I thought. “Thatsa spicy meataball!” When the tarpon broke, he climbed about four feet out of the water. His second jump was about three feet. Then he took off, pushing water like a Coast Guard cruiser. The fly line had vanished. Backing was peeling off at an alarming rate. “Get on your horse, Gospo!” I yelled, “because there’s no way I can stop this pig. Not right now, anyway.” Alas, before John could fire up the motor the line went slack. When I finally got everything back to the boat, I found out the FIFTY pound butt section had broken. Naturally, we spent a lot of time talking about that fish. After considerable debate and comparisons to other tarpon we’d been responsible for hooking, the popular consensus was that this one was between 150 and 160 pounds. “He acted more like a marlin than a tarpon,” Gospo repeated, several times. “That was the highlight of my tarpon season. It was great!” Yes, indeed. This morning I THOUGHT I was going to meet Ron Povinelli and a buddy of his for a tarpon tangle. Somehow, the wires got crossed and he said he was on for tomorrow and Thursday. OK. He’s a longtime client, so changing a day was no big deal. Since I already had the boat in the water, I figured what the hell and took off for a spot I like off Casey Key. It was late. Already after 6am. So, I wasn’t really surprised to see, as I used my superslick new Rhodan GPS+ trolling motor to inch into position, that tarpon already were rolling in the calm, clear water. I only had spinning gear aboard, so I pinned a crab onto a 7/0 hook and tossed it to some likely prospects. They obviously were on A Mission, however, and I never hooked up during the 90 minutes I stood there listening to my empty tummy grumble. Time for bacon ‘n eggs. Team Povinelli the next two days, then Rob Cole and friends Friday. Dick Ritter and John Bachey (he’s either the best or the luckiest angler I’ve ever guided) are going out with me twice next week, then Mo Brennan, her husband and who-knows-who else are with me Friday. The forecast is for blue sky, calm seas and lots of tarpon. If you’re not doing anything else particularly interesting during the next six weeks, give me a call or shoot off an e-mail. You just might encounter the thrill of your angling life! MICHIGAN Reports I’ve been getting all indicate bugs are hatching furiously. That includes blackflies, no-see-ums, and deer flies. The woods are very dry, and there already have been a couple of fires that destroyed more than 10,000 acres. Perhaps that means the Hopper Hatch will be back to normal in late July and August, and we’ll be able to hook some 20-inch browns during the hottest part of the day! Let me know if you can break loose for that. Heart has kicked into SuperIntense Bird Mode. The mourning doves, which ground-feed under Kate’s feeders out front, have him going absolutely insane. He’s punched out several of my three-foot-by-six-foot porch screens in manic attempts to get at ‘em. If the grouse and woodcock hatch is as good as the “experts” predict because of the dry nesting season, he ought to have a ball this fall. Ghost, too, of course! Her hearing and eyesight have diminished, but there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with her heart and legs! She’s Ready! MONTANA It’s snowed in West nearly every day since Capt. John got here. Which doesn’t make Lanie very happy! But, the runoff should be over pretty soon after he gets home next week. Contact www.jacklinsflyshop.com to book a summer float on the Madison or Missouri. Tight Loops,Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - May 21st, 2010
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
81 °
FISHING: Excellent
To paraphrase Samuel Clemens’ famous quip from more than a hundred years ago—“reports of the Gulf of Mexico’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.” At least, so far as my little corner of the world is concerned.
Yes, the Deepwater Horizon situation is horrible. Yes, there have been bans and restrictions on fishing in various areas and a lot of fear is warranted.
HOWEVER!
The Venice/Sarasota/Charlotte Harbor area has not been effected one bit. And, I am relieved to say, we are hooking and landing a lot of tarpon from 30 to 140 pounds on fly and light tackle.
Take Tuesday, for instance. Andy Polaszek gave his brother, Chris, a trip with me as his 40th birthday present. Andy’s a FWC game warden, and his brother does some lawyering in Tampa. They grew up in New Jersey and have lived down here a long time.
But neither one had ever caught a tarpon. Until Tuesday. Chris finally won the bragging rights, landing a 30-pounder with the fly rod. Andy, I regret to say, did NOT listen to the guide’s advice and never set the hook when a very large tarpon attacked the live crab he had pitched out.
“Attacked?” More like mugged! The tarpon was on that crab like a wino on a bottle of fifty-cent muscatel. Ali on Frazier. Tiger on—well, let’s not go THERE.
“He’s chewing up that crab,” I yelled. “Hit him.” I yelled.
“I don’t feel anything,” Andy said, somewhat puzzled.
“Hit him, for the love of #@*%*,” I yelled again.
“I don’t feel anything,” Andy repeated.
“Just HIT HIM,” I implored.
Well, I finally and quietly asked Andy to reel in his line. Of course there was nothing but a barenaked hook where a perfectly feisty crab in fine fighting fettle had moments before been thumbing his pinchers at Mr. Poon.
“Let him have it,” Chris whooped. “Give it to him good!”
Well. “No,” I said with a wee bit of a sigh. This is the ‘kinder, gentler Capt. Tony.’ I don’t SAY things like that anymore.”
Andy was quiet for a heartbeat. “Ah, what would the OLD Capt. Tony have said. C’mon. Tell us.”
I paused. I considered. I gave in. “I guess I’d have said something like “YOU SURE AS *#@& BLEW THAT MAGNIFICENT OPPORTUNITY, YOU *#@&^%$ CHUMP!”
Or something like that. But, as I said, this is the Kinder Gentler Capt. Tony, who would NEVER utter such a thing now that I’m far enough along in years to know that my dear departed mother was right about not uttering such, uh, stuff.
Anyway, Chris botched a couple more chances and Andy sorta gloated. BUT, he couldn’t really say very much other than “Happy Birthday, Brother,” since Chris WAS the one who landed his tarpon.
Rene Goodnight and her daughter, Chelsea, were almost as kind the next day when husband/father Mark reeled in nothing but the upper carapace of the crab a tarpon had sucked in like a Hoover with a lint-ball.
“Way to go, Dad,” Chelsea said, eyeing Mark’s decimated half-crab.
“Yeah, honey,” Rene added. That was impressive.” And so, the tarpon score remains (for the moment) Rene 2, Mark zero.
He’s hitting the beach with me tomorrow morning, along with Jim DePaepe and maybe HIS wife Denise. So, we’ll see what we’ll see!
Capt. John’s been spending a lot of time around Captiva and Johnson’s Shoal with good results. Snook FINALLY have started cruising the beach, and redfish are congregating around the oyster bars and mangrove islands.
MICHIGAN
Believe it or not, there are Hendricksons popping on the Manistee River below M72. The recent cold snap put everything on hold—hatchwise, that is.
The blueberry crop looks like it could be spectacular if we don’t get a late freeze, and the mourning doves are driving Heart CRAZY as they eat sunflower seed gleanings from Kate’s bird feeders in front of the screened porch. He’ll be three next month (“going on one” I tell everyone) and he’s looking awfully good!
Ghost turned 13 on the 15th and still runs furiously, agitates Heart into play-mode, and generally clamors for all of the snacks and good things to eat that she figures she’s entitled to get. A bit hard of hearing, and doesn’t see as well these days, but still rarin’ to hit the grouse woods.
Well, I’m up at 4:30am to greet The Tarpon Dawn—so I’d better hit the sack!
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - April 11th, 2010
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED: 
80 °
FISHING: Excellent
I suppose I should begin with an apology. It has been FOREVER since I’ve updated the site’s Fishing Report. But, an awfully lot of things have been going on around here. FIRST: Kate spent the winter going through a second bout with breast cancer. Left side this time, and a different strain of that ghastly “virus.” Lumpectomy, followed by radiation every weekday ending April 6. She’s starting to recover from the “fatigue factor,” but it was hard for her to juggle a full work load around her treatments and my guiding schedule. Which brings us to… SECOND: After an abysmally cold winter that was the worst on record for south Florida, my guiding kicked off big-time in March. Ron DeLuca, from Hartford, CT, went out with me several times and had a lot of fun catching trout and ladyfish, chasing juvenile tarpon, and doing a catch-and-release on a three-pound Egret. Yep. Hooked it on his backcast while hoping for a 20-pound poon. I heard “thunk” then “squaaaaakk!” Sure enough, the bird—which Ron courteously named “Edgar” was indignantly flapping around in the canalside shrubbery. Pondering its long, sharp beak, I asked Ron to fetch my tarpon-landing gloves and a towel. I finally got the Hewes into position and managed to get hold of the bird without doing damage to either of us. Ron plucked the fly from the middle of Edgar’s back, and the Universe was right with itself once again. Oh, sure. Jim Rohrbacher caught a nice four-pound snook (his first ever) during the day. Dick Rizzo caught some nice fish, and so did Dan Lyczinsky, from Chicago. Steve Sherman made his annual pilgrimage to the sun from dreary old Syracuse, and Bob Gaviglio came all the way from Oregon to catch snook under the lights. Actually, Bob’s situation was sorta funny. When I called to finalize details for our fishing, he wailed “What happened to Naples? I might as well be in downtown LA!” “It got rich,” I replied. “Hell, it’s awful. And when we decided to go look at the sunset on Marco Island it was even WORSE. They won’t let you step onto the beach. Everything’s private.” I got on the horn to A Beach Retreat in Nokomis, and they fixed up Bob and his wife Button with an efficiency apartment on the Gulf of Mexico for a fraction of what they had been charged for a room at the Courtyard Marriott. “This is more like it!” Bob exclaimed. “We even had a cookout on our patio while we watched the sun set on the Gulf. And drank a toast to you for getting this place for us.” And then there was Nora Tebben, who’s about 90 years old. My Manistee River pal, Reid Ashton, called to set up the trip. He’d known Nora and her son, Jim, who’ve owned The Huntsman gun club north of Detroit for 50 years, for a long time. Nora wanted to catch something “salty” on her vacation, and she did. Mostly trout and ladyfish, with a flounder thrown into the mix just for fun. I asked Reid, who formerly owned the famed Golden Mushroom Restaurant in suburban Detroit, if he was going to keep the flounder and cook up something exotic. He declined. Perhaps it was because his old world-class chef, Jimmy Schmidt, wasn’t around to “sling the hash.” The Spanish mackerel have invaded our barrier islands big-time. My Florida vet, Dean Ebert, caught a bunch of them when he brought his brother and father out with me. They also boated one king mackerel which was “just” at the lower end of the legal limit. The next day, Ron Cordes, who used to be the Main Man for the Federation of Fly Fishers, caught some Spanish, and had a king mackerel bite through 17-pound braided wire tippet like it was a piece of bread! Unfortunately, the little tunny—also known as false albacore—haven’t moved in yet. Now THOSE are a real HOOT to catch. A 9-pounder will peel off a 105-foot fly line and 20 yards of backing in about 15 seconds. Then it’ll STILL take you nearly a half-hour to land it! They’re second on my All-Time Favorite list to tarpon. Since the Gulf water is over the 70-degree mark, it shouldn’t take long for the tunny to arrive—following the hordes of baitfish, naturally. Speaking of tarpon, the Advance Scouts usually get here around the 26th of April, signaling the arrival of the spawning migration. They mill around off the barrier islands, then run out into the Gulf’s deep water on the full moons of May and June to do the “Horizontal Mambo.” Then, after about two weeks, the newly hatched fry (which have grown from just over the size of a dime to an eel-like five inches) head back here to live in the backwaters, creeks, canals, and muddy ditches for up to seven years before becoming sexually mature (and you thought your teenager was precocious!). I’m taking Kate, Ghost, and Heart back to Deward on May 3, and will probably get back her on the 14th—just in time for the big push of tarpon. Last season was the best I’ve had during 15 years of chasing them. Let’s hope this season’s at least as good! ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE Ghost will be 13 years old on May 15! Between previcox for pain control and ZOOM for joint relief, she’s running around as spry as a dog half her age. Unfortunately, her hearing and vision are diminished somewhat. I have no doubt that she’ll still have a lot of fun chasing grouse and woodcock this fall. “Indominatable” is Miss Manistee River Ghost’s prefix! Heart turns three in June, (who acts more like a one-year-old sometimes), and has finally turned the corner as a bird dog. He’s a big, happy, good-natured boy but he is an absolutely INCORRIGIBLE food thief. He even swiped a big link of raw Italian sausage off the chopping block one evening. No apparent damage done. “What a malandrine,” my grandma Lucy would have said. Which, in Italian, means “miscevous.” But loveable! He did a terrific job hunting quail down here during the winter, making up for all of the times he ran cross-country last fall in Michigan. Really impressed one of my clients, Gary Ashcroft, who’s also from Michigan and probably will be following Heart’s white flag around the grouse woods in October. Well, I need to run out and get a clevis for my new(est) anchor. So… Tight Loops,Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - February 8th, 2010
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
62 °
FISHING: Excellent
Erratic weather patterns are still a “hot” topic nationwide. Since New Year’s Day, nearly every area of the United States has been effected by colder-than-normal temperatures. Florida certainly is no exception. The good news is that those super-cooled arctic blows that caused oranges, tomatoes and fish to die throughout the state last month appear to have diminished. Mostly.Unfortunately, the Weather-Guessers do continue to forecast relatively cool day and night temps for the Tampa-to-Naples coastline for the next several days.So, anglers desperately in need of a strong “tug” should be on the water during the afternoon’s warmest part of the day.That’s what we did last week when Ron Eastman, Terry Cook, and Bill Obermire spent a couple of days with me.They had come East from Gillette, WY, for a conference in Orlando on how to rig explosive charges that take the tops off of mountains to be mined for coal. “Figured it’d do us good to spend some time fishing, too,” Ron said in his initial email to me. The weather looked pretty dicey, but we managed to catch a bunch of nice trout and ladyfish in Blackburn Bay, then got into a couple of baby tarpon the next day in the Myakka River.We had planned on doing some night snook fishing, but because of continued marginal water temperature, I decided to avoid stressing them just a little while longer in order to preserve the population.Remember that last month’s Executive Order by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission bans possession of snook until September 1, although it is legal to fish for them..Redfish and spotted sea trout were barely damaged by last month’s severe drop in water temps, and continue to provide excellent sport for anglers throughout the area. Same for the baby poons!Here’s what else has been happening around the area: TAMPA BAY/BRADENTONJim Eliason, of Discount Tackle in Bradenton, says the trout bite has been good in Terra Ceia Bay, and at the mouth of the Manatee River, on DOA and CAL jigs with shad tails.As usual, look for sheepshead around docks and bridge pilings. Use small hooks and bits of either live or frozen shrimp.Jerry Poslusny, of Rochester, NY, caught trout to 17 inches on Clouser flies in Terra Ceia. SARASOTA BAYJim Mitchell, of Longboat Key, caught trout to 16 inches at the Bird Key flats on live shrimp, and ladyfish in front of the Field Club on gold Cotee jigs. Cindy and Robert Whalen, of Ogdensburg, NY, caught ladyfish, and trout to 4 pounds on olive Cotee grubs and free-lined live shrimp.Harry Beaty and Paul Rotz, of Canada, caught nearly two dozen trout on CAL jigs with shad tails in relatively shallow water from Stephens Point to Long Bar.Meanwhile, Jim Cox and sons Mike and Jason, of IL, caught trout to 19 inches and one large redfish near dock pilings in Little Sarasota Bay. NOKOMIS/VENICERon Cordes, of ID, and Dusty Sprague, of North Port, caught trout and ladyfish near Blackburn Point on Clouser flies and intermediate-sink lines. LEMON BAY/GASPARILLA SOUND John Donohue, out of Economy Tackle, reports trout to 22 inches on a variety of jigs in the potholes throughout Lemon Bay. While inconsistent, some redfish to 28 inches have been hooked on the flats.Doug and Mike Smith, of OH, caught redfish to 32 inches and trout to 23 inches on live shrimp near Whidden’s Creek. ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE Ghost and Heart have been having a ball because of the cooler weather. Mostly, because I’ve been taking them to Dream Lakes of Florida a bit northeast of Sarasota so they can wrap their noses around quail. The “Little Guy”—who incredibly enough will be three years old in June—has been doing a fabulous job finding, pointing and retrieving birds. Heart’s field manners are excellent, and he’s just such a good natured fellow with a big grin on his face that he nearly always makes me smile, too. Ghost, who will be 13 in May, has lost some vision (that blackberry thorn in her left eye never did heal properly, even after lazer surgery). Plus, she’s either getting hard of hearing, OR selectively hard of HEEDING. Nothing wrong with her ability to sniff birds, though! I guided Bill Delaney and Frank Dunn at The Dream last week and they both got their fill of birds. Heart did most of the work—since he’s the one who needs the practice—and was hot, tired, and happy when we finally got home! IN MEMORIUMCapt. Mel Berman, renowned in southwest Florida’s angling community, died last week from complications of heart surgery. He was 81. Capt. Mel hosted a radio program out of Tampa for more than 20 years and was both a jokester and gentleman. No man could leave a better epitaph.
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - July 10th, 2009
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
94 °
FISHING: Excellent
Despite a Busted RodMike Vallis Got His Tarpon By Capt. Tony Petrella It was seven in the morning and already pushing ninety degrees. I was anchored off Casey Key, just north of Venice, Florida, and the tarpon were starting to wake up. Personally, I was sweating like hell and regretted that I hadn’t brought more cold water. Mike Vallis and I had been up since around four, got on the water at five-thirty, and now were staring at poons popping up all around us. A couple of them were so close I even thought they were trying to eat my Hewes Redfisher. “Tarpon at six ‘o clock,” I said to Mike. He turned and in the same instant loosed a cast. The little blue crab smacked the water and within three seconds there was a tremendous thrashing and a tarpon in the hundred-pound class was tied tight to the eighty-pound bite-tippet. Then things got interesting. Mike’s from England, just south of London. He fishes pike and carp Over There, and has done a bit of billfishing. But never before tarpon. “I’m keen to catch something large,” he had told me in his email. “Not really interested in the smaller species.” So on this hot July morning within an hour we (he) was into “something large.” And strong. And angry. “Keep turning his head,” I said. “When he gets comfortable going to the right, shift the rod to the left. And always keep the tip down low. Don’t let him come up to get a gulp of air. That’ll add another thirty minutes to the fight.” “How long,” Mike asked, “does it take to land one of these tarpon?” “Well,” I replied, “until you get into the hang of it, the rough rule of thumb is a minute per pound. Of course, guys like Stu Apte and Lefty Kreh whip ‘em a lot faster than that. But your first fish probably is going to take you a while. “If you’re lucky!” He wasn’t lucky. About an hour into the slugfest I heard the sound that guides dread most. “Snap!” And there was Mike with a perplexed look on his face and the tip section of the rod gliding toward the water. What do you say in a situation like that? So, I said nothing. He managed to get the top part of the rod into his left hand and I started searching for a roll of duct tape that I always keep aboard. Nothing. It was in my garage after a different fix-em-up. But, there was some Surflon braided wire from Spanish mackerel season. “Hold the guides in position,” I said to Mike, and started wrapping. This tarpon, meanwhile, was still giving us fits. My old eyes didn’t fail me, and within less than a minute I had lashed the pieces together. Still Game On. “Ooops,” Mike said just a bit later. “It looks like we’ve come undone,” Back to the drawing board. Re-tie the wire. Add several turns of eighty-pound shock tippet with a couple of half-hitches and PRESTO! You’ve got a rod that lasted ANOTHER hour before we landed this six-foot tarpon that was about one hundred pounds! Mike was both enthralled and whipped. The tarpon, of course, was not enthralled but VERY whipped. I was simply concerned about getting a couple of pictures, reviving this magnificent fish, and maybe catching another one. I guess all of us more or less performed our assigned tasks. Except for the part about catching another one. We stayed out a few hours more and saw some, had shots at some, and wished for shots at others. A few bulged next to the boat. “No Joy” as we aircraft pilots sometimes say. Or, as Rick Pope—president of Temple Fork Outfitters fly rods likes to say—“It ain’t easy being a sportsman!” But, as Mike Villas will attest, “it sure is fun!” Tight LoopCapt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - July 7th, 2009
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED: 
88 °
FISHING: Excellent
July 7, 2009 Looks like this is the “final lap” of the ’09 season for me in Florida. I’ve got Mike Vallis from the UK on Friday, my good friend and fly-tying buddy Duane Hartz on Saturday, and perhaps Dr. Trent Mascola on Thursday if he can break away from fixing sick folks. There still are plenty of tarpon around. We had a lot of shots last week, but the fish had a bad case of lockjaw. Jim Franklin and his young son, Perry, went through a bushel of crabs with “no joy” on Thursday. Same with Ray Czapiga on flies Friday. Ray’s a recent transplant from Connecticut—sold a longtime family sausage-making business-- and fished with me earlier this season. We had a tough day then, too. One of these days, Ray, I’ll get you into a BUNCH of fish. I promise! The GOOD news is that Randy Plumlee, his son Jay, and nephew Colter had a very fine day inside on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) Saturday morning. No tarpon, to be sure, but a varied bag of fish and plenty of them. Big trout, bigger ladyfish, lizardfish, a whole bunch of catfish, and even a flounder! They had a blast until the sun got blazing hot and the kids wore out. So, this week is the final curtain for me in south Florida this year. BINGO! That’ll bring an end to what has been the best tarpon season since 2005. I spent a lot of time on the inside this year because the rollers off the Gulf made even standing on the deck pretty difficult. But, a good guide finds “secret” spots where his people can still get into fish no matter what! The plan now is to button up the house on Sunday and head out early Monday. Stop overnight in Knoxville, then cruise into Deward Tuesday afternoon. Then it’s time to roll out the OTHER boat—Col. John Norcross’ old 24-foot Au Sable Longboat—and get on down the Manistee River between M72 and CCC Bridge. After, of course, taking Kate to several of our favorite spots on the upper river near our nice log house. I hear the caddis and Isonychia are starting to come on in big numbers. There might even be some Gray Drakes lingering because it’s been so cold. And, of course, the “Hopper Hatch” hasn’t even started yet and that’s one of the most incredible daytime fishing events you’ll ever have in Michigan. Hoppers are one of God’s greatest creations when it comes to dry fly fishing! Gosh. Tossing a 479 Finesse Series TFO will seem like a toothpick compared to the big sticks we’ve been using down here. Of course, saying “we” is really a mis-statement—since the only fishing “We” have done this season was the one day Capt. Gospo and I chased tarpon just before he left for West Yellowstone a MONTH ago! He had three grabs that day and I ended up with five, although “grabs” were all they were. We never put Silver into the air. Now he’s back on the Madison and Missouri and I’m going home to the Manistee and Au Sable. Gee, the seasons really fly by. Speaking of “fly” it’s just two months until grouse opener. Woodcock numbers were down about twenty percent last year, but grouse were solid. We averaged 6.1 points/flushes per hour last season and would have done even better if we’d used my dogs more than the “guests” who weren’t accustomed to the woods and tag alders. I’m happy to say that my bookings have been coming in steadily from past clients and my listing in Black’s Shotgunner’s Guide. HINT: If you’re an upland gunner, get with me pretty quickly to book what prime days in October still remain. Go to the LINKS dropdown (up top on the far right) for lodging information. Hope to see you soon in Michigan or Montana! Tight Loops,Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - June 27th, 2009
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
88 °
FISHING: Excellent
JUNE 27, 2009 I had the best of times and the worst of times this week with Al Kestern and grandsons Bradley and Mike. Al grew up in Rocky River, Ohio, not far from where I long ago was a sportswriter for the Lorain Journal. Both boys were born there, but Bradley lives here in Florida. Al moved here from Pittsburgh 10 years ago, and took a fly casting class from me in January. Ergo the Tuesday fishing trip in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) around Venice, Nokomis and Osprey. And geeze we absolutely slayed ‘em. The boys had taken a short fly casting class from me on Monday, but things just weren’t working out with the long rod so we switched to spinning gear and they each hooked fish after fish after fish. A very good day indeed. So then Al tells me they’re going down to Everglades City for a few days and have I ever fished down there. “Yes, I’ve had an Everglades National Park (ENP) permit for five years. Fished there a lot of times.” “Can you guide us down there?” Al asks. Yes, I can. We set the trip for Thursday and I get up about 5am and pull up the radar, since I’m hearing rain falling and some boomers. The screen is filled with green and yellow and red. I go back to bed. At 7am I call Al and we reschedule for our alternate “rain day” on Friday. Big puddles in the parking lot of the Rod & Gun Club. And my buddy John Wilson had called Thursday afternoon to tell me about the rain that had gone through. “I made a good call on this one” I think to myself. So, I get Al and the boys aboard the Hewes Redfisher and off we go to one of my favorite spots. We set up for a drift and there are pushes by big fish everywhere we look. Snook and reds. However, we spent three hours out there and not one single fish ate the Gulp! Shrimp the boys were pitching. First time I’ve ever been skunked down there. Of course, there had been heavy weather the day before and more was on its way. We were running out Indian Pass toward the Gulf when I throttled back. The clouds were building, the wind had picked up and there were whitecaps outside. “Let’s tuck into this cove and get out of the wind,” I said. “I don’t like the way it looks out there.” Two drifts later I heard the thunder. “Reel up, guys,” I said. “We’re heading back toward the ramp.” My plan was to get closer to home and maybe stop and fish a couple more spots that have been good to me. Uuhuh! The clouds got bigger and blacker. More thunder. We got to the ramp at the Rod & Gun Club and I got the boat loaded. BOOM. The rain started and never stopped. It got so bad on the drive back to Venice that my flashers were on and sometimes I was at a crawl on I-75.To make matters worse, I hadn’t eaten much that day OR Thursday, and my blood-sugar levels had crashed. I had to really focus on the driving (compounded, of course, by the weather) and by the time I got home I was shaking so badly I could barely flip a light switch. That happened to me a couple of months ago, when Kate and the dogs were still down here with me, and I THOUGHT I had learned my lesson. Sorta like when I was a kid and my grandmother would yell “EAT, EAT!” Who knew how right she was! A sandwich and a lay-down was all it took to set me straight within a bit more than an hour. But it was scary stuff and the moral of this story is “Don’t Be This Dumb!” Make sure you have enough fuel in your system to keep running on all cylinders. As usual, I’m spending today and tomorrow in the Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters fly shop because I really don’t like to guide on weekends unless it’s mandatory. I’ll get some bugs tied—maybe even some trout stuff since I hope to get home not long after a tarpon trip I have booked July 10 with Mike Vallis from the UK. Speaking of which… ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE Ghost, the 12-year-old, and Heart, the eternal puppy at 2-years-old, are keeping Kate hopping. Literally. Up from her editing chair to put them into the 800-square-foot pen. Back up from her computer screen to let them in for nappy-time in their crates. Back up from the chair when there’s a whine that signals “Mom—I drank a lot of water and need to go back outside.” And so it goes. “But Heart’s showing signs of growing up,” Kate told me last night, after I’d recovered from my “crash.” “He’s getting calmer. Doesn’t leap up as much. And he’ll lay down here on the kitchen window seat and sleep. “He’s still not much of a guard dog, though. The FedX truck pulls up and he never barks. I think it’s because Ghost can’t hear very well anymore and she sleeps so soundly. She doesn’t react the way she used to, so he doesn’t have a role model to learn from that when somebody pulls up to the back door you bark like crazy. “But, he’s coming along.” Which is a very good thing. Since grouse season will only be two months away once I finally get home! I have days open for float trips on the Au Sable and Manistee rivers during the “Hopper Hatch” in late July and August, and for the beetles, crickets and ants in early September. Check your schedule. Always remember the immortal words of Sparse Gray Hackle: “The trout do not rise in Greenlawn Cemetery.” Tight Loops, Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - June 20th, 2009
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
90 °
FISHING: Excellent
JUNE 20, 2009 I’ll tell you all about the marvelous fishing we’ve been having in a moment. Tarpon everywhere. Big trout. Ladyfish. And “an old home week” morning. But first, I’ve gotta say the biggest news in the past two weeks—for me at least—is that a lump on my chest is not cancerous! Having gone through that whole scene with Kate five years ago, I DEFINITELY was not looking forward to an encore. I called Dr. Melinda Beth Hart, who took care of Kate, and she got me right in. Sonogram inconclusive. “Since you’re here, let’s do a biopsy. Just so we know what we’re dealing with.” “Do we really have to do this,” I say. “We won’t do anything you don’t want to, but we really should know what we’re dealing with.” Okay, I say and she jabs a needle the size of the space shuttle into me. Hurt like hell. Then she tells me “this is going to sound like a dentist’s drill” Four holes later she says “you might experience some bruising.” Right. My right tit is still as purple as an eggplant! THEN she says I need a mammogram. Uuhuh. So I get squished and squashed for about a half hour on both sides. BUT!!!!! Everything came back clean and I’m still gonna be taking you fishing and telling you very politically incorrect jokes and going grouse hunting and generally having a very fine time in This Wonderful Life. Speaking of which. This is probably the best tarpon season in the last three or maybe four. Lots of fish. Eating fish, I mean. Lots of jumps. Plenty of action and excitement. First, though, I’ve gotta tell you about Fran and Joe Roberto, and their kids Nate and Melissa. I get a phone call from Bob Wiser, who’s been working with me at Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters. “I met these people on the beach at Siesta Key,” Bob says, “and they want to book a charter. Here’s the phone number.” Humm. A 330 area code. Ohio. Where I was born and raised. So I dial and Fran answers. We chat a minute and I ask, “so where are you from in Ohio?” “Little town called Warren,” she says. “Near Youngstown.” A pause. Then I tell her “I was born in Warren. But grew up in Niles” A pause. “NO WAY!” she yells. “My husband grew up in Niles!” So, we spent a morning catching fish and talking about all the people we knew and grew up with and some like Richard Albarini (who owned THE restaurant in the area) who died. Melissa caught the most fish (she kept track) and we had a lot of laughs. Which is how it’s supposed to be. Anyway, we caught a whole bunch of fish that morning in the Intracoastal Waterway around Nokomis and Venice. The next day—my 60th birthday, by the way—I got the news that everything was clean and green! This week I got Tom Ladimir and his wife, Gladys, surrounded by a horde of tarpon on the Myakka River. Gladys was in the dreary throes or Dramamine and didn’t participate much, but Tom hooked two poons and was shocked at the number of fish around us. Yesterday my ophthalmologist, Mark Johnson, hooked his first-ever tarpon on a fly. It was a really magnificent fish, well over a hundred pounds. He set the hook hard. But kept too much pressure in his excitement and it broke off at the 20-pound class tippet. “You are immortal,” he said as we were no-waking back to the ramp. “That fish and this day will live forever in my mind.” Pretty good morning, I’d say. ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE Kate says a raccoon has been hanging around the bird feeders up at the Michigan house driving the puppy (two years old) absolutely CRAZY. “That coon comes to the feeders about 9:30 every night and Heart goes absolutely berserk! Runs the length of the (36-foot-long) porch constantly. I mean his tongue is distended when I finally get him back into the house. “Fortunately, the coon doesn’t appear rabid at this point. BUT, you might have to take extreme measures whenever you DO get back home!” Ah, yes. Home. Anybody out there interested in catching some very large brown trout on hopper flies up on the Manistee or Au Sable Rivers in Michigan during July or August? Let me know. Kate, Ghost and Heart would be VERY happy. Me too. But, I’ll stay in Florida chasing tarpon till August 1 if need be. See you soon—one place or the other! Tight Loops,Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Venice - Snook Alley - June 7th, 2009
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED: 
85 °
FISHING: Excellent
JUNE 7, 2009
It’s been blowing and raining hard the past couple of days, but tarpon are absolutely EVERYWHERE! They’re just off the beaches of Casey Key, Venice, and Manasota Key, and they’re inside all of the creeks and rivers.
Fortunately, the forecast is for clearing skies and hardly any wind for the foreseeable future. Which means Bob Pascal and his ladyfriend Terry "should" have an enjoyable day on Tuesday. I certainly HOPE so, since he couldn’t break away from his world-famous St. Michael’s lodge in Maryland last month and generously gave the days to a mutual friend from Nokomis, Bob DeBoer.
Unfortunately, when Bob fished with me we were once again surrounded by fish with a bad case of "lockjaw."
One day later, Rande Yeager had four "grabs" with flies, but just didn’t get a solid hook-set on any. "Setting the hook on these tarpon is like setting the hook on the side of this Hewes Redfisher," I told him. "Slam the hook home with your line hand, then bang him boom-boom-boom with the rod."
His son, Brooks ("I tell everybody I named him after the finest third-baseman in the history of baseball," Rande says) made up for it the next morning, though—in spades!
We got onto the water at 6am, and in less than 15 minutes Brooks hooked a 50-pounder. Thirty minutes later he brought it to the boat and that tarpon absolutely went berserk when I reached down to lip it. Thrashing, churning and finally crashing away, it totally slimed me!
So, no Pentax Moment for posterity. Except in everybody’s mind.
Of course, things got incredibly exciting a little while later. Tarpon kept milling around everywhere. Rande and Brooks were sharing the trip with another of my regular clients, Mark Goodnight, of Charlotte NC. The anticipation level was off the charts.
Finally, Brooks grunted. "Got one," he said, and line peeled off the reel. One HUGE jump later a magnificent tarpon in the hundred-pound class was six feet out of the water and then off the line. Turns out Brooks had tightened the drag a tad too tight. BIIIIIIIING!!!
"Damn," he said, with a bit of a tremble in his voice. "I sure would have liked to keep him on just a little bit longer!" A beautiful fish, to be sure. Rande was so thrilled that Brooks got into those fish that he barely wet a line. Mark, on the other hand, was frustrated. So many fish, and no hookup.
Rande and Brooks could only spend a couple of hours that morning, and the rest of the day Mark was casting to fish that simply wouldn’t open their mouths. "I’m gonna take up GOLF," he wailed at one point. "And that boy hooked TWO!"
But, a couple of days later (when he was SUPPOSED to be back in Charlotte), he yelled from the dock where was sitting on his bucket of lures. Capt. John and I had decided to break our two-year (or was it THREE) streak of not fishing together. Our guide schedules are so conflicting that we never get a chance to share a boat ride.
This time, we each had Thursday morning open and decided we were going fishing. Sort of. We each had three "grabs" but hadn’t put any silver into the air when Mark recognized me and called out.
"Let’s go get Mark," I said. "He fishes with me a lot. Give him a bit of a freebie."
"Tell you what," John replied. "Drop me off and fish him for a while before you come to my house." I was having trolling motor issues (again—as usual) and John was going to zap an ohm meter on the various electrical items.
Poor Mark. Still dozens of fish with no hookups.
"I guess I’ve just got bad karma," he drawled.
Nope. It’s just tarpon time! Have I told you I hate fish?
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Ghost—who’s 12—and Heart—who turns two on Saturday think it’s bird season!
Kate says the weather up in Michigan has been absolutely horrible. "You wouldn’t be guiding with the weather this cold," she told me AGAIN today. "I can’t imagine any brown drakes coming off with the air temps in the 30s at night and barely 50 during the day."
BRRRRRRR!
Kate said that when the dogs came in after being in the 800-square-foot pen for a couple of hours, Ghost ran right over to her cozy little nest next to baseboard heater and curled up. "I think she figured Heart would try to claim it," Kate said, "and she wasn’t having ANY of that!"
Smart dog. Of course, she always has been. Which is why she’s a legend among grouse hunters in northern Michigan. Made her first retrieve at 21 weeks old and has absolutely beaten herself up damned near every hunting season since. God, I can’t imagine the pain of losing her.
And the puppy is still ALL puppy. "He’s been going NUTS over the mourning doves," Kate said. "Gets up on his hind legs and looks out the dining room windows when he sees them at the bird feeder. Dances around on his hind legs and whines."
Yep. He’s gonna be a good one. And I’m gonna try real hard to never look down on him in comparison to Ghost. Of course, I might not have to. The boy has a nose on him. I just have to keep him in the same county.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
photos
|
|
Your search returned 33 items (most recent reports for all waters in )
Now showing items: 1 - 10. Select page: 1
2
3
4
|
|
|
|
|
 |
The Echo2 Fly Rods by Tim Rajeff
Fishwest Outfitters
It's impossible to find a better rod for the money.
Special: 269.95 and Free Shipping!
More
info >>
|
C&F Design Fly Boxes
Fishwest Outfitters
Free shipping on all C&F Design fly boxes...
Special: FREE SHIPPING
More
info >>
|
See the entire line of Fishpond Products
Fishwest Outfitters
Fishpond & Free Shipping!
Special: FREE SHIPPING!!!
More
info >>
|
| view all specials >>
|
|
|
|