May 26, 2008

May is cruising by us like a school of tarpon. It just meandered in on you but is quickly swimming on by. May and June are probably the best months of the year to fish for large tarpon on the gin-clear oceanside flats. The backcountry waters of the Florida Bay and Everglades National Park are also a haven for large migrating tarpon. My anglers have been fly fisherman for the most part, and the flies we are using are black and purple for the early morning and overcast skies. When the light gets higher and the water starts to warm, I'm using smaller flies that are brighter in color, like a chartreuse and yellow toad fly or an orange palolo worm fly imitation. There has been a small worm hatch in the lower keys this past week and the tarpon are starting to key in on this tiny tarpon delicacy. I received a report last week from Capt. Doug Mayer who hooked and played 5 tarpon to the boat and jumped more than twenty in just a few hours! That's good fishing.

While most anglers have been searching for the silver king, the bonefish or grey ghost are enjoying less pressure on the flats. Capt. Any Putetti has been reaping the benefits of wide open bonefish flats and is reporting multiple days of catching five bonefish or more each day. He’s been using live shrimp, crabs and flies early in the morning when the water temperature is just right. The bonefish he’s been catching are anywhere from 4 lbs. to over ten pounds. That's great news because the bonefishing should only get better as the summer rolls along.

Sam Kaufman fished with me in this years Golden Fly Invitational Tarpon Tournament. This was his first competitive fishing tournament against some of the best fly anglers in the world. Sam fished hard for three days and learned that he can hang with the big boys. He hooked a lot, caught a couple, and had the time of his life. Congratulations to the winners and watch out for Team Steve and Sam next year!

Capt. Steve

It's mid April and the warm water temperatures have triggered the tarpon to start moving along the flats. Despite a late season cold front that dropped the water temperatures by ten degrees, the tarpon were still chomping. In just the last few days we caught 3 out of seven with the largest topping 140 pounds!

Congratulations to Scott Westfall on catching his first tarpon on fly. After a 45 minute battle the 110 pounder was brought boatside and released unharmed. Nice job Scott!

His buddy, Jerk Bait John Ferguson, has tangled with some pretty big muskies in his day, but the 90 pound tarpon he fought on a spinning rod was a whole new experience. Then throw in a 10 foot hammerhead, and all of a sudden the silver king looked like bait instead of a prized catch. We did a few wheelies around the tarpon to keep the hammerhead at bay. We quickly got the tarpon to the boat and released in good condition despite being t-boned by the hungry shark. Not a scale was disturbed but we followed the shark until the tarpon was far away, had time to revive and be on its way, way away.

Jerk Bait also deserves cudos for catching a tarpon that was on the heavy side of 140 pounds. An hour and a half battle and that tank of a fish put new meaning into a strong fighting fish.

But probably his greatest accomplishment of the trip was hooking and landing his first permit on fly.  The permit was 15 pounds and after a 15 minute fight with the ten weight fly rod, he was all smiles after some quick photos and a release. Great job!

Capt. Steve

Captain Steve Friedman

Email: steve@afishingguide.com

Or check out his website for more information

www.afishingguide.com

Now that the last of our winter cold fronts have moved through the Keys, we can now expect a warming trend to start. Winds continue to blow but the easterly direction brings warm temperatures. Water temperatures are steady around the low 70's, and once they reach a consistent 75 degrees or better, we can expect to see more tarpon patrolling the oceanside flats and cruising the backcountry of the Florida Bay. Fly anglers will be staked out on their favorite points casting toad flies and homespun never-fail flies at schools of migrating tarpon, which include fish from 60 pounds to 170 pounds. I recommend using live shrimp, crabs and pinfish for the spin-casters. Sometimes, I'll use a cork, or bobber, to keep the bait from dipping too deep before the tarpon reaches its meal.

Permit swarmed the flats the last few weeks--when the weather was consistent. When the wind is swirling, variable or just plain unstable, they’re hard to find. Permit are deep-water fish that have adapted to the flats to forage for food. But they still spawn offshore around wrecks and deep drop-offs. Now is when they prepare to move from the shallows to the wrecks, which means they’ll be cruising the flats looking for food and a lot of it. I fished with Loren Rea of Sugarloaf Key in the March Merkin Tournament this year and we had some great opportunities, but the fish just didn't want to cooperate. This is a fly- only competition and three fish caught by Jon Ain, who was guided by Doug Kilpatrick, took home the hardware. An awesome job considering the less than optimal fly-fishing conditions.

Once the water permanently warms up and the weather is more consistent with spring trends, all fish are up for grabs. Along with tarpon, bonefish will be more active and will feel less pressure as many anglers set their sights on tarpon. Snook and redfish will also enjoy the respite. As mullet and other baitfish start to fill the backcountry, “muds” can be seen in the deeper basin around Flamingo, which will offer ample rod-bending action from ladyfish, trout and Spanish mackerel.  This is also where snook, redfish and tarpon will lurk for their daily meals. Early morning spin casters can use top water plugs like a skitter-walk or a popping cork with a troll-rite jig tipped with a live shrimp. For the fly casters, a gurgler on top will induce a strike.  I like to use the “Fishalicious” fly in black or white because of the way it moves in the water, sustains its depth and how it can be cast underneath the mangroves when shoreline fishing.

Capt. Steve