Sept. 4, 2007

Fishing was way better than business during the last month or so. But that?s about what we expect in Florida during August and September.

So, we took advantage of the slow time to do a little fishing on our own.

In August, I drove to Goodland and spent a day with redfish pro Al Keller aboard his Dolphin flats skiff. But we didn?t target redfish. We were going for tarpon. We jumped five between the two of us and landed one. I was fortunate enough to land the only fish, a 15-pounder on fly rod. The fish was strong and determined. I also landed a nice snook on fly.

I then got to fish with my friend, Capt. Rick Grassett (http://www.flyfishingflorida.net/) and we had a good ?after-tarpon-season outing.? According to Rick, many anglers think tarpon season ends in early July. But he has found over the years that some of the best action takes place after the season has ended.

?It?s my favorite time of year for tarpon,? Grassett said. ?There are still plenty of fish around and there?s no one out there fishing for them.?

Except Grassett.

We headed out Big Pass and spent a couple of hours in the inshore Gulf of Mexico off Point of Rocks. The Gulf was choppy and tarpon tough to see. I had a bite on a crab, but was tight for just a couple of seconds.

We left that area and headed to a shallow-water area near Big Pass. Nothing was going on, so Rick decided to head toward New Pass. He anchored in five feet of water. It didn?t take more than fives minutes before the first tarpon showed up.

It was a little out of range, but Grassett fine-tuned his location and we soon were smack-dab on the migration route. Over the next couple of hours, he had a good number of fish within casting range. There were singles, doubles and as many as four fish at a time.

I had several follows and even had one fish do a double backflip on the fly. But he missed.

Finally, a quartet of tarpon approached the boat. I got a decent shot on the lead fish, and it turned to follow the fly. However, it turned out. I picked the line up and cast again. That lead fish seemed to spook, but the second fish rushed the fly and ate. I nearly fell off the boat as a wave hit right at the time I was setting the hook. Luckily, I didn?t fall and the fish was hooked solidly.

Ninety minutes and 12 jumps later, I had the 85-pound tarpon at the side of the boat. We took a few photos and released the fish.

Action has been fairly good in the Buttonwood Harbor area of Sarasota Bay. That?s good news because it has been two years since that area has produced fish. Two years of red tide did a number on the usually reliable spot.

I fished with Jack Hartman of the Lucky Dawg. We spent a morning at Buttonwood and at nearby Helicopter Shoals and did well. We caught a number of bluefish, spotted seatrout and ladyfish. The best moment was a 100-pound tarpon that I hooked on a Rapala Skitter Walk. I was using a baitcasting rig with 20-pound PowerPro and 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. I lost the fish after a 50-minute battle.

I fished the same area out of my kayak and had a decent day. I managed snook to 28 inches, five redfish to 25, 30 spotted seatrout to 17, bluefish to 3 pounds, jack crevalle and ladyfish.

Tim Kelm, a fellow Fly Anglers online member, and brother Dan Kelm of Wisconsin joined me for a bay outing. We fished Buttonwood on the full moon and had somewhat of a slow day. Tim landed a 25-inch snook on a topwater plug. He later caught a small mangrove snapper on fly.

Dan caught a few trout and ladyfish on jigs and topwater plugs.

I spent a morning on Tampa Bay with fellow Heritage-endorsed guide Neil Taylor of Palm Bay. We managed a few Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and one redfish. Most the fish came on jigs.

I absolutely love my new Native Watercraft 14.5. If you?ve never seen one, check them out at http://www.nativewatercraft.com/. They?re very stable, easy to paddle and are great fishing kayaks. I also have a pair of Heritage Redfish 12 (with rudders) in my fleet. And the Heritage Kayaks are sturdy, dependable and great to fish out of. If you?re interested in a traditional fishing kayak, visit: http://www.heritagekayaks.com/

We?re approaching fall. We anticipate decent redfish, snook and spotted seatrout action. In addition, jack crevalle, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and bluefish will offer fun.

We?ll be offering our exciting Everglades trips for oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, bluegill and shellcracker as soon as the weather cools. These trips off veterans fly fishers the chance of landing 200 fish or more per day. And they?re great for newcomers, too. Catches of 100 or more fish are typical.