Febuary 2012

January 2012

Killer Kayak Fishing (Dec. 2011)

November-December Redfish (Boca Grande)

Killer back country Redfishing this past few weeks. With all the wind it has been hard to fish in the wide open spots so we have been pushing in to the hard to reach places and finding Redfish are already there.

November Snook and Tarpon (ENP)

Performance Data Yamaha F70

At 257 lbs this motor is 10 lbs. lighter than the Yamaha T60 that was on this boat last year. I have had a chance to run the motor with three different props and have found the prop that I was using last year {Mercury Vengeance 14P} is still the best prop for this boat. Top RPM is around 5800 and this motor is rated for 6300 Max RPM. I have tested the boat with a heavy load and light load. Immediately you feel the acelleration kick in around 3750 RPM. This means that there is better acceleration after this point. It does not change the actual hole shot if you are in a limmited space or in super shallow water. Top speed on the boat went from 32 MPH to 36 MPH. The cruise speed went from 25 MPH to 28 MPH at 4500 RPM. The fuel consumption at the cruise speed went down. The MPG went from 6 MPG at cruise speed with the T60 to 7 MPG with the new F70. The boat handling seems to be exactly the same.

November Redfish (ENP)

The heart of the everglades

got some great photos over the last couple weeks fishing Tarpon in the Everglades National Park.. We have had the opportunity to fish to schools of Tarpon that number in the hundreds and stretched for miles. I have also had the opportunity to target Tarpon from 25-90 lbs. with the fly rod using flies and techniques that have worked well for me over the last 10 years. I have grown very fond of both the spring and fall migrations through the Everglades and I have been able to observe Tarpon behavior patterns in certain areas and predict their movements at these two times of year. In addition the feeding habits and the tides which they feed the most are like the clues to a mystery novel with the Tarpon eating your fly at the end. As is the case with every fishery known to man since the beginning of time, there are still some things we can not control, and with a little luck, the weather cooperates and the fishing gods shine on us from time to time. Some anglers fishing with me over the last couple weeks landed their first Tarpon ever, others landed one of many. This is a lifelong journey and a passionate part of the sport. It is a thrill for me to see these anglers accomplish these goals.

March, April Backcountry Tarpon

http://youtu.be/i1VzsfcwKzs

The Everglades Rodent

Early Bird gets the worm...

With all the people on the water the last couple weeks, it sure has been nice to be on the water early. We have seen a few tailing reds in the morning and once the sun is up we have had shots at small Snook cruising the edges of the mangroves. The Spanish Macs are everywhere and hopefully the Albies and Kings will be right behind them.

Boca Grande Backcountry Redfish !