Everglades Fishing Report: Backcountry Grand Slam!

I'll admit heading to the everglades and fly fishing the back country with 20-25mph winds didn't exactly excite me like it should have going into this trip. But, with wonderful advice: "you can sleep when you are dead," I set off for Flamingo at 6am. Surprisingly enough it seemed calm, excitement growing. 

When we arrived in at the boat launch it was like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie "Birds." There were vultures and seagulls everywhere and they were seemingly hovering right above our heads waiting for the right moment to peck out our eyes... (Apparently they are a problem there?) That thought quickly left my mind as we raced across whitewater bay and into some intricate interconnected mangrove channels. This place is a maze of epic proportions. When I was in Alaska I though the lakes and rivers were complicated but at least we could use elevation as a place marker or a guide that you are in the right place. Out here if you don't have a GPS you are screwed. Oh hey, that clump of mangroves looks like that patch we passed an our ago but it also looks exactly the same as... yes... every other patch of mangroves in this area! 

When we finally popped out somewhere in Hells Bay we were immediately on fish but it was sporadic. We would get a flurry of 5 or 6 snook and then nothing. For just about long enough to lull you to sleep and then another one would try to rip the rod out of your hand. This went on for most of the day until we hit this stretch where there must have been hundreds of snook just lining this cut, because it was all I could do to release one and get my fly back in the water. It was literally two straight hours of catching 14-24 inch snook, all on the same fly, all in the same 300 yards of water. It was insane, it was BY FAR the most action I've seen on a fly rod since I've moved down here. To top that off in the midst of the chaos I landed my biggest red fish to date on a fly rod. As well as two mangrove snapper, and a lady fish. All in all I'm sure I landed 25 snook and that is a modest estimate... 

On our way back to the ramp to end our day my luck found a way to have another positive twist! Tarpon started boiling everywhere on glass minnows. Holy shit! Several casts later I had the silver king doing a tail walk across the water right in front of me. Granted it was only a 4 pounder instead of a 104 pounder, but I'll take it! A couple more tarpon in the boat made me one happy fella. After all it's not every day I get to go out and land the backcountry grand slam... Tarpon, Snook, and a Red Fish. 

First Tarpon on the Fly!

The smallest tarpon I landed... haha awesome. 

The only fly I used ALL day. It caught everyone of my fish. It's a little worse off then it started but boy was it productive.

Big snook of the day!

The Red Fish that completed my Grand Slam!

"Treat" of the Week

This week I bring to you another installment of... More memorable moments. These moments are "firsts." These past years have been full of firsts, and these are just a couple of pictures that captured some of my "first" moments.

First Barracuda On the Fly

First Peacock Bass On the Fly

First Sunrise in Alaska

First Condor Sighting in Chile

First Brown Trout in Chile

My First Bonefish on the Fly!

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to go out and fish the flats to chase some tailing bonefish. Okay wait let's preface this story with some details.

I was in the Orvis store this week and one the flats captains walk in, James Koch, he had been out bonefishing the last two days with the same client. They had been seeing tons of tailing fish but were unable to connect with any.. He was a little frustrated so he asked me if I would go with him before work really early in the morning. "Be off the docks at 6:30 at the latest," I told him I would be there at 6:15. 

Of course I wasn't going to hesitate. I haven't had any real opportunities to chase bones yet so I wasn't going to pass. Now the weather just had to cooperate and we were golden. 

5:30 am we check the weather. Confirmed a go I showered and left my house. Arrive at dock 6:17... two minutes late. 



Imagine if you will the sun rising over the ocean. Just enough light to see and barely a breath of wind on the water. Just enough wind to break up the silhouette of the boat without hindering a cast at all. The sun starts peaking up over the horizon and we start poling the flats. I have to fight not to cast at a needle fish I am so excited...

I kid you not we are maybe there for 20 minutes and I see my first tail. James poles over to it slowly and a few more pop up. The next few seconds feel like an eternity I shoot a cast out in front of them it's a short cast really maybe only like 40 feet. I drop it at 30... too short. Recast closer but still too short.. I'm starting to panic a little, I reach back and just drop one in about 3 feet in front of my last cast and right on length wise. "STRIP, STRIP, STRIP!" FISH ON!! BOOOM that thing just explodes line out, I'm doing all I can not to wrap it around the rod, reel, my feet hands, all the experience I have with big fish melts in front of me as this 6 pound bone fish tears off 200 feet of line in 5-6 seconds. It's on, I can celebrate making it through the most difficult part. I look at James and he says to me "I never really do breathe while all of that is going on." Me either. Several minutes later it is such a relief when that fish is up to boat for a good photo opp where I can "Grip and Grin" with the best of them. 

I had two more good shots at bones this morning. The first I spooked, just didn't lead them quite enough. The second which was a way better shot, I hooked into. When it took off I had almost all the line out, it circled and it ran right back at me. I stripped it tight only to have it take off again! I was all but in the clear when I put just a little too much pressure on the last 6 inches of line and it jumped up and wrapped the butt section of my rod. It about broke my heart. But, I guess that's why we get the itch. If you land all of them why would you keep fishing for them. It's the challenge we want. A wise man once told me "If fly fishing was easy, nobody would do it."

Special thanks for Captain James Koch. A fantastic, knowledgable, easy going, experienced flats guide. I highly recommend fishing with him if you get the chance and are down our way. If you want to fish with him you can either ask me or call the charter desk at 305-367-2227 ext. 2! Thanks James!