SpiritFly Charters
Capt. Alex Moran
"A long December and there's reason to believe, maybe this year will be better than the last." First person to email me with artist credits while they book a charter will receive one of my coveted "breakfast beers" upon departure. We need your casting arm lubed up, the fish won't know what hit em!
So a whole year flew by and we have one in front of us, full of potential both on and off the water. I was going to say my new year's resolution would be to submit all of my articles on time this year but I definitely already screwed the pooch there.
I decided to get a tattoo on the deadline date and the endorphin rush afterwards forced me to grab a couple of beers at a nearby watering hole which was promptly followed by a nap. It's an exciting life I lead folks, I tell you.
I think for this year I'm going to try and make sure to fish at least one BRAND NEW area every week. Exploring around here is really the fun part of this whole adventure I've embarked on over the last nine years so screw it, let's go find something new and fun!
Let's see, November and December were a total whirlwind in our house. Lot's of travel and family gatherings. Whitney and I snuck up to Louisiana for a tiny bit of fishing and a ton of food (big shout out to my buddy Craig Limsang for giving us a little bow time) If you're looking to fish biscayne bay or the upper keys give him a ring.
She crushed it as usual. Shortly after that I played my first "World Cup" of paintball (yes I'm still 13 years old) so that was a crazy few days, then all of a sudden fireworks went off and here we are in a new year.
The December "Pine Island Fly Fishing Club" meeting went well, it was fly tying night so we gathered around with beers in hand and talked gurglers/mid water column patterns for our pesky redfish in the winter (more on that later). If you'd like to get involved with the club, it meets the third Monday of each month at "Street Eatz" on Pine island. You're guaranteed some laughs and some hard earned local knowledge. Make sure to sign up for the monthly newsletter so you can get updates on upcoming meetings.
I'd say that's enough "off the water re-cap" for the end of the year. Let's get to my chosen frustration (I mean profession) which is fly fishing in the salt. Both at the club meeting and boat ramp myself and my guide buddies have been telling tales of picky redfish all over Pine Island Sound. The good news is that we're all consistently finding the fish, the bad news is they're just tough to feed. The constant pressure from boaters coupled with crazy weather swings this time of year has everybody scratching their heads to try and get a bite. It is possible though!
I've been focusing on the middle of the tide whenever scheduling with my clients allows. The low tides this winter have been pretty extreme so I like having an extra few inches of water to get around safely. Most of the fish I've been finding have been on leeward shorelines that get hit by sun at first light.
These fish are typically pretty lethargic early in the mornings (as am I so there's that) so I like to keep my retrieves nice and slow to make it easy for them to get a bite for breakfast. With our water clearing up as it typically does this time of year, sometimes I'll switch down from a 1/0 fly to a #1 just to get a slightly softer presentation if they're being extra spooky.
As a rule of thumb, during winter months I'm generally expecting to see almost exclusively redfish, and gator trout in the shallows, BUT every now and then you'll come across a monster snook or two wallowing in the deeper holes along those sunny, or muddy banks. For these gals I'm just crossing my fingers and throwing something small with a TON of movement (think marabou or rabbit strip tails).
If you're lucky enough to not spook them before the fly hits the water then the standoff begins. You need to get the fly close enough to them that they notice it but it can't be "attacking" them. After all, when was the last time you saw a shrimp or pinfish eat a snook?
This is a cat and mouse game at this point. Do everything you can to keep the fly in the strike zone and let them decide to screw up (easier said than done I might add). When you find these fish in shallow water, keep that location pattern in mind for the rest of the day. They won't be there for more than a couple of days so take note of bottom contours, wind, and sun direction to dial them in before the next front comes in and the drawing board gets cleaned off by a janitor from Boston trying to solve a math problem. "How do you like them apples?"
That's all I've got spilling out of my goofy brain for this month, I'm sure after hitting send something will come to me but oh well. I hope everyone has had a great and fun holiday season.
As for the year to come, I challenge you to try something new, take up a hobby you've never pulled the trigger on, go to a new city (or country even), and at the very least enjoy what we are so lucky to have down here.
We've only got a few weeks before tarpon spill back into my brain so I'm going to enjoy some quiet time on the water, hopefully with you! Feel free to reach out for a charter or some fish talk.
Until next month, take care folks. Watch out for the snowbirds, the "dead sign" count in our neighborhood got up to five for December (I'm not sure how so many people run over traffic signs but it sure is a fun anomaly to ponder while you're waiting for a light to change).
Anyways, see you kids on the other side!
Capt. Alex Moran
Spiritfly Fishing Charters
SW Florida
