More Firsts! Getting Started with Everglades Fishing

On the trip to the Everglades, I was excited about my second taste of saltwater fishing.  Knowing very little about fishing the salt, I decided that I wanted to catch snook.  Why snook in particular?  People have explained snook to me as the brown trout of the saltwater.  That made sense and helped me understand what to do. 

Snook are ambush predators, lurking around mangrove roots and waiting for baitfish to come by.  Brown trout lay just out of current and I figured snook might do the same.  The second day of the trip dawned bright and promised to be very warm.  We loaded the canoes and I strung the fly rod together, deciding to start with a white stealth bomber (tricked out with flash and rubber legs).  I'm learning to really appreciate the noise making ability of this fly.  Furthermore, it dives and swoons in the water, looking just like a struggling baitfish or something else that is edible.

As we got under way with the day's paddle, I really wanted to get my first fish out of the way so I could relax.  Not knowing what else to do, I started thinking in terms of brown trout.  Paddling towards a creek that led to the next large bay, I noticed the tide had started moving in.  The current was moving around a distinct point just ahead, creating a seam between fast and slow water.  "Perfect," I thought and picked up the rod to cast. 

Amazingly, it only took about 5 casts to get that first fish.  As I fought it closer to the boat I saw that it was a snook!  Not a large fish, but a snook nonetheless.  Two years ago, estimates say that 70% of the snook in the Glades area were killed by the extremely cold winter.  I knew that meant the majority of the fish I did find would be smaller fish.  Since I've never caught any, I didn't care if they were small or large.  I was just happy to be catching fish.

Catherine McGrath Photograph 

Shortly after the snook, I found a school of ladyfish and had fun catching a few before it was time to paddle on.  As the trip wore on, I would become frustrated with the ladyfish because they were hard to keep off my flies.  Still, it is better to be catching something than to be going fishless...

Catherine McGrath Photograph

More fishing opportunities awaited deeper in the Everglades.  But in the meantime we had a brutal paddle ahead to reach our next campsite.  I put down the fly rod, not to take it up again until evening.

Finally, a Musky

After many trips and long days throwing big flies, it all came together.  Yesterday I floated a river with David Perry for musky. I was confident and in a groove with my casting.  Everything seemed effortless.  Less than 30 minutes into the float, a musky blew up on my fly and after a short but savage fight, I had the fish in the boat for a couple of quick pictures. 

Photograph and Guiding by David Perry



Now that I have landed a musky, I'm excited to get back to trout fishing.  This winter was challenging for anyone wanting to hit the tailwaters.  Thankfully the Smokies fished well all winter.  Next weekend I am planning on heading up there for a backpacking trip with some friends.  Also I'm looking forward to getting started with smallmouth soon.  This should be a great year for fishing.  So far it has been a great start!

Soooooo Tired

Every year it gets more difficult and yet I still continue to start, and often finish, epic trips with no where near enough sleep.  The trip to the Everglades was no exception.  We planned well in advance that to maximize time on the water, we should leave Thursday afternoon as soon as school let out for break.  Somehow, I usually end up driving on these long trips.  So when my driving shift came up around 1:30 at night and I hadn't really slept on the way down yet, I figured I might as well get comfortable and settle in for the long haul. 

Hours and many miles later, I was cruising through the gradually awakening world southwest of Orlando.  We had dropped a friend off there, and while it was slightly out of the way, we made it through early enough that it didn't really slow us down too much.  The stress began to build as the sun climbed higher and higher though. 

The Everglades National Park has a thoroughly ridiculous policy that you can only reserve a campsite in person up to 24 hours in advance of your trip, and furthermore that you must reserve any site you plan on using.  Thus, it is always a distinct possibility for visitors to the Park to arrive only to learn that your itinerary will NOT work.  By the time we arrived at the Ranger Station, I was convinced that our trip would probably be in vain and we would not get our site.  This was due to two reasons: first, because I was exhausted and probably not viewing the glass as half full, having been awake since the previous morning around 6:00 am, and secondly because we arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon.  Most of the time this would be far too late during peak paddling season. 

Incredibly, despite our worries, our whole itinerary was totally open.  The list was as follows: first night at Lopez River, second night at Darwin's Place, third and fourth nights at Lostman's Five, fifth night at New Turkey Key, and sixth night at Rabbit Key.  The plan enabled us to experience a little bit of everything, or at least nearly everything, that the Everglades have to offer from remote backcountry bays to mangrove tunnels on Charlie Creek to big water paddling on large bays at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and camping on beaches. 

I was so tired that I really didn't even think of getting out my camera until sometime during the second day.  Suddenly it occured to me that it might be nice to document the trip and I started shooting as often as conditions allowed.  My first shots were of the wide open bays on the upper end of the Wilderness Waterway as we paddled towards Darwin's Place campsite.  Mangrove is on every horizon here. 

The next morning I remembered to shoot a few pictures of camp as well as the scenery around it.  After a couple nights of good sleep, I was feeling much better and ready to really start enjoying the trip!

First Things First

While reviewing and reminiscing about the Everglades is high on my to do list, I am also very interested in the status of the local fisheries here in Tennessee.  Lots of rain mean the tailwaters are all pushing lots of water and although I love heading to the Smokies, I didn't have a whole day to get out and explore.  In the end I settled for a couple of hours at a local farm pond as a last opportunity for fun before break was over. 

This spot gets more than its fair share of pressure but the fishing for bluegill, crappie, and bass is still pretty decent.  This time of year can be iffy though as water temperatures fluctuate, sometimes drastically, and the fish may or may not be on the feed. 

When I arrived I noticed one thing right off: the water was much clearer than I normally would expect at this lake.  Not in just a nice clean water sense either, but in that icy clearness that cold water takes on.  Thinking my efforts might be in vain, I still went ahead and tied on a #14 beadhead Simi Seal Leech.  As long as I was there I was going to fish. 

Working along the shoreline in an shallower area that normally holds some nice bluegill, I settled into my normal routine of casting followed by a very slow twitch retrieve.  Several casts produced nothing and it seemed my fears were on the verge of being confirmed: it was simply too early.  Then I realized that in the cold water, the fly might need a little time to get deeper.  The next cast I waited for 5 slow seconds as the bead dragged the fly deeper before beginning the same slow retrieve.  Half way back to shore, I saw the end of the line twitch.  Normally bluegill will hit hard enough that you don't have to wonder but not this one.  It must have just barely touched the fly.  A quick hookset confirmed that a fish was messing with my fly, and it was soon swimming about as bluegill will do, using its flat body to full advantage to feel much larger than it really was.

Landing the fish, I quickly took a picture of the first spring bluegill and sent it back to grow some more.  Several fish later I decided to explore.  Several other stops produced fish as well. 

Heading back towards the car, I told my friend that I wanted to catch a crappie.  There is a spot that usually holds some but a couple guys were fishing it.  I set up nearby, close enough to have a shot but not so close that I crowded them any. 

For the first couple of casts I saw nothing.  Then the third cast produced a follow from a nice little bluegill.  "Slow down," I thought to myself.  Letting the fly sink even more than normal, I began a slow steady retrieve.  A tap on the end of the line brought the required hookset and I was soon staring in wonder at, of all things, a crappie.  I was suprised, more because I don't really catch that many here, meaning I didn't really believe it would happen.  Happily, I got a picture of my catch and was soon headed home, happy to have got a pleasant hour in on the water. 

Catherine McGrath Photograph

Safely Returned

Another epic visit to the Florida Everglades is now history.  The trip was a lot of fun for many reasons including the paddling, lots of wildlife, and yes, even a little fishing.  Things like camping on the beach were definitely a huge plus as well.  I have well over 10 gigabytes of just my own pictures and video to go over, not to mention similar quantities from my friends as well.  Over the next few days I'll be posting pictures, stories, and other tidbits from the trip.

In the meantime, spring appears to be in full swing here in Tennessee.  That means I have lots of tying and fishing to do.  Today I'm heading out for a little while to check on a local bluegill spot.  Check back often over the next serveral days as I provide lots of updates...

Headed Out

I'm out for now but should be back in a week give or take a couple of days.  Tomorrow we leave for the Everglades and while I'm sorry to leave my beloved Smokies, new horizons beckon and the thought of possibly catching a snook or redfish, not to mention a tarpon, has me definitely excited.  Don't miss me too much.  If the lack of posting gets tiresome, just think about the nice warm weather I'll be enjoying along with the novelty of camping on the beach, just a few feet from the Gulf of Mexico. 

Back with pictures in a few...

Last Trout

Today I caught my last trout on the 2011-2012 Tennessee fishing license.  Until our state becomes enlightened and switches to a different system in which a license is good for a year from the purchase date, the end of February will continue to be time for a new license.  After the quick fishing excursion I stopped for a new license.

The fishing was not exactly as I planned.  Upon arriving at the lake, I discovered that a threatened drawdown of the lake level for some bridge repairs had already commenced.  The fish were not going to be in the expected places, but that just makes the game a little more interesting.  Exploring in a couple of new spots brought continued disappointment until just before time to leave.  As I was thinking about heading to the car, I spotted what looked like a rise ring.  Of course, all such things must be investigated.

On the first cast, a nice healthy rainbow nailed my small beadhead simi seal leech and gave the 3 weight I was using a good workout.  Pausing to appreciate the moment, I realized how tranquil the water was and enjoyed the reflection of the forest above.  For the rest of this week, I'll be tying and packing for the Everglades.  For real this time...no more fishing until Florida...

Preparing

We are in the full swing of preparing for yet another Spring Break Trip.  Last year was the epic Grand Canyon adventure (Part One and Part Two) that I would love to be going on again.  This year, however, we decided to return to the Florida Everglades.  That's right!  Another paddle through the mangroves, camping on beaches, and with a little luck, catching some new to me fish species.  We leave in less than a week and this year's paddle will be longer than the last one. 

With that in mind, I will probably be pretty much swamped for the next few days with little to no fishing time.  Expect minimal updates over the next two weeks, but after that I expect to have lots of good stories and pictures as well.  In March, I have a couple of trips lined up to the mountains already so there should be plenty of new material coming...

Hatches

Go fishing now!!!  The first early spring hatches continue to happen pretty much daily over in the Smokies.  Some nice fish have been caught on dry flies for the fishermen willing to work hard and find those wary browns. 

Currently, bugs are hatching from near Townsend to up past Elkmont, but on the warmest days, the hatches are actually coming off pretty early.  Larger fish will be easiest to catch on those days that keep all but the diehards off the water.  Right now, the crowds are heavy on good days meaning you may be fishing used water.  Thankfully, during hatches at least, you can still catch fish even on "used" water.  This is the best time to fish if you are a relative Smokies novice as fly selection can be as simple as tying on a Parachute Adams.  However, closer inspection will often reveal the fish to be taking Blue Quills or Black Caddis in various stages. 

On a recent trip, I found a good hatch early in the day that dwindled to just a few stray bugs by early afternoon.  During the hatch, the dry fly action was fast and furious.  Before moving to another spot, I found a nice brown rising and got it to nail the dry.  The first cast produced one of the most stressful refusals I have ever had as the fish rocketed out of nowhere just beneath the fly only to vanish just as quickly.  The second cast must have been a better drift and a beautiful brown was soon posing for a quick photo.

 

The rainbows are fatter than I ever remember seeing a Smokies trout.  The high water that has kept the tailwaters off limits to wade fishermen has done wonders for the fish in the Park.  The warm winter probably helped as well.  Anyway, I expect the next few months to produce some of the best fishing in the Smokies in the last 10 years.  As soon as the tailwaters become fishable we should see similar epic fishing on them as well.  Get ready for a great fishing year!!!

Coyotes Taking Over!!!

In this hilarious article, TWRA nemesis Frank Niceley accused TWRA of stocking coyotes to try and control the Tennessee deer herd.  Apparently the TWRA assistant executive director thought it was a joke.  The response was classic:

"Actually, we sent some officers over to Arkansas and gave them swimming lessons," he said. "After we taught them, coyotes could swim over the Mississippi River."

I'm always thoroughly amused at people who want huge populations of game species without any natural predators.  Coyotes don't eat many deer to begin with, focusing mostly on much smaller prey.  The extent some people will go to further their agenda is downright laughable.  I'm just glad that Mr. Niceley was shown to be uninformed. Take a moment to read the article for your morning laugh, especially if you are from Tennessee.