Fishing Action and Fly Tying - Social Distancing Together
April 15th is here, which means we have made it through half of our social distancing month. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am starting to go a little stir crazy! In an effort to keep our minds on more positive things, I decided to put another tying video together and show some pre-corona fishing action. My hope is these videos will help inspire you and give you a little entertainment.
Paul Greaves has been a long time friend and client of mine. In early March, just prior to the social distancing mandates, he joined me for three days of fishing. Paul is the type of client that is happy to spend time on the water, whether the fish want to cooperate or not; it is his place to put the real world behind, relax, and re-focus on him. On this trip, the fish were very cooperative! Redfish were tailing, backing and extremely receptive to flies that were placed in the right area. I didn't get to film all of the fish we caught, but this video is a good highlight of the action we enjoyed. Trips like these are why I love guiding. A group of people enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer and sharing a lot of smiles and laughs.
Fly Tying - The Spartina Turner
The Spartina Turner is a fly that was developed by me and Legendary Angler Flip Pallot. Flip and I were fishing Mosquito Lagoon, a few years back, and found several large seatrout on the flats. All of the fish were large, but they were laid up in crystal clear, shallow water; presenting a fly large enough to entice them, without spooking them, was almost impossible. It was also difficult to determine if they wanted a shrimp or a baitfish, as both prey items were abundant in the area. That evening, I sat down at the vise and came up with the Spartina Turner. This fly is designed to give a large profile in the water, while remaining light and sleek enough to be cast with a 5-weight or 6-weight fly rod, on a long leader. The materials used provide plenty of movement in the water, while allowing the fly to stay in the middle of the water column. A few days later, Flip and I hit the water. I showed him the fly and he was eager to test it.
I began poling him across a flat in Mosquito Lagoon. A redfish rose up out of the grass and began moving left to right on us. I called it out and Flip began making the cast. As he laid the fly out, the fish accelerated and pounced on a shrimp that had mistakenly left his grassy shelter. Because of that acceleration, the fly was behind the fish. The fish saw it, and rolled over himself to intercept the fly. It was one of the most beautiful takes I have ever witnessed. We landed the fish and I told Flip the fly needed a name. He thought for a moment and said, "Spartina Turner sounds fitting"; I agreed and the fly was named. Since that time, the fly has been used to catch redfish, seatrout (including several over 30 inches), snook, tarpon and largemouth bass. It is very versatile and works in a variety of conditions. Give it a try and let me know if you have any questions!
Again, I hope this will inspire each of you to sit down and take a moment to tie or remember a favorite fishing trip. There will be more fishing trips in the near future and when this is all over we will all be ready! Stay safe and take care of one another!
Tight Lines and Screaming Drags
- Captain John Tarr