Capt.PeteRowney
11-28-2007, 09:54 AM
Greetings from the Florida Keys. I can't believe we're practically in December. It sure doesn't feel like it. The last couple of weeks have been nothing but solid good fishing. Despite a fast moving cold front last week there still have been plenty of little tarpon (5-10lbs) around and the livebait guys have been doing well with larger tarpon at the bridges. We've had some pretty warm weather as of late but we're coming into winter and that means for the most part some kind of wind. While it can be frustrating for the fly caster the one benefit is that the fish are usually a whole lot friendlier. Super slicked out conditions are really cool but they can prove frustrating. Last week was a perfect example. It was a full moon tide and absolutely breathless. Poling around looking for reds and snook in the skinny stuff was as every bit as hard as trying to bonefish. Fish were blowing out well down the shoreline just from the sound of the pushpole. We wouldn't even see the fish, just some nice big wakes streaming away from us. The fish that we did have shots on either ran over the fly or simply ran away. Very next day with a good 15 knots of wind, we could get right on top of them and guess what, they ate! Just like anything else, the wind can be a curse or a blessing. You just have to learn to deal with it and adapt your gameplan. The great thing about fishing is the surprises. I love going out with the feeling that it's going to be a tough day and come home pleasantly surprised at how good the fishing was. Rewind to the week previous. It was a quarter moon (see: weak tides) and a fast moving cold front had just swept through. While I had high hopes I was not optimistic. The first half of the day proved me right. The fishing sucked. A few ladyfish pooping all over your deck does not make for a good morning but it all changed at lunchtime. It's funny how a couple degree increase in water temp can change everything. It started with casting blind on a shoreline and coming up with a healthy snook. Five minutes later another. A minute later finger mullet were balled up in a corner and spraying on occasion. Casting into it a huge wake came up from behind and it was fish on! Catching a glimpse of it, I thought it was an absoultely monster snook. It headed for the deep but after a ten minute battle it finally showed to be a 35 lb. Jewfish. Five minutes later I noticed a little bait spray on a point. Snook were all over the point hanging on a downed tree. We took six slot snook and two nice reds and busted off another half dozen. After the action died (I think we hooked every one) we moved around the corner and started to work a shoreline with some nice clean bottom. The redfish were all over it. Sometimes tough to see with the light and the mullet mud but we managed to sight cast and ended up with 10 reds in the 6-7lb. range. Not a bad day! Slow start but great finish. You just never know. Until next time. -Pete