President’s Corner
Mike Bryant (mjbryant1954@hotmail.com)
Newsletter
“How’d you do?” “Any luck?”
“Caught one decent sea trout and a couple of snappers.”
“See any red’s?
“Nope, and I haven’t a clue where the snook are”
This was a fairly typical conversation on the docks at Chokoloskee Island this year. In a word, the fishing down in the Everglades / 10,000 Island region has been awful the past few months. Even the bait fishermen who have fished these waters for most of their lives say the fishing has been some of the worst they have seen in years. So I don’t have much of a chance trying to catch snook and redfish with my fly rod. But I love fly fishing in saltwater. Red’s, snook and tarpon are all great gamefish that will test your skills and patience. I’m still a novice when comes to fishing down in this area. Learning to fish here is like learning to catch wild trout in the Park. There’s definitely a learning curve.
To make it even more interesting, I bought a small flats boat to increase my range and comfort. So on top of trying to find fish in endless miles of mangrove islands, oyster beds and flats, I now had the challenge of handling a boat, thinking about tides, changing winds and a constantly worry about running onto an oyster bar. All that while attempting to make pinpoint accurate casts underneath mangroves can drive one over the edge. But I love it. All the frustrations and worries disappear when that snook jumps completely out of the water while trying to annihilate your fly. I get that same great feeling when I’m up in the Park chasing trout.
What’s not to like!
Now that we’re back home, I’m ready to start chasing trout up in the Park. This time of the year brings warmer water, active bugs and happy trout. I hope you’ll find the time to get outdoors and fish. Our natural resources are a gift that we need to protect and take every opportunity to enjoy.
Our next Chapter meeting is Thursday, March 24. Guide David Perry will be talking about his experiences and observations on tailwaters. This will be your chance to learn more about tailwaters. I don’t know about you, but this is one area I need all
the help I can get.
I hope you can make the meeting and I’ll see you out on the water!
-Mike
The Royal Wulff is a dry fly pattern first tied by Lee Wulff and has been fished with great success for decades. It imitates many different types of mayflies and terrestrials which make it a great attractor fly for prospecting, this fly works equally well in both slow and fast water. I have know fisherman’s that all they would fished was Royal Wulff in different sizes during the spring. If you fish in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you need to keep some Royal Wulff flies in your Fly box.
