{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: SRQ - Siesta Key Recap (warning: hardcore fish porn)

Very nice Remick -- We spent a lot of the past weekend mushroom hunting near streams which were essentially unfishable ;).  Cool trip!

Gene

On Tuesday, May 20, 2014 3:40:38 PM UTC-4, FlyTimesDC wrote:

Thanks Scott! You're going to crush it down there off the beaches. Just a magical place in spring and fall

On Tuesday, May 20, 2014 1:47:27 PM UTC-4, FlyTimesDC wrote:

Howdy folks,

It looks like I'm coming home to a drastically different river than the one I left. Good deal.

Just got back from spending the last 9 days in the bastion of fly fishing bliss that is Southwest Florida this time of year with one of my best friends. Over the course of those 9, glorious vacation days  I spent 108 hours (12hrs/day) on the water in reckless DIY pursuit of reds, snook, and my favorite fish of all time - tarpon. 

Waking up every day at 5:30am will catch up to you, but that's what coffee and dip are for. You've got to make the most of your time when you're in a special place. Needless to say, I couldn't have spent my vacation time in better fashion and all the time spent tying flies, readying gear, and researching tide and moon phases was time well spent. But enough of that, onto the good stuff....

While Siesta Key is more known as a beach spot and the spring training home of my beloved Orioles, I've been fishing down that way for 15 years now and the fly fishing opportunities in this area are somewhat limitless. There are a lot of different types of water to fish (Gulf, beach, bay, tidal lagoons and creeks, etc) which can lead to that little voice in the back of your head questioning if you made the right call for that particular session....the lagoon is dead - you know the beach is on fire...you blew it!.....that sort of thing. But when you're in the pursuit of a particular fish, especially one that challenges you and pushes your physical, mental, emotional limits like tarpon do, you've got to put aside the temptations of "easier" water and keep pounding the groves for that one, glorious fish.Eventually things will line up. That said, there's a fine line between cowboying up and pushing your limits to try and get bit and fishing "dead" water repeatedly. 

In order to make the most our time time, we'd commit first and last light hours to fishing the Heron Lagoon before venturing out to fish the bay or beach (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Heron+Lagoon+Cir/@27.2344141,-82.5204144,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88c3424b56304925:0x29f877f4830010b0) - created during Sarasota's last, great hurricane in the 20s, this lagoon is a mile and a half long lined with mangrove shorline, limited public access (you need to know someone on the inside or stay at the Banana Bay Club resort (great rates for SRQ) in order to take full advantage of this incredible fishery), no motors, and few other wary souls. To boot, this play ground is absolutely loaded with snook, juvenile tarpon (up to 60lbs), and a robust population of upper slot redfish (personal best from this water is 45"). In other words, my dear TPFRers, you need to get down and check this place out for yourselves. It fishes well year round.

Fishing out of a 9.5ft fiberglass water tender that my buddy and I essentially turned into a drift boat for most of our stay - we would take turns paddling the boat with an old, wooden canoe paddle, keeping the boat in position along the groves while the other fished hard for a loosely timed half hour. We'd switch roles whenever the other got tired or caught a nice fish.. Quasi-drift boat fishing for tarpon, reds, and snook is a pretty cool experience in itself, but when you're out there solo, without a paddleman to keep the boat out of the mangroves, and you've got to fight the fish, keep the boat in position out of the trees, and try to stay calm during all of this, you can have some pretty intense moments before even having that first sip of coffee...But hey, that's the fun stuff, right? 

Each session out on the lagoon, we somehow managed to jump/lose a juvi tarpon and consistently stick a few really nice reds. When the sun got up around 9:30-10, it was time to get off the lagoon and check out some of the other local options. When the winds would allow, we'd head over to the beach and try to sight fish snook in the wash and along the rocks for a few hours before heading to the Sniki Tiki for beers, fried food, and a hop in the pool around 2pm each day. After a little r&r we'd get back on the water around 4pm and fish through midnight. Then repeat. 

After 4,000 or so casts, I finally came tight on a nice, 10-12lb juviie who destroyed a starfoxx and ran me into the groves.  I will never forget the aerial display. After a 20 minute struggle, I brought the fish boat side to snap a few pics before reviving my respected quarry and releasing him back into the black water. While certainly not the biggest or most badass tarpon ever caught, I can honestly say I will never forget that fish.

We threw a fair amount of flies at these fish,but a few patterns stood out - the #6 starfoxx for stained water in the lagoon and a new, #2 white bait imitation I cooked up about a month ago for the gulf that's still nameless (pics attached)...for now.,,,

Two-handed retrieves saved a lot of strain on the elbow as these fish wanted the fly fast, fast, fast.

Way more pics to put up, but here are some of the winners....

Stay fly,

Remick

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