Tuesday, August 2, 2016

{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Summer fishing report: Oregon, BVI, Jacksonville, and Tampa

All,

First off, thank you all for all of your helpful tips and advice; they contributed to my having a great summer of fishing. Below, I've provided a quick overview of each trip:

1) Oregon: I spent a week there for work, and set aside some extra time for fishing. I fished the Clackamas River a few times. It' full of big salmon and steelhead, although I only got into some smaller (~13") rainbows. (I stupidly forgot my sinking line at home, and regret not just buying another one.) I tried to fish the Sandy River, but it was chocolate milk because of snow melt from Mt. Hood. I threw some huge streamers there but had zero luck. At the end of the week, I took some advice from a TPFR member and headed out to the Deschutes River, which I fished for 2 days. In short, it was absolutely amazing. The evening caddis hatch was a blast, although I missed the salmonfly hatch by a week. I didn't take many pics (most of my best catches came in low light conditions), but the attached desert landscape pics and rainbow trout pic are from there. I also included a shot of the Clackamas. I highly recommend a trip to the Deschutes, and will be returning next year. I was surprised by how cheap everything was out there. The people were great, too.

2) Tampa: After arriving around 11:30pm for a work conference the next day, I was unable to sleep. So, I walked down to the river behind my hotel and noticed a bunch of big tarpon rolling under the bridges. Guess who ran as fast as possible to his car to grab his fly rod. (Me.) I was able to catch my first tarpon (and get broken off by a few) under some bridge lights along the river walk downtown. Of all things, they were going crazy for kinky muddlers. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I had a poon jump and head shake at the other end of my line.

3) Anegada, in the British Virgin Islands: I hired a guide for a day of bonefishing, and did fairly well, although the weather was awful. Multiple storms came through, the wind never dipped below 20mph, and there were frequent gusts of up to 30 mph. I was casting an 8wt loaded with a 10wt line, mega double-hauling, casting low and to the side, and otherwise doing everything in my power to get through the wind, but it was still a chore. In addition to a few nice bones (see attached for a pic of one), I caught a jack and a lizardfish (I had never even heard of the latter). I also did some dockside fishing, and got a tarpon (see attached).

4) Jacksonville (my homeland/town): Lots of low-tide kayak and flats boat fishing for reds. I got a bunch of small reds, and a few decent ones (see attached pic of a medium-sized one; I normally catch and release, but I occasionally make an exception for redfish, which I think are one of the most delicious animals/things) in addition to a bunch of flounder, seatrout, mangrove snapper, and ladyfish. For the first time, I fished for reds in the flooded spartina grass during a flood tide; it's something all saltwater fly anglers should do at least once.

I'll stop there. I'm happy to answer any question y'all might have. And thanks again.

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