I left Maine in subzero temperatures and never looked back. When I stepped off the plane in Southwest Florida a warm tropical breeze melted my winter worries away. I had a flyrod in hand within an hour and boy was it a blast. We started on on boat and fished along the beaches, but our fishing efforts were very limited. My wife and I just enjoyed the weather and a beautiful sunset with good friends. After the sunset, we started to make our way home and that’s when my attention was drawn towards FISH. We slowly maneuvered our way through a canal and I could see snook splashing at helpless Mullett. I was like a 10 year old kid again, I could not wait to get off the boat and grab the flyrod. So, I helped secure the boat to the dock and I was off. I took out my 8 wt, strapped on a brown and white clouse and started to cast. Nothing! Then my buddy joe-m told me what I need to do. He said, “You gotta find the light.” See there are tons of docks in the canals in SW florida (Naples area). Many of these docks have lights that point directly into the water and the baitfish gather around the lights. As you know, where there is bait – there is FISH. I found this one great light that shined into the water and this section of water was full of coral and obstructions and moving current. I casted, stripped my line and there they were. I saw several big fish follow my fly right to my feet. I casted again and WHAM. A snook ate my fly and he was pissed. My line screamed out and that fish was in the middle of the channel in no time. Then, Slack line. He snapped me off. I then chased snook all up and down the canal. They were jumpin clear out of the water, but I could not get anymore to take. Joe was not with me, so I just kept trying every fly in my box. I seemed to be casting right on top of them, but they were not interested. I saw Joe this morning and he said that I had to use a certain fly – some sort of glass minnow immitation. So, that’s what I am going to do. We are going down to the ORVIS shop to get the full scoop and we will give it another try…….. We are off fishing…
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
It sounds great and can’t wait to get there. I’ve never really fished for Snook in Naples and can’t wait to try it. Were my stuff ready I’d leave today.