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Rusty Chinnis

Rusty Chinnis

March 7, 2017
Rusty Chinnis is The Sun’s Outdoors columnist.
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December 12, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Pole long enough and the fish will find you

Reel Time: Pole long enough and the fish will find you

I’ll always remember the adage, “Pole long enough and the fish will find you.” I heard this years ago when fly fishing legend Captain Steve Huff was the featured speaker at a Mangrove Coast Fly Fishe…
December 5, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Guides’ gift guide

Who better to suggest a good present for a fishing friend than one of our local fishing guides? These men and women spend over 200 days a year on the water and know better than anyone what works and…
November 29, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Angler’s gift guide

Yes, it’s that time of the year again, and if you’re wondering what Christmas cheer to bring to your special angler, I’ve got some suggestions. The best things I can recommend are the products that I…
November 22, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Bahamian bones

Reel Time: Bahamian bones

If I had to pick my favorite fish to catch, it would probably be a bonefish. Tarpon are amazing targets, as are redfish, little tunny and snook, but sight fishing for bonefish in the locations they i…
November 8, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Anatomy of a fishing rod

Whatever rod you fish with, be it a spinning rod, a fly rod or a casting rod, they all share the basic components – blank, guides, reel seats and handles. So why is one rod more expensive than anothe…
November 1, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: The Center, clean and green

Reel Time: The Center, clean and green

The Center of Anna Maria Island has long been a valuable resource for the citizens and visitors to the Island. In 2019, under the leadership of the Center’s executive director, Chris Culhane, and the…
October 24, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Little tunny time?

Reel Time: Little tunny time?

Little tunny, one of my favorite species to catch on the fly, has essentially been missing for the last two years. Sure, anglers have encountered them during this time, but I haven’t found them to be…
October 17, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Get ready for fabulous fall fishing

Reel Time: Get ready for fabulous fall fishing

As I write these words, the first front of the fall season has begun to clear the humidity, a harbinger of cooler temperatures and hot offshore action. Just last week I scouted the Gulf waters fro…
October 11, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: In praise of seabirds

One of the things that makes the Suncoast special is our seabirds. Who hasn’t been stirred by the sight or song of a bird? The haunting sound of a whippoorwill signaling the arrival of spring, the co…
October 3, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Join the CLAMpaign For Clean Water

Readers of this column appreciate the importance of clean water. From the glass we put to our lips and extending to the waters that surround the islands, water is literally and figuratively life…
September 26, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Enjoy nature at the Florida Birding and Nature Festival

Reel Time: Enjoy nature at the Florida Birding and Nature Festival

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ann Paul since the late 1980s when she and her late husband, Rich, head of Audubon’s Coastal Island Sanctuaries, worked with the Sister Keys Conservancy and the…
September 20, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Pick up some trash, win some cash

PALMETTO – Suncoast Aqua Ventures will hold its 5th Annual Reef and Beach Cleanup the weekend of Oct. 2-3 at the Bradenton Yacht Club, 4307 13th St. W. Suncoast Aqua Ventures was formed in 201…
September 13, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Vote water

Readers of this column are well aware of the critical state of our coastal waters in Manatee County and beyond. The recent 2020 and 2021 lyngbya blooms brought the issue front and center as the harmf…
September 6, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: The Mayfly Project

Reel Time: The Mayfly Project

I discovered The Mayfly Project when a child therapist reached out to me to find a mentor for a young man in St. Petersburg. Like so many young men and women, he loves to fish but has no one to coach…
August 30, 2021
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: The lure of reds

Redfish are a favorite target for local anglers and late summer and early fall is a great time to target this versatile gamefish. Redfish are a sort of everyman’s fish in the sense that they take rea…