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Rusty Chinnis

Rusty Chinnis

March 7, 2017
Rusty Chinnis is The Sun’s Outdoors columnist.
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June 1, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Fly casting fundamentals

Teaching fly casting has taught me some valuable lessons. Chief among them is the fact that it’s most often easier to learn from scratch using the fundamentals (physics) of the cast than it is to cor…
May 26, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Orange Hammock Ranch

I first heard of Orange Hammock Ranch from Jon Thaxton, a former Sarasota Commissioner and a longtime champion of conservation efforts in southwest Florida. I remember him saying that if this almost…
May 22, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time

The quality of our fishing future

Fishing and the outdoors experiences that my love for the sport have occasioned have played a pivotal role in my life for almost seven decades. This infatuation has also made me passionate about work…
May 11, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: The bike angle

Reel Time: The bike angle

I like to bike and I love to fish. It occurred to me a long time ago that I might be able to access some great fishing spots by bike. More often than not though, my fishing adventures involved a boat…
May 4, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: The cobia

Reel Time: The cobia

As local water temperatures fluctuate between seasons in the spring and fall, savvy anglers know to start looking for cobia in area waters. Often mistaken for sharks whose shapes and coloration th…
April 27, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: For the Birds

Reel Time: For the birds

Who hasn’t been stirred by the sight or song of a bird? The haunting sound of a nightingale signaling the arrival of spring, the flamboyant plumage of a spoonbill or egret and the elaborate rituals o…
April 19, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Tarpon time is coming

Reel Time: Tarpon time is coming

The weather hasn’t cooperated in a long time but as soon as it does, I’ll be out hunting tarpon. It’s a little early for the migration but while I’m waiting for the weather to change, I’ll be plannin…
April 13, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Supporting Suncoast Waterkeeper: The Giving Challenge

I’ve been privileged to live on the Suncoast since 1981.  Being an avid angler, I started seeing the need to act to protect our estuaries and Gulf waters in 1985. That’s the year I joined with Captai…
April 6, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Finding the silver lining?

There are a couple of old adages about finding a silver lining under a crisis. Right now, that might seem to be a bit Pollyannaish given the severity of the problem and the uncertain nature of the fu…
March 30, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
It’s only common sense

Reel Time: It’s only common sense 

I’ve resisted writing about the Covid-19 threat and how it affects fishing and our lives here in Florida. Until now. Why the change? I think it’s incumbent on everyone to have a frank discussion of t…
March 22, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Any given kind

Some of my fondest memories over the years have been spending time with and experiencing the wit and wisdom of some of fishing’s most talented and engaging personalities. One of those people was V…
March 9, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis

Protecting paradise

I don’t think it’s a stretch to call where we live paradise. I hear first-time visitors say that all the time. Many, including me, never leave and that’s part of the problem that can and needs to be…
March 2, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Manatee CCA banquet a huge success

Manatee CCA banquet a huge success

I attended the 2020 Manatee County Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) banquet at the Manatee County Convention Center in Palmetto on Feb. 27. That night, close to 1,000 anglers and conservationis…
February 25, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Pulitzer Prize winning author to speak

Reel Time: Pulitzer Prize winning author to speak

On March 8, Suncoast Waterkeepers (SWK), a local environmental group whose mission is to protect and restore the Florida Suncoast’s waterways through enforcement, fieldwork, advocacy and environmenta…
February 17, 2020
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time Scallopalooza It's Clamtastic

Reel Time: Scallopalooza, It’s Clamtastic

Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) held its 10th Annual “Scallopalooza, It’s Clamtastic” fund-raising event at their new venue, Sarasota’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. on Saturday, Feb. 15. The yearly event sold out a…