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Rusty Chinnis

Rusty Chinnis

March 7, 2017
Rusty Chinnis is The Sun’s Outdoors columnist.
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April 23, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time Sister Keys Cleanup

Reel Time: Sister Keys cleanup scheduled

Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) will be conducting their Annual Sister Keys Cleanup on Saturday, May 4. The event is a collaboration with the Town of Longboat Key and the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant. Volu…
April 16, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: When opportunity meets preparedness

Out there!  It’s where we all want to be, and where we get so few chances to actually spend time. Whether it’s stalking permit in Belize, poling a flat in Florida for tailing redfish, wading into the…
April 9, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time Homosassa, river of fishes

Reel Time: Homosassa, river of fishes

The great American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was enamored with Homosassa. Homer regularly traveled to Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba during the winter months and this wild, spring-fed coast was…
April 2, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Mentors chart course

Fly fishermen and fishermen, in general, are always seeking ways to improve their enjoyment of the sport. And while that ultimately boils down to learning ways to be more successful at catching fish…
March 26, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel time red tide

Reel Time: Clear water hides looming problem

The red tide is gone! I don’t know anybody that isn’t elated that the most recent harmful algae bloom is absent from local waters. Cross any bridge, look out at the bay and you’ll be convinced that a…
March 19, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Innovators – Architects of modern saltwater fly tackle, part 2

Many of us take the tackle we fish with for granted, but it wasn’t long ago that anglers didn’t have the choices we have today. In the early days of saltwater fly fishing, there were no pre-made rods…
March 12, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Innovators – The architects of modern saltwater fly tackle

No two people are more knowledgeable about the origins of modern saltwater fly tackle than Lefty Kreh (passed in 2018) and Flip Pallot. I was fortunate a few years ago to interview these two living l…
March 5, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Release program promotes fishery recovery

Reel Time: Release program promotes fishery recovery

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), in conjunction with Duke Energy and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, released adult and juvenile redfish at Robi…
February 26, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: Pothole savvy, Part 2

Reel Time: Pothole savvy, Part 2

Last week I wrote about the anatomy of potholes and how to approach them. Depending on conditions, you will want to tailor your strategy when fishing them. When the water is clear enough for you to s…
February 19, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Fly fishing strategy – pothole savvy

Fly fishing is a sport that rewards the angler who carefully considers his prey and pays attention to the conditions and terrain that they inhabit. For anglers who regularly fish the flats, potholes…
February 12, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time New dimensions in trolling motors

Reel Time: New dimensions in trolling motors

Most anglers I’ve talked to have a love-hate relationship with their trolling motors. Some have sworn off electrics altogether, using a push pole exclusively. My first electric trolling motor was mou…
February 5, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Pulitzer Prize-winning author to speak

There has never been a more important time for residents of our Gulf coast region to understand the importance of the resource that brought us to the area and that fuels both our passion and our econ…
January 30, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Clams restored to Manatee County waters

Sarasota Bay Watch capped a two-year clam restoration effort in January. Despite windy conditions and a choppy bay, board members and volunteers placed 7,000 pounds, or about 52,000 clams, at two sit…
January 22, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Push poles – a must in skinny water

Push poles are as essential as rods and reels to anglers who stalk the flats. They have evolved from wooden poling oars hewn from solid timber to technological wonders of carbon fiber, Kevlar and gra…
January 15, 2019
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: A new direction for Florida’s marine environment

At a press conference Jan. 10 at Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida’s new Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, announced some sweeping changes to the way his administration will handle Florida’s mounting…