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Tag: Reel Time

Hunter Parrish

Fishing against the odds

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Every angler longs for the day when conditions are textbook.  After all, fishing is hard enough without having to deal with extremes of weather. Unfortunately, those days are few and far between, especially this time of the year. Besides being hard to find, there is no guarantee that good conditions will yield decent fishing. In truth, I’ve found many beautiful days to be particularly challenging, whereas some of the most difficult days have proven to be especially rewarding.

This was the case last Friday, when a trip that my friend Hunter Parrish and I had planned was looking questionable. A cold front had pushed chilly temperatures and high winds into the area, and combined with a weak tide were conspiring to make us question going out. Since we had been forced to cancel the outing on several other occasions, we resolved to give it a try.

The cold front had dropped water temperature a full 10 degrees, and the incoming tide wouldn’t make any kind of move until mid-morning. In order to allow it to warm up a bit and to let the tide start in, we decided to begin at 10 that morning.

We launched on the north end of Longboat Key and ran to the eastern shore of Sarasota Bay near Tidy Island. I reasoned that the flats there would be relatively warm and that the eastern shore would provide some protection from the wind.

We had originally planned to fly fish, but because of conditions, elected to start the day using spin tackle. I set us up on a drift in six to eight feet of water over deep grass on the outside edge of the deep grass on the outside edge of the flats. Parrish tied on a DOA Shrimp, while I elected to use a top water plug hoping to attract the attention of a bluefish.

We had only drifted a short distance when the DOA started to produce. I wasn’t having any luck with the top water plug, so after a couple of drifts, I switched to a tandem chartreuse jig.

Surprisingly, I didn’t get much response from the tandem rig, so I tied on a DOA Shrimp too. That did the trick. The fish weren’t big, but action was consistent for both of us. The trout ran 10 to 12 inches with an occasional 14- and 15-inch fish mixed in.

After catching fish on every drift for better than an hour, we elected to move to the north and explore the flats closer to shore. The tide was rising, and we wanted to find a redfish, snook or perhaps some larger trout. Now that the sun was high and clear water was moving onto the flat, we hoped to be able to find some fish by poling the shallows.

Our next stop proved a bit disappointing. There were a lot of small sheepshead on the flats, but we only saw one decent trout of about 24 inches. A bit further to the north near the Cortez village things started to improve.

Although we didn’t hook up we had numerous shots at redfish to 30 inches, several trout that ran to 22 inches and saw a couple of snook that pushed 40 inches.

Whenever I’m faced with tough winter fishing conditions, there are a few things I always keep in mind that have proven to be effective.

First and foremost, I look for protected water in the lee of an island or other landmass. Protection from cold wind gives the sun a chance to warm the water, creating conditions that are more comfortable for gamefish and the angler. Next, I vary my presentation, making sure to slow it down and work my lure close to the bottom.

I try to think like a fish, being on the lookout for an area that might attract predator and prey. A good example is a shallow bay where the water warms up during the day and drains out on a late afternoon falling tide. Under the right conditions, it produces consistently.

For the balance of our short day, we poled the flats getting some good shots at quality fish. While we didn’t hook up, we enjoyed being on the water, spending time together and even found a couple of areas that we will definitely return to. At the end of the day, we were glad we had committed to going out.

It wasn’t a banner day, but against the odds we had located some good fish and landed a few as well. Best of all was time on the water with a good friend.

Reel time: Planning for the new year

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

New Year’s resolutions are a part of the story of the holidays. In my experience, this tradition has spawned more jokes than resolutions that are followed through. Still, it’s a good time and practice to look back on the past year with its successes and challenges and at least reflect on what worked, what you might have done differently and what fresh adventures can be planned for the New Year. Anglers can glean some valuable information and insight that will lead to positive fishing experiences in 2018.

I’m not suggesting that we write down hard and fast resolutions that don’t give any wiggle room. Instead think back on even the small things that when done differently might have had a bigger impact than you ever imagined. An example might be remembering when you hooked a really nice fish only to lose it to a failed knot, that tell-tale squiggle on the end of your line where the hook used to be attached. This resolution might read “always remember to carefully tie my knots, inspecting and testing them before I start fishing.” If this scenario hasn’t happened to you, count your blessings and remember this suggestion. I’ll admit to experiencing that pesky pigtail on the end of my line at least once this past year. The same applies to sharpening hooks, checking the drag and inspecting line for nicks and abrasions. Ideas like this can be the start of a general review of all your rigging, the state of your tackle and lures, even the condition of the line you have on your reels. Maybe it’s time to consider changing out a line that’s seen a realistic amount of service.

Tackle and organization are certainly places to start, but extend that same thinking to other equipment like your boat and motor, waders, push pole, trolling motor and wading boots. As experience teaches us, it’s the little things that we overlook that come back to haunt us.

On the water consider thinking out of the proverbial box by altering your routine strategy. Many anglers go fishing with a plan and never deviate from it. They start at one spot and hit all the usual holes during the day. A different option? Try planning to fish only places you’ve never explored before. I’ve done this and been amazed at how many spots there are that have proved to be productive. Looking at the same place with new eyes can be revealing.

Also consider trying a new place altogether. There are lots of beautiful and productive destinations within a few hours’ drive from Anna Maria, both north and south. Drive two hours north and you can explore the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge and just north of there, Homosassa and Crystal rivers. Less than two hours south and you’re in Charlotte Harbor and adjacent to Pine Island Sound.

Don’t want to go that far? Anyone with a boat can leave Anna Maria and be fishing in fresh water in about an hour. The Manatee River and the Braden River provide anglers with a variety of fish from tarpon to catfish, redfish to bass. Both rivers also have numerous launch sites for boats, kayaks and paddleboards.

It might even prove useful to review how you approach fishing. If you’re a fly caster, look at ways you might improve your casting and consider learning how to cast with your non-dominant hand. Anglers who use conventional tackle might want to try artificial lures instead of always relying on live bait. No matter how long you’ve been fishing or what your level of competency, there’s always room for improvement. A general review of tackle, technique and the opportunities available to you can only improve your enjoyment of fishing moving into 2018. Happy New Year!

Lefty Kreh and Rusty Chinnis

All the best

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

In my life there have been a few people that have made a lasting impression. Some rise to the top, rich experiences, like cream on fresh milk. Bernard “Lefty” Kreh is just such a person. At 93 years young, Kreh is a fly fishing legend. He is a renowned outdoorsman, a skilled hunter, writer, photographer and fly-casting instructor.

Kreh was born in Frederick, Md. on Feb. 26, 1925. His father, who taught him to fish and hunt, died during the depression and Kreh used those skills to help feed his mother and three siblings. He began fly fishing in 1947 when he was introduced to the sport by fly fishing pioneer Joe Brooks.

Kreh guided Brooks in the Chesapeake Bay, where the two developed techniques and patterns that formed the foundation of saltwater fly fishing. Brooks encouraged Kreh to share his knowledge through writing, and over the years he has been a columnist for more than 15 newspapers, including the St Petersburg Times, the Baltimore Sun and the Miami Herald.

Kreh lived in south Florida from 1964 to 1972 where he ran The MET (Miami Metropolitan Fishing Tournament). During that time, he was influential in the development of saltwater fly fishing in the Florida Keys. In 1991, a fly pattern he developed with Brooks, the Lefty’s Deceiver, was featured on a U.S. postage stamp.

He has published articles and photographs in every fly fishing magazine in the world, has authored over 20 books, including LL Bean’s “Guide to Outdoor Photography” and books on knots, as well as numerous CDs and DVDs.

This is but a small part of Kreh’s many contributions. Despite all his fame and accomplishments, he is perhaps the most unpretentious man I have ever met. It’s his attention to people, affable nature, humor and teaching style that stand out.

I first met Kreh in the late 1980s, when I was invited to fish with Capt. Rick Grassett and Kreh when he was the speaker at a Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers banquet. The night before the banquet, we fished for snook around lights in the Venice area, and I was immediately captivated by the attention he paid to us.

That’s one of Kreh’s traits that I most admire. He takes a sincere interest in everyone he meets and treats everyone with a gracious warmth. It doesn’t matter if you’re a plumber or the CEO of a major corporation, everyone is treated the same. During the banquet, he signed and personalized six of his books I had brought to the event. He did the same for over 20 people that night.

Kreh also has an innate ability to create practical solutions. One example of this was when we were fishing and he took an interest in my camera case and suggested I attach strips of an old conveyor belt he had found to keep my hard case from sliding around the deck. Less than a week after our trip, strips of the belt showed up in the mail and have been a part of my equipment ever since.

Besides his vast store of knowledge and his willingness to share it, he is also one of the funniest men I’ve ever met. Whether he is in front of a large group or just fishing with a couple of fellow anglers his earthy humor is infectious.

Over the years I have taken every opportunity I could to visit with Kreh and have soaked up his freely given tips on writing, fly fishing and photography, and I’ve enjoyed making people laugh, repeating many of his jokes. I cherish the times I’ve spent with Kreh, the books he’s signed for me and the letters I’ve received.

One of his favorite quips speaks volumes to me, “It’s only common sense, only common sense ain’t so common.” Then there’s the way he closes every letter, a valediction I adopted with his permission, “All The Best.”

Reel time Left Hand Casting

Left(y) is right

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Close your eyes for a moment and visualize the first time you tried to ride a bike. If you were like me, it was a process of wobbling uncontrollably while heading for the nearest patch of grass for a soft landing. Fast forward to today and think about the motor skills that were necessary to master this feat and how you can jump on a two-wheeled vehicle without so much as a second thought.

The same applies to fly casting – with your right hand, left hand or both hands. It’s as easy as riding a bike. Of course, neither fly casting nor bike riding is really easy. We create the necessary muscle memory for these motor skills through repetition and refine the skills through experience. Eventually, we are able to effortlessly ride a bike or cast a fly rod with either hand.

Whenever I pick up a fly rod with my non-dominant hand, I remember something Lefty Kreh asked me, “Do you know how to cast left- (or right-) handed?”

When he asked most students that question they would say, “No.”

Lefty would quickly reply, “You can cast left-handed, you just don’t know how.”

That was an Aha! moment that started me on a path to learn how to cast with both hands.

At about the same time, I put a new desk in my office that required I use my left hand with the mouse. I’ll never forget how that mouse felt as if it was being operated by another body. The really amazing part was that within a few days, I was using my left hand almost as proficiently as my right. This reinforced my desire to cast with both hands.

The next major hurdle in the evolution of my casting came on a float trip down a river in Colorado. As my guide bounced me from the left bank to the right to hit the best holes, I began switching hands, making a cast with my left hand and then with my right. It was one of those moments referred to as a quantum leap when I was getting the job done with both hands. It was also a great lesson in how being ambidextrous with a fly rod benefits the caster.

If you’ve ever been stung by a weighted fly from the wind blowing over your dominant shoulder, or blown that backhanded cast to a tarpon approaching from the wrong direction, you know all too well that being able to switch hands can enhance your enjoyment of fly fishing.

It really boils down to making a commitment to learn a new skill. In most cases, we don’t have enough motivation to really work on what is a natural ability. I think Lefty Kreh said it best when he told a skeptical student, “If you lost your right hand, you’d quickly learn to eat with your left.”

You can master this skill by using your dominant hand to help instruct your non-dominant hand or just learn by repetition with your non-dominant hand. Knowing how to cast with either hand will definitely increase your enjoyment of fly fishing. Catching more fish will be an added benefit. More importantly, if you should suffer an injury or lose the use of a hand, arm or shoulder, it won’t spell the end of your ability to fly fish.

Tripletail

Fall brings exciting fishing to AMI

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Now that the first cold front of the season has arrived on Florida’s west coast, anglers can expect some of the year’s best fishing. Lower water temperatures and the influx of bait schools will lure a host of pelagic species like Spanish mackerel, cobia, king mackerel and little tunny into Gulf and bay waters. In addition, floats along the beaches marking stone crab traps will attract tripletail, one of our most enigmatic gamefish.

A lot of the action you’re likely to encounter, especially in the Gulf, will center around schools of baitfish. In many cases it’s possible to take advantage of gamefish actively feeding on the surface. The best way to locate these schools is to look for feeding birds. When Spanish mackerel, little tunny and other predators are feeding on baitfish they drive the hapless minnows to the surface where they attract the attention of sea birds. Even when there is no “active” feeding on the surface, anglers should explore baitfish schools. To take advantage of this opportunity it’s important to follow a few simple tactics: avoid spooking feeding fish or bait fish by working the edges of schools or getting into position where you can make a long cast right into the melee.

When targeting Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and little tunny with lures, try top water plugs and flies. Not only is this an exciting and visual way to fish, it’s also very effective. If there’s active feeding going on make a cast right into the action. If there aren’t any outward signs of fish try working the edges of a school where predators prowl for the weak or wounded. When trolling make wide circles around baitfish or feeding fish so that lures, but not the boat, pass through the action. Fly fishers using flies can attract the attention of feeding gamefish by making several false casts near schools of bait and letting the fly and line rip off the water. On the third or fourth cast land the fly and begin a retrieve.

Tripletail are one of the least understood of all pelagic species and require the use of a technique that’s unique to them. In almost all cases one of the cardinal rules of fishing is to never approach a gamefish directly with lures or bait. The idea is that when a gamefish spots an angler’s offering it is moving away from them. Any prey that moves towards a gamefish wouldn’t last long and they know it. Tripletail are different because they are ambush feeders. They usually hover near objects like crab trap markers and other flotsam disguised as a piece of seaweed. When small baitfish and crustaceans come near they are an easy meal. When you spot a tripletail make a cast past them and work your bait or lure right into their face. This technique requires an accurate cast but will almost always elicit a strike. The best lure for fishing tripletail is one that mimics a baitfish or crustacean. A shrimp imitation like the DOA Shrimp is one of the best options. Shrimp are by far the most effective live bait. Flies should be small and the coloration of a baitfish or crustacean. Shades of tan and brown have been top producers over the years. A weed guard on a fly is a good option when fishing around crab trap floats. Most casts will need to be close to the floats and lines where tripletail hover.

Whatever your fishing style or preference the fall season is a great time to explore area waters. The cooling temperatures not only attract gamefish but they’re also a welcome relief from the hot and humid “Dog Days.” Make sure you carry multiple rigs so you can take advantage of the numerous opportunities that the season might offer.