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Winter is finally here!

Jan

11

2017

Flyquestcharters

Our brief Florida cold fronts are finally dropping the water temperatures forcing the redfish, snook, and trout to follow their winter time habits!  Most of my time has been spent all over Tampa Bay fishing single and schools of large redfish on the shallow flats.  With cooling temperatures the bay water is starting to clean up, the grass in many areas is dying off, and the fish are getting super shallow in the attempt to warm up and feed.   Most fish we have been feeding flies to have been in the upper and over slot size category.   And occasionally we get shots at large snook sunbathing in the shallows!

 

Here are some recent pictures of red fish and snook caught by myself, friends, and clients.

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment |

August and September Fishing

Oct

26

2016

Flyquestcharters

For most guides August and September are among the two slowest guiding months. What most anglers don’t realize is that although the weather can be hot and sticky in this time frame, the fishing can be absolutely AMAZING!

Tarpon- August and September are quickly becoming my favorite months to fish for the large and small tarpon. Most of the local fly and bait anglers forget about tarpon and focus on other species. I choose to target tarpon, especially the juvenile fish. Creeks, deepwater basins, and canal systems provide opportunities to find rolling baby tarpon when the tides and weather conditions allow. You may also find large tarpon (very few) along the beaches and inside the bays as we believe the resident tarpon move back in to feed and winter over. I have given a few anglers the opportunity to throw at large tarpon in inches of water. Sometimes tarpon push onto shallow flats and can be seen with their backs out of the water as they crawl across a flat looking to ambush mullet.

Bonita- August and September have also provided excellent bonita blitzing action. When the weather aligns (light winds and clean skies) the bonita can be found pouncing the fry bait that is found in schools right off the local beaches and near large passes.

Snook- Night snook fishing is always an option but I typically find the larger fish this time of year feeding on the lights at night. Even when snook season is open and the lights are being pounded by bait fishermen there are still opportunities especially late in the night or early in the morning for some solid snook on fly! Every now and then you may find a dock light with baby tarpon circling the light, these fish almost always take a well placed fly.

Redfish- When the tides are low I have been finding large schools of redfish that will readily feed on topwater flies. I only take anglers to find schooling redfish when the winds are light enough as it may be tough for a new angler to place flies into a school of fish with strong winds blowing across the wide open flats of Tampa and Sarasota bay

I have attached a video I filmed and edited using a very simple app on my iPhone. The footage shows what you may be missing if you are not booking a trip with me in September and August!

 

 

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Spring on the Fly

Mar

29

2016

Flyquestcharters

Well its the end of March and its now spring time here in Florida and that means the weather patterns are changing for the better! As the average temperatures rise into the 80’s so does the water temperature. This is wonderful news for guides and anglers alike not so much for the species we target as they seem to make many mistakes in taking well presented flies and lures.

 

The snook have been hiding out in the back country all winter, with the warmer water temperatures these fish are on the move, heading towards their summer spawning grounds. I have been finding them sunbathing in the afternoon and feeding voraciously at night around docks and bridge fenders. My go to fly for day time sightfishing has been either an olive Borski slider tied on a 1/0 gamakatsu hook or an EP baitfish pattern in olive and white. Once spotted present the fly delicately up current of the target and get its attention with small strips. After you have the snooks attention longer more abrupt strips have made the game fish come out of its shell to thrash the fly and don’t forget to stripset!

 

The redfish have also been found in the same areas as the snook and take the same fly patterns. I prefer to finger crawl a borksi slider or shrimp pattern on the bottom as these fish naturally feed off the bottom it makes it easier for that fish to trap your fly.

 

Migratory Tarpon should start making their way up the gulf coast towards Sarasota and Tampa Bay as the water temperatures approach 78-80 degrees in the gulf of mexico.  You may also find juvenile tarpon in the evening and night hours around dock lights.

 

Tripletail are also making an appearance on the near by floating buoys and channel markers in the gulf and the bay.

 

It looks like we are in for another stellar spring and hopefully a strong tarpon season!

 

 

Will with a large Tampa Bay snook sight fished on fly!

Will with a large Tampa Bay snook sight fished on fly!

Darrin and his first ever redfish on fly!

Darrin and his first ever redfish on fly!

 

Nanette and her snook sight casted on fly on a cloudy dismal day

Nanette and her snook sight casted on fly on a cloudy dismal day

 

Erica and her first saltwater species on a fly rod

Erica and her first saltwater species on a fly rod

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: babytarpon, Fishing, FlyFishing, Guideservice, redfish, Redfishing, Redfishonfly, Saltwater, Sarasota, ShallowWater, Sightfishing, Skinnywaterculture, Snook, St. Pete, TampaBay | Leave a comment |

2016 Salty Fly Tournament Champions!

Mar

14

2016

Flyquestcharters

Well I guess spending everyday on the water is really starting to pay off, not just for my clients but also myself as an angler and competitor! The Salty Fly Tournament is known as one of the largest Saltwater Fly Fishing tournaments in the country. 2016’s competition was their biggest yet with about 110 teams competing for not just the wonderful prizes including cash and fly gear but the chance to hold the title for another year!

 

It started with a Saturday morning 4:45 am wake up call to make the 45 minute drive to the check in and another 45 minute race back to the skiff to begin the day. Once on the skiff my partner Capt. Jon Brett and I started working the deep grass flats for trout. As we drifted we both flung large heavy chartreuse clousers and work our way into a school of smaller trout. We caught about a dozen fish most being within 8-11 inches. Jon ended up catching a 16.75 inch trout and we made the decision to start looking for the redfish although the first light trout bite is always the most consistent we had enough light to start sight fishing.

 

Our previous day of scouting had paid off with several shots at redfish a couple of eats and one 29.5 inch red. We decided to try and repeat our game plan on tournament day. The conditions early on provided light winds and relatively no cloud cover. As we pushed the same areas we had the day before we noticed the tide was not conducive for what we wanted to do. In attempt to find fish it was important that we scrambled to plan B and relocated after a short boat ride to our next spot.

 

As I pushed Jon down a shoreline we started seeing life and big reds blowing out under the boat. I kept pushing the skiff when all of a sudden I spotted a redfish at our 3 o clock and alerted Jon to its presence. He could not see the fish so I guided him into the shot and the fish thrashed the small fly. So we were on the board with a 16.75 inch trout and now a 19 inch red, which up to this day had been the smallest redfish he and I had caught the whole winter.

 

The next couple of hours were filled with clouds, stronger winds, a lack of fish, and sheer panic.

 

Our big break came after the tide had rushed back onto the flat and we had run over a large redfish and decided to stop and start poling. Like clockwork our fish started marching down the shoreline feeding along the way. it was 1 pm and we had to both be back to the check in before 3pm in order to qualify for a chance to win. In order to make it to the check in on time we had to be off the water no later than 1:45. As it came down to the final minutes we spotted a redfish in prime position, Jon made a beautiful cast and the fish ate the fly and took off towards deep water. With 14 pound flourocarbon as the bite tippet we had to baby the fish back to the boat where I hopped in the water and bear hugged it to ensure we did not lose the fish when handling it.

 

After the measurement and release we continued our hunt. I looked 80 feet way up on the shoreline and spotted our next target. Jon couldn’t see it initially but I poled him towards it and he spotted the fish. After laying out the first cast which was too far ahead of the fish Jon delicately picked the line back up and shot the fly 5 feet closer to the fish. The fish picked up and made his way towards what he had noticed was crawling along the bottom.

 

“Bump it, he is on it!” I said as I watched with out moving a muscle in my body while holding the boat in position. (Jon starts pulling fly out of water to re cast) “Leave it he is going to eat” I yelled, and not more than 2 seconds later the fish came out of his shell to devour the fly! We let the fish run across the flat and started hooting and hollering!

 

In the last 10 minutes of fishing we landed a 27 inch and 28 inch redfish to ease our anxiety of what had been a slow day. It was now time to make the sprint back to the finish line. We pulled in to the weigh in with 30 minutes to spare and waited over an hour with knots in our stomachs to be announced the victors of the 2016 Salty Fly!

 

It was a tough day on the water for everyone in the tournament, we had somewhat lousy tides, cloud cover, and strong winds to deal with. I want to congratulate the other teams that also finished strong!

 

2016 Salty Fly Champions!

2016 Salty Fly Champions!

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Fishing, FlyFishing, flyguide, Guideservice, hellsbayboatworks, Saltwater, saltwaterfishing, saltwaterflyfishing, Sarasota, Sightfishing, Skinnywaterculture, stpetersburg, TampaBay | Leave a comment |

Red fishing in Tampa Bay

Feb

25

2016

Flyquestcharters

Its almost March and the red fishing in both Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay have been strong.

 

Picking the low tides around the new and full moon really concentrates the fish and makes it easy for anglers to see the wary game fish.

 

As the tide rises along the shallow flats inside Tampa Bay the red fish push in towards the mangrove lined shores and spread out. I have noticed that many times it is better to fish higher tides around mid day in order to find small groups and single fish. Larger schools can be vary wary and uptight. If one fish from a large school rejects your offering most of the time the whole school will ignore it and many times spook off the flat.

 

A late start to the day allows the sun to get high in the sky letting the shallow flat warm up. It is known that shallow water not only cools down faster than deeper water but it also warms up quicker. Often times you may see fish early in the morning that are tough to feed, as the day progresses the red fish have warmed up which ultimately speeds up their metabolism making them very hungry!

 

Flies of choice in the cooler months have been smaller bait fish patterns, crab and shrimp flies.

 

While red fishing in Tampa Bay you may find that red fish even prefer to crawl in shallow water with their backs exposed making it an easy way to spot these fish.

 

Pre-front conditions can really get the bite going as the fish seem to know that it is about to get cold once more!

Ron with a hefty Tampa Bay caught redfish

                                  Ron with a hefty Tampa Bay caught red fish

Mani Pailer with a Red fish caught in the shallow waters of Sarasota Bay

               Mani Pailer with a Red fish caught in the shallow waters of Sarasota Bay

 

Here is a quick clip of a friend and fellow angler feeding a shallow water red fish in Tampa Bay.

Posted in Redfish | Tags: FlyFishing, hellsbayboatworks, redfish, Redfishonfly, saltwaterfishing, saltwaterflyfishing, sarasotabay, TampaBay | Leave a comment |

Winter is finally here in Florida! Fly Fishing for Snook and Redfish is starting to heat up!

Jan

11

2016

Flyquestcharters

It is January 11th and I can actually say it is cold outside! Here in the Tampa Bay/Sarasota Bay area we have had a unusually warm Fall/Winter. Before this strong cold front had pushed through Florida we were fortunate to get on a solid snook bite in the day as well as night time!

 

Snook sensing the impending cold front started to eat anything that was put in front of them. Fishing deep cuts on mangrove shorelines with large profile baitfish patterns on a 40 pound flouro- carbon leader has worked well. In one day we landed over 25 snook ranging from 18-26 inches.

Pre- Cold Front Snook fishing has been outstanding!

Pre- Cold Front Snook fishing has been outstanding!

 

Tampa Bay Snook caught while Fly fishing the back country.

Tampa Bay Snook caught while Fly fishing the back country.

The red fishing in Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay has also been a safe bet. Redfish recently have been on a feeding frenzy before/during/and even after the most recent cold fronts. Redfish are a very hardy fish that can handle cold water temperatures and extreme conditions.

 

The water clarity in Tampa Bay has been pristine, with gin clear water anglers have had to step down tippet size to entice the redfish into biting a fly. A 14 pound flouro-carbon bite section has been the recent go to in order to feed the wary redfish small baitfish, shrimp, and crab patterns.

A large Tampa Bay redfish sight fished on a micro shrimp fly!

A large Tampa Bay redfish sight fished on a micro shrimp fly!

Charlotte Harbor Redfish caught on a tan bendback fly.

Charlotte Harbor Redfish caught on a tan bendback fly.

The next few months should provide more opportunities to sight fish snook and redfish in the back country habitats of Tampa/ Sarasota/ and Charlotte Harbor.

 

Posted in Flats Fishing | Tags: FlyFishing, hellsbayboatworks, Redfishing, saltwaterfishing, saltwaterflyfishing, Snook | Leave a comment |

Fly fishing for Triple Tail in Sarasota and the Gulf of Mexico

Nov

10

2015

Flyquestcharters

I cant believe it is already November and we still have yet to cool down! Regardless the triple tail have been abundant in the gulf of Mexico and inside Sarasota Bay. I have noticed that most of the fish are on the smaller side, my guess is that when the crab traps were first set out the meat fisherman in the area pillaged the traps for the larger keeper sized triple tail. Occasionally you will find a larger triple tail that may seem a bit more educated than your typical fish.

 

In order to find these fish you need a few key factors to come into play:

  1. Sunshine and lots of it! (Clouds hinder visibility)
  2. Crab Traps the triple tails main home although you may find these fish under any type of flotsam on the water.
  3. Light winds because in rougher seas the fish wont float as high as we need to be able to sight and feed them flies.

 

I like to throw small shrimp patterns when targeting these fish. I prefer to pull the fly towards the crab trap as if the presentation is trying to seek shelter under the buoy.  In my experience I have had the best luck with bring the fly right across the nose of the triple tail. Many times you may fed and hook the same fish a few times before landing it!

 

Along with triple tail I tend to keep an eye out for diving birds and churned up water from the feeding activity of mackerel and bonita. My typical charter when targeting these fish starts after day break and consists of constant running and gunning between checking the crab traps for trips to chasing bonita and mackerel. When done right it can be non stop fun that will challenge most any angler!

 

Sarasota Bay Triple Tail caught on a micro shrimp fly.

Sarasota Bay Triple Tail caught on a micro shrimp fly.

 

Tony with a solid tripletail caugt in the Gulf of Mexico while fishing the beaches of Sarasota

Tony with a solid tripletail found floating in the Gulf of Mexico while fishing the beaches of Sarasota

 

Bill Patterson with his first ever Tripletail caught on fly.

Bill Patterson with his first ever Tripletail caught on fly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fly fishing for Bonita in Tampa Bay

Oct

13

2015

Flyquestcharters

The last cool front has really fired up the fall fly fishing here in Tampa bay! Bonita have pushed in shore to feed on small fry bait and bay anchovies in giant schools! This may be one of my favorite fish of all time to chase, as they take a fly with aggression and instantly put your gear to the test as the rip the fly line deep into your backing.

 

The day starts as we launch the skiff and head to the shipping channels and local beaches to find fish crashing bait. Once spotted I maneuver the boat in front of an oncoming school of bonita and through the boat in neutral. This is when the angler makes a quick presentation to the school of hungry fish and often times uses both hands to strip the fly past actively feeding bonita.

 

Once hooked into a bonita you should expect a few long hard runs that will send you into your backing. The bonita look like little tuna and fight just as hard. Capable of reaching speeds over 40 mph the runs rip line off the reel with ease.

 

This action packed run and gun style of fishing can last for hours or until the angler’s arms are sore.

 

Along with bonita it is not uncommon to see kingfish, tarpon, mackerel, jacks, and on rare occasions permit joining in on the feeding frenzy!

IMG_5348 image1

 

Here is a quick clip of an angler making a cast and being rewarded with a bonita:

Posted in Fly Fishing for Bonita | Tags: Bonita, Fishing, FlyFishing, hellsbayboatworks, Saltwater, TampaBay | Leave a comment |

Redfish on Fly

Oct

11

2015

Flyquestcharters

When the Tarpon start thinning out on the beaches, redfish are the target of choice for fly anglers on the west coast of Florida. Late July all the way through  October provides the opportunity to find large schools of redfish roaming the shallow grass flats. It is not uncommon to see 100 redfish pushing the flat while voraciously eating anything that gets in the way, that includes flies! If you are looking to catch your first redfish on fly this is the time and place to do just that. Not only are the fish hungry and dumb they are also not as pressured when fished in the evening hours (especially during a weekday). I typically like to couple a redfish charter with some night fishing and the chance to catch a Tampa Bay grand slam on fly (tarpon, redfish, trout, and snook)

 

A delicate presentation in front of a school of hungry moving redfish is a sight you will never forget! After the initial bite these redfish will tug the line and fight all the way back to the boat.

 

Some days are better than others and the school we just plucked a fish from will make its way back towards the boat for a second chance to catch another one.

Brent and evan Redfish desoto 10-2-2015

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Posted in Redfish | Tags: babytarpon, Fishing, flatsfishing, FlyFishing, Guideservice, hellsbayboatworks, redfish, Redfishonfly, Saltwater, saltwaterfishing, saltwaterflyfishing, Sarasota, Sarasota Bay, sarasotabay, ShallowWater, Sightfishing, Skinnywaterculture, Snook, TampaBay | Leave a comment |

Tarpon Fishing

May

24

2015

Flyquestcharters

Hey Folks,

We are well into Tarpon season now! I have been on the water following the tarpons migration off the local beaches in Sarasota and Tampa Bay.

I have also found a lot of juvenile to large full grown fish in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Sarasota at night.

Remember to use beefy rods and strong hooks because these fish hit flies like freight trains!

Here are a couple of pictures as of recent.

 

George Tarpon2

Ron Night tarpon 5-14-15

RJtarpon 4-6-15

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: babytarpon, Florida, FlyFishing, saltwaterfishing, Sarasota Bay, St. Petersburg, TampaBay, Tarpon | Leave a comment |
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