The rod is made by Zhus rods and they sell on eBay for around $150. The model I have is a 6’6″ 3 weight.

An eventful year has passed…

In 2011 I spent more days on the water fly fishing than ever before…January-May was bass fishing in central Florida and finding a bunch of new spots that were very driftboat friendly to run my guided trips on.

In March I got engaged…on the boat…on a fishing trip.

In June I got married…

Shortly after the wedding we drove out to Colorado to spend the summer in the Vail Valley…it was my shortest season out there but plenty of fish were caught.

Upon returning to Florida and working full time to build my guide service, I wrote and published my first book Fly Fishing Central Florida’s Freshwater.  Since getting my first copies in late October I’ve sold over 100 to-date.

2011 came to an end and I found myself in North Carolina fly fishing for trout.  My last fish of 2011 was a small rainbow trout on Scott Creek in Sylva, NC.

2012

Looking forward to this coming year I’m excited about all the plans I’ve made and even more excited for the unknown and what this next year will hold.

The Shad run is just starting and I’m looking forward to spending many days over the next two months on the St Johns River.  Nearly every Saturday for the next 2 months is booked with either Fly Fishing Schools, Guided Trips, or other Events like the Old Florida Outdoors Expo coming up next month.

In March I’ll hopefully be able to take another trout trip up to the mountains of North Carolina.

In April I’ll be spending a week in Virginia fly fishing for Brook Trout in the small streams of Shenandoah National Park.

April and May will also bring a great Bluegill bite on our local lakes and I’m looking forward to catching big bluegill all three ways (that would be on bamboo, glass, and graphite rods).

After May we’ll have to see…I just haven’t thought out that far.

We did find some redfish in one of the smaller creeks that was flooded from the rain.  As Chris pushed the boat towards the end of the creek we saw one red back near the very end of the creek.  Because the water was so shallow we decided to hop out of the boat and wade up into position to cast.  The whole time wading up through the hard sandy bottom we never saw the fish again.  Fifty feet from the end on the creek I decided to make a cast up towards where we had last seen the fish.

The cast laid out perfectly and I let it sit for 20 seconds.  At the first twitch of the tan toad pattern the water exploded and I had hooked whatever was back in the end of the creek.  Since the creek was only about ten feet wide at that point it went immediately towards the mangrove shoots and wrapped the fly line around a mess of branches.  Then the fish turned and ran towards the opening of the creek and our boat.  I felt slack but, a second later felt the weight of the fish again on the line.  A couple minutes later I had a nice lagoon redfish in hand.

The rest of the morning proved rather uneventful.  Now it’s back to the freshwater with NoMotorGuide Service.  I’ll be off the water a couple days this week since I’ll be at the Federation of Fly Fishers Expo in Kissimmee with my new book, Fly Fishing Central Florida’s Freshwater.

But there is still plenty of fishing to be had.  In the past couple days I’ve had a few great trips to some of the small streams down valley.  Sure you could go up to Homestake Creek and count the number of guides and private anglers.  The last day I was up there I counted 11 cars in the first 3 miles of river.

Down valley I’ve yet to run into another guide or even private fisherman.  The fish are happy and starting to look up for big bushy dry flies.  If you’re looking to get away from the crowd and experience some of the best small stream fishing Colorado has to offer give me a call.  My number can be found on the guide service page of my site or you can book me directly through Minturn Anglers.

Here is just a taste of what I’ve been finding…

I also try and get as much tying done before I get out to Colorado. This year I really focused on caddis patterns and small bwo and midge nymphs. The boxes are looking pretty full.

Fishing Report: May 6, 2011

Florida: The panfish have been great lately and providing topwater action around the lily pads nearly all day.  Most of my trips we’ve been concentrating on catching these fish on lighter tackle 3-5wt rods and it’s been enjoyed by everyone.  I’m not much for numbers but 20-30 fish on a half day has been the norm.

The bass are mostly in the deeper water.  We’re still catching few while targeting the bluegill.  Most of them are holding off the deeper weedlines in 8-12 feet of water.  When targeting bass we’re using a 7-8wt rod and sinking line.  For flies we’re using either furled estaz worms or big rabbit strip leeches.

My Florida season is going to be wrapping up in the next couple weeks so contact me today to get in on some great warm weather fishing.

Colorado- Runoff is going to strike any day now.  With 540 inches of snow on Vail Mountain it may last for a while and it will certainly be big.  Your best options for the next month or two will be the tailwaters and lakes.  Be sure to check the flow at the tailwaters and make sure they aren’t releasing too much water.

I’ll be in Colorado by June 20th and looking forward to catching up with old friends and introducing many new people to the sport of fly fishing.

Choosing Fly Tackle for Warmwater Fishing

It’s no surprise most fly anglers start their fly fishing journey casting at trout.  They live in some of the most beautiful places.  Their gracefulness and sometimes selectivity to feed on particular insects that we can imitate with intricate flies has captivated hundreds of thousands of anglers.  Or perhaps you started in a coastal area like myself.  Growing up in Miami just a mile from some of the largest bonefish on the planet with the Everglades out the backdoor.

Either way as fly anglers we often overlook the warmwater species such as bass and panfish that are likely living in that pond at the end of the street.  Bass and panfish offer the greatest accessibility to the greatest number of anglers by far.  Only recently has the fly fishing industry embraced this fact with the growing number of warmwater specific products such as rods, fly lines, leaders, and flies.  Likewise the number of guides for warmwater fish is very limited.  In my home state of Florida there are over a hundred saltwater fly fishing guides but only a handful who make a living fishing for bass in what is one of the greatest largemouth bass destinations in the world.

One of great things about warmwater fly fishing besides the accessibility is the fact you probably already have the equipment need to fish the lakes, ponds, and rivers near your house for these “new” fish.  When fishing for bass and panfish I usually carry two different rods with me.

My lighter rod is a 8’-9’ rod in a 4-6 weight size.  This will be used to cast nymphs, light streamers, and smaller foam bugs such as poppers, sliders, and spiders.  It’s important to recognize we’re matching the size of the rod to the size of the flies not the fish we’re targeting.  Some of my largest bass have been caught on a 5 weight rod casting little foam poppers.  The lighter rods are a pleasure to cast all day long and a five pound bass will give you the fight of a lifetime on such lightweight rods.  Luckily this lightweight rod is probably something you already have on your rod rack for trout fishing, don’t worry the trout won’t be offended by you catching bluegills and bass on the same rod.

The other rod is a little heavier 7-9 weight.  Really it’s all a compromise.  I find myself casting a 7 weight most often because it’s light enough to comfortably fish all day but struggles with very heavy streamers and big deer hair bugs.  Of course the 9 weight could handle it all but I’m not sure I’d enjoy casting it for eight hours.  You really just need something heavier than your light rod to cast large streamers and poppers.  I also carry a spare spool for the heavier rod that will be loaded with a sink tip or full sink line.  The sinking line can be used for fish that are feeding lower in the water column as well as using the deadly technique of casting a floating fly on a sinking line.  With each strip the fly will dive, giving it an action similar to a crankbait fished on conventional gear.  Again this rod is likely something you already have for saltwater fly fishing.

It’s difficult to write about choosing rods for warmwater fishing and not mention the variety of new bass specific rods.  I’ve cast many of them, own a couple, and they are great tools.  That said they are somewhat specialized.  With the shorter length of 7’6”-8’2” they loose a little distance on the cast but gain a little accuracy.  The shorter rod takes a little while to get used to and make adjustments to your casting stroke.  While they are a niche product the species specific rods deserve mention and sooner or later you’ll probably end up with at least one in your quiver.

Hopefully by now you’re starting to think about that pond down the street, or that lake you drive by every day on the way home from work.  There are probably some fish in there waiting to take your fly.

200k miles and we’ve travelled the last half together.  From moving around the Country living in Virginia, Miami, Orlando, Vermont, and two summers of guiding in Colorado.  He was even my house for the first month I spent in Colorado.

He’s pulled flats skiffs around Florida, driftboats across the country, and even a raft once or twice in Colorado.

Stuck in the mud at a not so improved boat ramp in Vermont, sliding down boat ramps in Florida, to tiny 4WD roads in the flattops of Colorado.  He carried a quiver of fly rods worth twice what I paid for the truck.

If I had a backhoe I’d bury him in the Everglades…

There’s alot of trucks that wish they could do the things you did.