Back In The USA - Final Part For 2013

Well it's finally come down to the last full day of a great 3 weeks. I've seen dolphins, manatees, sharks a Kemps Ridley turtle and had the privilage of releasing 72 Loggerhead hatchlings to the sea all from a nest that we sponsored in memory of our daughter Rachel.

Met up with Suzi Fox the director of Anna Maria Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring to pick up Rachels Plaque from her nest and caych up on whats been another tremendous year for the group of people. If you're ever out here check them out they are a great bunch of people and do invaluable work, maybe even keep up with them on Facebook.

Rest of the day was spent fishing and was hard work at first, very little bait fish around so no big fish to eat them. Gradually they arrived and though the bite was there it was still slow until I started fishing the 'slick' on the outer side of the bait ball and then it happened, each cast produced a good solid tug and a zip of the reel. A great session to finish. 

Back on Anna Maria Island in May 2014 but for now it's back home to the UK and just time to get the last of the salmon season in before it closes for the winter, but then there is always the Grayling to fish for.

Tight Lines

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Back In The USA - Part 4

At last things have started to hot up, slightly cooler guf sea temperature and the bait fish start to arrive, maybe it's time to get lucky.

Out early on the beach and the sea was guite calm, fly rod was set up with a home tied pattern of blue & silver with a crystal hair wing & tunsten bead eyes. Good cast and a fish hit really hard, on for about 30 seconds with a big strong run before it came free, checked the fly when it came back on the stainless steel saltwater hook was well & truly bent, must speak to my supplier. Fish came to the fly at a steady pace, then tailed off.

Switched to live shinners later in the day and hooked up with some energetic Spanish Mackeral, then spotted some large Snook crashing into the schools of bait fish, tossed a shinner in the area and hey presto the fight was on, a snook of about 3 ft long took the bait and went tearing off. Thought I was in control until it cleared the water and threw the hook - gutted. Had a slighly smaller one do the same a short while after.

Spanish Mackeral were giving me a hard time due to the amount of clean cut offs I was getting both to the fly and bait, so much so that I switched from 25lb to 30lb flourocarbon tippet, even trying Rio wire leader at one point but the bites seemed to disappear so went back to the flouro.

More snook crusing by and a quick cast and a very strong pull and I thought I was in only to see the distictive wing flaps of a ray heading far out into the gulf, managed to get it back under control and get it to the shore to find one very angry stingray of about 3 foot across, gingerly unhooked and it safely headed back into the gulf at a more sedate pace.

Flounders, Blue Runners & Needle fish have all also played there parts in this trip, one more full day left and heres hoping the snook turn up to play, if not then theres always the Tarpon in June when Cheshire Fly Fishing is back on Anna  Maria.

There may be chance of one last post before I leave this beautiful island if not keep following as I update you on my fishing journey - next major stop river Nith, Scotland  for the last few days of the salmon season, here's hoping for tight lines.

For more photos and fishing course information visit us on our Facebook page Cheshire Fly Fish or web site www.cheshireflyfishing.co.uk.

Back In The USA - Part 3

Fishings been fairly steady from the beach with fish coming to the fly at a steady pace, unfortunatley they are mostly jacks, ladyfish and pin fish. There have been a few decent pulls and cleans snap offs so I can only presume that these are the spanish mackeral that are cruising by, I just need a few of them to stay on the hook.

Spent the half a day out with Capt Chad Gamble of Hook and Ladder Charters fishing for mackeral, sharks, red fish snook and trout.

Get the fly in quick theres a shark on the line

First stop was out in the Gulf where we were closely followed by a big dolphin that stayed along side us  for quite a while, I'm sure he was looking for an easy meal. Fish were up but trying to keep them on was the issue. The bite was on with the sharks as well as we had 3 screaming runs without managing to land a fish. No matter how hard he tried Mike couldn't get them to stay on the hook without biting through the wire leader, the most spectacular was the spinner shark that just went airbourne before cutting the trace. System was scaled up but they then grew shy of it and the bite stopped.

Time to move into the bays and chase the reds, snook and trout. Reds proved illusive all session and we only had one big snook take hold of the bait my wife had on only for it to throw the hook on the strike, a nice fish sadly lost.

Mrs G with a trout

Trout then became the species to taget and they were coming tp the boat think and fast but all under the 'slot' size. Mike managed a keeper, whilst my wife lost another keeper at the boat, it was just one of those days.

We also had a strange catch for the bay, a Remora, boy can they stick themselves to things.

Beach fishing has proved hard these last few days with very high winds and seas but fish are still there maybe not the ones I'd like but its still a pull on the line.

Watch out for the next installment of 'Back In The USA'

For more photos and fishing course information visit us on our Facebook page Cheshire Fly Fish or web site www.cheshireflyfishing.co.uk.

Tight Lines

Back In The USA - Part 2

Fishing continues to be patchy with the fly rod, but its such a nice way to fish, so I'll persevere.

Took some time of this morning to go to a turtle nest excavation with Anna Maria Turtle & Shorebirds people. The work these people do never ceases to amaze me.

Lots of hatchlings made it out to sea with just these 2 little guys left in the nest (they'll be released later tonight when its dark).

Spent a few hours practicing jump rolls and speys casts before having a fish, mixed variety came to hand before stopping and watching the schools of juvenille manta rays patrol the shoreline surf, they swim right up to you before making the move round you. Did spot some adult ones of Bean Point and they were massive.

Lizard Fish

 Saw a Kemps Ridley turtle about 50 foot from me, great sight. Just packing up for lunch and I spotted a fish of about 2 foot long cruising towards me, so it was worth a cast it was only when it was coming to the surface and about 3 foot from me that I realised it was a small black tip shark, so that was enough of a signal for me, time for lunch.

For more photos and fishing course information visit us on our Facebook page Cheshire Fly Fish or web site www.cheshireflyfishing.co.uk.

Tight Lines