We finally got some reprieve from the cold weather yesterday with temperatures edging up into the 70s. The water temperature however is still cold, in the mid 50s. The upside of the cold weather is some very clear water in the backcountry making for good sight fishing conditions.
Yesterday I fished with Capt. Rob and JoNell Modys from Ft Meyers. JoNell surprised Rob with our Cast & Blast fly fishing and sporting clays package for his birthday. It was a very chilly start to our day as we made our run toward the outside to catch the first of the incoming tide. Our first stop was as at a small bay with a nice oyster bar along the sunny side, just beginning to warm. No sooner had I started poling when we spotted a large snook suspended just off the bar. Rob made a cast and landed the fly right in front of the fish, but no reaction. Another cast, still nothing. It was obvious the fish saw the fly but indicated little interest; our guess was the frigid water. The fish finally slid off the bar into deeper water.
Our next stop put us on a beautiful flat with gin-clear water that resembled a bonefish flat. We spotted a nice big red working his way down the shore but could not catch up with him as he cruised down the bank out of range. Rob cast into a deeper trough just off the oysters and connected with a nice red. After hitting another red down the shore at the same depth we determined that the cold water had these fish lying deeper than we usually find them. Rob commented how the fish felt like popsicles as he slid it back in the water. The fly of choice was the “illegal alien” – a variation on our redfish alien. We hit a few more spots and before we knew it, it was time to head to the Gun Club for lunch and a round of sporting clays.
Happy holidays, and we will keep you posted,
Capt Bill
