Lagoon fishing report

marc

If you weren't fly fishing for tarpon along the Lee Island Coast this week, you missed it! It being, of course, very few fish and almost no shots.

I drove down to Pineland on Tuesday in the rain, sometimes very heavy, a lovely four-plus hour drive. It was still raining when I launched the boat, and it was cold! The rain was being caused by a late cold front coming in, and was producing most un-tarpon like weather. I had two rain jackets and rain pants on as I began searching for silver. I found absolutely none in either Pine Island Sound or along the beach. I spent an hour or so blind casting an Electric Sushi around a couple islands, hoping for a consolation prize. I got a decent trout, a decent redfish, a ladyfish, and my personal favorite, a lizardfish, giving me some type of bizzarro slam. Now quite wet and thoroughly chilled I bagged it about 3 PM.

Wednesday Rick DePaiva and I went searching for silver again. The wind was out of the northwest at 15 plus, and although the sun was out it the air temperature when we launched the boat was in the sixties, most un-tarpon like weather. We both had two rain jackets on, trying to stay warm. We saw maybe a dozen rolling fish in Pine Island Sound and a couple rollers on our brief stint outside, which was very rough, none of which we came close to getting a shot at. We looked all day and didn't see another fish. Our total score for the day was two ladyfish.

Thursday Rick and I again went looking. Again we had a hard wind out of the northwest. We couldn't get outside at all because of the heavy seas, and spent the day in Pine Island Sound. We saw exactly two fish roll all day, neither very close to us, and didn't get a shot. We gave up at 2 PM.

Friday I went out by myself. The now hated wind was still honking out of the northwest, and I still couldn't get outside. I looked in all my favorite spots in Pine Island Sound and didn't see a single fish. Just to get out of the wind and try to fish I went around some of the islands and found some reds I couldn't get to eat, but I did get two short snook, one on a Closer Minnow and one on an Electric Sushi.

Saturday Jens Mikkelsen, a fly fisher from Denmark, joined me on the Spotted Tail for a day of tarpon fishing. I told him at the ramp it had been tough going. At least the winds were finally calm! We went out in Pine Island Sound, and saw rolling fish right away, not a lot, not a shot, but actual, live tarpon. When the activity at the first spot died we went to the second, where we saw a few more. At the third and fourth spots we didn't see a fish. We went out of Redfish Pass and went slowly up the beach all the way to Boca Grande. We saw two small groups of fish this entire distance, at least 15 miles, and had one almost shot at a school of fish that then disappeared completely. As it turned out they were the last ones we saw. Jens ended up with one trout and one ladyfish, both of which he quickly subdued with that 12-weight.

Dave Westra at Lehr's Economy Tackle told Ricky D. that the water temperature in the Gulf dropped eight degrees after that front came through, which is what I figured happened, ruining the tarpon fishing for the week. It ought to be back up to snuff today or tomorrow. I can't go back until next week, having a couple of trips here, and son Maxx's graduation from Oviedo High School (Yay, Maxx!) to attend, this week. But I'm going back the day after Memorial Day and have every intention of getting deeply involved with a fly rod and a plethora of silver kings.

All of which just goes to show, once again, that fishing is always fishing.

Remember- life is short. GO FISHING!

Life is great and I love my work!!
Thanks
Marc