FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-10-10

Week 10/08/18- 10/15/18
Conditions:  Excellent
Surface Temp: 81f
Clarity: Tannic 18-inches

Schooling Shad reports from many fly anglers.  Get out your white shad patterns. This is a fun time of year, and you can catch bass on nearly every cast if you are at the right place!  The schooling shad will appear on the surface for a couple of minutes, attracting bass.  We used to believe that the bass were schooling up the shad (like mackeral and bonita school the baitfish in saltwater.)  It appears that the shad are spawning at this time, and make themselves very vulnerable.  It usually happens over submerged vegetation like hydrilla.  The simple tip is to have white fly patterns from two inches to 6 inches.  Be prepared to find the shad in different areas of the lake-you'll see them!  Surprisingly, you can run up on the melee with the big motor and cast.  Bass are usually working the edges of the school (cast to the edges, not the middle.)  Bluegill are picking up.  Spradic rain from Hurricane Michael has cooled our surface temps.  This means morning and evening should be good for the surface bite.  We are watching a change in color.  Colors-Yellow, Bumble, White and Black.  Sizes-Small and Medium.  A few of our anglers regularly catch tilapia-yes they are mostly vegetarian, but they eat small bugs too.  Check out the simply 'Lion Fly' pattern below.

It is time to start thinking about specs (Crappie.)  Jig style flies with squirmito tails were very effective last fall.  Specs are cruising the weedlines.  One angler reported great spec fishing in the lily pads.  He would drop the jig vertically through holes in the pads.  Natural colors are best at the moment, but have some brights available.  For bass in the fall, structure like overhanging trees is important.  Shade is important.  Work the docks, and shorelines that are in the shade, (these places have cooler water, and provide a great ambush point.) Classic popper fishing is working morning and evening on Bluegill.  And this is why we bumped the status to excellent.  Note the popper color changes in the tip section.  Popper dropper rigs are a very good way to fish.  Use the flies from your trout trip, they work great as droppers.  If you are buying flies, bigger nymphs (sz 12) in prince or hare's ear patterns.  Get these flies on the bottom.  There is a caddis hatch on the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes. Might be a good time for some dry flies, tiny tippets, and your little rod.  Don't forget to use your rubber spiders in white; one angler said that was the only thing that bluegill would bite.

Hurricane Michael will produce rain and wind, but clear skies are forecast after Thursday.  Wind is an issue all week.  Best fishing should be bookends of the day (Early or Late.)  Lake levels are still high, but lower than last week.  We'll see how much rain we get over the next few days. Pressure begins low and will rise through the week. Army Corps of Engineers have reduced the water coming out of the  Kissimmee dam (below Hwy 60.) It is below normal level for this time of year.  Econ, near Oviedo, is also low. Myakka, Peace, Hillsborough, and Withlacootchee are about normal for this time of year.  As we ease out of the rainy season, we will watch normal river levels fall.  Lake levels should slowly recede.  Lakes with large marsh areas will become friendly to fish. We expect bass fishing and bluegill fishing to be excellent this week.

Billy Williams has an innovative way to attach squirmito, producing awesome worm flies.