2020-04-29 FLY FISHING REPORT
Last Chance on Sale Costa Del Mar Sunglasses Through May-Click for more info
Conditions: Excellent
Surface Temp: 79f
Clarity: Slightly Tannic 28-inches
Neil Warnock is having an amazing week on the Gulf coast. Baby Tarpon, Big Snook-Wow!
Austin Salter is catching schooling Bass on Sprogs (frog patterns.)
Tips
Topwater bite is excellent with black bugs and frog patterns being the top picks. Crayfish flies, olive or black patterns for your biggest bass. These flies should be fished on the bottom with a slow crawl retrieve. The panfish will be found in shallow water, hanging around lily pads and cattails. Small foam spiders and dragonfly dries have worked well as a surface presentation. Try to make these flies smack on the surface, then slowly retrieve the fly. Small weighted black Wooly Buggers are still a good choice when the bluegill quit hitting topwater flies and move to slightly deeper water. A slow crawl works best giving the fly a chance to sit still. Bluegill are still munching on grass shrimp near the cattails. Their loud slurps can be heard and are a good indicator that fish are close by. Small olive scud patterns mimic the grass shrimp with orange patterns represent dying scuds. Some anglers prefer using a strike indicator several feet above the fly to keep them above the submerged grass. A deep rig, with your fly several feet under your indicator, has helped keep specs and big bluegill on the line.
Scott Crouse caught this hefty bass on a rootbeer and brown gurgler.
Forecast
The topwater bite will continue to excel with the calmer days and warmer weather. White, Black or Frog poppers are working, especially in the shade. The streamer fishing is straight forward with small chartreuse and white Clousers being the top choice. Stick with scuds and dragonfly nymphs for bluegill fishing subsurface, fished near the bottom. Small foam spiders and foam dries work well to tempt the bluegill on the surface. Searching for areas close to deeper water will allow you to locate the fish easier. Rivers provide an excellent shelter on those windy or crowded days. Weather looks like bluebird skies for a few days. At the time of this report: Lake Levels are ear norma and gently falling. The Peace River low and rising (97CFS). Econ River is low and rising (51 CFS). Myakka River is low and steady (6 CFS). Hillsborough is average and rising (70 CFS). Withlacoochee is about normal trickle (1CFS). Kissimmee River near Frostproof is below average and steady (13 CFS). This time of year, water levels should be lowest.
Laina Lindsey re-covered John's work chair. Looking Good!
Techniques
Best techniques for the week include Technique 1) Chartreuse and white Clouser is the color. Other colors to consider are bluegill, or pink and white Clousers fished tight to shore and slowly retrieved. Technique 2) Mayfly season has come. Fish classic dry flies in size 10-16. Our mayflies can be huge, and we’ve been tying some oversized foam dries. Dangle a pheasant tail, prince or hare’s ear in a tandem rig. Technique 3) Frog poppers anddivers fished slowly during low light conditions, and even during the day under shady overhang and around docks. Technique 4) Black or olive crayfish flies fished low and slow close to the shoreline. Crawl the fly over prospective areas, frequent pauses can coax a bite. Add a small split shot 18 in. above the fly if the winds pick up. This will help maintain proper depth. Keep an eye open for the Mayfly hatch.
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Craig Jameson is producing some cool Wilson's Bream Reapers
Fly Tying Club and Fly Fishing 101 are postponed. These activies will resume as soon as possible! We are hopingfor May Dates.
FLY FISHING REPORT 2019-10-01 for Central Florida
Report by Allen WyattWeek of 10/01/19
Conditions: Good
Surface Temp: 80f
Clarity: Slightly Tannic 27-inches
Register Now for FLY FISHING and CASTING SCHOOL on Oct. 17th
AN ALL DAY EVENT TO LEARN THE BASICS OF FLY FISHING. OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, THIS SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT THE ART OF FLY CASTING FOR 25 YEARS. THIS IS WHERE GREAT TRADITIONS BEGIN!
Registration here -> https://www.andythornal.com/products/fly-fishing-school
Let us know what you are catching-or not catching-Send your pics of fish, beautiful places, or some of the flies that you have tied. We love to post them on our fishing report! Send to Allen@andythornal.com
Shallowfly Walt is catching Tarpon in October!
Tips
The shad will begin to school in the mid areas of the lake. It will be obvious as there will be action on the surface. Bass will find these schools. Fish the edges of the schools with patterns from 1 to 3 inches. You will need to motor up to the schools as they appear for only a minute or two before diving for submerged hydrilla. You will find this action in the mornings and early evenings. Frog patterns are still good in the shallow weeds and lilies. Push as close to shore from a boat, or fish from shore. Get out a stiff rod, stout leader and make sure you use frog flies with a weed guard. This is the time of year when some of the old-timer-live-bait anglers start net dipping grass shrimp. Blue gill can key into grass shrimp and become selective. Try grass shrimp (scuds) in a dropper rig, a tandem rig, or a tripler. This will be a go-to around Kissimmee grass for Bluegill.
Congratulations to Joey Murphy. A recent graduate from one of our casting school. On a trip to Spring Creek in South Dakota, e caught Rainbows,Browns, and Small Mouth
Techniques
Best techniques for the week include 1) Popper/dropper tandem rig for panfish. Using foam body poppers or hoppers, attach a dropper underneath- pheasant tails, hare's ear or a prince nymph-these should hang 3 to 5 feet off the floater. Technique 2) The smaller bass are cruising with the moderate weather. Anglers should work the edges early and late in the day. Clousers in white, baby bluegil, baby bass, should be worked as far into the weed lines as you dare. Cruising crappie (Specs for the locals) are taking small baitfish patterns next to weedlines. Technique 3) Sinking lines with deep baitfish (EP Everglades Special, EP Shad, or Choklett's Game Changer) should be fished 20-30 ft off the weedlines during the day as Bass are staging for shallower water in 5ft - 8ft of water. This is an opportunity to air out your longest cast as it is all blind casting.
Congratulations! First Fish on youra fly that you tied!
Congratulations! First Fly Rod Bass
Forecast
Cruising bass and specs will be shallow and near the weedlines. Small black and small white minnow patterns will be good. Watch for schooling shad in the mornings and late afternoon. Try grass shrimp in the Kissimmee grass and cattails. Winds will be moderate, increasing in the afternoon. Chance of rain is low for several days, then, several days of scattered showers. Pressure remains low. WE are coming off a new moon, Full moon 1s Oct 13th and should be the first of the good spec fishing. Lake levels are high, and we expect lake levels and river levels to fall through the week. At the time of this report: the Peace River is below average. Econ River is below average level. Myakka River is far below seasonal average. Hillsborough is below average but the Withlacoochee is flowing above average. Kissimmee River near Frostproof is below average. This week should be excellent for paddle craft on the lakes and rivers.
Learn to tie your own flies at our club meetings! Next meeting is Oct 1st! Check out the new Big Screen Showing the fly tying action!