Weird Day

Trophy brookies in that?  Yessir!

It was a strange day on the water and by the end of the day all I could think of was a quote from Ghostbusters adding in my own quotes to it:

"Huge brookies in ditches, suckers taking Clousers, largemouth in fast water, cats and dogs living together..... mass hysteria!"

That about sums it up. Kevin and I did a float and ran into some exceptionally large brook trout in a place they really should not have been. Very cool to see, but weird, very weird.

Suckers eating minnows?

Then we hit a Lake Champlain trib in Northern Vermont. Kevin put on a big ol' chartreuse and white Clouser minnow and I had on a big olive cone head zonker. He was at the head of a pool and hooked up within 5 minutes. Awesome!  As I ran over to it to see what it was it didn't look at all like the bass we were looking for. Sure enough, it wasn't. It was a big ol' white sucker that latched onto his Clouser. Cool catch, but a sucker on a Clouser..... weird...  The fish was 18", had warty protuberances on it, and was spilling milt. A spawning male. 

Where did this come from?

Not long after that I was standing in the same spot slowly working back my fly and something hits it. I got a look pretty early on and it looked very bass like and it was..... but not a smallie- a largemouth in fast water. Good sized fish, 18", but not what I expected.... weird.....

Kevin got a 12" fallfish then walked down to water I had been fishing and hooked up again with that Clouser. This time it was a smallie- a fat 17" lady.  Females come in first so things are just starting. 

This makes sense!

I managed to hook into and lose something and that was pretty much then end of getting into fish. Seeing how high up the lake was on this trib..... weird....   seeing how high the lake is..... weird..... Kevin outfished me 3 to 1.... weird (not really, but had to say it!)

And I should have some big news this week- a pending state record!  More about that when it goes through!

Apparently I was fishing with a pregnant man too!

Friday Angler Interview- Pat Cohen

Pat with some of his deer hair magic

I haven't met Pat Cohen (yet). I was introduced to him thanks to my buddy Ken Capsey (redneck pike nut extraordinaire) through his blog then I found him on Facebook. Social media being social, who woulda thunk it? It didn't take me long to see how talented this guy is. He whips up deer hair flies like nobody else. As a matter of fact, this year one of his deer hair bugs took down all the competition and Pat was declared the 2010 Fly Tyer of the Year on Flytyingforum.com (take that you classic Atlantic salmon fly guys!). Pat is definitely one of those guys that really loves what he does and is pretty damned good at it. Ok, that is an understatement- the guy ties like nobody's business! 

Without further adieu, Mr. Pat Cohen, ladies and gentlemen!

How did you get your start with fly fishing?

Honestly it was a total accident. I have always fished, unsuccessfully most of the time. My Dad, Brother and I would always drown worms chasing the local bass. The only thing I ever caught was sunnies. I would go to the local tackle shop regularly, in search of that magic lure. I bought everything I could traditional gear wise, scents, special soaps to get rid of human smell...whatever they said I needed. I was the favorite sucker of a customer I'm sure, desperate to catch a trophy. One day while fishing in the Schoharie Creek I remembered that my brother had an Eagle Claw combo rod in his trunk. I grabbed it and went to town whipping that thing around, totally out of control until I managed to get line out. I had no idea what I was doing. I felt as though I needed to be in the water to do this as well, so for the first time I left the comforts of the dry bank and wet waded into a stream. I caught nothing, but something clicked and it all felt right. Then the obsession began.

It seems like warm water fly fishing is the name of the game for you (most of the time). What is it about warm water fish that gets you going?

Pat in his 'yak chasing bucketmouth bass

I wish I had a great philisophical answer for this, but I don't. Warm water species offer the same unique challenges that cold water species do. One of the things that I really like about warm water fishing is the lack of conceit and ego that goes with it. There are no warm water snobs in the fly shop, but it is filled with trout snobs. The world of warm water fly fishing is still fresh and new, it's just beginning to be accepeted by fly anglers. Look at the craze over carp that has sprung up recently. What an awesome fish on the fly. The flies for warm water species are still developing and there is so much to be invented and tied. They can be artful and functional. The places that warm water fishing puts me is another thing I love. I have pictures of otters, bald eagles, fields of wild flowers, beautiful scenery and some beautfiul fish as well. Things that I would have never discovered unless I was floating my kayak down a warm water stream or lake.

Do you have a favorite species (I will take a guess that it might be a Micropterus species) and why do you like that fish so much?

Nice smallie Pat!

The first time I caught a smallmouth bass it was like magic, an awakening. I had never caught a fish that fought so hard. I fell in love immediately. Smallmouth have become my main choice of fly target, but I catch anything with gills. They grow to trophy sizes and can be relentlessly finicky when it comes to eating a fly. They fight all the way in and continue to let you know how they feel about the situation until you finally let them go, usually splashing you in the face with one last flick of their tail, like they are getting the last word in. What a pretty fish to.

What other species do you like to target?

Big pickerel Pat

I enjoy largemouth bass, perch, bluegills, and crappie. I have a passion for walleye on the fly. I am infatuated with pickerel on the fly. Carp, thanks to my buddy Alex Cerviniak, have become an obsession. I target some cold water fish as well. I do enjoy going to small streams and catching brookies. I was crazed this winter with steelhead and lake run browns.

Are there warm water species that you haven’t caught yet that you want to try to get sometime soon?

I am beginning to target pike and tiger muskie this year. I have yet to get either on the fly.

I noticed you really got into metalheads over the winter. How did you do this past season?

The man even carries fly tying materials on his head!

Oh man...what a winter. I went into this winter knowing nothing in the beginning about these fish. I bought some books, talked to some friends and hooked my first one thanks to my friend Brian Price. He showed me the methods that got me started with steel. I love my warm water, but I find myself thinking about next winter from time to time. I caught a ton of fish, including my first few on the swing. I bought a switch rod and learned to spey cast. I learned high stich nymphing techniques. I learned how to tie new flies. I actually broke my first rod this winter on a big buck. Exciting stuff man...I have definitely been bitten by the steelhead bug...I will be back...

Would you be willing to share your magic fly with my readers….

Schoharie Specials

My magic fly...that would depend on where I am fishing. I have a fly that I tied for a Smallmouth stream not far from me. This fly...oh man...the first time I got the colors down I went out with this fly alone. I caught 40 smallmouth, ranging from 13-18 inches and two walleye 18 and 25 inches...All in 4 hours. It's a take off from a Half and Half, but this fly is deadly on the smallies. I call them Fleeing Bucktails. I tie them in multiple colors now, but that blue is the go to...my buddy Steve named it separate from the rest...The Schoharie Special...He caught his first walleye with that fly, something like 28 inches.

 

 

Do you ever target trout besides steelies?

I do target the monster lake run browns that Ontario has to offer.

On top of your angling exploits you have been getting a lot of attention for the flies you tie. I think that you are a total Gandalf-class wizard with deer hair. What is your secret?

The fly that got Pat the Fly Tyer of the Year- congrats!

My secret....practice...Top water fishing has become a passion for me. I tie a ton of top water flies, I constantly experiement with design and color patterns. The main thing I would tell people new to working with deer hair...Use the right thread, GSP is the answer. Use the right hair, you want the belly hair of whitetail deer or elk hair. One big mistake I see people making is not using enough hair in each clump when you apply it to the hook. You want to use as much as you can handle to make sure the bug will be dense.

Do you have any plans on writing any articles to help out folks like me that seem to have nothing but trouble with deer hair?

some of Pat's gorgeous divers!

Actually yes, there are some things in the works. I have an article coming out very soon in a German magazine called Fly and Tie on how to tie a deer hair mouse. There were 36 step by step photos going with that. I have some other little projects in the works, I will keep you informed. There are some video step by steps on my blog site that can help as well.

You have some pretty innovative ideas in fly design. Where do you get your inspiration for your flies? 

Topwater- the hair is packed tight!

A lot of my ideas come from experience on the water. What I enjoy about fly tying and fishing flies is that we make the fly move. We give it life, as if it is an extension of ourselves. When I set out to design a fly, I try to make the fly fluid, I want movement, even when the fly is at rest I want it to have life. In order for a fly to be successful it needs to get the attention of the fish. That may mean color, movement or shape and size. These are all things I take into consideration when tying. I also will on occassion look to spin gear and try to mimic some of the movements that a lure will make. I tie a top water fly called The Crank. You need to see this fly to believe it. Cast it out, utilize a two handed retrieve, this fly dives under water and wiggles back and forth like a crank bait. Let the tension go, it pops back to the surface...Deadly.....It's made from stacked deer hair...

The flies you tie are not always to be fished with. Can you tell me about a few of the patterns that you tie up for display?

A Punk Rocker with its natural prey in its mouth.

I tie a fly called the Punk Rocker. It is a bluegill imitation with a giant peacock herl Mohawk. People seem to respond very well to that fly. I have actually fished with it as well. It's deadly on largemouth. There needs to be adjustments made to fish with it though. I also tie a hummingbird for display. Both of those flies are stacked deer hair bodies.

How much demand do you have for display flies?

The demand for the Punk Rockers is pretty high. When I tie at shows I can't make enough of them ahead of time or enough when I'm there to meet all of the demand. It's pretty exciting that people like my flies that much.

Do you think that the artistic flair that you have with your flies come from your "real job"? (check out some of Pat's work here)

Pat at work, inflicting pain.

Haha...my real job...Well...I think that my abilities in art have definetly helped me along the way in fly tying. Being a Tattoo Artist makes you think about things a little different then most people. You are constanly hit with problems, visual problems. People will come in with horrible cover ups or impossible design ideas. Everything has limits, including flies and tattoos. My job as an Artist is to look past those limits and solve the problem at hand. Fly tying is the same to me. We are presented with situations that may be out of our control. We all think we understand fish behavior, but the fact is they are animals. We can only assume, but never be certain. As a fly tyer I need to realize those situations and prepare for them. I try to include multiple solutions to multiple problems in every fly that I make. My abilities in art make that visually possible for me.
 

Let’s get back to some fishing… if you had the chance to fish anywhere for anything where would it be and what for (and why)?

We need to get you into some big boys...

Man that's a tough question. I respect all fish and never get tired of catching any of them. I have an obsession with fish that have teeth. I watch Jeremy Wade on River Monsters and Larry Dahlberg on The Hunt for Big fish and get excited every time they fish in South America. I would love to catch a tiger fish or a wolf fish. Canada for monster pike has always been an exciting idea. Or giant muskies in Musky Country. Or bowfin, longnosed gar, alligator gar....I would love to catch a peacock bass...There are so many fresh water species that I want to catch. That being said...My first love of fly fishing is smallmouth bass and the Schoharie Creek...If it was my dying day and I had one last chance to fish, it would be there. My family and friends know the run I would want to be on, with the Eagles in my yak.

Any big fishing plans for this year?

I'm going to Cape Cod in three weeks to fling flies at stripers for the first time. I've got some paddling trips planned locally for pike and tigers....unfortunately no exotic destinations planned...

Thanks a million Pat! Looking forward to getting together with you this season some time...

Drew thanks a ton....I can't wait to get together and rip some lips....

Check out Pat's blog- Super Fly- you won't be sorry you did!

Florida- Day One on the Flats

Marty casting like a champ with Cordell at the helm

Cordell was concerned about the tides. Marty, Tim and I arrived in Miami right at the full moon and the tides were going to be big. We would be hitting the launch site at low tide in the morning.  Cordell wasn’t sure what the full moon would bring for fishing- it could be really good or it could be really bad. Either way, the three of us were really excited to get out of the dismal Vermont winter we had left and get out for some tropical fishing.

I was a bit out of sorts that morning. I had forgotten the compression sleeves I bought to help protect my arms. I had some good sun block but I had visions of casting lobster arms for the rest of the week. I didn’t get a lot of sleep either because I was too wound up. I was hoping to get shots at bonefish and barracuda but my primary target was sharks. I have wanted a shark on the end of a fly rod for years now. The fight is supposed to be amazing and let’s face it: you are catching a shark on a fly rod!

Sunrise from the launch site- Marty S. photo

Glassy waters on Biscayne Bay

We got to the launch site to a beautiful pink and lilac sunrise starting. There was virtually no wind and the water was glass. Things were looking good. We got everything set up in the canoes and set out. Yes, I said canoes. Cordell does all his fishing on Biscayne Bay standing up in an Indian River Canoe. I guide on Lake Champlain standing up in a Bear Creek Big Duck with pontoons on the side and we had brought that boat down with us. We were now on the salt in canoes chasing bonefish, reds, barracuda and, hopefully, sharks. Life was good.

The water was beautiful. Cordell commented that it was a rare days that the Bay gets so calm. He had Marty in the front of his canoe and I had Tim in the front of mine. We followed Cordell- he was poling and I was paddling. And I could not keep up. Cordell has the timing of the pole down pat. He moves his boat effortlessly over the shallows while scanning the water for fish. I have to admit that it was very impressive to watch him move that boat. It didn’t take long for fish to appear.

We were spooking small ‘cuda, snapper and needlefish on a regular basis. Now and then schools of bait would jump too. Then we started seeing tails. We had bones! Cordell had Marty casting we could see from a distance as we closed in on them. As we got near we saw the nervous water and a big school of bones swam between the boats. Two or three dozen bonefish moved through on a mission. That rippling will always be seared into my memory.  They moved so fast that no one had a chance to get a shot off. We kept moving south watching for more fish.

Tim hooked up! Note the ball of seaweed on the line.

Tim looking pleased!

Tim and I passed a mangrove point as the light improved. There were clouds filtering the sun but it was bright enough to see well and the wind had not picked up. As I scanned the water looking for fish just like I do at home, I spotted several little black triangles popping up and down out of the water. Bones! We had bones not 50 feet away to our left. I alerted Tim and abruptly turned the canoe and moved him toward the fish. His first cast didn’t produce, but the second was a different story. Tim remembered to strip strike and did it well and had a fast moving fish on the end of his line. The reel was spinning as the bone tried to head to the safety of the depths.

Gorgeous fish Tim!

It made a good run but never quite made it to the backing. As the bone took off initially it managed to get a clump of seaweed stuck on the line. I was a bit concerned about that since we didn’t know how big this fish was. I had complete confidence in the 3X Orvis Mirage Fluorocarbon tippet but I knew it would be good to get rid of the weeds. The fish never got into the backing but it didn’t matter to Tim who was grinning like a fool. He had caught his first bonefish! I felt pretty good myself for recognizing the signs and putting him onto the fish too.

We got some great pictures and released the bone. I barely remember taking the shot of the fish as it swam off, but the resulting picture really tells the story of Tim’s first bonefish ever. If you look closely at the middle of the shot you can see the ghost of the flats swimming by Tim’s shadow with his arms raised above his head in triumph. Cordell picked that picture out immediately as the best shot of the day and the one that really tells the story best.

Bonefish release

Tim and I switched up a couple of times as we tried to catch up to Cordell. He was at least a mile ahead of us. We went past a bunch of bonnethead sharks and I marked the location. Those were a fish on my catch list. When we got to Cordell and Marty they had just been working some redfish. Biscayne Bay is not known for its reds but Cordell has found some and some bruisers at that.  We went back through the area and good a good look at the school- a couple of dozen fish ranging from “little” 30 inch fish to ones that were well over 40. No one wanted to play with us either.

Capt Dan the shark hunter!

Marty told us on the way down to here they had a good shot at a permit. Cordell had spotted the tail from quite a distance away and had quickly poled Marty to its location. It had been a big one and Marty had been fortunate enough to get 3 shots at it before it took off.

On the way back toward the launch site I rigged up my 8 wt for the bonnetheads. These small relatives of hammerheads are crustacean specialists and aren’t often targeted with flies. I had been doing my research and found out that a simple crawfish colored rabbit strip fly with lead eyes was the ticket. I put on a heavier leader of 1X Mirage without a bite tippet: the teeth of this small shark weren’t likely to cut the leader. Tim was on deck at this point and we found some fish to hunt.

The photo of the photo- Marty S photo

It didn’t take long for Tim to find a playmate. The bonnethead swatted the fly and took off fast. It went to the backing in no time. The shark never went airborne but it did make a great show of itself. I watched the fly line head out of the guides and then some backing. Tim put some line back onto the reel and then it made another good run. Definitely a fish worth tossing a fly at!
When we got the fish close to the canoe, I jumped over the side to make it a lot easier to land. Once it got close I got my Boga-grip on its lower jaw. These guys do have teeth but they are pretty easy to handle. The teeth are well under the fish and unless you do something really stupid they will have a tough time getting a grip on you. After posing for some shots we let the shark go.

Not a big shark, but it still has teeth!

 It was my turn now! There were still plenty of bonnetheads around this cove. I tried for a while and all I managed to do was foul hook two. I wasn’t too happy about that and after an hour or so of trying we gave up and started toward where Cordell and Marty went to.

On the way toward them we were seeing scattered bonefish here and there and I had a couple of good shots but I wasn’t ready for them. I had put down the 8wt and picked up my 10wt Pike Saber and was on the lookout for bigger sharks. I had the right gear- an Orvis Mirage reel, the Saber, a Rio Outbound Tropical Intermediate Tip line and 300 yards of gel-spun backing. I had built a special leader too: 30“ of 25 lb mono, then 30” of 50 lb fluoro (to prevent the skin of the shark from rubbing against the leader and abrading it during the fight) and then 18” of 61lb Ultra Wire. I had a bright orange shark fly tied on too. We had seen some larger sharks earlier in the day and I was ready for them.

On the lookout for sharks

We were getting pretty close to the other boat when I looked to my left. There were three fish swimming toward us. Round faces and black sickle tails- PERMIT! Tim and I got a good look at them before they did what permit do- scatter faster than the blink of an eye. It was cool to see nonetheless.

Marty and Cordell were yelling at us that they had been seeing a lot of sharks. Cordell said that they had a group of bulls and blacktips around the boat. He was actually touching them with his push pole. Marty agreed and said that they were big enough that he didn’t want to fall in. I thought “Now I am in business”.

That group of sharks never appeared and the tide was starting to head out. Pretty amazing to watch that volume of water start leaving the flats. We had a couple of decent shots at some smaller sharks but they showed no interest. Then a good fish appeared. It was a pretty good sized black tip- 6 foot or so. About the biggest I wanted to get into.

I cast at it at an oblique angle leading it on. I stripped it past the fish and WHOOSH! It turned fast and jumped at the fly and missed it. Then it spun around again and smashed at the fly again… and missed it. Then it just lost interest and swam away. It was very cool to see that much power and speed in a fish. I can still see it clearly in my head: a perfect combination of force and grace focused with such intensity on my fly.

With the tide going out Tim poled me around trying to find more sharks but it wasn’t to be. We saw some large barracuda that I could not interest. There was a big sea turtle kicking around too. Bonefish would occasionally show up and disappear just as quickly. All in all it was very cool to watch. We finally ended up trying to catch some snapper along a boat channel- getting a lot to follow but none to commit.

We took the boats out of the water. It was Day One of Bonefish Boot Camp. There were more to come. Time for some Cuban food and regrouping for tomorrow's raid on the flats.

New Carp Article

I wrote an article for Fishing Headquarters Magazine- a new online mag about fishing in the Midwest and beyond. The piece was a primer on carp on the fly. Check it out- plus check out the goodness about bowfin, redhorse and other finny critters too!

Open publication - Free publishing - More andrew ragas

Friday Angler Interview- Clark Amadon

I have to apologize that this Friday Angler Interview is late. Things got messed up with my trip to Florida (hence the week off of for the Angler Interview) and I am still playing a bit of catch up. 
I was hoping to have this interview up last week but being in Florida made it tough. The Mad Dog Banquet is tonight and I had hoped to put it up last week to gather some attention.. the best laid plans....  so without further adieu...

I met Clark a couple of years ago while I was doing my teaching internship. We met at school one afternoon and started talking fishing. Next thing you know I was a board member of Mad Dog Trout Unlimited- the chapter that Clark has been president of for a while now. Clark is a very personable guy and enjoyable to spend time with. He is an excellent fly angler, even catching gorgeous wild rainbows on a horrible dump cast (I witnessed this last year). He has been a huge part of the work that Mad Dog has done in the past few years.

Clark chasing after the ever elusive Atlantic salmon

How did you get your start with fly fishing?

My father-in-law gave me my first lesson on the Lamoille downstream from Ithel Falls in Johnson back in 1977.  I don't think I caught anything but it is a place near and dear to me.  Bill was a great outdoorsman who loved fly fishing got trout and bird hunting.


What do you enjoy most about trout fishing in Vermont?

I love the challenge and the unknown..what's going to happen next, Vermont rivers have an intimacy that Western rivers I've fished lack.  I like the privacy since most VT rivers and streams are pretty uncrowded.  What's not to love about the beauty, gee whiz it's a lovely place to fish.  Sometimes I even catch a trout, that's fun, too!


As the chapter president of MadDog TU you have done a lot of work in the past few years to help out trout in Central Vermont. Can you explain some of the things that the chapter has done while you were at the helm?

Clark with a gorgeous Connecticut River brookie

We are active in riparian projects in the Winooski, Dog and some in the Mad River.  There are projects like these each year.  We've also been on the forefront with signage re "rock snot" ,a.k.a., Didymo (an invasive algae that has gotten into several Vermont streams and rivers).  We've lobbied around issues of habitat lose which could arise if small hydro dams or diversions are developed.  The Chapter also was a partner in removing a dam on a tributary of the Dog River- Cox Brook.  That was very satisfying in re-connecting a river system!  Many, many chapter members have been involved.  We like to do intimate projects working directly with local land owners.


Right now what would you consider some of the biggest threats to trout and their habitat in Central Vermont?

I think habitat lose is always a significant threat, which means poor riparian bank habitat.  The rivers and streams with good buffers are usually healthy systems.  Disconnected systems are significant as well, remove barriers and dams and rivers are healthier.  Poor hydro dam management contributes to warm water.  If we could even out water releases, which produce power, we could still produce power and keep rivers healthier and we'd like higher minimum flows, of course.  I could go on and on but I'm also concerned about "user conflicts" like the conflict between boaters and in stream fishers.


If the chapter was given a grant for $500,000 to do any kind of cold water work in our district, what project or projects would you?

Even out dam releases at Little River Dam, higher minimum flows there, too, remove dams, like the Warren Village Dam on the Mad.  Pay landowners who do riparian buffer projects.  Umm..$500K is a lotta loot!


At a recent public meeting about special regulations on a local trout river, you spent quite a bit of time talking to folks who fish with bait. I thought that this was a great thing. What do you see are the biggest hurdles for these two communities coming together to work to improve the resource and do you think it is possible to bridge that gap?

A real tough one...maybe the issue is somewhat related to "consuming" a resource.  TU folks generally practice catch and release and bait folks tend to keep trout.  However, TU do eat trout and bait fishers do release them.  I think there's an elitist issue, too.  I'd love it if folks who love to be in the outdoors and want their kids to love the outdoors could meet and agree and that so we could work together.


The annual MadDog Trout Unlimited Banquet is coming up quickly! Can you tell the readers where and when it is, and give a few snippets of what might be on the menu?

The MadDog TU Banquet is this Saturday the 30 at the Barn Door Restaurant in Waitsfield, VT.  We have fish, pork and a pasta options, unfortunately, we can't take anymore reservations.


Who is this year’s guest speaker and are there any “bonus” opportunities with him?

Fishy Fullum is the guest presenter!  A former outdoor writer from the Albany NY area and fly tyer of great renown!  He's doing a fly tying seminar at 3:00 on the 30th at the Barn Door!


Are there any work days planned soon for MadDog if any local anglers want to get out and help us out? What do we have on the books to do for boots on the ground this year?

I think we'll be on the rivers doing some riparian buffer projects either the Saturday of May 7th or 14th.  We'll be doing 2 projects on the Dog and one on the Winooski.


 
Let’s get back to something fun…. Do you have a go to fly for VT rivers?

Pheasant tail nymph, prince nymph, smallish 18's to 20's.  I've been fishing more wet flies lately, too.  It is a graceful and productive method.  When I can fish dries...elk hair caddis.

I know you have done some traveling and had some cool angling experiences. Could you share a story or two?

I fished the Sauk River in Washington one April Saturday many years ago and within 20 minutes i got my 1st steelhead, out west anyway and I got a bull trout!  I thought I got a laker out of a western river, they look alike, at least to me.  Catching my first brown, a fat bugger, on the Madison in the Park, it was magical. I used a small black soft hackle, so a wet fly caught that fish.  Later that night on the Madison shared a pool with a grizzly!  Scared the pants off both of us!  Also had a great day catching bonita off Catalina Island near Long Beach, CA.

What kind of fishing experiences, both local and travel worthy, do you hope to have in the coming year or years?

Man, I gotta get my first Atlantic salmon...hope to be on the Margaree this fall.  Some day gotta go to New Zealand, too!
 
Thanks a million Clark!

Florida Trip- Day 1

The canoe on the road

 The excitement had been building for a while for this trip and it was finally happening. I was heading to South Florida with Marty and Tim Sienkiewycz to fish with the Bonefish Whisperer- Cordell Baum Jr. The planning had been going on for months now: gearing up, tying flies, researching our target species- all the stuff you do before a big trip. And now we were on the road. And stuck in gridlock.

The drive the night before was fine. We left Vermont around 4:30 or so and drove until midnight to Delaware. We drove instead of flying because it allowed us to bring my canoe to fish with. Cordell fishes the flats of Biscayne Bay out of a canoe and the three of us are very familiar with that style of angling. I guide on Lake Champlain the exact same way. By bringing a second canoe we would be able to mirror what Cordell was doing. We were heading to Bonefish Bootcamp afterall!

The early Saturday drive started off alright but we got caught up in slow traffic on 95 near Washington, D.C. It seemed like half the population of New Jersey and New York were heading down to Florida with us. It was stop and go traffic on a road with a posted speed limit of 70 with no discernable reason for the slow down. It was frustrating. When we hit North Carolina in the afternoon it got worse. The skies blackened then opened up. Hail like I had never seen was coming down. It was nearly the size of golf balls. Folks were pulling off the road to get shelter underneath the overhanging trees on the edge of the highway. When traffic started rolling again we passed some melting hail that looked to be closer in size to a tennis ball. The fiberglass canoe would not have survived that.

We hopped off the highway shortly after that to try to make up some time on roads that parallel 95. This didn’t last long. Those roads were shut down. We had just missed the series of tornados that ripped through the Carolinas by about half an hour. It was devastation on a scale I had never seen before. Houses were torn apart and debris was strewn everywhere. After getting back on the highway we decided to drive to South Carolina and find a hotel for the night. We hadn’t travelled more than 450 miles in 14 hours of driving. Frustration was firmly entrenched.
A good dinner and a 2 am start to the last leg of the drive refueled us. The traffic was light but it was obvious that others had the same idea. We passed families with sleeping kids in the backseat frequently. By 7 am we had passed into Florida and made it to Miami by 12:30. Cordell was true to his word and waiting for us right by the road.

Cordell trying to hitch a ride into his driveway!

Cordell Baum Jr. is a true character. You can tell by your first look at him. Without question the first thing you will notice is his long blond hair, which is shorter than it used to be he would later tell us. He has a very rich face with skin that has definitely spent some time in the sun. His smile is infectious and his deep voice is filled with warmth and excitement. We felt welcome from the moment we stepped out of the truck. We took a few moments to unload the truck and get our gear stowed away in Camp Morningwood- the cottage Cordell has available for visiting anglers. It is a nice set up and perfect for a couple of guys. We were definitely going to be pushing it with three. One of us would be sleeping on the floor each night but the price is great and the hospitality was even better.

Cordell getting Marty rigged up for peacocks.

Since we were raring to go we all strung up 5 and 6 wt rods to head to the canals. The canals around Miami are home to a wide variety of fish: natives like largemouth bass and sunfish swim alongside intentional introductions like tilapia, grass carp and peacock bass. There are also a number of aquarium fish that are present- mostly cichlids like guapote, Midas cichlids, Mayan cichlids and a bunch of much smaller species that are of little interest to anglers but fascinate a fish geek like me. We were all pretty excited about some light tackle freshwater fishing to get ourselves psyched up for hitting the flats in the morning.

Marty's first peacock (of many)

Cordell got us on the highway and we started for an off ramp next to a lake in the canal system. He pulled off the side of the road into a grove of trees and Marty followed with much honking from motorists behind us. This is the only way to access this lake so it doesn’t get that much pressure. Within moments we were by a culvert looking at a bunch of fish. The huge blue tilapia want nothing to do with flies but the peacocks are another matter altogether. Marty got into the first one. Not a big one but any fish was going to work at this point.

The peacock bass in South Florida took a big hit in the freeze during the winter of 2009-2010. There were massive die offs because of the cold. Peacocks are an Amazonian fish that can’t handle temps below 60 for long. Miami had a three week period where the temperatures remained in the 40’s. Fortunately this past winter wasn’t as bad and the fish are recovering. Since it has not been long after the big freeze the population isn’t as big as it once was and there aren’t as many of the bigger specimens. This is going to change quickly however. The fish grow fast and are definitely starting to spawn which was going to work in our favor!

Tim gets in the game

Tim picked up a second peacock similar in size to Marty’s. Gorgeous colors on those fish. I could not get anything to stay on the hook. I got a couple of good takes but I was not sealing the deal. I was tired from all the driving and lack of sleep and it showed. A huge snook coming through the culvert got our attention. The fish was in the 15-20 pound range and Cordell explained that it was not unusual to see these saltwater predators stalking the canals. He also fishes freshwater tarpon in the same areas.

After working these fish for a bit we packed up and headed to another stretch of canal that Cordell haunts. There are lots of bigger peacocks in the area and other fish as well. It was a 20 minute drive (which is fairly quick by Miami standards) and we were parked behind some fast food joints. The fish were there though: much larger peacocks, some Florida gar and a variety of other exotics. I was having fun watching jewelfish, a small bright red West African cichlid, chase each other through the maze of limestone along the edge of the canal.

Marty pleased with another peacock- chartreuse and pink was the hot color.

After watching Marty and Tim both nail some nice peacocks I was getting ready to get into something myself. I had a couple of shots at good sized Florida gar but they were not interested in the least. None of the native sunnies wanted anything to do with my flies either. I had some half hearted swats at my fly by some peacocks. Mostly they seemed less than interested though. But along one canal something gold caught my eye and I pitched my orange and green Clouser minnow right to it. I watched the fish hit that fly hard and I knew I had a guapote! 

The guapote is a fish I am very familiar with- I have kept it and bred it in aquariums. The guapote (more properly Parachromis managuensis) is a fish that is primarily black with gold or silver vermiculations. This highly aggressive cichlid will readily attack anything that comes in the neighborhood of its nest- including a fish keeper’s hand. Considering the teeth that they have and that they can reach about 20” this makes a pretty formidable fish on a 5 weight.

My guapote! Like a smallie with teeth on steriods!

The fight was awesome!  It dug deep into the canal and peeled line off the reel. It took about 5 minutes to land. I got some great shots of it and then released it to get back to doing what it was doing- making more of these little terrors. Definitely looking forward to finding them there next time I hit the canals!

I never ended up with a peacock in hand that first day. I had a good solid take from a really nice fish but the fly popped from its mouth. Marty and Tim really outfished me. I will blame it on my lack of sleep and being overly excited but the reality is that they simply got the job done better. All in all this was a good warm up for what was to come in the morning- off to the flats of Biscayne Bay with Cordell!

I'm Back...

After a brutal 32 hours straight in the truck driving back from Miami I am back in Vermont safe and sound.  Lots of stories to tell, but I need some rest and recuperation first. Plenty to write about with this trip, but for right now I am going to put up a couple of pictures to get your attention.... Lots more on this awesome trip coming soon....