Here's the deal:
1) Received a companion fare coupon in the mail. Good for Continental USA only.
2) Have lodging in Fort Meyers, Sanibel, Captiva or Marco.
3) Have a 9 wt and a 10 wt begging to be used.
4) Wife wants to come and hang. She is happy being a sun lizard.
5) Have vacation time.
So??? I would like to target Poon w/ Snookies as a back up. I spoke with a guide (Capt Keving Holley) who works out of Sanibel area and prefers Fly Fishing. Said to come down mid May.
What say you guys. I know you both have been in that area. Any guide contact info?
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My advise is don't do it! After taking my son on several trips fishing SW Florida as well as Alaska he just doesn't have much interest in Utah slug trout or lame bass. A 5 lb trout just doesn't seems so big anymore. Life will never be the same back home[laugh]. Some Tarpon migrate north and that sounds like the area you want to be come April or May. If you're go earlier I'd choose Marco Island with it easy access to the 10,000 Islands. Capt Charles Wright out of Chokoloskee will do fly fishing trips if you go earlier.
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My experience is mostly in the Keys and Everglades, south of the locations you mentioned. I'd do the Marco/Sanibel area myself, and the guide you contacted sounds right for timing. "May." Or even June. It can get started up there in April, but the later, the better. Even April in the Keys can be iffy some years, so definitely go in May or June. Contact more guides too. Talk to a few and you might see a pattern in their answers. Ask about tides because they can make or break a trip. See if you can book favorable tides for the time and place you'll be fishing.
I don't personally know any guides in those areas, but Google probably does. I'd also visit the Florida Sportsman forums. They have specific forums for specific regions, and more information than you can imagine. Good information from very good fishermen too. And guides.
Practice Casting with those 9 and 10 weights. The front of a skiff is NOT the place to get comfortable. You need to cast quickly and accurately to 50 and 60 feet, at least, with some wind. Practice casting. Really. That's the most important thing to do, let the guide worry about leaders, flies, tides, weather, and the fish.
(I sure like that triple-rig you have on your profile picture! I haven't had the guts to try it with my truck, cargo trailer, and drift boat or raft trailer.)
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Also, I've fished with Capt. Wright and a couple of his other guides out of Chokoloskee. Most were great trips. However, he usually fishes south of Everglades City/Choko., and doesn't hit the 10,000 islands and Marco areas as hard for fishing. (birdwatching and eco tours, yes). I'd find someone who's "backyard" is right where you're fishing/staying. You want someone with very intimate knowledge. My picks would be Marco first, then Sanibel. The further south, the better, in my experience, though you can't go wrong anywhere on the west coast of Florida. Hell, the whole state is smothered in water full of fish!
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Doing some research this guide has been around for a long time and has a good reputation. I actually met his mother in-law while goofing w/ Tenkara.
Your advise w/ tidal flows is good. I forget to check all the time. On the Baja it is not fun to surf cast w/ high tide. LOL I am fairly decent throwing my 9-wt. It fishes well in Southern Baja. I just bought the 8-ft 10 wt. So some lawn casting is in order.
Question, I have never bought Salt Water line. I have always just used a long bellied, grain specific line, then at the days end gone to the hotel pool for cleaning. It has worked. But, Baja temps stay below 85. Yes, no....
yeah, the pop-up / drift boat combo rocked. I could easily zoom 80, headed where ever. I no longer have the pop up trailer. She Who Must Be Obeyed upgraded us to a 26-ft high end rolling condo. It pulls well with the drift boat, too. Just costs mucho dinero for dinosour bones.
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A textured, "tropical" line makes a world of difference. I've fallen head-over-heels in love with my Orvis Hydros "3D" Bonefish lines in 6-8 wt. They added 20 feet to my cast without me changing anything. Less effort at a given distance means better accuracy too, at least for me. Those lines just sail through the guides, and they're stiff enough to reduce those darn coils you get in warm weather. They're pricey, but Orvis is always good to me.
There are other brands too. I'd just make sure it has some sort of texture to it, and its a "tropical" line, meaning stiffer. SA, Rio, and I'm sure there's others. Flygoddess probably knows them all!
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Sweet, this is what I know. I stayed in Bonita Springs which is a part of Fort Meyers, stayed right on Estero Bay which basically emcompasses the area. Estero Bay is very shallow but a very muddy bottom so no good for wading, plus it's full of sharks. I used a great guide Capt. Steve Nagy [url "http://www.bonitaspringsfishing.com"]www.bonitaspringsfishing.com[/url] he had reasonable rates and got me into fish, booked him for half a day, he kept me out alot longer no charge.
8 wt. is fine for the snook and smaller tarpon in the area, you can also rent kayaks and DIY. I did drive over to Sanibel and there is plenty of wade fishing so if you can stay on Sanibel..do it, plus Captiva is basically connected, caught Pompano and Snook around Sanibel just wading, saw some tailing Reds as I was leaving.
The whole area is fishy and awesome.
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Cortland's Liquid Crystal line is one that I have really enjoyed. Very stealthy and super slick casting. If you are interested make sure it is the "Liquid" crystal, because its predecessor line had terrible memory.
Probably too far away, but if you are looking for someone cheap maybe try locating somebody like this guy in your area.
http://uprisingflyfishing.blogspot.com/2...efish.html
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