Tag Archives: salt bum

Adventure, DIY, Everglades, Film, fly fishing, gear, Safety 1st, Tactics, Tiller

PSA & Killer Tiller Video Hatch

I recently completed a wonderful multi-day trip in Florida Bay, staying a few nights under the clouds and stars atop a Chickee in Everglades National Park.

The weather was a bit chilly and the wind was blowing near a gale for a good portion of the trip, but the fish didn’t seem to mind too much.

Everglades Redfish on Clouser

I’m no trailblazer in this regard.  Lots of folks have been there & done that, as will many more to follow.

If you haven’t, drop it in the proverbial bucket and make sure you reach in and fish it out before you die.

Sitting in the dark over the clear briny water watching the bioluminescent algae flash in pulses reminiscent of lightning bugs on a cool August evening in Appalachia will enlighten you and draw you closer to nature in a way that is hard to explain.  Its no wonder ancient tribes had such respect and viewed their environment in such reverent awe.

Below is a great example of an Over Night from Livit Films.

 

As you can see the opportunities in the Everglades are vast and friendships simply grow stronger there.

Now for the Public Service Announcement portion of this entry:

I run a tiller skiff.  Its my preference when it comes to how to operate a vessel.  I feel in touch with the water in a way that is hard to reduce to words.  I respect it too.

Years ago, I was running a tiller skiff across a deep basin in an estuary in Central Florida when the lower unit collided with a marine mammal of greater mass.  In the blink of an eye, I was sent headlong into the water as the skiff turned a sharp 45-90 degrees and was suddenly no longer beneath me.

When I emerged from below the surface, I was met with silence, but for the rhythmic splashing of my wake lapping the waterline of the skiff where she sat a few dozen yards away.

A great friend had always demanded the kill switch be worn when we duck hunted and the habit had stuck.

If it had not been for that switch and lanyard, I may have been in for a long swim or worse.

In a nut shell; if you’re operating a vessel, especially a tiller steering equipped skiff. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR KILL SWITCH LANYARD.

That concludes this PSA, brought to you by the wet guy dragging himself across the gunnel to fish another day.

fly fishing, traditions

Christmas Cheer, A Redfish & Beer

As jolly St. Nick prepares his sleigh and team of tiny reindeer, my thoughts move to the weather.  Just like Santa, I too plan to be active on Christmas Eve.  Now going on nine years, my tradition of spending the day outdoors on the water looks to be a tough one.

The forecast is filled with a stiff breeze and showers, but my hopes are not dashed.  I’ll be out there despite the weather.  Its going to be my last salty outing of the year, and I’m not about to pass just because its a little less than ideal in the weather department.

My Christmas Eve tradition is a day of reflection on the year past, its successes and failures (plenty of those), as well as a time to look forward to the coming year and what it might bring.

The cleansing I receive at the hands of the great outdoors and its beauty is why I fly fish, it is who I’ve become.  Just like the gifts brought by three wise men, the water delivers me a bounty that is hard to measure.

Less than a week ago, I spent the afternoon with my young son, chasing redfish in small creeks and ponds hoping to sow the same seed in him that my father nurtured in me.

On Christmas Eve I’ll be thankful for all that I’ve been able to do in the year past and look forward to more good times that will surely come.

 

Adventure, Catch & Release, DIY, Everglades, Travel

Its More Than A Feeling

“Then we got into a labyrinth, and, when we thought we were at the end,
came out again at the beginning, having still to see as much as ever.” 
― Plato

 

I try to take something away from every outing on the water.  A little moment or big, it doesn’t matter; just a piece of the puzzle that fits into the ever sprawling mosaic of experience that builds my bigger picture of fly fishing.

As the sun sank to my west, I stood in the cockpit of my skiff and chased it towards the horizon.  Lying before me was the gear I had needed to be self reliant for a couple of nights in Everglades National Park.

salt bum fly fishing expedition
At peace running through Florida Bay.

The feeling I had was one of achievement.  I had arrived with a few goals in mind and I had checked them off the list along with a couple more that were simply icing on the cake.

The trip was made in the company of a great friend and fellow fly angler.

The great feelings aside, we learned a lot and more importantly, nourished the desire to return and build upon it.

Film, fly fishing, Tactics

Fully Invested

Fly fishing gets easier the longer you do it.  Just like a pilot’s log book, filled with hours of experience, most often translates into the airplane becoming an extension of you, the more time you spend on the water, the more naturally the movements become.

Fly fishing and flying are very similar activities in my mind.  Both require attention to detail in the three dimensional realm and flawless execution to pull it off the way it was meant to happen.

An uncoordinated turn in a plane is akin to a sloppy loop, sure it gets you there, but very inefficiently and the result ain’t pretty.

Thats where experience steps in and creates flow and prowess.  Hard work is rewarded by becoming habit.

A health dose of obsession can be the driver that separates the elite from the also rans.

The folks that go, no matter the conditions, are the ones that will develop the skill set that is ultimately going to deliver consistent results.  There is no quit in them, they persevere.  The drive and motivation they possess help them achieve the level of competency that makes them successful on the water.

If you have the desire and feed it, you’ll reap the rewards long term.

When I see a film like Obsession by Patrick Rhea I know he’s  to be the kind of guy that is fully invested.

 

Watch him work, there is no wasted energy with false casts and he’s accurate and purposeful in his movement.  Most of all, he’s having a great time and at the end of the day, thats why we all do this thing called fly fishing.

Adventure, Bonefish, DIY, fly fishing, Travel

Ditch The Guide – The Rewards of DIY Are Priceless

By far my favorite saltwater species to target with a fly rod is the bonefish.  Their attitude and aggressiveness, not to mention the backing exposure they deliver, are the best.

Most of the bonefish I’ve cast to have been Bahamian, though I’ve given it a go from the Florida Keys, South Caicos to  Oahu.  Most of the time its been a DIY scenario.  Despite being guided a handful of times, the most rewarding trips and best memories have been when I’ve done it on my own.

By the looks of it, these guys enjoyed a little DIY bonefish action in and around Turks & Caicos.

The next time you’re thinking about heading somewhere tropical, keep in mind DIY is rewarding and achievable.   Think of all the conch fritters and Kalik you could buy for $500 a day.

 

Catch & Release, DIY, fly fishing, Instruction, photography

Capture A Memory – Summon Your Inner Photographer

Every fish that comes aboard my skiff  or comes to hand doesn’t get its mugshot taken, but when it happens, the subject most likely swims away muttering unspeakable things about the paparazzi.

I’m a catch and release angler at heart, so photos are the hallmark of my experience.  My number one maxim: The most memorable  fish is the one you release.

I really focus on the fish when capturing images to document my time on the water.  Sure, I include human subjects at times, but for the most part the focus is on the prize.

I’ve been taking pictures for decades.  I used to burn lots of images on film back when 35 mm was king.  I sent rolls upon rolls away to a mail order processor in hopes of seeing an image that was worthy of a matte and frame.

Digital changed that.  What it didn’t change was the basics of photography.

My father has thousands upon thousands of 35 mm slides from travels across the world, his understanding of photography was from experience as well as formal training and I was lucky enough to have him as a coach and mentor.

His guidance built my photographic foundation and shaped how I view the world and subjects through a lens.

The Gallery above is just a random selection from a photo dump from my iPhone.  It demonstrates a couple of the principles that I believe could be helpful in improving your photography skills.

Composition is King

When you frame an image, pull the subject in closer.  The idea of everything in view is often the enemy of a great image.  Just like having a clear focus, the composition of the entire image is better tight.  Have a subject and commit to it.  Put the subject in view, not just in the center, but make it dominate the frame.

More is Better

Don’t get hung up on the composition so much so that you miss the shot, you can fine tune it later with a small amount of editing.  Pull in the image and start firing.  I hammer down the shutter and get a handful of images.  Its within the affray where I find the gems.  Action begets success.

Sort it Out

Take a few moments when you get off the water to do a cursory, quick edit to discard the horrible and unusable, but be careful not to be quick to discard.  Soft or slightly out of focus can often be fixed with editing and a detail within an otherwise uninteresting image may be mined out with cropping.  After the initial weeding, walk away.  When you come back to the images later, you’ll likely see them with a more creative eye.

Get To Know Your Camera

I shoot a lot with the camera on my phone simply because its there and easily accessible.  I have a whole stable of Nikons ranging from DSLR to a basic AA battery powered point and shoot model I take on expeditions where charging batteries will be difficult.  Each camera gives differing results and I know like reflex how the shot needs to look on the LCD screen to be ideal for usefulness.  I only got to that point by experience with each camera.  Experience came at the expense of a lot of crappy images.  Now that I know them well, its become very easy and quick to compose images and capture them.  A bump to get depth of field and I’m ready to roll.

Lastly, but most importantly, keep our friend’s health in mind when setting up shots.  In the water, breathing, until the moment you’re ready to pull the trigger and capture your best fish.

Adventure, Bahamas, Bonefish, DIY, fly fishing, redfish, Redneck Riviera, Travel

Bahamas Style: Redfish On Fly

Until this week, I’ve always thought there was only one place to go to enjoy wading for redfish in a place that evokes the feeling of bonefishing a Bahamas flat.  A few years ago it was the Lower Laguna Madre of Southwest Texas where I had experienced it for the first time.

The Gulf Islands National Seashore is also just such a place.  Recently I spent the better part of 3.5 hours walking the shoreline there looking for redfish in gin clear water over hard sand bottom.  The set-up is identical to what you normally see reserved for bonefish.  My timing was off, I was there on an extremely high tide, so I passed on wading and remained on the narrow ribbon of beach along the water’s edge.  Nonetheless, I saw a handful of redfish, all solitary hunters, that were plying the same shoreline.  This time they were a bit too wary of my offerings and all of the shots I took ended without a hook-up, despite a couple of promising follows.

There are literally miles of flats available.  Hard sand bottom with sparse sea grasses stretch on from horizon to horizon.

The idea of spending time on the Redneck Riviera has grown in appeal by significant digits.

For now, I’ll carry the panhandle skunk back home with me, but rest assured, I’ll return again with a sharper plan and better timing.  I love bonefishing, I love it even more when the expected gray ghost is actually a copper rocket.

fly casting, fly fishing, Instruction, lessons, Uncategorized

Take It Easy & Cast Better

When you’re alone on the dance floor its not uncommon to feel a bit self-conscious and imagine the spotlight shining down on you exposing all of your flaws.

Performance anxiety can ruin the moment if you let it. To date, there is no little blue pill that you can take before you head out the door to ensure you’ll be ready when that sexy [insert species] shows up looking to tussle.

Many times I’ve stood on the poling platform methodically pushing across a flat and I’ve quietly admired the smooth tight loops being formed by the angler up front who has lofted the fly for a momentary break from the monotony of the stalk.

That admiration quickly erodes as their cast crumbles when a fish appears, ready to be fed fur and feathers.

These failures are more often than not simply a by product of rushing and loosing focus on the casting stroke.

I’ve adopted a new policy for my skiff that focuses on providing positive feedback on those perfect, yet lonely false casts that will never find a target. I ALWAYS make sure to point out the results of the relaxed cast. Its beauty, grace and distance are all noted. Its followed by the reminder: Keep that cast, and take it easy when the fish shows up. Time is on our side. Don’t rush it, take it easy.

I’m no original thinker, so don’t take my word for it, listen to Andros South’s very own raconteur:

If you need to, hum the lyrics from this Eagles tune to yourself:

Lighten up while you still can
don’t even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
and take it easy…