Fishing around Tampa has been great. If you can find the weather window and the right tide, fish are usually more than willing to take a fly. Granted, it is Tampa so you might have to find the “right” fish, but it has been consistent. This time of year, we experience lower tides during the daylight hours, sometimes negative tides. This allows us as sight fisherman to be able to sight fish a flat longer due to the lower water levels. It also concentrates the fish in more defined areas on a flat that hold enough water to feed in. The lower tides also give us the opportunity to fish for tailing redfish. This time of year, we can expect to throw more crustacean patterns, but don’t rule out big baitfish patterns for big snook.
Looking forward into the coming months, we can expect to see the same tidal patterns and frontal systems. On the warmer trends you will see more snook getting ready for spring. As it warms up, they will make their way further out of the rivers and back waters and start to move out onto the flats. Trout should also continue to be plentiful. Keep an eye out for bigger trout moving up onto shallower flats during cooler periods. This is a great time to get out and fish.
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We also have some exciting stuff going on within the fly shop. We have brought in a lot of new products for 2020, and we still have more stuff on the way. Remember, we offer our monthly fly-tying night on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. This is an opportunity to learn a new fly every month and be able to head home with a few free flies. Also, we are excited to bring a new element to the open tying night which is on the 4th Wednesday of every month. On top of hanging and tying, we are going to add in an additional talking point to try to share some tips and tricks. We will be covering topics like material selection, leaders, fly line, hooks, tying techniques, knots, and many more. This will allow us to cover important topics a little more in depth and hopefully help everyone become a little more rounded with their fly-knowledge. Keep in mind, these classes are free, there is no need to register, and all experiences are welcome. Be sure to stay connected with our website and social media accounts for updates and we always encourage people to stop in. We look forward to seeing some new faces in the shop as we strive to continue to be a source of quality equipment and reliable assistance in the fly community.
Thanks,
Capt. Keaton Anderson & Capt. Kris Smythe