Tied Flies

And we do not mean a pesky little fly caught in the act of eating my sandwich, arrested and tied up for execution.



We mean Hand Tied Fishing Flies for catching Fish. For a number of years I spent time in Central and South America, then later all over Africa. There wasn't much to do out there, besides my work, so I gathered hairs to feathers and tied flies to pass the time away.



Later on, when living here in Florida, I found a couple of my Tupper-ware containers, to which contained all these insects I had tied many moons past.



Some, the hooks had rusted away and I had, Ha-Ha-Ha, barbed-less hooks on rather beautiful flies with an eye to tie but no hook. I put them aside until of late, as I pulled out my late father’s old Cortland center pin reel with its St. Regis Bamboo fly rod. Together, I was matched to catch fish, saltwater to freshwater.



Being older now and my fingers are not as limber, not to mention I can spot a pod of Tarpon at 200 yards away but cannot for the life of me see what I am writing without my glasses; hence, no more new flies.



Here are but a few more unnamed little guys you might like to see, that is if you too are into tied flies.




These others were tied while attending University at USF in Tampa; making them a bit newer:
















There are a bunch more, but I have not the time to show, I got to Fly.

"FISH ON!"

11 FOOT TIGER SHARK ON NOKOMIS BEACH!

11' Tiger Shark on Nokomis Beach Florida:
Avoiding the Oil Slick?

An Eleven Foot Tiger Shark decided to go sun bathing on the Nokomis beach as of yesterday 05/28, 2010. Mote Marine officials concluded its appearance on the beach might be due to the offshore Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which now closes about twenty-five percent of all commercial Gulf of Mexico fishing or 60,683 square miles of the Gulf.

Gulf Closure Map

The Gulf of Mexico fishing closures now extend all the way to the west Florida shelf, The Blue water at the 200-meter line. This closed area is one of the most abundant commercial fishing areas found off the western coastline of Florida. The shelf is about 140 miles off Venice, Florida and extends northwestwards. The new “best guess” is between 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day are sluing into our Gulf marine environment establishing this oil spill as the largest in American history. That is nearly triple the amount spilled of the Exxon Valdez incident of 1989. Though to different monsters, it is still oil but of a higher grade. Considering our Tarpon travel some 125 miles offshore in their “Daisy Chaining” mating ritual, I wonder to what effect it will have on their migratory run and the offspring they deliver. I have talked to a number of area anglers, boat ramp owners and tackle shops and all have agreed we need to form an alliance to be prepared for the oncoming onslaught. As suggested by The Online Fisherman Team., we need an oil spill prevention plan. Just in case.

NEW REEF AT KEY WEST-Florida

Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a large World War II ship to be sunk in aid of the overstocked surrounding natural reefs around by giving fish a new place to dwell. Thus the surrounding coral reefs around can be given a breather with this new wreck to explore and set up new dwellings.
The Vandenberg will become the world's second largest intentionally sunk artificial reef. At seven miles off Key West, where it will become one of the world's biggest man-made reefs, the 17,000 ton, 523-foot-long ship will be sunk on a sandy bottom in about 140 feet of clear water.
The Vandenberg began as the Gen. Harry Taylor. The ship was later commissioned by the Army as a transport vessel for ferrying troops and supplies from San Francisco to island bases in the western Pacific Ocean in 1944.
In 1945, it carried troops home from Europe near the end of World War II. It was later used by the Navy as a transport ship, and was transferred to the Air Force in 1961, when it was renamed the Vandenberg. From 1961 until 1983, the ship served as a missile tracker throughout the height of the Cold War and was retired in 1983.

A Florida Whale Tail

A Whale of a Tail



A 50 odd foot Sperm whale surfaces off Boca Grande Pass as anglers wait the tagging of the poons, Tarpon that is, silver giants, silver kings and their annoying carnivorous monsters the sharks to follow from Bulls to Hammers. This whale meanders in, swims about and swims away in a totally awesome yet unexplained reason why other than it was just curious too.

We now carry Haber Vision; Seeing them before they bite is a real treat!

Snooky Looky Goody

As the end of season appears on the horizon May 1, we cast our lines on fruited waters and behold we caught a number of monsters that were never seen. Three to be exact with one keeper for the camera and then back into the water she went. Story forth coming...

Grab Your Partners Two by Two, Ladies and Trout the Duce C Due;

Grab Your Partners Two by Two, Ladies and Trout the Duce C Due; Onward tournament CCA and Redfish angler’s doe c doe, the toe to toe! The cool to cold weather action has brought on a much-needed change to both fresh and saltwater alike in both feeding patterns as well, strikes to bites as well! I find wither angling Lake Okeechobee to the flats of Lemon Bay to the Harbor, angling with a single hooked spoon by itself, under a Carolina Regina knocker rigging or a bobble is a deadly combination in catching redfish to largemouth bass, kings to Spanish, cobia to tarpon and dancing ladies to dip diving trout. Single-hook spoons have been ideal lures for fall fishing throughout Southwest Florida since the last arrivals and departures of our fall hurricanes. Almost all game fish, from redfish to king mackerel, strike minnow-imitating spoons to shinny mirrored like plugs and jerk baits with reckless abandonment to their own safety. Toothy fish, like the mackerels, rarely cut a metal spoon off a line. Out-of-season fish, like spotted Seatrout (November-December) and snook (December-February) rarely are seriously injured by single-hook lures and in general never fall off or are foul hooked as is the case with a Gotcha or similar lure or plug. Spoons dictate a cutting of the edge technology for all generations as they can never be improved, just imitated, casting through stiff fall breezes with ease, trolling with fish-catching flash that’s hard to beat and hook up ratio’s to far exceed those of its revivals the treble. Speaking of Lake Okeechobee, them Big Mouths were over heard a bragging about not being caught somewhere around the Rita Point Island area around em weeds and reeds. They say they cain’t be caught but they sure be tempted by them frogs skittered through the grass, mmm, mmm. Makes ya ungary! Crickets are the tickets for all else with minnows fallen a fast in-between back up baits for bass to specks but for this ole boy it is back to the bays; just thought I’d bring it up because I use to fish with Roland back in the day every once in a blue Sunday. Now it is rare to none but you never know, we just might go back to church some day.