No consistency in the 10K, "hot and cold"!
Capt. Jeff Legutki
March 8, 2008
Ten Thousand Islands - Saltwater Fishing Report
The weather this spring has been from hot summer like conditions, back to blustery winter conditions. One day the fishing is red hot, finding fish at every stop willing to comply to every technique. Next day similar conditions, not a fish to be found no matter what you try.
One day we have cooler clean water, sight fishing for red fish in calm shallow coves with ideal contions. Next day opposite conditions, blind casting structure in dirty water for snook on deeper banks with current swept points. And then when you're not expecting it, you stumble across laid up tarpon in places I haven't seen them before. All in all it has kept us all on out toes.
One day last week fly fishing with Todd Clothier from Camden, Maine, we had prime conditions for fly fishing. Todd sight fished three red fish in clear water, we even found a small school of reds patrolling this glassy cove. They were going back and forth giving us multiple shots, fish would show little interst in our offerings, yet swipe at the fly enough to keep us trying. Finally fooling two more to eat a small bonefish pattern in a pink and tan.
As the tide kept rising we were forced to start blind casting current swept points for snook. Todd nailed eight snook with the biggest measuring 27". A muddler style fly in white with pearl flash fooled the snook into aggressive strikes.
Next day went back to similar areas with spin fisherman, thowing jerkbaits and jigs and had to work hard to find action, go figure? I thought since the fish were spread out in every direction, instead of just the shorelines, the spin fisherman could cover alot more water and find more fish, but it didn't work out that way. Like I said, we had to work to find our fish, one extreame to the next from day to day.
And once again, two days later, Walter Albicht from Canada was blessed with the calmest day this spring. Flyfishing again, when we got to our first spot red fish were EVERY WHERE. Low light, hard to see but wakes and pushes in every direction. Walter sight fished nine red fish on a chartuece sea-ducer and pulled the hook on at least a dozen others. Probably the best day I have had this year. I bet we didn't go longer than ten minutes without a good shot. About 10:30 the breeze rippled the surface and the action died off. Those three hours was one of the most active fishing I have seen in years!
The day was only half over, Walter proceeded to catch several 20" snook and one up to 25" out of a creek mouth. And last but not least, we had several shots at big laid up tarpon and black drum up to 25 lbs. Unfortunately, we couldn't convince either to take a fly, and Walter is a great caster, exciting none the less. Both the tarpon and the black drum were highly visible black objects in clear green water.
On the outside, tripletail are starting to show on the traps and the cobia are showing on the near shore structure as well as permit on the inshore wrecks. Fishing should explode soon, outside as well as the inside back country.
Until the weather stabilizes the fishing has been up and down, with a little consistency the fishing will get red hot in the next coming months. So get out there and be safe. Until my next report, tight lines and screaming drags to all!
Capt. Jeff Legutki
Anglers Addiction Guide Service
www.naplesfloridaflyfishing.com
Ten Thousand Islands Fishing Forecast:
When weather stabilizes look for world class tarpon fishing for laid up giants, big hungry snook, and aggressive redfish!
Target Species:
Anything that eats a fly!
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