Key West and Lower Keys

Capt. Dexter Simmons
September 17, 2002
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report

Father-Son Fishing Trips Extended to Fall-Winter

It has been a summer to remember here in the fabulous Florida Keys. Teaching fly casting to fathers and sons & daughters has been a lot of fun. So much so that I want to share a few stories of our experiences with you."Crawl before Walk, Fish before Fly."We have all heard the metaphor that crawling comes before walking and most of us have used it from time to time. Our children most certainly are the best examples of crawling before walking, mewling and puking before table manners, etc., etc. Well, the same concept undoubtedly applies to teaching kids how to fish, with fly or without.In my experience, it is best to take the baby steps approach. Put your kids in a situation where they will hook up a fish with whatever tackle is available. Since most kids under 12 lack the attention span to learn the skills need to flycast, I recommend conventional gear to start. If you must be a purist, then find a well stocked trout stream in freshwater or a "jack honey hole" in saltwater where you can help them cast to get hooked up.Don't be overly concerned with proper technique, allow your child to make mistakes without being hounded or scolded. Remember, fishing is SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! So make sure that the primary focus is fun and allow the technical mumbo jumbo about technique to take a back seat. I have a funny story to back this tenet up! Ali and her dad, Mike, were out fishing with me early one morning and they were very excited. Mike really wanted to hook up with a Tarpon. Ali (10) was just happy to be with her dad fishing out of Key West. It didn't take long before Ali had a nice Jack Crevalle to the boat on conventional tackle. Mike was coaching Ali to keep her tip up during the fight, and he was very excited to see his daughter land wth 5 pound Jack Crevalle all by herself. In fact, Ali landed half a dozen Jack Crevalles before her dad had landed two! She definitely had the hot hand and Mike was beginning to laugh that maybe she should be teaching him how to fish!!Mike was really excited when he saw the first Tarpon roll about 20 feet from the boat, and he pointed out the Silver King to Ali, who was a casting machine. Cast after cast sailed downwind for the ten year old. After each cast she retrieved the line steadily, twitching the mirrolure plug back to the boat like a pro. Mike, on the other hand, mistakenly hooked up a crab trap and we labored to free his lure when the screech rang through the morning air. "I've got a Tarpon!!!" yelled Ali. The monstrous fish exploded out of the water just 15 feet from the bow of the boat. A 100 pound missle of silver, bronze and white skyrocketed into the morning sun, crashing to the surface in a saltwater gusher. Dad yelled instructions to his daughter to keep the tip up, keep the tip up, when the Tarpon jumped again, throwing the plug in a gill-rattling display of power and might."Dad, I thought Captain Dexter taught us to BOW to the king. How can I bow to the Tarpon when you want me to keep my tip up?" What could Mike say? In the heat of a Tarpon battle he had lost it, and his instructions to his daughter had pulled the plug out of the Tarpon's mouth. "I should have kept my mouth shut, I guess, great job Ali!" Ali was not disappointed at all. In fact, she was eager to hook another Tarpon. When the day wound down to an end and Ali had caught more fish than her dad she begged her dad to bring her out again. Mike smiled and said, "Ali, you are the luckiest angler I know, I would be crazy not to bring you fishing again!" By the way, Mike did jump four Tarpon of his own that same day.Ali was learning the fish crawl with her dad and yours truly. She was hooking up with conventional tackle she could handle, and there was no pressure to teach her new tricks. Dad and Capt. Dexter will teach her to walk and cast with the fly rod in due time. Right now her mission is to hook and catch fish, and she is doing a darn good job of it. Bless her little heart!Father and Son fishing trips were the happening activity this summer on the Key West and Florida Keys flats with Capt. Dexter aboard "FlatsMaster". So much fun was had by all that Capt. Dexter has decided to extend the concept of father or mother and son or daughter into the fall and winter seasons!Here Kyler and Kris Jones proudly display and 6 pound Bonefish caught on the flats with Capt. Dexter. Kyler (13 years old) hooked and landed the Bone using one of Capt. Dexter's hand tied Key West Bonefish Special flies. Later the same day Kyler hooked and nearly landed a twenty pound Permit!Capt. Dexter is teaching flycasting non stop this summer to his sons Ben and Harrison, and it is a good time to plan a summer fishing trip with your son or daughter! Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Camps are now scheduled for throughout the fall and winter. For more information about the Father and Son Flats Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at [email protected]

More Fishing Reports:

• All Reports by Capt. Dexter Simmons
• Key West Fishing Reports
• Florida Keys and Florida Bay Reports
• Florida Fishing Reports
• Browse All Fishing Reports