A Fisherman's Preview of Fishing Florida
IN THE WILD

I am especially fond of snook because of its willingness to chase down a fly and then entertain with a display of lightning speed, leaps, and dogged determination.  If you hook one near any type of structure the battle is never decided until the fish is in hand because just when you think you have him whipped he is likely to run thirty feet to the nearest obstruction and break you off. When you land a snook on the fly you have accomplished something!  The snook is a beautiful fish and a favorite on the table.  

When attempting to describe the redfish, the word Bulldog often comes to mind. These fish often seem to take a minute to figure out that they are hooked and willingly swim within a few feet of the boat where they explode into a long series of 20 or 30 ft. runs. Redfish, at times, may try to run across the flat with a powerful show of force – especially when traveling with a school, as he will try to catch up to his buddies. They often shake there head and apparently root like a pig in an effort to free themselves of the fly. The Red Drum is a beautiful fish that reflects hues of copper and gold and usually sports one or more spots. The redfish is also rather good on the table.  

Among the many qualities of the speckled trout, the one most important is there reliability. They are a frequent catch on the fly and are well suited to the novice fisherman. Typically if you caught 10 trout half of them would be 14"-15" and the other half would be in the 17"-18" with the occasional fish over 20". They are one of the finest fish you will ever eat as there mildness appeals even to those who aren’t fish eaters. Trout over 18" give a fine account of themselves in the fighting department and the smaller variety still rate as entertaining.  

One of the biggest success stories related to the banning of the gill nets in our inshore waters is the resurgence of the pompano. For years there has been a limited fishery for these gold nuggets mainly around the beaches, bridges and passes. But since the net ban, the pompano have taken the flats by storm. Many pompano are caught by accident by those chasing other species, and a growing number of anglers are specifically targeting them. But the most exciting news may be that they have become a dependable target for the fly fisherman. They fight much like other members of the jack family, but unlike jacks, pompano are highly prized on the table. They range from 1 to 3 lbs. on average, but five pounders are not unheard of. They may hit a variety of bottom bumping flies, but a clouser minnow in yellow and white tied a little on the short chunky side seems to work particularly well. For best results use a sinking line . I prefer a Scientific Anglers monocore "slime line". Pompano are a good target for the novice for once they are located they don’t require a high degree of presentation, just keep boat noise to a minimum. 

The largemouth bass is Florida's most popular freshwater game fish. Much of its popularity is due to its aggressive attitude and willingness to strike a lure or bait with explosive force.  They will strike almost any kind of artificial lure or live bait, but most are taken on plastic worms, surface plugs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, bass bugs and shiner minnows.  For more on this freshwater roughneck, see Bassin in Florida.