Snook action was the strong point of February

Dr. John Lacy of Kentucky shows off one of the eight snook he caught on MirrOlure Lil Johns.

With unseasonably warm weather, it was no surprise that snook ruled during February. Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing clients landed snook to 30 inches on fly and spin gear while fishing around lighted docks and in the Longboat Key rim canal.

Jon Freyer battles an Alligator Alley oscar on fly rod.

We also encountered good numbers of spotted seatrout on fly and spin gear in Sarasota Bay over deep grass patches off Whale Key.

Tim Foster, a winter resident from Montana, caught 20 spotted seatrout and a few ladyfish on my new glass minnow fly. He also lost a couple of snook on a very windy day.

I spent a day at the Florida Sportsman Show in Fort Myers, helping out NuCanoe. I demonstrated how to fly fish from a NuCanoe Frontier. The NuCanoe Frontier and Pursuits are no doubt the best kayaks for fly fishing on the market.

After fishing with me, Foster sold his paddleboard and bought a NuCanoe Pursuit from West Coast Kayaks in St. Petersburg. One outing is all it took to convince him that the Pursuit was the boat he needed for fly fishing!

I spent a day fishing around Buttonwood Harbor with good success. I caught 10 snook on fly and jigs. In addition, I landed 30 trout to 24 inches, pompano and ladyfish.

Annie Ewert puts the pressure on a big fish.

I accompanied about 20 members of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers on an expedition to Alligator Alley for a two-day outing. Fly fishing was great and everyone caught more oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, stumpknocker and warmouth perch than they could count.

After we got back from Alligator Alley, I demonstrated how to fly fish from the NuCanoe Pursuit at the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Casting Clinic at The Meadows in Sarasota. Members were very interested in the boat.

Tim Foster fished with me again and did fair despite strong wind. He landed two snook, five spotted seatrout and ladyfish.

Repeat clients Al Ewert of Connecticut and daughter Annie of New Hampshire caught 25 spotted seatrout, ladyfish and flounder on fly and spin around Buttonwood Harbor.

Fly fisher Tim Foster stands and battles a spotted seatrout.

Tom Biondo of Bradenton fished with me at Lake Manatee and had an interesting day. New to fishing, Biondo caught large bluegill and speckled perch on nymphs under a strike indicator. In all, we totaled eight specks, 15 bluegill and a largemouth bass.

Jim Doughton of Gainesville and Dr. Pete Gearan joined me for a windy day of fly fishing around Buttonwood Harbor. They managed spotted seatrout and ladyfish on my new glass minnow fly. In addition, they used the outing to test out the NuCanoe Pursuit and Frontier.

Dr. John Lacy of Kentucky fished with me again and had an exceptional  day. He caught eight snook to 27 inches on MirrOlure Lil Johns on light jigs. He also landed spotted seatrout to14 inches, flounder to 15 and ladyfish on jigs and MirrOlure MirrOdines.

Longtime fried Jon Freyer of Ludington, Mich., visited Alligator Alley for the first time and came away impressed. He caught the usual: oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, bluegill and stumpknocker on Myakka Minnows. He caught more fish than he could count.

Fly fishing along Alligator should remain strong through May.

MARCH FORECAST: We anticipate continued excellent action on spotted seatrout and snook. In addition, redfish activity should be good on the flats around Sarasota Bay. Night fishing for snook will continue to be excellent on fly and spin gear. In fresh water, Lake Manatee should produce decent amounts of hand-sized bluegill, large speckled perch, largemouth bass, shellcracker and channel catfish. Expeditions to Alligator Alley will result in oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, bluegill and stumpknocker.

As usual, I'd like to thank my great sponsors: NuCanoe, MirrOlure, D.O.A. Lures, TFO Fly Rods and Peak Fishing. They all play an important part in the success of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing.

If you'd like to spend a day on the water, please give me call (941-284-3406) or email me (steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com).

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406

January offered warmth and some pretty hot action

Terry Byce of Lakewood Ranch battles his first Everglades oscar.

This unseasonably warm winter is good and bad. It's good because you can get out on the water and enjoy yourself in warmth.

It's bad because it isn't the norm for fish.

Snook are still on the flats and under the mangroves which isn't normal this time of year. We should be finding most of the snook up creeks and rivers, but that's just not the case.

Burt Benjamin, 81, battles a spotted seatrout on fly rod.

Fishing has been pretty good in both fresh and salt waters.

In salt water, we've been getting spotted seatrout, snook, ladyfish, jack crevalle and pompano.

Burt Benjamin of Connecticut joined me for an outing on Palma Sola Bay. We managed to catch 20 seatrout to 23 inches, three flounder and a pompano on Popovics Jiggy Flies.

If you think you're too old for kayak fishing realize that Benjamin is 81.

John Weimer of Sarasota fished with me on several occasions. We fished Palma Sola Bay and caught 22 seatrout to 19 inches and several ladyfish on Popovics Jiggies and Super Hair Clouser Deep Minnows.

Terry Byce of Lakewood Ranch spent a day along Alligator Alley and wasn't disappointed. On his first trip, Byce caught "more fish in a day than I've ever caught." He managed oscar, Mayan cichlid, bluegill, stumpknocker, warmouth perch and largemouth bass. All fish were caught on Gibby's Mighty Myakka Minnow.

John Weimer of Sarasota is hooked up in The Everglades.

Weimer and I fished Alligator Alley and had similar results. We caught an estimated 200 oscar, Mayan cichlid, bluegill, stumpknocker, warmouth perch and largemouth bass.

Interestingly enough, we caught a majority of our fish while employing a method we dubbed "the non-working technique." We'd cast out Myakka Minnows and allow them to sink. We wouldn't retrieve them at all. Sooner or later, a fish would inhale the offering and the battle was on.

The non-working technique paid off in many fish.

Speaking of the Myakka Minnow ...

I developed the fly more than 10 years ago. And it has resulted in many fresh and saltwater fish over the years. One of the main materials used is Bodi-Braid by Spirit River.

However, Spirit River was recently bought by Hareline Dubbin. And the new parent company has decided not to carry Bodi-Braid.

That caused me concern. However, after a visit to a local needlepoint shop, I have come up with a substitute. Actually, I'm better off because the shop carries not only the colors I need, but also additional colors that were previously unavailable to me.

I now tie Myakka Minnows in a variety of colors.

If you're interested in purchasing Myakka Minnows, they're $60 a dozen (plus shipping). Minimium order is a dozen.

I tie them in sizes No. 12 to No. 6 for freshwater. In addition, I tie them in No 4 to No. 1 for saltwater.

They make great night snook flies.

Over the years, the Myakka Minnow was caught oscar, Mayan cichlid, peacock bass, stumpknocker, warmouth perch, largemouth bass, sunfish, pumpkinseed, speckled perch (black crappie), white crappie, channel catfish, blue tilapia, spotted tilapia, barramundi, brown trout and others.

In salt water, they have resulted in spotted seatrout, snook, ladyfish, jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, tripletail, bonefish, tarpon, mangrove snapper and others.

The Myakka Minnow is not magic, but a great fly whenever fish are feeding on small minnows.

I fished Lake Manatee on a couple of occasions and did well. On one trip, I caught 20 bluegill, two bass, one speckled perch and a stumpknocker on Myakka Minnows, popping bugs and Snymphs. The other trip was virtually the same.

February looks promising and is booking up quickly.

FEBRUARY FORECAST: Spotted seatrout action should be very good over the deep grass in Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and Palma Sola Bay. In addition, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jack crevalle should please. Redfish action should perk up on the flats and around mangroves. Snook are still in the bay, but will move to creeks and rivers if we get a sustained cold front. In fresh water, Lake Manatee and the Manatee River should produce bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish, shellcracker and speckled perch. Alligator Alley should produce loads of oscar, Mayan cichlid, bluegill, largemouth bass, stumpknocker, warmouth perch and an occasional peacock bass.

If you're interested in a fishing trip or purchasing Myakka Minnows, please give me a call (941-284-3406) or email me (steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com).

Hope to hear from you soon!

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406

December saw improved fishing in Sarasota Bay and plenty of freshwater action

John Kis of New Rochelle, N.Y., caught a variety of species, including this leaping bluefish.

December arguably was the best month of fishing we've experienced in a while. After battles with red tide, poor water quality and wind, things finally perked up in salt waters around Sarasota.

Ray Gibson of Atlanta shows off a fine pompano.

We experienced good to excellent action in both fresh and salt waters from Tampa Bay to The Everglades.

The big news, however, was the return to glory of Sarasota Bay. That's good news on a number of accounts. First, it's close to home. Second, the bay perked up considerably after red tide pummeled it for the second straight year.

John Weimer of Sarasota and I launched at Stephens Point and caught a number of ladyfish and jack crevalle. We were anticipating spotted seatrout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and pompano, but came up short. However, the water quality of extremely encouraging.

The next three days saw us launch off Longboat Key at Buttonwood Harbor. The first day, we caught several snook on fly rod around dock lights. Then at daylight, we switched to spinning gear and caught a number of snook to 26 inches on MirrOlure Lil Johns on light jigs.

We moved into the bay and caught numerous spotted seatrout to 22 inches on MirrOlure MirrOdines. In addition, we managed eight bluefish to four pounds and eight pompano to three pounds.

Next day, repeat client John Kis of New Rochelle, N.Y., caught snook, spotted seatrout, ladyfish and pompano. Snook were caught on Lil Johns and light jigs in the Longboat Key rim canal. We caught seatrout to 21 inches, bluefish, pompano and ladyfish on MirrOdines.

Ray Gibson of Atlanta caught spotted seatrout to 19 inches, ladyfish and pompano on MirrOdines and flies.

That action was particularly encouraging after several months of slow fishing. If we can avoid red tide, I anticipate a good year of fishing in Sarasota Bay.

We fished Lake Manatee on a number of occasions and did well. We caught hand-sized bluegill, speckled perch to 15 inches, largemouth bass, stumpknocker and channel catfish on Gibby's Snymphs under strike indicators. We also caught fish on popping bugs and Gibby's Myakka Minnows.

Manatee River action ranged from fair to very good. On one trip, we caught six channel catfish to four pounds, a number of hand-size bluegill, tilapia and a 7-pound largemouth on Snymphs under a strike indicator.

John Weimer and I visited a small lake east of Naples and had an average trip, catching bluegill to 12 inches on Myakka Minnows, stumpknocker, largemouth bass and two peacock bass.

JANUARY FORECAST: It has been unseasonably warm, but we're expecting the weather to cool off with a cold front on the way. When that happens, look for snook to begin to push up rivers, creeks and canals in search of warm waters. If that happens, we anticipate decent action up the Manatee and Myakka rivers. Spotted seatrout, pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel action should remain good in Sarasota Bay over deep grass. In addition, our trips to Alligator Alley should results in hot fly-rod action on oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, bluegill and stumpknocker.

We hope everyone had a great holiday season.

Of course, we couldn't do anything without our sponsors: NuCanoe, Aqua-Bound Paddles, MirrOlure, D.O.A. Lures, TFO and Peak fishing.

January is looking good and my schedule is filling. If you'd like to experience the world of kayak fishing, please give me a call (941-284-3406) or drop me an email (steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com). 

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406

There are tricks to success when fishing The 'Glades and the Myakka Minnow

Rob Halupka battles an Everglades oscar from a canal along Alligator Alley. Notice that the spot features lily pads in front of trees. On this particular day, the fish were congregating in holes behind the front edge of the pads.

I received an email from fly angler Howard Beamer about catching fish in The Everglades and, in particular, on my Myakka Minnow.

Beamer had fished a canal along the Tamiami Trail a day prior to a trip I made. He found conditions pretty tough.

A school of Myakka Minnows ready to catch fish.

"I talked to Joe Mahler yesteday and he said you got 75 oscar the day after we fished the same area," Beamer wrote. "OK, so what's your secret?

"I used your Myakka Minnow and only landed three. What a blast!

"I had never caught an oscar before."

His appetite for the diminutive panfish has been whetted.

He will satisfy that hunger once he understands how to fish The 'Glades and how to fish the Myakka Minnow.

To newcomers, the shorelines of every canal down there look the same.

But they're not.

They're are subtle differences that can make the difference between catching a lot of fish and catch just a few.

For the most part, the shoreline consists of lily pads, bulrushes, rocks and trees. The key to success is to determine what structure the fish are hanging around. Once you figure that out, you can pinpoint them and eliminate those areas not holding fish.

On my trip, the fish were around pockets in the lily pads, and, in particular, pockets in the pads in front of trees. We caught very few fish casting to the front edge of the pads.

Once my client, Rob Halupka of Toronto and I figured that out, we caught fish consistently.

Over the course of the day, we caught 75 oscar, 30 bluegill, 15 stumpknocker, 12 Mayan cichlid and maybe six largemouth bass.

Not a bad day.

Once I located the fish, it still took my client a while before he figured things out.

Accurate casts are a must. If you miss your target, how can you expect to catch a fish?

When fishing from a kayak, you don't need to be any more than 20-25 feet from your target. That's the beauty of paddle craft.

Only take out the amount of fly line you need to cast. If you're trying to make a 25-foot cast, there's  no reason to have more line than that off your reel.

Be alert at all times.

On many occasions, I would see a tell-tale wake heading toward the fly when it hit the water. That was my signal that a fish was about ready to inhale it. Most of the time, they did.

Watching the end of your fly line is very important. After casting the Myakka Minnow to a likely looking spot, I let it sink. I would strip it in slowly in one-inch increments.

Most of the time, I didn't feel a hit. I saw the line dart to the left, dart to the right or dart straight ahead. That was the signal that a fish had taken the fly and to set the hook.

On some occasions, the line simply wouldn't move when I stripped it. That also was a signal.

"Those fish sure hit lightly," said Halupka, an experience fly fisher. "I'm  sure there were plenty of times that a fish took the fly and I didn't know it."

Another important technique is to keep the tip of your fly rod at the water's surface or even in the water. That eliminates slack line and helps you detect hits a little better.

As with any fly, the Myakka Minnow isn't magic. If the fish are hitting small minnows, it will work -- provided it's fished correctly. Most of the time, correctly means slowly.

When fish are visibly aggressive, you can speed things up a bit.

Let the fish tell you what they want. They will -- if you let them.