TR Marco Island FLorida

I got back last week from two weeks in Florida, and had a grand time.
It was a typical March, sun, rain, wind, cold, hot, calm, fast tides,
flat tides; a bit of everything. My father-in-law's condo is right on
the beach, so I was up in the morning and out walking and casting.
Mostly it was slow, a few ladyfish, a few jacks, a few small mystery
fish that I think might have been immature king mackeral.

I did see a school of large fish approach one morning. They had their
dorsal fins in the air, and the fins were about 3 or 4 inches tall.
I'd guess 30 or more fish in a fairly tight formation. I had my Loomis
GLX 9' 6wt with a 5wt bonefish line and a shrimp pattern. I waded out
just over waist deep, and begged the fish to turn in so I could reach
them while I stripped out almost all of the fly line in preparation for
the cast. Sure enough they turned my way, so I laid out 80 feet and
put the fly in their midst. A fish picked it up immediately, but the
fly popped out in 2 seconds. I stripped in madly, and recast the 80
feet into their midst as they went buy. Another fish picked it up, and
I got a good set into this one before he thrashed, spooked the school
and headed with them off to Mexico. Somehow he forgot to spit the
hook, so I tried to rein him in. A hundred yards or more of backing
later he realized I was still on, and stopped to consider the
situation. Gradually I gained some backing as he worked his way back
and forth along the beach. After about 15 minutes I managed to beach
him. A jack crevally of 30 inches fork length. It was over 20 pounds,
but I'm not sure how much over. After a few minutes he finned out of
the tide pool at my feet and wandered out after the friends who'd
abandoned him.

I did catch a couple small snook and a largemouth along 41, and I broke
my 8wt rod (yes Warren, it's the same one) by smacking it into the
bridge I was trying to cast under. Also, there was a tarpon that took
my fly, carried it 30 feet in a second or two, and spit it out. I'd
been casting in the dark to a school of the brutes under a snook light.
Another 80 foot cast, but this time with the 10/11 weight.

I have to get down there later in the year, early May, something like
that. The problem is that my father-in-law goes home in early April
and I'd have to pay for a place to stay. One of these years...

Chas
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On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 04:41:31 GMT, Chas Wade
wrote:

After about 15 minutes I managed to beach
him. A jack crevally of 30 inches fork length. It was over 20 pounds,
but I'm not sure how much over. After a few minutes he finned out of
the tide pool at my feet and wandered out after the friends who'd
abandoned him.

Man, that sounds like fun Chas. Nice TR. I'm heading to the Keys for 3
weeks the end of April / beginning of May, and I'm getting psyched.
--
Charlie...

Waist deep casting 80 feet of line with a 6 wt. is quite impressive.I'd
be happy to be able to do half that distance with a 9 wt. while waist
deep. JC

Charlie Choc wrote:
Man, that sounds like fun Chas. Nice TR. I'm heading to the Keys for 3
weeks the end of April / beginning of May, and I'm getting psyched.
--
Charlie...

Your timing is better than mine Charlie. I'm jealous!

Chas
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Greg Pavlov wrote:
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 04:41:31 GMT, Chas Wade
wrote:

After about 15 minutes I managed to beach
him. A jack crevally of 30 inches fork length. It was over 20
pounds,
but I'm not sure how much over. ....

That's impressive: a lot of people do a lot of
fishing before they catch one of those.


Thanks Greg. This is my 6th trip south, you're right, it takes a lot
fo fishing.

Chas
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wrote:
Waist deep casting 80 feet of line with a 6 wt. is quite impressive.I'd
be happy to be able to do half that distance with a 9 wt. while waist
deep. JC


It's amazing how a school of large fish can inspire you.

Chas
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On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 02:15:59 GMT, Chas Wade
wrote:

Charlie Choc wrote:
Man, that sounds like fun Chas. Nice TR. I'm heading to the Keys for 3
weeks the end of April / beginning of May, and I'm getting psyched.
--
Charlie...

Your timing is better than mine Charlie. I'm jealous!

I was there last year around the same time and it rained 5 inches - 4
in one day. Can't happen 2 years in a row, right? g
--
Charlie...

"Chas Wade" wrote in
It's amazing how a school of large fish can inspire you.


You're normally pretty inspired with no fish in sight, Chas. With a school
of large fish in front of you, you could probably cast the whole line
standing underwater! (G). Very interesting report.

bruce h

Sorry but I just can't believe 80 ft.,waist deep with a 6wt.

wrote...
Sorry but I just can't believe 80 ft.,waist deep with a 6wt.

I just can't believe anyone actually uses web tv.
--
TL,
Tim
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