If you really love fly fishing, then it’s time to come to the Keys. Fly fishing has grown tremendously in the last 25 years and many serious anglers have come here to fulfill their dreams.
Fishing has a huge impact on Florida tourism, as every year an almost uncountable number of people come to enjoy this activity. Due to the huge popularity of fishing, it now plays a major role in the $5.5 billion sport- fishing industry for the state of Florida.
Fly fishing in saltwater is growing in popularity. However, this sort of recreational activity offers some challenges for the fly fisherman or woman. Maintaining balance in a boat bouncing with the waves, seeing what can be an almost invisible fish, wind speed and direction, currents, and then delivering a cast that should be perfect is only the beginning.
During the tarpon migration, great numbers of fly “rodders” flock to the Florida Keys each year. Peak migration is dependent on the temperature and moon phases or so it is believed. Keep in mind that the heavy duty tarpon fishing will start in the month of April and it will end in July. However, Islamorada holds good numbers of Tarpon almost all year round.
The first few seconds of hooking into a tarpon is going to light up your life. Before catching a tarpon on a fly rod, you need to prepare. A tarpon’s mouth is like formica. The hook has to be sharp and the “set” has to be done correctly, no worries I can show you how. With out a well set hook, when the tarpon explodes out of the water, which they almost always do, they will shake their head free from your fly and it will be time to start over again. When it is done correctly, your hook will enter the tarpon’s hard mouth and stick. The next skill to master is bowing-to-the-king, a movement to let some slack in the line so that when 100 pounds of tarpon leaps its full body out of the water and shakes its head back and forth the line does not snap. At the same time you will need to start working on getting the fish on the reel, which means getting any fly line that is still loose back to your fishing reel so that you’ll be ready for the tarpon’s first run. Sounds easy right? If you get this far your chance of a “money shot” (photo) of your fish gets better. This may sound a little intimidating at first, but if you’re new to fly fishing, I will work with you on the techniques you need to master in order to catch one of these ‘silver kings’.
There are many other types of fish desired by fly anglers, including bonefish and the elusive permit just to name a couple. Catching all three (tarpon, bonefish, and permit) in one day is called a grand slam and it’s what fly fishing is all about. This is just one of the reasons why Keys fly fishing has become so popular.
We fish out of Islamorada, from Biscayne Bay down to Key West. You can catch some awfully big bonefish here in the fall and winter. Islamorada hosts large numbers of bonefish (some over 10lbs), permit, tarpon, redfish, and snook to name a few loved by the fly fishing enthusiast.
(305) 815-0617
Call me when you get a chance and we can schedule a visit, Captain Brian Helms In the mean time FISH ON!