The Gulf Stream

For me, Fishing in Southeastern Florida is a lot different from fishing in Connecticut.

After two and a 1/2 months of fishing here I have all of four fish landed. That's it. I've never liked bait fishing very much--that's part of the problem--but also it's really different from being on Long Island Sound and there's nothing even remotely like fishing for trout here.

The first day I tried fishing here was actually a lot of fun. I went to a pier three different times that day--spent about 20 bucks on parking et cetera I watched a guy catch a Snook right next to me, and then I saw another guy catch a tarpon from the end of the pier; that was exciting. Finally, I saw a lemon shark late at night ; it was about 7 ft long.

So that caught me in a mad frenzy trying to catch a tarpon which I managed to almost do. I was on the Intracoastal using flies I tied myself. I got lucky with a fish that ended up in close. I reeled in fast enough to intersect him but I only had it on for about 10 seconds. At that point I had put the fly onto a leader behind a 1 oz casting egg because I couldn't cast for enough with my fly rod.

That was almost 2 months ago. I was really pretty discouraged and stopped fishing as much, but two weeks ago I managed to catch a pinfish while actually fly fishing. This type of fish is very nearly the same as a porgy. That was encouraging. But of course until tonight it was a lot more slow fishing.

Until tonight. Then I caught this:

It is a strange looking fish. So narrow it disappears from view looking head on:

 Of course it is a "Lookdown." A fish I had only seen while wearing a mask an flippers in Florida many many years ago, and in Bermuda, also many many years ago. Humorous fish. Also delicious it turns out.

I actually caught another a few days later. So I think I am on a roll. I am fly fishing for them on a 5 weight carbon rod with 6 weight "sharkskin" tropical line. That line is very stiff in normal fishing up north, but really does soften up in Florida. However the texture does cut a groove in your finger when it is running! They don't sell it any longer for that reason.

The first fish I caught on the flyrod in Florida was  a pinfish, shown above. I used a shrimp pattern fly not all that far from a guy who was using live shrimp successfully. First cast I hooked up immediately. Previously the only fish I landed were the "pilchers" -- but the Sabiki is basically tiny flies cast out on a spinning rig with an egg.

The upshot of all of this was proven today back in Connecticut, when I caught a 24" striped bass within 30 minutes of setting out it the rowboat: Florida is more difficult fishing!