Saltwater Fly Development: Think Inside The Canal.

Posted under fly fishing reports by Will Benson

Channel 02 on the old VHF handheld radio does not sound good right now.  A STRONG ATLANTIC RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXTEND ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES OVERNIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN AS IT SLIDES SOUTHWARD WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL KEYS WATERS OVERNIGHT DUE TO SUSTAINED EAST SURFACE WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS. And we’re already a couple of days into it!  It started to blow thursday afternoon and it seemed like the fish just knew what was going to happen. The last 2 weeks were  really good for tarpon.  One day in particular was epic, with hundreds of fish moving through.  But alas, all that is gone.  Now we’re forced to tuck away somewhere on a high tide and look for surly laid down fish; my least favorite tarpon.  Unless we just don’t feel like it, and have more constructive things to do.  Especially when Peter Smith from SS Flies is in town.  It might be just the kind of day that’s good to tie some new prototypes and try them out in the canal. It was good to have Peter’s cousin Frank and a small barracuda to bounce ideas off of.  I jumped in to take a bit of video and look at the ride of a different shaped hook that we’re trying out.  I know it’s corny but I do think it helps to look at the fly from the fish’s perspective.  Hopefully it will lay down a bit before friday so we can actually have a chance to try out some of the new stuff.   On another note, Congratulations to Steve Trippe for winning his own tournament (which is always cool) and taking home the hallmark yellow jacket of the Trippe’s Invitational Tarpon Series or TITS.  Steve caught a great fish on friday that we measured next to the boat to eek out ahead of his brother Tom Trippe.  Thanks to Bill, Bear, and Meho for their hard work in the wind and Richard Berlin for his money. W