Looking for a boat? Check the used market

October 26, 2018

New boat sticker prices for quality boats are very high. Because of that fact, good quality used boat prices are also at an all-time high with limited inventory available.If you aren't prepared to plunk down $50,000 to $100,000 for a new 21-footer outfitted with the newest everything, including a GPS/Sounder/Underwater View/Plotter/Auto-feed Chummer feature that also doubles as a small dish and sandwich microwave, can receive NETFLIX, and still need a boat? The used market is your game!Let the buyer beware. As with anything, bright and shiny is nice but often it's what is on the inside ...

The basics of fly fishing equipment

October 19, 2018

Not long after the first fiberglass fly rods were introduced by Shakespeare in the late '40s, the Scientific Anglers Company developed and introduced the first modern fly lines (1952) that we use today by "applying a tapered PVC coating over a level core." The following year the Cortland Company followed suit and brought out their floating PVC coated fly line.Today's hi-tech, hi-dollar fly lines cast like a dream and just keep getting better and better. Line manufacturers like to claim their lines are the "slickest," meaning it travels through the line guides with less friction during ...

Chasing redfish in shallow water

September 27, 2018

Thousands of Southwest Florida anglers welcome October's shallow water redfish as well as the sight fishing opportunities this transitional month brings.Everything's a trade off as our migratory tarpon end their season and once again journey southward for a Miami Christmas and are hopefully replaced by hordes of juvenile and sub-adult redfish looking to school up and chow down on our miles of flats.Typic-ally the waters start to clear from the dark tannin-stained fish hiding brown that summer's rain brings to an often Keys clear view by December making it prime time for flats hunting or ...

Common sense, basic courtesy go a long way

September 21, 2018

After all the negative water news, it was wonderful to see a school of late September redfish pushing across the flats in the early morning light.Fat happy fish, tails up and noses down as they vacuumed the bottom for anything alive, completely unaware of our boat.Too shallow to use the trolling motor to close the distance, I pushed hard from the poling platform to get within range and soon my client launched his small Zara Spook to the outside edge of the school.Instantly two reds broke from the group and tried to eat it with a fat 7- pounder winning the race.Keeping boat noise to a ...

Fooling fish with interesting lures

September 14, 2018

To many anglers, names like Wigl-Y-Rind, Sinful Sal, Revolutions, Pee Dee or even the Close Pin have little meaning. Even a Paw Paw Spoon Belly Wobbler probably wouldn't ring a bell with 99 percent of today's anglers.Well-known fishing names like Shakes-peare, established in the 1890s; Pflueger in 1864; on back to James Heddon & Sons starting its lure-making business in the 1850s, those, as well as other lesser known names and companies they started, represent the very beginning of modern lure making and early fishing reel designs.Fish have been fooled or lured by humans as well as ...

Some remarkable occurrences on teen brothers’ first saltwater adventure

September 6, 2018

Zak and Robert are two very competitive, hard core, 15-year-old twin brothers from Maine who simply live to fish as well as being crack-shot competitive target shooters winning lots of recognition and trophies. In between fishing and competitive shooting, they manage to squeeze in time to study and are both honor students.With Dad on business here in Fort Myers and the boys dying to catch some saltwater species, I got the call and by the next morning they were aboard the old Action Craft casting like well-oiled machines while I poled along the mangroves.Meeting, guiding, just spending ...