Today we are going to talk about something that every guide has discussions with their clients about. I am even willing to say that this is the single most important thing to success in fly fishing. Believe it or not, I do not believe that your ability to cast is the most important thing in fly fishing for these fish. I say that, because I will see someone who has a really good cast but has a bad skill set in fly line management in a skiff. What does that mean?
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Captain Bouncer Smith has committed his life to sharing fishing with others through articles, radio shows, seminars, and taking people on his boat, Dusky 33. Bouncer shares stories of how he introduces kids and adults to the excitement of catching bait to catching monster tarpon and marlin. I’ve now had the good fortune of sitting down with Bouncer twice.
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I know there are a lot of fly fishermen who listen to this podcast and fly fishing is what started my career in fishing. But a lot of people that haven’t fly fished before have a hard time starting and might even be intimidated by the whole thing (the equipment is expensive and what if you don’t like it? Or buy the wrong equipment?). But also a lot of people who fly fish have a tendency to make it something that it’s not, and make it seem super difficult. It’s not. Its just another way to fish and it’s another tool in your tool box.
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Hunter Leavine a college pastor, author, outdoorsman and occasional lawn guy - and Josh Wells a Firefighter, came together to make the Captains Collective Podcast. A podcast dedicated to gathering wisdom, knowledge, & stories from captains & industry leaders. They feature some amazing conversations with some iconic fishermen and recently released an episode with yours truly (CHECK IT OUT)
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St. Croix Spinning Rod (Avid VIS70MHF Series) medium action 7ft rod - this one I feel like I can cast the most accurately with. I’ll pair that rod with the Daiwa 3000 Ballistic which can hold 20 pound J-Braid 320 yards of it. It is a very small and light reel with great drag, you can actually go down with it because it has good line capacity. I will tie 1.5 feet of fluorocarbon leader on the end of it which allows me to cast accurately so that the connection between the braid and the fluorocarbon is outside of the tip of the rod when I go to cast. If you have too much then you have to cast the knot (which is a Double Uni or J-Knot).
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I had the opportunity to stop in Florida and visit a friend of mine who is known far and wide as a person who pays close attention to details. He’s known as a mad scientist of tarpon fishing - we hadn’t caught up in a long time and we had a lot to talk about. We spoke about what he’s got going on and what he’s getting ready to do; things that make him much more than a tarpon guide, he's an artist, a photographer and a very creative person.
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So one of the questions I got when I went live on Instagram was how to catch snappers offshore. Of course, I am an inshore guy but I have had some chances to learn from some very talented offshore fishermen. I've gotten to fish with Captains Scott Walker and Steven Rodger from Into The Blue TV and learn how they catch really big snappers. One of the key factors you need to pay attention to is the chum.
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Jeff Maggio has been the go-to tarpon guide for the Broward and Dade counties taking over 230 trips a year. He then teamed up with his buddy Lamont who was in the production industry and they began making fishing videos. Over the past 10 years LunkerDog has continued producing videos and showing the world how “reel” guys/girls fish.
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One of my favorite things is sight casting - it’s all I did when I was first guiding. I never learned how to chum, it was not something I did when I was just starting out. However, eventually with fishing there are days where you just can’t sight fish (rainy or cloudy days). If you are a professional fishing guide you get put in this situation a lot, of days when you wouldn’t normally go fishing but because people have booked the trip you have to go and make the most of it. Chumming for bonefish is excellent for this situation.
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I sat down with Heath Daughtry of Yellowfin Yatchs, Alycia Downs of Captains For Cleanwater and Chase Daniel from Yellowfin Yatchs to talk about the Florida Skiff Challenge. This event is not joke - you get in a Skiff (18ft or less boat) with a 70 horse-power or less motor. You take that boat around Key West and end in Cabin Bluff, GA. This event is 1,600 miles and you go for 48 hours nonstop. You don’t sleep.
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When you go down to the Florida Keys it is common to want to go into the Everglades. Sometimes when there is a cold front and the weather isn’t ideal it can be a fantastic option to go back up into the Everglades and explore the No-Motor-Zone. Over the years Rich and I have tried many different crafts for the area but none have compared to the paddle board. With the shallow waters and the dynamics of the area you are trying to fish, a paddle board is the perfect craft for the job.
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Miles “Sonar” Burghoff, host of Sweetwater TV and a self proclaimed shallow water fishing fanatic came to my podcast studio to talk about the fires in California where he used to live and still has family,. We also talked about his tournament fishing and hosting a TV Show. Miles is super easy going and very friendly - I’ve had him on the podcast before (Pro Bass Fishing) and love hanging out with him and talking.
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There are many knots that may work better, but his knot is the only one you need and will work for 99.9% of fishing situations.
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Today I got to sit down with Jessica “Dixie” Mills of Homemade Wanderlust and hear about her story and why she is known as “Dixie” in the hiking world. Jessica was born in Florida, and grew up in Alabama spending summers with her grandparents on their farm. She loved the outdoors as a kid and as she grew up she studied Biosystems Engineering and Agronomy and Soils in college.
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Today I wanted to talk about boat ramp etiquette - things like how to back your boat in, how to get ready and how to avoid altercations or frustrating other people. The boat ramp is a place where everybody is pretty excited, you have professional fishing guides there who have their system down and can get their boat in and out pretty quickly.
That is exactly the way you want to do it whether you’re a professional fishing guide or a rank amateur. Here is a way for you to start your day at the boat ramp in the best way. So here are some bullet points from this How 2 Tuesday.
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Born in Florida, Captain David Mangum grew up cultivating his passion for fishing. David guides in the waters where he learned to fish and is well versed in light tackle and offshore fishing. But David has a particular passion for fly fishing. He’s gone to guide in Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Because of his experience David offers very specific instructions when stalking, casting and watching a Tarpon eat your fly.
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One of my biggest questions was how to decipher what workouts and diets are worth it and which ones are good and which ones are bad. I have found that certain diets/workouts will be highly advocated for and a year later be condemned. BioLayne walks me through current statistics and his way of dieting and working out.
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Born in Florida, Captain David Mangum grew up cultivating his passion for fishing. David guides in the waters where he learned to fish and is well versed in light tackle and offshore fishing. But David has a particular passion for fly fishing. He’s gone to guide in Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Because of his experience David offers very specific instructions when stalking, casting and watching a Tarpon eat your fly.
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It’s not the biggest or the most - success as a fishing guide is not that you catch the biggest or the most fish. The most important thing you can do is showing your customers a good time. Give them a great experience, this means that they will return to you. That is then how you have a successful business. Have happy customers.
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