Moving to Tampa

[Mike Hodge]

After a year of procrastination --- actually I was just trying to sell our house in Gainesville --- I'm finally moving to Tampa early next week. I've PMed a few of you guys --- Uncle Tommy, Evan, etc ---- and I look forward to fishing and talking about fishing with you guys.

I grew up in Gville, but learned how to fly fish in the mountains of Virginia. When I moved back to Florida (Gainesville), I never really stuck with the saltwater game because I like to sight fish and there's not much sight fishing in Cedar Key. The result: My fly fishing stuff (along with my Native 14.5) sat in the garage the past few years.

I'm motivated now that I'm going to be in Tampa. One, I'm closer to the water. CK was a good hour from Gville. Two, it will be nice to have access to skinny, CLEAR water, which I never had in CK.

Moving Monday. Can't wait. My stuff will be in storage for a few weeks while we scout out the housing in S. Tampa. But I should be ready to go by mid April, May.

Mike

[GILs_GONE_WILD]

Congrats on the move ... you'll love it. I used to be in Town N Country "right around the corner" from the water. I'm in Land O Lakes now and not close to any saltwater. Approx 25 miles to the nearest. Kinda miss the closeness of the salt but not Tampa.

[DaveR]

Not much sight fishing in Cedar Key? See my avatar.
Welcome!

[Mike Hodge]

Not much sight fishing in Cedar Key? See my avatar.
Welcome!

Guess I was fishing in the wrong places:) I never had much luck sight fishing in CK. Water was too dingy to find cruising fish and the tailers were sporadic at best.

[DaveR]

That's when you discover the magnificent world of mudding redfish. The right tide, the right wind, the right mojo, and the magic begins. You will have opportunities for tails over here. Pick a flat on the south shore with a negative tide and eventually you'll get on em..

[Mike Hodge]

Sounds familiar. I was close a couple times at Shell Mound near Cedar Key, where I tried to get in such skinny water that the fish almost had to show themselves.

[Mike Hodge]

Went by Tampa Bay on the Fly for the fourth time since in a little over a week since moving to the area. Great shop. A real, traditional fly shop. Had one of those in Virginia when I learned to fish. Can't believe how much I miss those type places.
... Headed back to Gainesville to pick up my kayak, fly rods, etc. Friday. Can't wait.

[Mike Hodge]

That's when you discover the magnificent world of mudding redfish. The right tide, the right wind, the right mojo, and the magic begins. You will have opportunities for tails over here. Pick a flat on the south shore with a negative tide and eventually you'll get on em..

Fished Cypress Point Park today on the low tide, but it wasn't low enough. I was glad to just get out. The negative tide, I assume, is a huge factor. It was a 1.5. I'll go back when it's closer to zero or negative next week.

[John]

Make sure the flat you pick has good grass, you're much more likely to see tailers in longer healthy grass. The longer grass forces them to get vertical to search for food.

[Evan]

All this talk about tailers...fun to watch for sure, but I've never had much luck getting tailing fish to eat a fly. Anyone else have that experience? Seems they are so focused on whatever they're eating that they often don't even see the fly. I've had far more success with cruising or "resting" Reds that don't have their heads buried. Or is it just me?

[jbdba01]

All this talk about tailers...fun to watch for sure, but I've never had much luck getting tailing fish to eat a fly. Anyone else have that experience? Seems they are so focused on whatever they're eating that they often don't even see the fly. I've had far more success with cruising or "resting" Reds that don't have their heads buried. Or is it just me?

I had one red that I saw tailing. I was rig up with three rods. Topwater, spoon, and paddletail. Basically covering the column(s).

I dragged a pretty loud top water in front of it, behind it. Twice. Threw the spoon basically the same thing. Threw the paddle tail same thing.

Got pissed - threw the paddle tail 5 yards passed it, dropped the damn thing on it's head. That got it's attention. 27.5" later...

That was 6-10 presentations nothing - dropped it on the head (literally) - winner. Go figure. Buddy told me I got lucky. Luck or not it made it to the boat.

Wasn't a fly, but you get the idea. How much noise that top water and spoon put out - who knows, but it had no effect. And I was what I consider "danger close" - close enough that it should have spooked it.

Seemed the red was like a tick on a coon dog - dug in hard.

I would venture to say that 80-85% or more of my reds I don't see. 10-15% I'll see but not tailing. Less than 5% I see tailing. I look for fish friendly zones and fish them.

Course this is coming from my limited experience...your mileage may vary.

[Mike Hodge]

All this talk about tailers...fun to watch for sure, but I've never had much luck getting tailing fish to eat a fly. Anyone else have that experience? Seems they are so focused on whatever they're eating that they often don't even see the fly. I've had far more success with cruising or "resting" Reds that don't have their heads buried. Or is it just me?

I had one red that I saw tailing. I was rig up with three rods. Topwater, spoon, and paddletail. Basically covering the column(s).

I dragged a pretty loud top water in front of it, behind it. Twice. Threw the spoon basically the same thing. Threw the paddle tail same thing.

Got pissed - threw the paddle tail 5 yards passed it, dropped the damn thing on it's head. That got it's attention. 27.5" later...

That was 6-10 presentations nothing - dropped it on the head (literally) - winner. Go figure. Buddy told me I got lucky. Luck or not it made it to the boat.

Wasn't a fly, but you get the idea. How much noise that top water and spoon put out - who knows, but it had no effect. And I was what I consider "danger close" - close enough that it should have spooked it.

Seemed the red was like a tick on a coon dog - dug in hard.

I would venture to say that 80-85% or more of my reds I don't see. 10-15% I'll see but not tailing. Less than 5% I see tailing. I look for fish friendly zones and fish them.

Course this is coming from my limited experience...your mileage may vary.

I mainly just want to have a chance at seeing a fish before I cast toward it. Tails, I know, are the ideal, not necessarily day-to-day reality. I've got to keep my expectations realistic.

[Uncle Tommy]

I've only had luck with tailers by casting past them and stripping the fly so that it falls where they are feeding (I'm not quite accurate enough to drop a fly right in front of their noses). They don't seem to mind being lined while tailing, as long as it's the leader and not the flyline.

UT

[Dustin]

I have my best luck with tailing reds over grassflats using a deerhair slider/diver that pushes a bunch of water. They land softly and can be left in place without snagging in the grass. Now, the actual strike-to-hook-up ratio is not particularly good, but the strike is most of the fun anyway. If you think reds are clumsy on a topwater plug, they are really clumsy on a surface fly that takes very little water motion to move.

Over mud bottom, it really doesn't matter what you throw. Anything with some hair and flash works fine. Fish that are "mudding" are usually pretty easy to fool.

[DaveR]

Over mud bottom, it really doesn't matter what you throw. Anything with some hair and flash works fine. Fish that are "mudding" are usually pretty easy to fool.

And that sir, is the secret of my success!

[John]

I mainly just want to have a chance at seeing a fish before I cast toward it. Tails, I know, are the ideal, not necessarily day-to-day reality. I've got to keep my expectations realistic.

Thick grass, and an incoming tide after a good low, and by low I mean less than a 0.5' those have been the key to my locating tailing reds.

I have great luck with the Borski Haystack fly tied weedless, I wade fish for them, move slowly and you can get surprising close, I am not a good caster, probably about 45' is my maximum and its ugly. Like Dustin, the deer hair slider has been pretty good for me too, I like it in all white, easy for them and for me to see.