My Experience
I have been fishing with a fly rod and tying flies since 1976, beginning with fresh water species while in the Air Force from 1975-1981. During this time I was stationed in Duluth, MN, Klamath Falls, OR and Colorado Springs, CO. with summer trips to Montana and Wyoming. Since returning home to Florida in 1981, all of my fishing has been in the salt except for summer trips out west when time would allow. To see samples of my fly-tying, check into the books "Saltwater Fly Patterns" by Lefty Kreh and "Bonefish Fly Patterns" by Dick Brown.

Local Fly-Fishing
The waters surrounding Ft. Myers, Pine Island, Sanibel and Captiva are normally very clear, excepting periods of heavy rain. These conditions present excellent opportunities to cast a fly to a sighted fish. Some examples would be Redfish tailing on a shallow flat, Snook cruising a sand shoreline or Tarpon moving on the beach. Fish in clear shallow water can be spooked easily. After spotting the fish, a quick and accurate cast is everything in this game.

Some other fishing opportunities in this area would be:

• Poling a deeper Mangrove shoreline casting to pockets and under overhanging limbs. Very accurate casts are needed to present the fly, mostly for Snook and Redfish.

• Casting under birds working a school of baitfish. This is open water casting and the easiest fishing for Trout, Ladyfish, Jacks, Spanish Mackerel and Bonito depending on the time of year.

• Blind casting to sand holes, "prospect fishing" for Trout, Redfish, Ladyfish and Snook.

Fly-Fishing in Salt Water

Rods
For those new to the saltwater game, it is quite different from freshwater Trout fishing -- starting with the rods used. A 6-wgt is considered a light rod for this fishing, but could be used when pursuing Trout, Ladyfish and small Jacks. An 8-wgt is the most used saltwater outfit. It will easily cast the flies used in sizes 4-1/0 with enough strength to land most fish quickly to ensure a healthy release. A 9-wgt would be my next choice for casting to Mangrove shorelines. This outfit would offer a little more strength in the butt section in the event of hooking a large Snook. When you get to 10, 11 and 12-wgt outfits, you are targeting large fish only such as Tarpon and Cobia, although a large Snook in the bushes on a 10-wgt would not be over-gunned.

Flies
The size of the flies used and their weight is another difference from the freshwater game. Sizes 4-6 would be on the small side with 2-1/0 being average and 2/0-3/0 for the larger species.

Line
A weight-forward floating fly line is used for the majority of the fishing in this area. But, as always there are exceptions. When pursuing Tarpon, an intermediate slow-sinking line is the preferred choice, as the fishing will be done in 3-10' of water. A faster sinking line can be an advantage when blind casting in a pass or on a beach for Pompano and when covering a deeper sand-hole in a flat.

Times to Fish
Even though the fishery here is year-round and something is always fishable, there are times to target certain fish when they are most available.

1. March and April, as the water starts to warm, is the time to pole shorelines for Snook. You could also get casts at Redfish, Trout, Jacks and Cobia cruising the same areas.

2. Mid-April through mid-June is Tarpon time when the most fish are here. This is all sight casting with 10-12wgt outfits to schools on the surface finned-out or daisy chaining.

3. Mid-August through October is the time to look for schools of large Redfish. All fish in a school will be 28-35" and eager to inhale a well-placed fly as they bulldoze across a flat.

4. October through December has some of the lowest tides of the year and will concentrate Redfish and Sea-Trout in deeper sand holes. Casting to the holes and also watching for tailing fish feeding when the tide starts in can occupy a morning.

Your Tackle or Mine
Bringing your own, familiar tackle is always best. If that is not possible, or you are new to the sport, I will provide all tackle. Reels can be set up for right or left hand retrieve, as you prefer. If you need any help with your casting or making the transition to the saltwater game, rest assured that I would provide it in a relaxed manner.