Bob Riggins
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Sad, but points out that you should make noise while you hike (i.e. bell, talking, singing, etc.) and have bear spray.
In a way, I love living in Florida, but there are a lot of things that suck. Right now, unemployment is high and wages are low. It is also hard to get quality work out of people. It is a more transient society than you would find in Indiana.
On the up side, the sunshine is free and the fish are abundant. 😎
The 691 XP and the 990 Xi2 will be perfect. Like you surmise, the 11wt would not be useful off the beach.
As far as sharks, if people really new how many sharks they are swimming round all the time, they would be shocked. I have chased sharks down the beach many times and as they swam by tourists I would have to stop casting at them. The tourists never saw them.
Sharks are not interested in people. Occasionally they will mistake a surfer for food, or bite at someone who is standing in a school of bait fish. Shark attacks are rare on the Gulf Coast. Most serious “attacks” in Florida occur when someone jumps on them from a boat or dock and they defend themselves. I wade and kayak around sharks all the time.
You are in major snook country. You should be able to hit the beach early in the morning, just after dawn and fish until the crowds arrive. You may find them any time of the day, but it is hard to fish for them when the beach is crowded.
You need a good pair of polarized sunglasses since once the sun is up this is sight fishing. The snook will be close to the waterline, sometimes within a couple of feet. You will probably see the shadow on the bottom before you see the fish. I would also recommend a stripping basket since you will be walking the beach with the line ready to cast. You don’t need long casts unless you see a school of jacks or macs out further.
Walk the beach about 10 to 15 feet up from the water line. Watch in front of you as you walk at about a 45 degree angle. This will keep your shadow from falling over the fish. Once you locate a fish, see which way he is swimming and cast a few feet in front of him and strip slowly. If it is swimming away from you, you will likely have to get around in front of him since you want to be stripping away from the fish, not toward it.
I use white schminnows or DT specials. Clousers will work also, but white is the best color. Since there is no structure around and the wind would normally be at your back in the morning, a 6wt will do, although I prefer an 8wt. Make sure you use a 12″ bite tippet of at least 25# fluorocarbon. Snook have sandpaper teeth, but also have a very sharp gill plate that can cut the line.
When you catch one, lip it like you would a bass. Once you get your thumb in his mouth you can control him. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT grab one by the gill plate unless you want to lose a finger.
As you walk, also look for diving birds and agitated bait fish schools. You can blind cast into these and see what you get. It could be anything from a ladyfish to a shark.
There will normally be a swash channel running along the beach and a sand bar 20 to 40 feet further out. Also watch for dark shapes over the sand bar. You will sometimes run up on a shark or redfish cruising along the beach. If you consistently see sharks, rig up an 8wt with a wire bite tippet.
The jumping fish were probably mullet, which will not normally hit a fly, or anything else for that matter.
The Dan Craft Sig V is indead a great blank. He still has some of the Sig V’s in stock, but I didn’t see that one. Might be worth an email to see if he has any or may have some in the future. I’m not sure they are producing that series any more.
http://www.dancraftent.com/contact/
My storage system is a cardboard box in the closet that holds all my rod cases upright. For rigged rods, I just lay them in the garage up against a chest. Not the best way I’m sure, but I don’t like keeping rods rigged long particularly out in the garage in the Florida heat.
[On the other hand, his wife is letting him plan a honeymoon in Clearwater – aka the strip club capital of the world.
?
I have always used Albrights, but Uni to Uni should work just as well. I don’t like using loop to loop connections for bite tippets, but it would make changes quicker.
I have used AFW Surflon fishing wire in either 7 strand or 19 strand for shark and macks. It is nylon coated and knotable, but I think it is overkill for ladyfish. If you think bluefish are in the mix, I would still use fluorocarbon, just go a little heavier.
