On The Flats
Capt Sam LeNeave
April 2001
Lite-Line Charters
Gainesville, FL
Phone:  352-374-4003
Email:  flyfisher@ix.netcom.com

By now you know my passion is skinny water, light tackle fishing and fly-fishing falls right into the center of that category.  It is also a natural progression to go from light tackle conventional rods and reels to fly tackle as your skill on the flats increases.  Plus if you feel about flats fishing the way I do, it’s the thrill of the hunt and the quality not the quantity of the catch that matters.

In getting started on your fly-fishing adventure I would locate my local fly shop or tackle shop that sells fly fishing gear, and go in and talk to them about what it would take to get started.  Don’t get sticker shock!  You can spend as much as you want if that suits you or you can get the job done somewhat more economically.  But remember you are going to lay out some cash initially.  Ask the people at the shop about some basic instruction.  Some shops do hold fly-casting classes but they generally charge by the hour.  But if you have a community college in your area many of them offer classes in basic instruction on the weekend.  Santa Fe Community College here in Gainesville offers such classes as a weekend series and they fill up every time they are offered.  These classes provide good basic instruction and all of the equipment necessary for you to use.  This is a good investment for you to make before buying any equipment. (BTW  Sea Hag Marina does not carry many fly fishing supplies. Too hard to stock with the high prices)

Once you have decided that this looks like it could be interesting then you can start shopping for a fly rod and reel.  This is going to be the most expensive part of the investment.  So get some help.  Most fly/tackle shops will try and get you the best possible equipment in your price range.  But you must let them know what type of fish you will be targeting so they can properly match the rod weight and reel size.   For the fish we target most on the flats off Steinhatchee, an 8weight rod would be a good choice.  This rod has enough backbone to handle the majority of fish available on the flats and you won’t wear yourself out casting.

I do have the good fortune to be endorsed by two high quality manufacturers – G-Loomis and Redington.  I might suggest that you take a little time and visit both web sites they have some very good information available.  However, Redington is a more reasonably priced line and they have a lifetime guarantee, no questions asked.  Just send it back they will replace it.  But G-Loomis customer service is also very good.  There are many good rod and reel manufacturers available in all price ranges and all of them want your business.

When you have decided on a rod the next question is what reel?   Your fly/tackle shop will once again be able to recommend the best match.  Most rod manufacturers have a suggested reel for the rod you select and may suggest a large Arbor reel for all saltwater applications.  The large Arbor reel costs a little more but they give you the versatility that will make it a better investment in the long run.  Plus the reel will hold more backing and will give you the ability to let fish make long runs without you running out of line.

The next and maybe the most important piece of equipment is your casting line.  This is actually what you throw at the fish with a fly attached, so you need to get the line best suited for your fishing application.  The one I suggest for the type fish you go after and the overall conditions you will face on the Steinhatchee Flats is a floating line weight forward with a shooting head.  This line will allow you to maximize your cast even on windy days.  There are several good fly lines available for you to choose from – Orvis, Redington, Cortland, Scientific Angler to name a few.  Any one of them matched to the conditions will do the job.  The next item to be added is your tippet, this item is considered the leader attached to the casting line and is clear fluorocarbon that the fly is attached to.  Again your fly/tackle shop can help you select the correct one.  Plus they are individually packed by length and weight.

The last item you need is a selection of flies.  I suggest a total of 10 or 12 flies. Try to select 6 or 8 for reds with the balance for trout, usually topwater poppers.  Check with your fly/tackle shop for the best numbers.

Well there you have it fly fishing made easy!  I just wish it were that simple.  My suggestions are if you want to get into fly fishing, take classes, try various rods before you decide, a high price does not mean success, fish with your fly gear as much as you can no matter how frustrating, and practice, practice, practice!

There is nothing like seeing several reds pushing on the flats in about 12 inches of water and you lay that fly right in the strike zone and hang on.

Thanks for your time.  I would like to hear from you, please feel free to email me at flyfisher@ix.netcom.com
This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 3/28/01
The fishing has been awesome this week! Lots of Sheepshead, trout, redfish and grouper.  Most folks have been going north to the Dallus Creek area for the trout and reds.  They've been using live shrimp and lots of artificials including Bass Assassin's grub color Space Guppy. Offshore, bottom fishing with just about anything is working great. Seen lots of fish caught on Cigar Minnows and Herring using an 6 to 8 oz weight and a 6/O live bait hook or 8/O regular shank hook. Although I do not currently carry red colored hooks in stock, I've heard they are working awesome and I hope to order some in the future. I guess the fish considers the red color to be blood and are readily attracted to a wounded fish.

Captain Walt Carlson
REEL TIME CHARTERS
Steinhatchee FL
PH/ 352-498-3176
OK everyone--if you missed this weekend to go fishing you really missed a good one!  Friday I went offshore for grouper and we did great! My charter came back with 12 keepers and threw back twice that many! (if the number of throwbacks is any indication of what is to come the grouper fishing is going to be GREAT!)  We also had a bunch of seabass & grunts. It really was a great day! We also hooked into something that we never saw!! We had to pick up anchor and go chase this one! But it ended up breaking the line!  My guess is that it was a big nurse shark -what ever it was, it tired out two men trying their best to get it up - just to see what it was - but the line broke after about 30 min. What's funny about this is that the man that hooked it had said earlier he wanted something 36 inches long and my statement to him was be careful what you wish for out here!  And then this happen--I kidded him and we all had a good laugh about it!

Saturday--I had a group that wanted to go for sheephead-so out we went to
 the Sheepshead hole and had a really great time catching those bait stealers along with these we caught lots of short grouper (again) and some amberjack that were about 4 to 6 lb. Boy are these a blast on light tackle-good way to check out you line and reel drag to see what condition their in!! As for the trout most everyone did GREAT I saw some really big fish brought in all at the top end of the slot limit and also saw the first catch of spanish mackerel brought in along with bluefish and they said there were plenty of ladyfish in the same area creating some really hot fishing! So it looks like our spring fishing is really started off with a bang! Everything is being caught! So no
mater if your a trout person or like the big boys (grouper), there's something for everyone to catch!!

Tight lines and good fishing!!! Capt. Walt Carlson
This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 3/16/01
Charlie Patrick writes: Thank you very much for saving some pinfish for me last week. (Sea Hag note: if you call ahead, we can try to reserve pinfish and shrimp for you) We limited out on trout Friday, using pinfish as cut-bait. Saturday we limited out by12:30 using Salt Water Assassins. Will be back in Steinhatchee this weekend, but will not use pinfish. When they hit that good on artificial, no need to go through the mess of using cut-bait.When we used pinfish as cutbait, we get two baits out of each pinfish, cutting on an angle back from the head and split the tail so that each bait has half of the tail. We use a 4-0 hook, a split shot, and work them under a Cajun Thunder float. However, as good as the fish are hitting, you don't really need to go to the trouble to use cut-bait. The most productive artificial was the Saltwater Assassin's Space Guppie, that's the one with a lime-treuse belly and a clear, gold metalflake top, fished in 5-1/2 to 7 feet of water.
This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 3/11/01

Captain Walt Carlson
REEL TIME CHARTERS
Steinhatchee FL
PH/ 352-498-3176