GAR

A late post, but it's all good.

After I left Fort Meyers, I spent the remainder of my Florida vacation in Orlando. The hotel I stayed at had a big lake with kayak and 2 person pontoon rentals, but I only had 1 free day to do what I wanted while I was there. 

I was able to take advantage of the lake, and rented a 2 person pontoon (I should have taken a picture of it, because, it was pretty damn cool). My girlfriend and I just cruised around the lake as I fished. I was able to hook up with some small largemouth bass tossing some bait fish patterns with my 5 wt. I was hoping to find some big Florida bass, but they didn't want to come out and play.

These swamp donkeys loved my bait fish patterns.

After returning the pontoon, I fished from the pier. I was catching some more swamp donkeys, when I noticed something big cruising along the surface in the almost crystal clear water...it was a gar! (A Florida Gar to be exact.) I got excited, and made a perfect cast past the toothy fish....strip...strip...strip...across it's face and I paused...that gar had a face full of fur, and it was GAME ON! It was an awesome fight and definitely pushed my 5 wt beyond what it's used to. My one worry during the battle was my 9 lb tippet....it held. I was ecstatic! My first gar on the fly.

There was no one around to take a picture, and this was the best I could do. *sad face*

10 minutes after releasing the gar, I saw an even bigger one cruising. This one had about 1 foot and a few more pounds than the one I caught. Again, I made a perfect cast...strip...strip...strip...the gar turned and caught the back of the fly...strip...strip...strip...as the gar made a second attempt to demolish my fly, a huge bowfin came out of no where and went at the gar, scaring it off. My knees were shaking...this thing was big. The bowfin then took a look at my I gave it a few strips, and it followed...then it just slowly sank into the depths. Gasp.

That fish would have definitely tested all of the backbone my Orvis Access 5 wt had. 

When I was done fishing I saw the species list for the lake, and there was a fish on there that I would have absolutely loved to have hooked up with....an alligator gar. If I only had more free time.

Fake food for the salt.

I've been pretty excited for my trip to Florida.  It's given me a fresh mindset at the tying desk.  Here I thought I was going to be tying up some big bait fish flies, boy was I wrong!  I've been asking around and have been told that small flies are the way to go when fishing the surf. Size 4, 6, and 8....I never would have thought that.  I'll still be bringing some big meaty flies with me, because, I just have to! :)

I would like to say thanks to the following people, for providing me with some knowledge about fishing the area I will be in, and saltwater in general:

Captain Austin Adduci of Grab Your Fly Charters

+BrookField Angler over at Brookfield Angler

A.J. Gottschalk over at Nickel & Dime Fly Fishing

and my buddy Dom. (Who introduced me to fly fishing.)

Here's what I've cooked up at the vise, thus far.

Red and black Gurgler

EP Fiber bait fish...mullet?

Some small white EP bait fish for the surf. Snook Candy

Fly inspired by +Luis Santiago whose fly was inspired by Waters Edge Fly Co.

Orange bucktail and craft fur shrimp pattern.

Size 6 Fox fur shrimp.

Size 6 Fox fur and zonker strip shrimp. 1 is weighted and the other is not.

Hopefully, these will end up in the face of a saltwater fish, and I'll be able to cross some new fish off my species list.