Open 10 - 6 Monday - Saturday (863) 299-9999

FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-11-13

Week 11/13/18-11/20/18
Conditions:  Good
Surface Temp: 75f
Clarity: Slightly Tannic 18-24-inches

Let us know what you are catching-or not catching-Send your pics of fish, beautiful places, or some of the flies that you have tied.  We love to post them on our fishing report!  Send to Allen@andythornal.com


This is what fly fishig is all about.  Chris and Jim Bishop on the Chattooga River.

Tip:

Specs(Crappie) are making the report, finally.  Caught outside of lily pads and near deeper water; Specs have been consistent in several pics from customers. Bass have been staying active and the fishing is very good. Streamers have been consistently producing results. Bass have been most productive a few feet off the bank and stripped fairly slow to keep them deeper in the water column around 4-6 feet down. This is where fluorocarbon and intermediate sinking lines come in handy.


Jim Bishop releases another rainbow trout on a great weekend.

Fly Fishing Mayan Cichlid
Mayan Cichlid, an unusual catch in Central Florida Lakes as they are cold water sensitive.  They are very aggressive fighting fish, and an invassive species, usually from an aquarium. 

Techniques:

The bass have continued to school up and chow down on schools of shad. This is one of our favorite times of year, since we get to chuck some meaty streamers at some aggressive bass. They have been hanging out a little farther offshore than most people are fishing. Try casting from a boat length away from where you start pounding the bank. The fish are staying in 4-6 ft of water, and they will eat top water flies too.  A white gurgler is a great companion to a white streamer to cover all your bases as the bass will be exploding on top one second then retreat to deeper water. Bluegill are hanging around docks and near the mouths of canals. The best way to catch them has been a heavier tungsten nymph drug on the bottom or a worm fly with the squirmito tail on a jig head. Specs(Crappie) are  being caught along grass lines and outside of lilies. Use baitfish patterns in white, black and/or brown/olive in size 6, 8, or 10.  Classic popper fishing is recommended at sunrise. Colors are important as the fish are selective. Start with white as this mimics a struggling baitfish then start trying brighter colors such as yellow or orange.  Popper dropper rigs are a very good way to fish.  Use classic trout flies such as a Pheasant Tail or a Hare's Ear Nymph is sizes 10-14, or try an Green Drake emerger sz 10-14.


Conley Whiddon had a great morning with this Grand Slam.  White poppers were the ticket at sunrise.

 

Forecast

With cooler temperatures rolling in at the end of the week the fishing should be good despite the weather shift. Lake levels are still high, but lower than last week.  The Peace. Econ, Myakka, Hillsborough, Withlacoochee, and Kissimmee Rivers are all at above average levels. Normal river levels are falling with the season.  Lake levels should slowly recede, and are approaching desirable levels. 


Billy Williams tied this rubber legged leech pattern.  Looks really good!  Billy has been catching a lot of trout in N. Ga.- But this fly would be awesome here too!

FLY TYING CLASSES ARE ON FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAYS at 6:00PM-7:30PM.  No reservations needed. We supply materials  and tools (or bring yours.) $10 min purchase requested. Our next tying class is Nov 20th.  Contact us at 863 299-999 for more info.

Where Great Traditions Begin!   Register Now for our Full Day Fly Fishing School.  Our Next Date is December 8th. Click here for more info/registration

FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-10-29

Week 10/29/18- 11/05/18
Conditions:  Good
Surface Temp: 79f
Clarity: Tannic 24-inches

Let us know what you are catching-or not catching-Send your pics of fish, beautiful places, or some of the flies that you have tied.  We love to post them on our fishing report!  Send to Allen@andythornal.com

Jordan Pike and Cody Wilson were chasing tailing Redfish on Florida's  East Coast

 Tip of the Week: 

There was plenty of action on night time bass this week-marking a change in the fishing.    A cool front has mornings at a  delightful temp.  Bass should be in 4-8ft of water.  Weighted baitfish patterns can get deep to these fish on the weedlines.  Using a sink tip will make countdown times much shorter for these fish.  There is continued success on small white shad, and baby bass, baitfish patterns.


Techniques:

Specs(Crappie) are being caught along grass lines. Use baitfish patterns in white, black and/or brown/olive in size 6, 8, or 10.     Also, we've heard about more great spec fishing in the lily pads.  Jig vertically through holes in the pads.  Hunter tied a weedless jig, specifically for this.  Olive, Tan, or brown are best at the moment, but have some brights available. Jig style flies with squirmito tails were very effective last fall. Classic popper fishing is recommended at sunrise.  Colors seem to be important as the fish are selective.  Popper dropper rigs are a very good way to fish.  Use the flies from your trout trip; they work great as droppers.  If you are buying flies, bigger nymphs (sz 12) in prince or hare's ear patterns.  Get these flies on the bottom. 


Adrian learned to cast a fly rod within an hour! More info on Fly Casting Schools->

Forecast

We forecast good to excellent fishing on top water in the mornings, and for schooling bass in 4-8 feet of water.  Last week was a full moon with clear skies; encouraging nighttime feeding.  With the moon phase changing we see prime feeding moving to morning during the week.  Partly cloudy, falling pressure, temps 65-80.  Rain is forecast on Thursday and Friday. Wind is an issue all week in the afternoon.  Lake levels are still high, but lower than last week.  Kissimmee River at the dam (below Hwy 60) is down a large amount since last week, dropping below seasonal norms.  Peace River at Arcadia and Econ River at Oviedo have dropped very quickly, and are low for this time.  Myakka River  is at normal levels.  Hillsborough and Withlacoochee are about normal for this time of year.  Normal river levels are falling with the season.  Lake levels should slowly recede, and are approaching desirable levels. 

Renzettie Traveler fly tying vises come in several models.

FLY TYING CLASSES ARE ON FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAYS at 6:00PM-7:30PM.  No reservations needed. We supply materials  and tools (or bring yours.) $10 min purchase requested. Our next tying class is Nov 6th.  Contact us at 863 299-999 for more info.

Where Great Traditions Begin!   Register Now for our Full Day Fly Fishing School.  Our Next Date is December 8th. Click here for more info/registration

 

FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-10-23

With the excessive heat, last week, there was a noticeable lul in fishing reports.  However, since it cooled over the weekend, we expect to see fishing improve, especially the surface fishing. View full article →

FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-10-10

Fly Fishing is excellent this week.  After the hurricane moves across the panhandle, we will have beautiful weather.  Bass are schooling on shad,  Bluegill, Crappie, and tilapia join the mix.  Fly casting school, and fly tying club info. View full article →

FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-09-10

Week 09/10/18 - 9/18/18
Conditions:  Good
Surface Temp: 82f
Clarity: Tannic 23-inches

Listen to the fishing report  

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Where Great Traditions Begin!   Register Now for our first Full Day Fly Fishing School of the Season.  Next Date is Sept 22nd 
Click here for more info->

Let us know what you are catching-or not catching-Send your pics of fish, beautiful places, or some of the flies that you have tied.  We love to post them on our fishing report!  Send to Allen@andythornal.com

Jason Bergwell, Shawn Ceranic, and Trevor Brown took a day trip for peacock bass-Wow!

Tip of the Week:
More Bluegill this week.  Smaller Bass are biting. You've heard this tip for a few weeks-Small white minnows like Grasset's Snook minnow, and white sz 6 Clousers are producing fish. One of our favorites, the popper-dropper rig with classic trout flies on the dropper are catching lots of fish. Bushier nymphs like Gibson's Snymph, Hare's ear, and Prince are catching lots of panfish.  Important-Bead heads to drop to the bottom so use a long dropper tippet (3ft to 5ft).  Size10 down to size16 will do the trick.  Poppers, Sliders and Amnesia style topwater in chartreuse, white, and black for topwater.  We finally heard about a frog pattern catching-it has been a while!  1lb to 2lb bass are taking topwater, again.

 



Love this Peacock Bass Tail-These tropical fish are great fun in South Florida 

Techniques:

We like fly fishing topwater, when they will bite on top. Rrecommendation for the week for bass is for larger poppers/sliders size 2 to 2/0. 12in to 16in bass are working in the shallows.  Follow the afternoon shade to find the most aggressive fish. Expect rain storms in the afternoon.  For the biggest bass in the pond, we will recommend  Reaction style flies like the Schmiderbait Spinner-Fly, Dahlberg Divers, and Game Changer flies. These should be moved fast, forcing a quick reaction from the Bass.  We like white, but 'flash' seems to be most important. Water is flowing through canals and large culverts.  These will be feeding funnels and will create opportunities for the fly angler. Pay particular attention to the seawalls in the canals as they can give a fish a great spot to hang.  Bluegill success on dropper rigs  with soft hackle nymphs and bushier style nymphs.  Nymphs should be bushy, with rubber legs, and weighted, as ther is plenty of bluegill action on the bottom.

Casting Instructor, Chris O'Byrne can catch 'em on a broken fly rod.
7 Day Forecast:

Falling pressure through the week, and clear afternoons til Thursday is forecast. Flowing canals will create feeding funnels and should be an opportunity. Lake levels are very high.  Some of the lakes are complex to fly fish because the water floods into the grass and timber areas. The water levels are very high, docks are under water on the Winter Haven Chain, and flood control damns are wide open. Econ, Myakka, and Kissimmee (below Hwy 60) are at normal level for this time of year.  Peace, Hillsborough, and Withlacootchee are very high---extra care should be taken.  We expect bass fishing to improve to excellent this week.


Our New Tarpon Time T-Shirt pictured with Tarpon Artist, Wes Lott.

FLY TYING CLASSES ON FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAYS at 6:00PM-7:30PM.  No reservations needed. We supply materials  and tools (or bring yours.) $10 min purchase requested. Our next tying class is Sept. 18th

 

The text in this report may look familiar.  We upload weekly to the Orvis Fishing Report for Florida.

Links for Local Weather And River Levels

Local Weather

Water Levels Peace River

Water Levels Econ River

Water Levels Hillsborough  

Water Levels Myakka River

 

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FLY FISHING REPORT 2018-09-05

Conditions are Good in this weeks fly fishing report for Central Florida.  Photos of freshwater fish and flies that catch them from Andy Thornal Co. View full article →