Ever fancied a Stateside species hunt? Turrall’s Jamie Sandford reports on a fishing trip packed with variety!
"Thank you for your interest Jamie. We can potentially catch anything from American shad, blueback herring, Sunshine bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker, black crappie, warmouth, stumpknockers, and a few other local sunfish...We'll meet for 2pm. I'll send you a pin!"
Ready to roll!
When your guide sends you the above message, you can't help but be excited. After all, some of the aforementioned species were fish I'd dreamt about for years! Indeed, while fish like steelhead and cut throat trout tend to dominate the wish lists of anglers planning fishing trips in the USA, there is such a huge variety of species to be caught on fly and lure - their equivalent of “coarse” fish, besides the ‘game’ headliners.
A vast angler’s playground awaits!
Fly fishing Florida’s rich backwaters
With a pin-drop via google earth inputted into my transports sat-nav, I headed out to a boat ramp situated on The Econlockhatchee River. This 54.5-mile-long north-flowing blackwater tributary of the St.Johns River flows through Osceola, Orange, and Seminole counties in Central Florida.
Upon arrival at the carpark I was met with chirping Ospreys sat high up in the the trees, talons gripping their latest catches. Limpkins and egrets could be seen stalking the shoreline for anything that moved, while tornado-like flocks of vultures circled high within the thermals. Down at water level, the eyes of 'gators peered and blinked from the peaty brown coloured water whilst black skimmers went about their namesake business. What a place and what an ecosystem!
"Jamie...Hey buddy!” came the call. Cue, Mr Mark Benson (above).
Mark grew up in Orlando fishing, swimming and boating the lakes, creeks and coastal waters with his father. Since then, his interest in fishing has taken him around the world catching all manner of species – from the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, to the icy snowmelt waters of British Columbia and New Zealand. And yet he still gets excited about the fishing back home.
"Let's tackle up, launch the boat and find some fish!?" - I didn’t need to be asked twice!
Those familiar with me and my angling tastes know that I love fishing for all manner of species using all manner of techniques. I was handed a 3wt coupled with a floating line, 10' of leader and a tippet section to which a small dumbell-eyed lure was tied: reassuringly simple!
Small Clouser Minnow type flies will catch almost anywhere on the planet!
Alongside this outfit was a light fixed spool spinning setup with a small jig and twisty-tail soft plastic grub attached. Ok, so this is a fly fishing blog and I am first and foremost a fly guy- but using both of these methods in tandem would allow me to target different species throughout the afternoon.
Mark expertly positioned the boat enabling me to stand at the bow and work the water in an arc. He went on to explain the areas to target with my casts, looking to get the best presentation, whilst teaching me the habits and characteristics of our first target, shad.
The shad spends most of its life in the Atlantic Ocean but swims up freshwater rivers to spawn. Various environmental factors and temperature changes affect the wants and needs of the fish on a daily basis, hence the reason for their catchability within the St.Johns area.
I removed the fly from the butt section hook-keeper and after pulling out a little line began making some false casts. The anticipation was electric!
I've always felt another angler’s rod and line is a bit like driving a new car for the first time. You clumsily change gear and you rush the pedals, but after a few goes both rod and vehicle fit like a glove.
I worked the area straight in front of me first, being mindful of Mark's advice about allowing the fly to fish the flow present, whilst building a mental note of the depth I had to search. The dumbell-eyed fly was an ideal, practical choice, suited a steady count of around '15'. Any more than this and I would pick up fronds of weeds and detritus.
"Jamie, you'll find that when the shad 'take' it's a lightness mixed with a heaviness” said my guide. “Strip-set into the fish and allow everything to pull tight.”
Such a description reminded me of the first time a 'stoppage' was explained to me when trout fishing in the UK. Such a feeling has to be felt by the angler, as describing this event in mere words doesn't do it justice!
I was now a handful of casts in and after a steady retrieve I was met with that very "lightness and heaviness" I'd been warned of. My instinct was to strike. However, I refrained, and allowed the floating line to pull up tight before naturally lifting the rod skyward!
As with any fishing session/trip there's always that sense of excitement and trepidation. I personally always feel this more intensely when time is of the essence, on a 'one shot’' guided trip! I should point out at this moment that this wasn't a fishing holiday but a short trip made possible by the generosity and patience of my partner!
As I played the Shad it fought particularly well, its strength suggesting a fish much bigger than the one I was attached to. After a tense few moments that silvery blue/purple flank was secured safely in the net!
Job done! What a result!
Species hunting: lure fishing and other popular US fish species for the travelling angler
Whenever I've been fortunate to have the chance of catching a new species in the past, the size of the quarry and the amount of fish caught has never preoccupied me. The magic of catching that target individual species has always been my prerogative- I love variety and I've never been a greedy angler.
I went on to catch another shad shortly after the initial capture and spent the remainder of the afternoon alternating between the fly and spinning rod- leading me to catch three other species! It’s always a buzz to net something unfamiliar - and I had classic “panfish” as well as catfish and more.
Variety is the spice of life for a travelling angler!
Thank you Mark for a fabulous afternoon! Our hosts guiding services come hughly recommended for anyone planning on guided lure and fly fishing trips in Florida: https://www.markbensonoutdoors.com/
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