Ed Mitchell Outdoors

Turning a Corner

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Ed Mitchell

The weather is still too hot and we are still locked into a rainy period. But we may finally be turning a corner. The fishing was a little better today. And hopefully that trend is going to continue. Let fall fishing begin.

Today’s Red.

Posted in Fly Fishing in Salt Water | Leave a comment

The Flats have Heated up – Literally

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Ed Mitchell

We have had record, or near record heat, for closing in on a week. Yesterday, the Gulf of Mexico was a rocking 91 degrees! And the skinny water up inside the Harbor is even hotter. Hell things cook at 112! Yes, the flats have heated up – literally.

The fishing pundits say the fish have all moved out to deep water, and that anglers must do the same. They might be right. The fishing on the flats has been dismay.

Runt Red

Saw a few fish yesterday, including a pompano, and a school of reds on the first of the incoming. So all is not lost. Today I caught a runt red and a small snook. Maybe if we get a heavy rain at night, the flats may cool a bit. Can’t wait for fall.

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On the Flats with the Super Moon Blues

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Ed Mitchell

Did you seen the moon the last couple of night? It was a super moon. Not only was the moon full, it was in perigee. Which is to say the moon was at its closest point to the earth, some 221,765 miles away. That’s 30,ooo miles closer than a moon in apogee.

Super Moon

Soon after I first got down here, anglers told me flats fishing was alway poor the day after a bright moon night. Well, it hasn’t proven to be right 100 percent of the time, but its true more often than not. Believe me.

Why would a bright moon ruin the fishing the next day? The commonly held belief is that a bright moon allows game fish to feed all night. So the next day, fish aren’t hungry. Frankly that doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. In fact the opposite may be true. Under a bright moon game fish may feed less on the flats. Why? Without the cover of darknes, game fish would have a harder time catching forage. In response, game fish may actually drop off the flats to feed in the darkness of deeper water. Hence there are less fish on the flats the following day. Just a guess.

How was the fishing the days during the super moon? Awful. On the flats with the super moon blues.

Posted in Environment, Fly Fishing in Salt Water, Looking Upward, Wild Things | Leave a comment

Short Fly Rods are a Hoot

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Ed Mitchell

Short Fly Rods are a Hoot: If there is a trend in fly rods these days, it’s toward longer ones…..Switch, and Spey come to mind. These elongated sticks have their merits, I suppose, but lets take a look at the other end of the spectrum – short fly rods. These days, you rarely hear much about them. Yet they are useful and fun.

Short Fly Rods are a Hoot

So what constitutes a short fly rod? In my opinion it’s any fly rod under 8 foot. Angler often call them Bantams, Flea Rods, Flea-Flickers, Midge Rods, or Peewees. These things have been around for a God’s age, at least dating back to H.L. Leonard’s 36L Baby Catskill. Payne, Young, Orvis, Hardy, Garcia, Fenwick, Sage, Scott, Winston – to name a few – all make them at one time or another.

Some folks bad mouth short rods. Their beefs fall into three areas. First they will tell you short rods are lousy fish fighting tools. Really? Tell that to Lee Wulff. Actually short fly rods are excellent fish fighting tools as long as the anglers at the far end know what they are doing. Next you’ll hear that you can’t cast very far with a short rod. Okay, some truth there. Short rods are rarely distance machines. Typically they are most effective out to about 35 feet or so. But, frankly most trout fishing is done inside that range. So this is not a big deal. And lastly people point out that short rods make it difficult to “mend” line. True enough. But you can compensate by improving your “reach”cast, and your”curve” cast.

So why plunk down your hard earned moola on a short fly rod? Well they are clearly the choice in tight quarter; yes, you can actually do a ‘bow & arrow” casts if needed. Short rods are also super accurate. Believe me they are precision machines. Particularly useful when fishing in close such as a “spinner” fall. And because of their low profile, they are very sleathy too. Trout are less likely to see them waving around. And the forward cast travels lower over the water, so it lands lighter. Short rods are also easier to store, and easier to rig up. They make landing fish easier too. And they are more fun with a fish aboard. Yeah, short rods are a hoot.

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Lunch in Matlacha

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Ed Mitchell

Andy’s Seafood

Took a lady to lunch today in Matlacha. We ate at Andy’s Seafood by the drawbridge. Quiet spot this time of year. In fact we were the only sit-down customers. Andy’s has some of the freshest fish anywhere in Florida. Why? They catch their own. Fabulous grouper sandwich! Try it sometime.

Despite the tropic heat, Matlacha remains a very cool place, with lotsa color, local Art, and loaded with eccentric vibes. Down right funky Caribbean feel. Anything goes attitude. Hippies,rednecks, musicans, anglers, and artist. Check out this main street mannequin. And check out this store front. Now there’s an interesting mix of goods.