Ed Mitchell Outdoors

The Red Tide Lingers

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Ed Mitchell

The Red Tide Lingers: Down here we just had 10 days of below normal temperatures coupled with serious high winds. Several mornings were in the 30’s and one dipped to freezing. Now that may not sound like much to you folks in the rest of the country, but believe that’s cold for the subtropics. And yes, there was the red tide deal too.

Well, thankfully air and water temperatures have returned to normal. The wind has abated and good morning tides have arrived. So I figured “tailing” reds might be out there waiting for me. That got me on the water in the dark this morning, paddling out into a thick fog.

The Red Tide Lingers

Water and wind levels were excellent for “tailers”, and the presence of fog assured a high dawn, allowing reds more time to safely work the shallows. I was psyched. Yet as soon as I poled the flat, I knew there was trouble. I didn’t see or spook a single fish of any kind. Not one! And there were no wading birds working the water either. The place was dead, real dead.

Within twenty minutes I felt a scratchy sensation in my throat. The message came through loud and clear. The damn red tide lingers!

Posted in Environment, Fly Fishing in Salt Water | 2 Comments

The Great Horned Owls are Horny

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

The Great Horned Owls are Horny: For a week now, right at dusk, out my backdoor here in Punta Gorda , owls have been calling. Their voices are strong, carrying long distances across the growing darkness. These were not barred owls. Their voice I know well. Yet until last evening, I had failed to learn what kind of owl it was.

Yesterday, on the edge of night I took a walk. The voices were much closer this time. Four or five owls called back and forth to each other endlessly. It was amazing to hear their chorus. Stopping, I listened trying to track one down. It took me ten minutes in the failing light to zero in, but eventually I spied the owl in a treetop.

The Great Horned Owls are Horny

It was a Great Horned Owl. No question, you could see its horns clearly against the sky. With only my cell phone at hand, unfortunately the resulting picture (above) isn’t great. Still if you look at the top of the tree, immediately right of center, you’ll see the horns too. Truth is they are not horns or even ears, just tufts of feathers, but they are a distinctive feature of this powerful predator. After a time it tired of my presence and left into the darkness on a five foot wingspan.

With so many Great Horned Owls conversing every night, it must be breeding season. Yes, in my neighborhood, the Great Horned Owls are horny.

Posted in Wild Things | 2 Comments

A Red Tide for Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

A Red Tide for Christmas: A couple days back, I got out early once again to take advantage of a decent morning tide. Right off it became apparent, however, all wasn’t well on the flats. The water was murky for one thing. That was odd. But more concerning was the floating and submerge corpses. Dead mullet dotted my route – one here and one there. Oh shit, red tide!

Roughly a year ago, red tide paid us a visit here in Charlotte Harbor. Last time the body count was much higher. Still no one wants red tide at their doorstep regardless of how light the concentration.

For weeks now, red tide has been residing along Sanibel Island’s beaches. Lotsa dead fish washing up on shore to rot in the sun. Bad news for the tourists. Hell, bad news for residents too. Now its seems the strong tides of last week, coupled with a shift in the wind, have pushed the red tide northward into Charlotte Harbor. Yikes red tide for Christmas.

Florida Fish and Wildlife monitors red tide and offers a map of its location and intensity. Caused by the the microscopic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, red tide is typically little more than a nuisance to beach goers, causing irritated eyes, scratchy throats, and sinus problems. Red tide’s effect on fish, however, is deadly serious. It can kill them in large numbers, especially mullet, affect birds, and even kill manatees. Yes, it also can accumulate in shellfish, where it develops a toxin (brevetoxin) that is possibly fatal to humans. By the way cooking doesn’t remove these toxins from either fish or shellfish.

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Tip when using Korkers with the Interchangeable Sole System

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

Tip when using Korkers with the Interchangeable Sole System: For over a year I’ve been using Korker wading boots with the interchangeable sole system. Its a great idea. And I appreciate the thought that went into designing these boots. Great innovation. I have a tip for you, however, especially if you wade through heavy mud.

A week ago, I climbed out of my Adios and trekked down a long flat. I was in an area that has some soft bottom, and my weight caused me to sink in a bit. Nothing unusual really. When I got back to the kayak, however, I discovered that my left boot was minus it’s sole. (Vibram rubber) Apparently the suction of the mud had pulled it free without my noticing it. And then it fell totally off. I was terribly surprised, believe me.

Korker Sole Retainer

As luck would have it, I had an extra sole back at the house. A couple mornings later, that sole pulled loose too, although I caught it in time. In both cases it was my left boot, so the problem likely lies with that shoe rather than the sole. But I’ve decided to tie the sole off just in case. And if you wade in mucky places, you might consider this trick too.

Please note that I’m using a very thin string. Why? Years back I read “Fishless Days and Angling Nights” by Sparse Grey Hackle. Great read that. In the book, Sparse Grey Hackle relayed a memorable and scary story about wading along an alder thick stream bank. At one point his wading boot, which had a studded sandal attached, snagged a submerged root. It was too deep for him reach down and free the boot. And the root proved too strong for him to break off. He was trapped, unable to move. I’ll let you read the book and find out how he got free. But this is why I strongly recommend a thin string, one you could easily break off if need be.

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On the Flats Presentation is King

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

On the Flats Presentation is King: Yesterday morning, it was proven to me once again – on the flats presentation is king, fly pattern is queen. No matter how big the “killer” reputation of your fly; no matter how much faith you have in it; no matter how well it was tied; unless you present it properly it is likely to fail. To be effective on the flats, the fly must land softly, and be right on the money. And even then the fly has to move in a way that sparks the fish to eat.

Dawn on the Flats

Following a bright warm day, Gulf water temperatures rose slightly. So when my friend Dave suggested a dawn raid for “tailing” reds I jumped at the chance. We had an early morning -.30 ebbing tide, and dead calm winds. Perfect conditions. In the photo above you see the sandbar coming up in the foreground. Between the bar and the shore are extensive flats with turtle grass. With luck, that’s where our “tailers” would be.

Dave waded north and I went south. The action lasted roughly 40 minutes. But in that brief window of time, we both caught a red. My first shot at a “tailer” didn’t go well. Unknown to me, there was a red lying hidden beneath the surface between me and my target. As the fly line fell to the water the unseen red spooked, causing my “tailer” to zoom off too. Damn. Minutes later, however, I got another opportunity. Three “tailing” reds were clustered together, about 150 feet away. Wading carefully into range, I delivered a cast, but as the fly was about to land, the trio moved slightly to my right. They never saw the fly. My next attempt was more of the same frustration – the fish moved right again. On third cast I decided to drop the fly just ahead of the them. Bingo, they slid over and found the fly right off. Wham. That presentation worked!

Dave caught this red outside the bar

Later that day, Dave caught a red outside the bar on rising water. See it above. Nicely spotted red, it sported the blue rimmed tail so common in the colder months. (earlier post on this subject) This coloration is, best I know, caused by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in the food chain. Also note the light, chrome like, sides on this red. It indicates it has been recently living over sand bottoms, rather than in the darker water of the backcountry.