Permit in Charlotte Harbor?

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Ed Mitchell

Permit in Charlotte Harbor? Well, they are found outside in the Gulf. But I have fished in the harbor for several years and never seen a one. Okay, their close cousin the Florida pompano is certainly there. I’ve caught them. And you could easily mistake one for a permit. But if asked, I would have told you permit are not in Charlotte Harbor.

Permit in Charlotte Harbor?

Permit in Charlotte Harbor?

 

Pompano on a 6-Weight Fly rod

Florida Pompano

Last winter at a meeting of the Pine Island Fly Fishers, I learned otherwise. A fisheries person informed us that small juvenile permit do in fact exist in Charlotte Harbor. Man, I was surprised. And then more recently, low and behold, my friend Dave caught one on a fly! Yes it was, as announced, a small juvenile permit. But hey, its permit just the same.

Separating a small permit from a Florida Pompano requires a close eye. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the permit is the fact that the dorsal and anal fins are in a direct line. A pompano’s dorsal fin starts ever so slightly forward of the anal fin. The permit also has a  longer forked tail and a steeper forehead. As you can see in the photo above the pompano’s forehead slopes back gradually.

Pompano / Permit Comparison Chart

Pompano / Permit Comparison Chart

This chart shows more differences. Besides what I mentioned above, note that the permit has longer dorsal and anal fins. Obviously permit grow much larger too, often reaching 40 pounds. Florida pompano never attain that size. In Charlotte Harbor they are commonly in the 1-2 pound range, although 5 pounders are around at times. And Florida pompano are known to reach upwards of 8 pounds. But that’s tops.

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Fly-Fishing on Block Island

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Ed Mitchell

Two weeks ago, Captain Pete Farrell called. He was summering on Block Island and  invited me to come over and catch a striper or two. Man, I jumped at the chance. Hey, I hadn’t done any fly-fishing on Block Island in over 20 years. (This post is an excerpt from a  magazine piece that appeared in American Angler in July of 2016  Find it here }

Fly-Fishing on Block Island

Fly-Fishing on Block Island

Shortly after I hopped the Block Island Ferry out of Point Judith. Shaped like a pork chop, the island lies hard to the North Atlantic some 10 plus miles off the Rhode Island coast. Dutch explorer Adrian Block is credited with discovering the Block in 1614, and then sixteen hardy souls settled there in 1661. And the island has been busy ever since.

As islands go, the Block isn’t especially large, measuring about 6 miles long and 4 miles wide, but it is a place of enormous rugged beauty. In fact the Nature Conservancy calls it “One of the 12 last great places in the Western Hemisphere.”

Huge striped bass prowl these waters, especially in deep haunts well off the beach.

Block Island

Block Island

And Pete knows how to find them, believe me. Still fly-fishing from the beach can be very good. Steer clear of the island’s south side, however. Extremely steep, rough, and often loaded with heavy surf, these shores are as tough as fly-fishing gets anywhere. Instead, I suggest the north side of the island. It’s far more protected, especially in the warmer months, and a whole lot easier to fly-fish. I’d also recommend the inlet to New Harbor. While not exactly a beach, the inlet is a productive piece of water for fly-rodders. Check it out.

Now I’m a beach freak too, but I was far more interested in sight-fishing Block Island’s Great Salt Pond. And that is what we did.

As you can see in the top photo, our sight-fishing adventure was successful. Yes, big bass

Block Island’s Great Salt Pond

from a big boat, in big water is never bad, but sight-fishing in the shallows is always far more fun. My friend you just can’t beat seeing and casting to cruising fish in gin clear water.

Pete had use of a 16′ flats boat in  the “Pond”. So we were all set. The striper in the above image latched on to a small white half-half, and then took me right to the backing. Very cool. I hope to return to the Block again this summer.

Block Island

Posted in Fly Fishing in Salt Water, On the Road | Leave a comment

Father and Son Anglers

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Ed Mitchell

How does that old saying go? The acorn never falls far from the tree. Plenty of truth in those words. And I guess that’s no surprise. Like father like son right? Things get passed along from generation to generation. It happens all the time. So if dad likes to fish, his son might like fishing too. Yes, father and son anglers. There is no fighting DNA.

Father and Son Anglers Photo Credit Phil Farnsworth

Father and Son Anglers
Photo Credit Phil Farnsworth

Last week my buddy Phil flew in from California. Phil has a mountain of photo experience, more than anyone else I know. So I asked him to swing by and take a shot of me and the son. I love how it came out.

Now I’m mainly a fly guy. My son is mainly spin /plug. But hey angling is angling no matter how you cut it. And get this, the fishing bug hit both of us around the same time of life. Is that magic or what? OK, he is younger, taller, smarter and better looking than his old man. But we’re still very much the same. We both love being on the water. We both love everything about the fishing. The chase, the tackle, the tactics, the Kahuna that got away. Yeah we’re both cut from the same cloth. Father and son anglers. My friends it doesn’t get any cooler that that.

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Using a Fly-Fishing Lanyard

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Ed Mitchell

Using a Fly-Fishing Lanyard:  We all love our fly-fishing vests. When Lee Wulff created the first one, it was little more than a shirt with a couple of cargo pockets sewn on. Nowadays fly-fishing vest are far more elaborate. Hell they might have a dozen pockets or more. Man, that makes vests very handy and capable of carrying a ton of tackle. But that’s a problem too. Vests can hold so much stuff, we end up tempted to lug around every fly and gadget we own – way more gear than we actually need. In fact a fly-fishing vest can balloon into something so big you need a Sherpa to help you around!

Recently, after a long day on the stream, my vest was killing me. It felt like I was carting aton of brick. So the following day I weighed it. Lordy, lordy, it was a shade over 8 pounds! And its only a “shortie” vest.  Now 8 pounds might not sound like a lot, but over the course of day it takes a toll, believe me. Especially if the load doesn’t land exactly right. It needs to be out on your shoulders, not around your neck.

Several years ago I purchased a fly-fishing lanyard. Frankly at the time, lanyards were new to the marketplace, and I wasn’t sure how valuable they might be. But they looked worthy of a try.

Using a Fly-Fishing Lanyard

Well,  it turns out I like lanyards. They are light, and quite comfortable. I opt to use mine during the warmest months, when typically I fish with a reduced selection of flies – a few dries (including terrestrials), a few nymphs, and a few wets or soft hackles. A lanyard is perfect for the dog days of summer.

Using a fly-fishing lanyard forces you to be a minimalist. After all you’re paring down to the bare essentials. Less has to be more. So plan ahead accordingly. As you can see in the photo, I have one small fly box (You can carry another one in your wader pouch, if you like, along with your nippers.), floatant, forceps,  a couple of strike indicators, leader straightener, and the necessary tippet spools. (A small LED light can be put on the brim of your hat.) That’s it! Total weight you ask? Ounces not pounds. And its cool even on the hottest July day.

When using a fly-fishing lanyard, its important to balance the gear on the right and left sides, such that the lanyard hangs with the metal clip straight down. What clip am I referring too? At the base of a lanyard is a

Using a Fly-Fishing Lanyard

small metal clip you connect to the top of your waders (Or your shorts if you’re wading wet). This clip may not look like a big deal, but it is. If you fail to use it, when you bend forward to land and release a fish, the lanyard swings out in your face. A real nuisance that can be easily avoided. By all means use the clip.

Overall I highly recommend you give lanyards a try. You’ll enjoy them. If you’re the  handy type, you might even make your own, not a big deal. Be sure to add a little padding in the neck area. Use a strong enough chord, so it doesn’t let go a midstream. And if possible find stainless steel snap rings and a stainless clip.

PS: My Orvis fly box has a convenient loop built in, but one can be added to any plastic box with a little ingenuity. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

Posted in Fly Fishing in Freshwater, Gear | 2 Comments

The “Sulphur” Hatch on the Farmington River: Part Four

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Ed Mitchell

Part Four:  In the following days I waded as many pools and runs as I could. It was a vivid reminder of how much terrific trout water exists on this river. Naturally my main goal throughout stayed the same – to fish and learn about the “sulphur” hatch on the Farmington River.

Farmington River

Farmington River

For the duration of my trip, this year’s “sulphur” hatch continued to prove difficult to nail down. I saw duns appear as early as 11:30am, and as late as 7:45pm. And on more than one occasion, the hatch came off twice in the same day – once in the afternoon and once in the evening. Typically the afternoon hatches were the weaker of the two, being shorter in duration and containing fewer duns. That said, the afternoon events hosted less anglers which allowed you a better shot at the fish. And in the evening, there was an increasing number of smaller duns down to size 18#.

When the hatch wasn’t underway,  I resorted to nymphs, trying indicator-style and tight line Euro-style. Both methods caught fish. Primary I stuck with bead-head caddis pupa.  My indicator was a product new to me, called an Air-Lock. Unlike other indicators, these employ a threaded slot to grasp the leader. It worked well, although the threaded assembly is small and a bit hard to handle, particularly midstream. Once it is in place,however, it can be quickly moved up or down and doesn’t kink the leader. Good news.

During off periods, caddis pupa such as Rich Strolis' Rock Candy worked

During slow periods, caddis pupa such as Rich Strolis’ Rock Candy worked

Air Lock Indicator

Air Lock Indicator

Overall, I enjoyed fishing the”sulphur’ hatch on the Farmington River, but found it challenging. Now, perhaps I just hit the hatch in an “off”year. Such things can happen. Regardless, I feel confident in making the following recommendations.  If you come for the hatch, be sure to have “emergers” in your fly box. If you get caught without them, hang a size 16 pheasant tail nymph about a foot off the bend of a dry. Could save the day. And you’ll need “sulphur”dries in three sizes 14,16, and 18# – along with a selection of  “sulphur” spinners. Also in your dry fly box should be size 16# tan caddis, Isonychias in 10# and 12#. And don’t forget to bring “Usuals”; this homely looking dry can works wonders.

Blue Sky Foods

Blue Sky Foods

In closing, let me mention two fun places in New Hartford. If you’re feeling hungry, Blue Sky Foods on route 44# is a gem, serving up good food with a funky Caribbean flare. Off Greenwoods road, by the Ovation guitar factory, is a new spot called the Parrott-Delaney tavern. Excellent food and a fine selection of craft beers. I really liked the spot. Enjoy!

 

Posted in Flies and Fly Tying, Fly Fishing in Freshwater | 2 Comments