Tri-County
Fly Fishers
Home Page

May, 2008 Edition

Welcome to the Tri-County Fly Fishers website.  This Federation of Fly Fishers affiliated Club is made up of about eighty members from rank beginners to those with 50+ years of fly fishing experience.  Fishing interests range from bluegills and bass to redfish and tarpon, with an occasional rainbow trout from up north thrown in.  Membership is drawn from permanent and seasonal residents of those in and around the Florida counties of Lake, Marion and Sumter.
Website Updates:
4/4
Monthly update to the Home Page.  Calendar Page updated.  Ten photos added to the Photo Album.  One item added to the Classifieds Page.
3/30
Monthly update to the Home Page.  Calendar Page updated.  Thirty-five photos added to the Photo Album  including those from the Annual Picnic and The Villages Expo.  All web addresses on Links Page verified as good.
3/2
Monthly update to the Home Page.  Calendar Page updated.  Seven photos added to the Photo Album.  Updated Bahia Honda Trip information page.
 

May Breakfast Meeting Moved Out One Week

Due to the conflict with the Club's Bahia Honda Fishing Trip, the May Breakfast Meeting has been moved out one week to May 14th.   There will be no Fly Casting Clinic at this meeting,
 

Lakeland Fly Fishing Expo

Although the attendance wasn't as great as expected for the first-time national fly fishing event in the state of Florida, the FFF Fly Fishing Expo was an excellent learning event for those who attended.  The fly tying and fly casting demonstrations were excellent and there were a diverse spectrum of vendors. 

The TCFF made its presence known by several of its Members demonstrating fly tying and quite a few members as attendees.  (A big thanks goes out to TCFF Member Jack Neely for being chairman of the Fly Tying Group.)

The 18th Annual South Eastern Council Federation of Fly Fishers Conclave & Fly Fishing Show

If you missed the Lakeland Fly Fishing Expo, mark your calendars and gas up your cars as the 18th Annual South Eastern Council Federation of Fly Fishers Conclave & Fly Fishing Show is returning to Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia on May 29-31, 2008. Callaway Gardens is an outstanding facility, and Pine Mountain a great location to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Featured will be special guests, casting instructors and fly tiers, and dozens of seminars and workshops on various fly fishing topics.  Two highlights of the show are:
>> Demonstration Caster Steve Rejeff who has dominated the world of competitive casting for over two decades.
>> Jon Cave, an author/photographer/lecturer, a USCG licensed guide and he’s been a professional fly casting and fly tying instructor for over 25 years.

The TCFF at the Umatilla
Black Bear Festival

Five TCFF Members staffed the Fly Tying and Fly Casting booths at April's Umatilla Black Bear Festival.  This was a great event to participate in because of all the interaction with young families.  (More pictures are on the Photo Album page.)

Fly Fishing With Jack --
Largemouth Bass, Part 6

How to fish with Bass Bugs

Practice your casting to become an expert at hitting a target area. Bass hang around structure and under hyacinths and getting the fly to the right spot the first time is important to keep from getting snagged on something or scaring the bass off. Successful casting also includes establishing line control quickly at the end of the cast as slack line will result in a lack of hook set – sometimes bass will hit the fly just after it lands on the water and you want to be ready for it.

When retrieving, do not use the rod tip to move the fly. This causes immediate slack in the line and loss of fly control. Always point your rod tip at the bass bug and move the bug by variety of tugs (soft, quick, slow, etc.) on the line with the stripping hand (and not the rod hand) while the rod tip is close to the water's surface and pointed at the fly. (By the way, this is true for both top water and sinking flies.) Different style of bugs react differently to different line retrieval tugs – for most styles, a hard quick tug and the bug dives while a softer tug causes the bug to twitch.

Sometimes big bass will attack when a bass bug is let to sit for a long period (10 seconds or more) or when just slightly moved just after it hits the water. Most fishermen move a bug too quickly. No one retrieve is always best and experiment with all types of actions and retrieval speeds.

(Past articles archived in Jack's Notes.)

Lake Weir Bass

While practicing with his 10-wt outfit in preparation for the upcoming Bahia Honda Club Trip, Dave Ferris stumbled across this six pound largemouth bass.  The fly he used was the Marabou Muddler with weed guard that he demonstrated tying at a recent Evening Meeting

Doe Lake Fishing Report
By Dave Ferris

Ocala National Forest is blessed with many pristine lakes. One with outstanding natural beauty is Doe Lake. Handy to the Villages, it is nestled amongst Pine Barrens. The water is gin clear and it is deep with a sandy bottom. One can cast a spinning line from shore and have the lure settle in 8 feet of water. Maximum observed depth was 22 feet. The fish finder showed quite a few larger fish settled in at 20 feet average and quite a colony of smaller fish at the 10 foot level.

When fishing the lake, you are the sole possessor of the water and the only interruption you may encounter will be people riding the horses along the adjoining trails.

Fishing the lake resulted in one fish per hour. Small bass and bluegills were cooperative early in the morning but with the clear sky and the bright sun, things slowed to a standstill quickly.

In two days,there were many observations of large fish swirling at the surface and aggressively taking fish. These larger fish would not take any fly presented to them or any spinning lures.

Would we go back again? Probably yes because a lake this beautiful deserves another chance to improve it's fishing identity.

Crystal River Fishing Report
By Frank Matousek

The Crystal River is very accessible, two ramps. One ramp is located at the end of Fort Island Trail, the other is about halfway down Fort Island Trail on the right. Both ramps are clearly marked. The ramp half way down is the best ramp because of water depth. You can fish the river all the way to Route 19 and down to the Gulf. Great fishing is just out in the Gulf along the channel markers. Stay between the markers at low tide until you learn the water. The south side is the best for fishing, the north side has a lot more oyster mounds and also very good. Fish from buoy #14 out to buoy #2. You will drift over 4 or 5 bars. The trout and various fish, grouper, redfish, sea bass, shark, cobia, jacks, bluefish, spanish mackerel lay on and around these bars. I have also taken two tarpon in this area last June.

Incoming and outgoing tides are best. The faster the tide moves the better the fishing. We usually take an average of twenty or thirty fish in a days fishing. Although I don't kill fish, we average about 8 or 10 keeper fish. The fly of choice should be a shrimp or a gold spoon pattern although we all have our favorite patterns, mine being the gray ghost wooly bugger. The water depth averages between 3 and 8 feet. I have found a hole or two as deep as 18 feet.

I fish the area about twice a week. The water is finally warming up so the fishing should get even better. When it is calm I also run out about 5 miles south from Crystal River entrance to the flats which can be really good for sighting redfish again depending on the tide. We fished Tuesday, April 1st, and took seven trout, one spanish mackerel and a bunch of other fish - king fish or whiting and sea bass and the usual catfish or two, yes, catfish on a clouser believe it or not.

The best part of this area is the manatees, dolphin, sting rays and the bird life. Life is good!

Just Announced -- Renzetti Fly
Fishing & Rod Building Fair

For a repeat of their successful 2006 event, Renzetti, best known as the manufacturer of high quality fly tying vices, has just announced this year's Fly Fishing & Rod Building Fair to be held in their Titusville facility December 5th.  No other information is available at this time as to who is going to be featured or what seminars are planned.  Check back at www.renzetti.com periodically for updates.

There once was a man who fished with flies,
His tales of greatness mostly lies,
If he said he caught ten,
You better count it again,
and divide his total by five

"Anglers...exaggerate grossly and make gentle and inoffensive creatures
sound like wounded buffalo and
man-eating tigers."
--Roderick Haig-Brown

 
The Club welcomes any questions, comments, complaints, ideas, whatever -- just contact us at contacttcff@aol.com.
 
--------- Fishin' Buddy Program ---------
Based on a program set up by the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers to encourage its boat owners to go fly fishing with those who do not have access to boats, the TCFF is modifying its Fishin’ Buddy Program to be less restrictive as to when and where members fish.

The Captains signing up will be acknowledged at the Breakfast and Evening meetings and on the TCFF Website. It will be up to the Club Member (the Mate) wanting to fish to contact the captain, compare fishing styles, etc., and, by mutual agreement, whether or not to fish.
(As always, it is appropriate to share expenses.)

Captain Gary Christie
Days available for fishing: Monday and Friday
352-347-5735
15' bass boat
Areas Fished:  Local Lakes
Captain Charlie Jacobs Days available for fishing: Monday thru Friday
352-365-0557 17' Targa w/75 HP
Areas Fished:  Holly Chain, St. Johns River (Astor), Lake Louisa, John's Lake
Captain Bill Kirchner Days available for fishing: Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday
352-751-1895 16.5 ft Fisher
Areas Fished:  Harris Chain of Lakes
Captain Ed Russell Days available for fishing: All week
352-751-2384 Pontoon Boat
Areas Fished:  Ocklawaha River and Lake Griffin
Captain Bob Strunc Days available for fishing: Tuesday and Friday
352-787-6449 Grumman 17' bass boat w/50 HP
Areas Fished:  Lake Harris
For information or to sign-up as Captain, contact Ed Russell at 751-2384.
 
--------- Fresh Water Fishing Trip ---------
The Holly Chain
May 15th
Boats
Information and/or to sign up, contact Bill Kirchner, 751-1895
 
--------- Saltwater Fishing Trip ---------
Fort Desoto/Tampa Bay

 Week of May 26th
Wading and Portage Craft

Actual date and time to be selected the week before depending on weather and tides.
Information and/or to sign up, contact Mike Winter, 307-4895.
 
Near Term Calendar (For long term calendar with full details, Click Here.)
  • May 6-9, 2008 (Tuesday - Saturday) -- Bahia Honda Club Fishing Trip.
  • May 14 (Wednesday) New Date -- Monthly Breakfast Meeting. Taste Tempter Pancake Inn, Leesburg.  (There will be no Fly Casting Clinic after this particular meeting.)  Visitors welcome.
  • May 15 (Thursday) -- Club Fresh Water Fishing Trip. Holly Chain of Lakes. 
  • May 21 (Wednesday) -- 3rd Wednesday Evening Meeting.  Topic to be determined.  Visitors welcomed.
  • Week of May 26 -- Club Saltwater Fishing Trip. Ft. Desoto/Tampa Bay.
  • May 29-31 (Thursday-Saturday) -- Federation of Fly Fishers South Eastern Council Conclave. -- Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA
  • June 4 (Wednesday) -- Monthly Breakfast Meeting. Taste Tempter Pancake Inn, Leesburg.
  • June 12 (Thursday) -- Club Fresh Water Fishing Trip. Location to be determined.
  • June 18 (Wednesday) -- 3rd Wednesday Evening Meeting. 7:00pm at the Oxford Community Center. Topic to be determined.
  • Week of June 23 -- Club Saltwater Fishing Trip. Location to be determined. For information, contact Mike Winter at 307-4895.
Club Photo Album
Topics For The Fly Tyer, Pattern Recipes, And Fly Tying Classes
Fly Fishing Trip Info And Trip Reports
Salt Water And Freshwater Fly Fishing Techniques And Hints
Links to Fly Fishing Information, Organizations, Magazines, Vendors, Etc. and Club Lending Library Inventory
Classified Ads -- Fishing And Boating Related Items, For Sale And Wanted

Comments or Questions about the Website or the TCFF, please email the Webmaster