As viewers of the Fishing the Flats TV show already know, the state of Florida abounds in prime locations for that sport. Fishing the flats may be done anywhere from Mosquito Lagoon to Indian River, from Fort Myers to Naples, not to mention the Keys themselves at the tip end of the state.
It looks so easy when my man, Henry Wszczuk, does it, on Fishing the Flats TV. But while I might not be able to take in the more exotic sport fishing available to Henry and his ilk, in spots like Mexico or Costa Rica, I was perfectly content to fish home waters in my native Florida.
Still, I didn't hit gold in fly fishing the flats until I did a little research on the huge importance of tides. What's going on is that the fish themselves sense tide changes, and they use them to their advantage in searching out their own prey. If I'm serious about fishing the flat waters, I'd better grab me a time table!
It works like this. When the tide is out, the fish I seek are scarce. I'm there to fish the flats, not waste my time. On the other hand, when the incoming tides flood over the flats, it encourages the reds to fan out and go huntin' in newly accessible (higher) areas.
More reds, more chances for me. This is prime fishing time, when the game fish are rushing in on the flats, right on the top of an incoming tide. Fishing the flats at time like this is what it's all about. Think about it mathematically. Fishing during a full moon plus a spring tide equals 3 to 4 hours of good fishing!
Incoming tide is not the only time to fish the flats. As a matter of fact, game fish sense when the tide is about to go out. They'll hang around in the mouths of tidal rivers, confident that a blue-plate special is coming their way, just as soon as the tide turns! This is when I love fishing the flats, when the reds are everywhere.
North of Tampa Bay can be found the Steinhatchee River. Fly fishing the flats here means taking a shot at cobia, tarpon, Spanish mackeral and scallops. The rocks in this area play host to crabs and shrimp, which in turn attact the redfish.
So, to sum up, once I figured out that the best fishing is usually when the tide is coming in or out, fishing the flat waters around my home has become a blast.
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