Brian was keen on fishing and a little rough around the gills

I met him when I rented a three-bedroom apartment in southern Sarasota.
He was a 6-year-old whirlwind who had no fear of anything. Brian loved to get his bicycle up to speed and do a flip into the swimming pool.
Management didn't like Brian, but he was a cute son of a gun.
He grew up in a rough home. His parents were nice enough, but I never saw them without a beer and cigarette in their hands. Brian pretty much did what he wanted when he wanted.
One thing he loved to do was fish. And I've always said that a kid who fishes is a good kid. You learn all sorts of life values as an angler.
I was sitting on the couch one afternoon watching television when I heard the doorbell ring. When I opened the door, there was Brian with a fish in hand.
"Steve, what is this?" he asked.
I quickly took the fish from him. It was a pirahna and its mouth was full of large, sharp teeth. The fish obviously had been released in the pond behind our clubhouse. Brian was lucky he didn't try to remove the hook from the fish's mouth.
Brian was about average size for a 6-year-old. Most of the time he was barefooted. He usually wore long pants and a T-shirt. He always looked as if he hadn't had a bath in weeks.
I watched him fish a couple of times at the pond. He was pretty good and caught his share of bass, bluegill and tilapia. Everytime he'd see me, Brian would ask if I'd been fishing?
One day, my wife, Kathy, said, "Why don't you take Brian fishing?"
Good idea.
I walked over to his apartment and knocked on the door. A thin, obviously tired woman opened the door. As the door opened, it was if all the smoke from a year's worth of cigarettes had finally found a way out.
"Are you Brian's mom?" I asked.
She nodded.
I introduced myself and told her I'd like to take Brian fishing. I figured she'd think I was some weirdo and would slam the door.
She simply smiled and said it was OK.
"When?"
"Saturday morning. Just send him over to my apartment at 8."
Three days later, Brian showed up at my place. He was dressed in neatly pressed long pants, a starched dress shirt, white socks and tennis shoes. His hair was slicked and combed.
He was excited.
As we headed east on Clark Road, Brian asked, "Where are we going?"
"Myakka," I said. Myakka River State Park is a popular fishing spot located nine miles east of Interstate 75 off State Road 72.
"My mom's taking my brothers fishing today," Brian said.
"Where?" I said.
"Her akka."
I smiled.
My plan was to let him fish in the boat basin directly in front of the souvernir shop. The basin usually had plenty of bluegill, warmouth perch, stumpknocker, speckled perch and bass. I had about four dozen live worms for bait. I also had a couple of sub sandwiches, drinks and chips for lunch.
You've probably heard a lot of things about children and fishing. Most are simply myths. The most common is that children have short attention spans, so you need to keep things simple and short. Not with Brian.
He would have fished for 10 hours that day if I had allowed. He was all concentration, and he caught a load of fish.
I told him it was time for lunch. Begrudgingly, he put down his rod and we walked to the car. I grabbed the sandwices and couple of drinks and we sat down at a picnic table.
That's when a rather corpulent woman walked by. She was about 5-foot-5 and 350 pounds.
"God damn she's fat," Brian blurted.
"Brian," I said, "that's not nice."
"I know," he said, bowing his head, "but Jesus she's fat."
I don't think the woman heard him, but I'm not sure.
Brian probably caught and released 100 fish that day. He caught mostly bluegill, stumpknocker and warmouth perch. I think he might have taken a bass or two.
On the way home, I asked if he had fun?
"Yeah," he said. "Do you have any more akkas you can take me to?"
About a year later, I stopped by his home and asked his mom and dad if I could take him fishing. That was when I had my Fishing Paradise show on SNN in Sarasota. They agreed.
The next morning I picked him up and we met Capt. Jack Hartman at the boat ramps at Ken Thompson Park on City Island.
My photographer, Ray Kugler, was already there.
It was Brian, my stepdaughter, Morgan, Capt. Jack and the photographer.
We were going to do a segment on kids fishing. We headed out into Sarasota Bay and to the Middlegrounds, a large area of grass patches just off the southern tip of Longboat Key. The youngsters caught spotted seatrout, bluefish, ladyfish and jack crevalle with no difficulty.
Early in the afternoon, a nice cobia began swimming around Brian's bait. The fish quickly departed.
"Want me to pull the anchor and try to find that fish?" Hartman asked.
"Nah," I said. "It will be back."
Just as I predicted, the cobia returned about 15 minutes later. Hartman grabbed the rod and gave the popping cork a couple of jerks. The noise attracted the cobia. The fish saw the live shrimp and inhaled it.
Hartman then handed the rod to Brian.
The battle was on.
It was a big fish and I'm not sure who was battle who?
After about 20 minutes, Brian got a good look at the big, brown fish as he battled it near the boat.
"It's a God-damn shark," he yelled, oblivious to the TV camera.
That expletive was deleted.
We called it a day after Brian's cobia was subdued. We decided to keep that fish, which weighed about 30 pounds. We planned to have portions of it for dinner that evening.
I dropped Brian off on the way home and asked his parents if he could come over for dinner?
They had no reservations about it.
A couple of hours later, I picked him up. I had the fish marinating in the refrigerator. When I got home, I fired up the grill.
Doesn't take long to grill fish. It's simply five minutes per side per inch. Turn once.
We sat down and had a great dinner. The cobia was superb. We also had baked potatoes and salad.
Brian acted as if he hadn't eaten in a month. He inhaled three pieces of cobia.
On the way home, I asked him if he'd had a good day.
"Yeah," he said. "Steve, I wish you were my dad."
I haven't seen Brian since that day. I lost track of him and often wonder about him. I'd guess he's about 14 now.
I hope he's still fishing.

Fly fishing is a challenge that keeps on giving

Why fly fish?
Why not?
I posed that question to the late Ad Gilbert and he said, "I've already caught a thousand redfish on spinning tackle. Do I want to catch another thousand on spinning tackle?"

Good point.

Boil that down and it means Gilbert wanted a challenge.

Nothing more.

Fly fishing traces its roots back to 200 AD when Claudius Aelianus wrote about people fishing a river with flies made of red wool and feathers. Today, the sport is practiced all over the world for a variety of fresh- and saltwater fish.

Like many, I began fly fishing for bluegill and other panfish when I was in my early teens. My first attempts took place with a spinning rod. I tied a No. 10 popping bug on the end of my line and whipped it out in "fly-rod fashion." And I caught fish!

I really got into fly fishing when I moved to Florida. At first, I was strictly a freshwater angler. I had a 6-weight fly rod and a 9-weight. Both rods were custom made by Loren Wilson of Okeechobee. They were fiberglass, somewhat slow and rather whippy. But they performed well. Wilson, a master rod builder, fly tyers and guide, charged me $65 each for the rods.

I didn't fly fish in salt water in those days because I really didn't know much about it. Although I regularly fished the salt, I had no idea what to do. Plus, there were no fly shops in the area and no saltwater fly fishing equipment.

My first endeavor into the brine took place in that late 1980s. My early mentor was Capt. Pete Greenan, now a Master Certified Casting Instructor. I remember catching oversized redfish in Whidden Creek while fly fishing with him. Since that time, I've caught tarpon, snook, spotted seatrout, dolphin, cobia, Spanish mackerel, little tunny, bonefish, houndfish, tripletail, mangrove snapper, jack crevalle, flounder, ladyfish, black drum and other species. Most saltwater species will take a well-placed fly.

I now own many fly rods. My saltwater arsenal includes (all TFO) a 12-weight, 9-weight, two 8-weights and two 6-weights. For fresh water, I have a 1-weight, 2-weight, 3-weight, 4-weight and 6-weight. I am sponosored by TFO, so I get the rods at a good price.

My most memborable saltwater catch?

That's easy. It was a 14-pound bonefish taken at Shell key near Islamorada in the Florida Keys. The fish was taken at high tide on a blustery October day. My guide said after releasing the fish, "You might as well quit because you'll never catch a bigger bonefish."

I've caught many more bonefish, but never one approaching that size!

I also have a 165-pound tarpon on 12-weight fly rod and a 39-inch, 20-pound snook on 6-weight.

My most memborable freshwater catch?

It would have to be a 35-pound common carp that I caught on a Befus Carp Fly in Grand Traverse Bay last June. It was the largest of 24 carp I caught while sight-fishing over two days.

I've had some other noteworthy catches in fresh water, including a 30-pound coho salmon from the Pere Marquette River in Michigan, and a 6-pound largemouth bass from the Everglades.

I've also won or placed in a number of fly fishing tournaments. I won the Sarasota Sportfish Anglers Tarpon Tournament Fly Rod Divsion in 1993 and was runner-up in 1996. I've won the snook, redfish and spotted seatrout divisions of the Sarasota Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association's Photo Release Tournament and the CCA/Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers' Fall Fly Fishing Challenge.

I remember the first time I picked up a fly rod. I was in the ninth grade and I was talking to a friend, Scott Ecker, about fly fishing. He said his dad had a couple of fly rods and we could use them. After schook, we walked to his house and cast the fly rods.

I could cast fairly well the first time.

I'm pretty much self-taught. I taught myself how to cast. I taught myself how to double-haul. Most of what I learned came from Lefty Kreh's book, Fly Fishing in Salt Water. If you don't have this book and you're serious about learning to fly fish, you should purchase a copy.

Many anglers make fly casting much more difficult than it really is. They want it to be difficult for some reason.

However, nothing could be easier. It's simply a matter of timing, rhythm and proper power application. Simply put, if you can walk and chew gum, you can cast a fly rod.

Realize that it does take effort. You've got to have a keen desire to succeed and be willing to put in the time and effort it takes.

I am not a purist by any means, but I do fly fish a majority of the time. I haven't done anything other than fly fish in fresh water in years. And I estimate that I fly fish in salt water about 80 percent of the time. Reason is that I am a full-time kayak fishing guide and some of my clients use spinning rods.
Fly fishing is a neat way to pursue fish. It's a lot of fun and a never-ending endeavor. It my be somewhat of a cliche, but you learn something new almost any time you get out on the water or when you're in the company of other fly fishers.

My goal for 2010: Become a Certified Casting Instructor

I've decided to try to become a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor. I made it a goal this year.

I'll be working with several skilled instructors, including Master Certified Casting Instructors John Hand, Dusty Sprague and Pete Greenan.

I've been fly casting for nearly 40 years, but I don't think getting certified is guaranteed or even easy. I think it will take lots of work, practice and concentration. I've probably got 40 years' worth of bad habits accumulated.

I spent last weekend at the grand opening of Flint Creek Outfitters in Riverview. I was a featured fly tyer and talked about kayak fishing and beach snook fishing. While there, I got to talk with Hand and Sprague. They didn't know it, but I was prepping for the exam by picking their brains!

Tomorrow, I'm going to work with Sprague, learning the various required casts required on the CCI performance exam. Those seeking certification are required to show loop control, cast tailing loops on command, display wide loops and perform roll casts, reach casts left, reach casts right, side arm casts, pile casts, roll casts, off side roll casts, wide loop roll casts, narrow loop roll casts, accuracy casts, offside accuracy casts, target roll casts, double hauling and distance casts.

Whew!

Then, the MCI will ask questions to make sure you really understand the casts and of what they're comprised.

There's also a written exam. You must score 85 or better to pass.

I've taught many people how to cast, but I think certification is very important because it will make me a better teacher. I not only will be able to identify faults, but also how to correct them in the proper manner.

I've set a target date of October to achieve this goal. I will conduct seminars at the Florida Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers annual Conclave in Celebration. That's where I will be tested.

Meanwhile, I will be studying and practicing.

Boca Grande Fly Fishing School

If you've thought about taking up fly fishing, now is the time.
My good friend, Capt. Pete Greenan (right), will conduct his Boca Grande Fly Fishing School 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 27 at Phillippi Shores Park, 1863 Phillippi Shores Dr., in Sarasota.
Greenan, a master certified casting instructor, said the school is designed for beginning and intermediate casters. He will cover basic casting, shooting line, presentation, knots, leaders and specialty casts. All students will receive a copy of Greenan's An Introduction to Fly Fishing.
Cost is $95.
Call Greenan at 232-2960 for information or to make reservations.

Sitting outside on a bucket in the dead of winter......

.....and just loving every minute of it! Ice fishing is just about my favorite activity in the whole world. First off, my body was just made just right for spending long days outside in the freezing arctic air. With my natural insulation and some really expensive arctic gear, I can spend mucho hours outside in temps well below zero degrees and not get cold a bit!

Sometimes we catch lots of fish, sometimes not so much; regardless, I still love being out in the middle of freezing knowwhere even if the fish arent bitin'. This has been my best ice fishing season to date and even though I still have 14" of ice on my lake, I fear that this just may have been my last ice fishing trip of the season. Busy schedule coming up, and I didnt book any fishing trips for this late in the season due to the fact that we normally dont have ice this late. This weekend I will be setting up an indoor trout fishing pond at the Elmwood All Outdoors show (come on out to the high school Sat and Sun) and then the weather is calling for rainy warmer temps over the next 10 days.

If indeed this is my farewell to ice fishing post, here are some highlights from this ice fishing season:

From Drop Box

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

From Nate's Fishing Blog

Oh yeah, I got rolling cutting and pasting there for awhile and forgot all about todays fishing trip. My dad, Father in law, and I sneaked out to the lake about 4 pm and fished till dark.

Lee caught a nice bluegill, his biggest ever:


I found a nice little perch spot:




Dad hooked up with a nice rainbow:


Fish weren't jumping out of the hole, but we did get some real nice ones! If this was the end, it was a good trip to end the year on. Now I have to do real work for the next month or so until we start electrofishing about April.

The Severn continued write up......

Well all the usual, i was up buzzing on Saturday night tying pink until after midnight...I was looking forward to another session on the Severn with Woody, Roger Bryant and Englands 'mad for it' John Tyzack...
I had had a cracker the week before with the lads and was looking forward to them ladies again.
Its  funny how fishing get you, on the eve of going on a session with the lads i am thinking about it all night, wondering what the day will bring, i thought it was only me who is like that until i spoke to Rodger who said he had been tying all week and could not sleep the night before... Wesser works on site with me and we talk all day about fly fishing with other trades looking at us as though we are insane, last week we were in the back garden of a huge mansion practising our casting seeing who could hit the brick!! The lady of the house brings us tea and coffee out and just laughs at us...Wess will often ring me and say he needs to stop tying late at night as he is dreaming of pink shrimps and duns all night!! I think we all know that that feeling...A good tip is to finish off your nights tying with a few minuites of Red Tube and  this sorts me out..
Anyway i picked Woody up around half six and we made our way to a road side cafe to meet RB and JT..
JT looked very tired and had been guiding for 2 days with some drinking thrown in but he was right up for it as usual..

Ariving at the river we noticed there was a slight colour and it was on its way up but that would not put us all off so we tackled up and got fishing...
I looked over to Woody and we both could tell it was going to be a different story...
We walked for a good 20 mins to find some new spots, hopefully out of the usual park up and fish spots....
We hammered a section with JT fishing hard and it was obvious it was going to tough, we were fishing the usual runs on the edge of rifles and deeps holes but i just fancied the a long shallow gravel run which was flowing at a good pace..I used a slightly different method to get the line out as to fish this big run quicker and 'fish' all the run, czech nymphing is great but its alot slower to cover a huge pool..
I was getting towards the top of a pool and got that sinking feeling of jack shit but i kept going and it paid off big time..
Mid point of the drift my indicator was trunddeling away as my point fly bounced bottom and then it just zipped across stream as the fish sipped the fly in and shot back to its hold...A sharp hit downstream and i felt the fish move downstream, now that is a great feeling as most Grayling lads will know, when the bottom moves!! the next thing that goes through my head is keeping a good hook hold, that was sorted and then this fish went beserk and was proper giving me some stick and at times just holding bottom with me on full side strain....i did think it was a small fish at first until it saw me, the lads were giving me loads as i would them but i was not going to cave in and started to get the better of the fish... JT bollocking me for making a bit of a hash at times but thats what i want, i soon got my head on and slipped it into the net with a big sigh...JT came over and said ' that a proper one pal'  Woody and Roger were buzzin but did not mess around and were soon working towards my hold!! We weighed it at 2lb 4oz and 46cm long... a new pb!!
I just timed it right to get back to my swim before Woody n Rogers lines were over, this i dont mind because its become abit of a joke with Woody and myself, we jump in eachother swims if one of us catches and its agood piss take when you pinch a few out.....
This time i got lucky, as there lines were around my head i managed to get a cast back in and took its partner at 1lb 12oz...swweeettt....
Both fish were caught on a Trugg size 4 Leather back bomb on the top dropper!!! with a beach ball as my indicator.......
From then on the fishing was shite with only 5 fish caught all day between all of us and most were fingerlings, fair play to all the lads, we fished to the death and to watch JT after three harcore days casting between fallen trees in places that have never seen fly was sweet and thats why he is the bollox, he is always on it....
The Dee had seen him take a 2lb 12oz fish the day before and its the clunk pictured so he was still buzzin....the manc ****!!!
We were approached by the baliff of the river who asked for our tickets, when reading JT's he said in his welsh acent 'well boyo we have someone famous on the river!' when he read mine and Woody's he said 'Well boyo we have a pair of prick's on the river' lol

Even though the fishing was hard, i got lucky and did a pb, but just being out with this great set of lads is sweet..The crack we have is top draw, on my last post you will see a picture of wesser in some shades at our fishing shop, we were trying them on and taking the piss out of each other, well we were walking up the river and i noticed Roger had put some the same ones on, i could not beleive he would buy these and he did look a right **** so he did have some real stick for that!! But i hear they are the new fashion on the street from Roger so i will be defo buying a pair...
Top day out fishing, Living the Dream, and yes the fish were caught on a JT pink sparkle shrimp on the top dropper....
Nice one
Glen

The Severn produces another PB in the hardest conditions yet!! 2lb 4 oz (46cm)

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