Facing Florida’s Changing Conditions

I‘m increasingly perplexed by the lack of motivation of my fellow anglers to get out on the water when the weather isn’t all blue skies and sunshine, and gain the proper fishing education for the day. I’m at a point in my fishing career where I view all different weather patterns, tides, and conditions as angling opportunities rather than reasons to stay at home. As a backcountry fly fishing guide in Boca Grande, Florida from October through the end of July, and as an outfitter in southwest Montana during the late summer and early fall, I find myself faced with all sorts of challenging conditions.

In the July 2004 issue of Sports Illustrated, Tom McGuane wrote about his experiences fishing with me in Boca Grande and said, “I hoped this was merely the grim joke it appeared to be, but I was ambivalent about our prospects and my pessimism increased as Austin powered his Hells Bay skiff over an angry gray chop. Austin anchored the boat, and we got out… I lost count of all the snook we caught and released. It wasn’t really a story you could tell without ruining your credibility. Angling often requires eluding your fellow anglers and discovering opportunities others don’t want, and here was another lesson I’d learned from Austin: go fishing when only a fool leaves his house.”

Fishing success is measured in so many different ways: the number of fish you catch, how great your cast is, how beautiful the weather is for the day, etcetera, etcetera. As a career fisherman, I look at each day as if I know nothing and try at all costs not to make generalizations about things as complicated as fish. I’ve heard some great fisherman make statements about fish behavior as they relate to weather and tides, and I hear things like, it’s too windy for fly fishing—the tide is too high for fly fishing—you can’t see the fish on cloudy days—redfish don’t tail in the wind—tarpon won’t lay up when it’s rough—snook don’t bite when it’s cold—or fish don’t bite around the full moon.

In my early career, I was always skeptical about these assumptions, so I decided to learn what the fish will and won’t do by subjecting myself and my clients to fishing through most conditions and tides. In doing so, I have found there are always surprises, and just when you start to think the fish aren’t doing what you think they should be, you’re probably looking in the wrong places.

Optimism and humility are the best keys to success on the water, but it’s hard to convince people that fishing in inclement weather is often the most productive. Wind, rain and cold quickly change many discerning anglers’ attitudes about fishing for the day. This negativity inevitably turns anglers into couch potatoes, and all the experience and learning are lost. Pessimism and arrogance are the enemy in fly fishing. Believe in yourself, believe in your fly, believe in the fish, believe in your guide, and remember the old saying, “You don’t know unless you go.”

Humility and confidence in fishing may not seem like they can coexist, however, if you put your time in on the water, you’ll gain an insight that will bring the two together. With an optimistic approach, you’ll certainly catch more fish, have more fun, and stay in tune with Mother Nature’s control of fish movements and feeding behaviors. Otherwise, while you’re at home watching the Weather Channel, I’m out on the water hammering fish, and I’ve got the tales to prove it.

Nothing’s guaranteed on the water, but what happened yesterday probably won’t happen again today. But by being an eternal optimist, I definitely relish in the possibility that it could happen again today. And chances are the worse the weather, the better the fishing will be. Take it from me.