Tampa Bay redfish

The blog has been pretty quiet for some time because a) readers can only take so many smallmouth stories, and b) some people have to work for a living and  can't fly fish every day. Last week found me within spitting distance of Tampa Bay, and a block of time with no appointments, talks, workshops, meetings, socials, fundraisers, or other jiggery-pokery. Mostly because of a mis-communication with the ticket booking that got me there a day early, and on a Sunday. Nothing left to do but fish.

This was exciting because I had lived in Tampa a while back, and had taken up saltwater fly fishing during the last year I lived there. It was fun, but I sucked at it. Could not double haul, did not know the right flies or techniques, and never had much time anyway. So I had never caught a redfish. I did a google search and found my old friend Leigh, and he graciously set up a trip for us to wade some flats. After a breakfast of begnettes and other cajun stuff we headed out. I won't talk about the spot or the techniques we used (it was a popular place mentioned in guidebooks and we threw clousers). Although I learned a great deal, that was not what struck me.

First, Tampa Bay sits smack in the middle of one of the most urbanized areas of Florida, and what lies just inside most of the shoreline with high density development and lots of concrete. Back in the day I recall many areas with sparse seagrass and a lot of mud. That is no longer the case. We fished on seagrass flats that were lush and green over sandy bottom that did not pull off my "one size too large but that was all they had" flats boots. Mangroves grew in profusion along the shoreline, and there were thousands of birds ranging from a loggerhead shrike to roseate spoonbills. A manatee swam by. Minnows by the millions swarmed at low tide and predators crashed them right in front of us. Tampa is doing something right, and they should be commended for their efforts. Environmental regulations and environmental restoration work. A lot of it is due to the efforts of Tampa Baywatch. Send them money, or if you live there volunteer for some of their many hands-on projects. And also Florida anglers, who increasingly practice catch and release.

The other thing is that Tampa Bay has one of the coolest fisheries ever because you never really know what is going to eat your fly. My friend Leigh outfished me with reds, seatrout, hardhead catfish, ladyfish, and a snook. I was king of the flounder, but also ladyfish and my first redfish ever on a fly. It was probably best described as a little rat red, but I thought it was glorious and darn near the prettiest fish ever caught in the ocean. We also saw some bluefish crashing bait, and many other species are possible (although some are seasonal). And unlike the keys where flats fishing gets tough during the winter and you need a boat, Tampa Bay has year round wade fishing with many easy public access points. I even started thinking that the traffic wasn't so bad after all, and the real estate was rather attractively priced. If they had deer hunting close by I would retire there tomorrow. And may think about it anyway because I know of few other places where you can target that many species depending on your mood that day.

Tampa Bay is better than ever, and if you are ever within striking distance you would be a fool not to try it.