Everglades Fishing – Captain Ned Small

John Frazee

It’s just the slightest trickle of a spring, a drain really, but there’s something phenomenal about it, there’s always something happening at the Gate, if the Gate Keeper wil let you in on it. Today he did, here’s Craig Masterman casting around the gatekeeper,   http://www.sightfish.com/everglades-fishing/photos/index.php?album=gatekeeper,

(see comment on previous post.)

Brother, today we saw three swallow tailed kites, a few brown butterflies and one white. The weather has changed and the wind has come onshore, I felt it in my blood before I even woke up this morning, (At 3:00 A.M.)  I had Gary Gibson on the boat with his son Scott, both experienced fly rodders in the salt, and when we jumped this fish I didn’t offer any estimates as to size or anything, I didn’t say a word. Scott, who has a habit of big fish, looked at me and said, “that fish was a hundred and fifty pounds.” Three jumps and a hundred fifty yards of backing in less than one minute. We lost her but all the knots held. Boo fukkin’ Hoo. That’s tarpon fishing.

Next we’re going to see eagle rays, sharks and angelfish, and big doves.

The movement of animals is a calendar too. 

Every just once in a while, while the wind is spinning us backwards and your guide is struggling to stay on the tower against all odds, we get inturrupted by a moment like this. Stanley Knight, redfish on fly, Everglades style.

Tarpon season is upon us, I haven’t seen white butterflies yet but I have seen brown ones. We saw the first swallow tailed kite today, a few spotted eagle rays, sawfish, black drum and sheephead. Anyway, here’s a photo from last spring, just to remember how things are going to be in a few weeks.