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Orlando’s White River
Fly Shop News
April 2015
Welcome to the Orlando White River Fly Shop. We hope you’re able to find
everything you need, be it rods, reels, line, flies, a shoulder to cry on as you
relate a story of a fish missed, or just someone to listen as you brag about the big one that didn’t get away.
Anyway, here’s what’s going on.
New Products and Special Deals
Orvis Frequent Flyer
Let's face it. It's not always convenient to take
your fly rod along with you. That is, unless it's
an Orvis® 7-piece Frequent Flyer® model.
This updated rod is so travel friendly, you'll
want to keep it close at hand, wherever you go.
The Frequent Flyer features Orvis' bestselling
Clearwater® rod technology and cosmetics, for
the look and feel of a true classic See? There
ARE rewards for logging more miles than
usual.
• Travel-friendly, 7-piece design
• Highly versatile
• Strong and responsive
The Frequent Flyer line is returning to the shop later on this year and I know there are a lot of folks out there that
have been waiting patiently for seven piece rods to return to the inventory. Keep your eyes and ears open for the
new arrivals.
Clinics and Classes
Our classes are provided as regularly as possible. The best thing to do is call in to determine whether or not
the session is going to take place. Manpower requirements, special events, or weather may require cancelling
a session and we apologize in advance if this causes any inconvenience. Please call the night before a casting
clinic or the morning before tying class to find out if things are going according to plan. The phone number is
(407)563-5200.
Fly Casting: We offer free casting clinics Saturday mornings at 10 AM and Sunday morning at 11 AM, for
anyone who might need some help with their form or get the most distance and accuracy whether they’ve
been doing it a while or just getting started. Equipment is provided if necessary, but if you have a rod, it’s
best to learn and practice with what you will be using on the water. Our class size is limited to 8 people and
will require prior signup. Just call in to put your name on the list.
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⃰ We’re also going to offer one-on-one instruction throughout the week on a limited basis when time and
manpower allows. Just stop in and let us go through our work schedules to determine availability. This is
your chance to get personal instruction and work on specific issues or skills.
Fly Tying: The next freshwater tying cycle starts on May 6th, 2015. We’re tying five freshwater flies in
consecutive weeks and finish the course with a session on rigging, casting strategy, and the like. Classes are
held at 7:00 pm on Wednesday evenings in the fly shop.
We’ll have a sign in sheet available on the first class of each six week course for folks that plan to complete
the sessions and receive a certificate. Newcomers are welcome to join the classes at any time but they won’t
be eligible for the certificate since they have not completed all six weeks of a specific course. Sorry guys. We
will continue to alternate fresh and saltwater throughout the rest of the year so there will be other chances to
get in on a complete six-week course.
Fishing Forecasts
Central Florida Saltwater
Seatrout are still on a lot of people’s minds right now because the spawn is in full swing and the giants are up
shallow. But those are some spooky fish as anyone who’s tried to catch a trophy can tell you, almost possessing
a sixth sense about where the pressure and the danger is coming from. Reaching out there at a distance is
somewhat required for success, or getting out there before the sun comes up and blind casting an area where
you’ve blown out fish in the past. Maybe drift an area then come back through and stalk and shoot the spots that
are likely to hold a hiding fish. Stick with sparsely tied baitfish patterns that give the impression of food rather
than trying to exactly imitate something in particular. Color isn’t terribly important so don’t be afraid to try
something different…Even Pink.
Cobia will still be working northward and your chances are good provided the seas remain calm and the sight
fishing conditions are good. Spotting free swimmers and those shadowing manta rays and turtles requires a
fairly calm day, high/clear sun and we’ll have to pick our days carefully. Throw a pretty big fly on a stout hook
where the fish can spot it and then hold on for the ride. Have a variety of flies on hand so that you can vary the
depth of your presentation since the fish may be close to the surface or a bit further down under the ray or turtle.
EP baitfish and Half-n-half flies are a couple good choices along with other large and colorful streamers.
Tripletail will be moving through and they can be a sight fishing or spot casting game. Most folks target the
buoys then feel lucky if they spot a fish by itself. Debris should be investigated with just about any fly
resembling a baitfish, shrimp, or crab. Just be ready to put the brakes on the fish before it has a chance to dig in
and wrap you around a buoy chain or crab-pot rope.
Other migratory players that will be showing up during this month are the Spanish mackerel, giant jacks, and
spinner sharks. All of them will be moving northward, providing some of the best sport we’ll experience until
the mullet run this fall. We don’t have the opportunity to chase this many fish in one place very often, and if you
throw in the odd early tarpon and some beachside snook, there’s almost too many things to look for.
Speaking of tarpon, the residential fish are plentiful and catchable in many of the east coast’s backwater creeks
and sloughs where they reside throughout the year but are more cooperative once the water starts warming
during the spring. Throw relatively small flies to the babies and larger divers and such for the larger resident
fish. They’ll soon be joined by their larger kin that will be following the bait schools northward later this spring.
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Central Florida Freshwater
Just like the saltwater front, there are a lot of things to look into this month, some in this state, some in others.
Firstly, bream fishing should heat up as the spring progresses and the spawning mood takes over. Look for
bluegill in the lakes and ponds to bed up and become reasonably territorial, but until that time, throw topwater
flies with patience and don’t over-work the fly. Sometimes you just have to wait until the fish decide to strike
rather than trying to make something happen.
The St. Johns river will be good for catfish, bass, and hybrid stripers all along its length but the fishing methods
employed are totally different. Catfish on fly are a possibility but the bait fishermen will mop up on them if you
don’t have a targeted location in mind. The bass and hybrids will be hunting and crushing small baitfish and
diving birds are your first clue as to their location. Terns, gulls, and pelicans will be hitting the bait from above
while the others will hit from below. Throw Clousers and other baitfish patterns to enjoy some fast moving fun.
Our northern states will be opening the trout season this month to folks fishing public/stocked water. Delayed
harvest or fly only water will have less pressure and the number of fish will pale in comparison to the stretches
with hatchery raised fish, however, the quality will be astounding for those willing to work for it. Georgia,
North Carolina, Tennessee, and many others have taken great strides to provide top-notch fisheries and we live
too close to miss out on the opportunities. Just save room in your cars for a hitchhiker wearing a Bass Pro shirt
and carrying half a dozen rods.
Further north, steelhead season will be in full swing. Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania streams will be running
with fish if the conditions permit and for anyone that hasn’t tried going for “Chromers” you owe it to yourselves.
Swinging streamers is the way to go during the spring run since the fish are spawning and will be ultraaggressive towards anything that invades the nesting area. Take seven or eight weights with a variety of tippets
and line choices, and of course don’t forget your egg sucking leaches, zonkers, emerald shiner, and clouser
minnows. Switch rod throwers can enjoy some great success on the bigger water so you might want to venture
into that realm of fly fishing.
South Florida exotics will be a highlight for our region
from this point forward in the year. Peacocks will be
bedding off and on all spring and into the summer, but
there will be plenty of cruising fish to keep you busy
when you find the right spot. Just about any baitfish or
streamer pattern will work as long as you vary the
weighting according to the water depth. Get in front of
them and they should strike. Oscars will be even easier
as long as the water levels in the canals (Tamiami in
particular) don’t rise too far. Most of the fish retreat to
the deeper cover when they’re able to negotiate the tree
roots. It make the fishing tougher when the levels rise
too far. Small sinking spiders crush the fish since they
sink slowly and stay in the fish’s face a very long time.
Give them a try and you’ll catch loads of fish. The fish in
the accompanying photo is a green severum. Another of the invasive species that Scott and I have encountered
along the canals and ponds of south Florida.
pg. 3
Tippet of the Month
Fly fishing in Florida provides so many challenges, and tackle choices by themselves will drive you absolutely
bananas if you don’t know where to look or what questions to ask. Selecting a rod, reel, and ultimately a line
involves a lot of research and investigative shopping in order to arrive at the most suitable outfit for your
application.
One of the most common questions we get is, “What line to I need for redfish and bass?” Well, we just crossed
fresh and salt, multiple species, varying habitats, and climate changes so there are a few things to think about.
How many folks are going to be terribly concerned with line tapers, lengths, and grain weights when faced with
15 different options just within a single line class? What about the difference between freshwater and saltwater
lines? How important is it?
It took some time and a bit of digging to come up with a consensus based upon the specification sheets provided
by the manufacturers and it’s explaining the difference between fresh and saltwater lines is a lot simpler than we
though. Here’s the uncomplicated answer:
Lines are manufactured and packaged according to the water type.
• Freshwater
• Saltwater
But they should be more properly identified by the water temperature they’re going to encounter during use.
• Cold: Just above freezing – 55°. Typically classified as trout and salmon lines.
• Temperate: Approximately 55° – 75°. Classified as general purpose saltwater or bass/pike.
• Tropical: Approximately 75° – 100°. Bonefish, Tarpon, Giant Trevally lines
And what makes a line more proper for one water temperature or another? The core and coating of the line
dictate the temperature range it should be used in. A general rule, regardless of brand:
• A cold water lines are fairly supple and have less memory because of braided nylon, dacron, or even low
stretch hybrid cores and softer coatings. They become a little stiffer while in the cold water, then travel
cleanly through the guides without slapping into each one as the line shoots.
• A tropical line on the other hand may have a stiff monofilament core and harder coatings that make it
very rigid initially, but then it softens slightly so that it travels down the guides just like the freshwater
line.
• A temperate water line or a general purpose saltwater line is somewhere in between the two, being
supple enough to have limited memory yet stiff enough to travel straight down the rod’s length.
Getting things wrong will be pretty obvious once you hit the water and casting drastically suffers. The
headaches will increase to the point where you may want to chuck it all and take up a less stressful hobby like
breeding roses…..Taking a tropical line into truly cold water (or even just practicing on the lawn on a very cold
day) will result in a stiff mess that remains in tight coils regardless of how much you stretch it. Every coil
smashes into the guides robbing you of distance and accuracy. Using a cold water line in tropical water will
result in a limp and drooping line that seems sloppy and sticky, causing similar casting issues to the other line.
So what do we want to use here in Florida for year round fishing in both fresh and saltwater? I’d suggest a
saltwater line intended for use in temperate regions because its “happy” temperature range is what we experience
here throughout most of the year. It’s either that or have a variety of lines available and change them as needed
based on the water temperatures.
pg. 4
Species of the Month
Text and graphic from: http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/sharks-rays/ray-species/giant-manta/
GIANT MANTA
Manta birostris
Identification
Dark brown to black above, white below. Pectoral fins ("wings") long and pointed. Two large cephalic fins
(rostra) protruding from front of head. Mouth wide, terminal. Tail whip-like, but shorter than the length of body
and with no spine.
Habitat
Pelagic, mainly in near-shore waters, near coral and rocky reefs; sometimes found over deep water near water's
surface. Sometimes penetrates shallow muddy bays and intertidal areas, and occurs off river mouths.
Feeding
Mainly plankton feeders, but may feed on small and moderate-sized fishes as well.
Reproduction
Aplacental viviparity; up to two pups per litter.
Size/Age
World's largest ray. Wingspan of up to 29.5 feet with an average around 22 feet. Individuals may weigh as
much as 4,000 pounds. Maximum reported age of 20 years.
Human Factors
Protected in Florida state waters. Often viewed swimming slowly near surface. Easily approached. May be seen
leaping out of the water, possibly as part of mating behavior or to dislodge ectoparasites. Of little danger to
humans.
pg. 5
Success Stories
Please bring in some pictures of your successful days on the water. We’d love to share them with other
fishermen with similar interests and desires, but quite possibly no means to hit the water. We enjoy sharing in
the dream.
Larry’s showing how to catch redfish on the fly. Good one Larry.
Here’s a beautiful peacock landed in south Florida on a recent outing. I
can’t wait to go back!
Conclusion
In closing, we would like to thank you for your business and we hope to see you again soon. From all of us here
at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Orlando, keep your dry flies dry, your wet flies wet, and may the wind always
be in your favor.
Sincerely,
Brian “Beastman” Eastman
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