The Winds of the Fall

This is the beginning of the windy season here in So. Florida. The beginning of October is the
start, and the ending is a lifetime away in late April/May. To those of us who opt for the flats boat
that is a dream to pole in eight to ten inches of water, this is the bumpy season. The season of the
rough runs across Biscayne Bay in the afternoons with the winds whipping up and a two to three
foot chop between you and your trailer.

The only good part of the whole scenario is the winds cool off the flats and the bonefish begin
to school. As the water temperatures fall out of the eighties the bonefish get more and more
comfortable. The ideal temperature range for bones is between 76 & 78 degrees. As the winds
turn the water and the fall rains help cool off the flats the chances of a South Florida Grand Slam
increases two fold.

The permit of the summer are still around in good numbers and the bonefish start to feed much
more aggressively. The Tarpon are "the dirty end of the slam" as most of the guides say during this
time of year. Knowing where to find some juvenile tarpon is the key to obtaining a grand slam for
your anglers. I keep watch on a few deep cuts next to mangroves all summer .... just to have the
chance to clean up on a chance to slam in the fall. The young tarpon hold in areas that provide
cover and a good source of food as well as the snook in the summer in Biscayne Bay, and that
means under the cover of mangroves. You will find the spots if you look real close, look under the
edges of the mangroves that are bordered by flats that get only one to two inches deep during the
lower stages of the tides. Here is the sanctuary that will keep them safe from fisher people and the
other threats from hawks and eagles from above. Also it is here the bait fish will have to retreat
from the outgoing tides.

This years is showing the presence of many more permit that we have seen in a number of
years. I have sat on the fingers of Cutter Bank and in one day, shown twenty permit to an angler
who has only seen twenty in their fishing career here in So. Florida. Ten chances to make a good
cast is a great percentage when you are dealing with the permit. Most of the time you have a
second and a half to make the perfect cast or the fish sees your motion .... or the push of the boat
alerts him ... or just his uncanny senses tell him to evacuate the area. This is where having a hull
designed for poling where they swim is a must. A quiet and shallow drafting hull is my most
important tool on the flats.

Check out the article from Capt. Mike Haines in this issue about your choices of boats ... I
got a chance to read it before we went to print and he makes a bunch of good points, especially
the one "if you don't use your boat at least once a month ... it is cheaper to hire a professional
guide to fish with ...... and a lot more productive ......." This I agree with totally, especially with the
cost of the new hull designs. There are a few inexpensive hulls out there ... but remember ... you
get what you pay for.

As for what I have been using to catch the top three ... the best is always live bait. A couple of
dozen shrimp and a few crabs will make for a great chance if you can interrupt the paths of our
prized bonefish and permit. Throwing a crab at a snook or a tarpon that is hiding in the shadows of
some mangrove roots will produce a lighting strike also, but if you don't have the stick to keep him
out he will have you tying new knots in a hurry. Always remember to use the fluorocarbon leader
materials when fishing clear waters due to their ability to be invisible. I use Seaguar, and have been
for many years, and have seen a major increase in hook up rates since. In my opinion, Seaguar
seems to be the best fluorocarbon that I have used.

On the fly we have been having good luck with the Borski's style flies. His fur shrimp and the
various combinations that you can tie from this pattern has been very productive. There is a new
pattern variation called a "Qua" that has been working very well for the permit. It is a crab
variation with a spawning sac of orange at the bend of the hook. Always tie them in weed less ..
and use fluorocarbon as material for this. You can go to my web site for the tying instructions of a
brown crab and in the next month I will add the "Qua" variation.
Well, tight lines and quick releases .....
Capt. Dave Sutton