The 200 Plateau

[Ham]

 As best I can figure, I am at 189 species on fly. Earlier this year, I worked on the Fly Fishing Lifelist and saw where I was and I didn’t think I had a chance at 200 species this year at all. Brazil was very, very Good to me.

Well, I’ll be making a few special trips this year and trying for some oddball locals as well. I sort of think 200 is a fait accompli as long as I put the work in.

I fly out to Florida tomorrow on an unexpected trip. I hope to catch some Flyfers and I suppose there is an outside shot that I could get 11 or more Flyfers and get over the 200 mark in this trip. 
I’ll post the Flyfers as they happen.

Feel free to wager on the date I cross that 200’mark. 

 

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

200 on April 1

[nomolites]

March 10

[Ham]

Day one is in the books. 7 Flyfers today. 
I was (and am) Super Excited to get a Bigmouth Sleeper. what a Wonderful weirdo

[Ham]

Next stop was Phil Foster Park. We knew it was gonna be a zoo. We wanted an incoming tide for clear water. So does every Diver in the greater Miami area. We couldn’t find a parking spot. Drove about 1/4 mile or more away to a shopping center and used a parking app. Free for 2 hours and a little money after that.loaded up and set off. We only wanted to fish until the tide turned anyway.

It is easy for me to get salty Flyfers. My cupboard is pretty bare.

It’s crazy how many fish are there and how hard it is to get one on the hook. I got three hookups with Silver Porgy and landed NONE of them. F bombs.

First Flyfer of the day was this guy. @Johnsfolly can confirm the ID for me I hope. Sailors Choice Grunt. 
then a parade of Tomtaes followed. more swats at Silver Porgy. Nope.

got an eat from this guy. Surprisingly strong. Lane Snapper.

I caught another Slippery Dick Wrasse. Which was not a Flyfer, but Fun to see again. Very hard to get ahold of to get the fly out. Had looks from Parrot Fish etc, but ran out of time.

on the way back to the car, tried the last little spot and got a Lifer/Flyfer French Grunt. Now I am Hot, sweaty, and ready for the 2 plus hour run to the next spot. 

[Ham]

After Phil Foster park, we headed south to Homestead. We were given a spot for Pike Killifish which I have wanted for a while. @FishnDave tried this spot, but missed this pot o gold. 
Little pothole below a diversion culvert. LOADED with Pike Killifish. Also had several other species to try for IF you could avoid the Pike Killies.I caught so many. I was trying to keep it away from them. I wanted the other stuff too. I don’t ever need to catch them again. 
I also caught African Jewelfish. And juvi Mayan Cichlid We also had another spot to try for Black Acara. We found it and I managed to force feed one. so two more Flyfers in the afternoon and a couple more for the year. 

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Looks like I overshot the date.  

[Ham]

I’m like a Fat kid in a doughnut shop. So many wonderful things all around me. But unlike that fat kid, I have to make them bite. 

[Ham]

So, where was I? Oh yeah. I was fishing in Florida.

Monday rolls around. Wind isn’t awesome for Spinner Sharks,  but we ca get outside. While Scott sorted out the boat, we did a little fishing.

First spot, the tide was wrong and multiple people were cast netting for bait I suppose. I fished for a little bit and got this guy.  it’s a Blenny. Maybe @Johnsfollyknows which one. I have caught a Blenny on fly before. So, maybe not a Flyfer.

we were gonna launch at Phil Foster so you might as well fish. Soooooo many fish are there. 
and I caught a very few of them. John already helped me with the ID on this one. He thinks Princess Parrotfish. I’ll have to do some research to confirm. Lifer/Flyfer no matter what. I also got a White grunt and another Tomtate. 
Out in the big boat we go. 28 foot catamaran with twin 150 outboards. It ate big waves and was not completely miserable. My back didn’t love it, but that’s just how it goes. I didn’t get seasick so that was nice.

We warmed up on the inside. I started with a Lane Snapper which I had caught the day before. Next fish I caught was my Flyfer Common Snook. then I caught a Crevalle Jack. Then I caught a Blue Runner that had been nibbled on. Flyfer.

We grabbed like 60lbs of ice and headed out. Eating troughs slinging flys at the beach. I got a nice Ladyfish not a giant, but nice. 
We tried looking for a weed line. We looked for spinner sharks. Didn’t work out. So, we started fishing full sink lines on reefs and ship wrecks.

I got a decent Mutton snapper. Flyfer.Then I caught several Bar Jacks. Flyfer. We fished Phil Foster Park again, but I got nothing but heartache. 
Eventful Fun day. I might not be cut out for Bluewater. Those beach swells kicked my bitt and I was told we had near perfect conditions. 
I am awash in pics and species. I honestly don’t know where I am in any of it any more. 

[Ham]

So, Tuesday we were set up to do a half day trip with a guide in some canals near Boca Rotan. Good Grief the money that’s down there. We were after Four species of  snook. We were told that getting all four was difficult, but the guide expected us to get three of the four.

we didn’t.

I got the first fish. Real nice take. Easy peasy. Tarpon Snook Pleasy. And then we caught Common Snook, Mayan Cichlid, Jacks, and a lone Lookdown which I did not catch. 
We had some difficulties in the morning so the guide trip ran long and cut into our Boca inlet time. We missed most of the high tide. So many fish and so much rejected. Made me want to say that I hate fishing, but I don’t. The only bite I gut in an hour at Boca would have been a Flyfer Sea Brim. I fought him down carefully on the three weight and the tiny hook pulled when I tried to lift his chubby butt. 
We finished the fishing with a trip to a canal looking for Jaguar Guapote. I really want one. I still really want one.

I did get some consolation prizes. Red Head Cichlid. Coppernose Bluegill

and an Oscar.

another great day that we topped off with Fish tacos using the Bar Jack, smoked fish dip, smoked mackerel, and sashimi.