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Florida Keys Outfitters Newsletter |
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Greetings!
September 2009 flats' fishing in the Florida Keys was summed up almost daily by guides and anglers alike with a single phrase repeated over and over, "There was a ton of water!" The culprit was this year's alignment of the sun, moon and stars for the autumnal equinox. The resulting tides were much higher than normal, even at lower stages, which made conditions on the flats tough for sighting bonefish, redfish and snook.
Congratulations to Capt. Duane Baker and Tim Mahaffey on winning the Fall Invitational Fly Bonefish Championship under tough conditions. Runners up were Mark Richens guided by Capt. Mark Cockerham. A full field of 25 angler guide teams caught 67 release fish under 8 pounds and 4 weight fish over 8 pounds during the 3 day competition.
(left to right)
Capt Duane Baker, Tournament Director Charlotte Ambrogio, Tim Mahaffey and Grace who thinks her dad Tim is the greatest!
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More Fishing
Despite the tough conditions for bonefish, redfish and snook we have had excellent reports on permit and baby tarpon. Over the last several weeks tides have returned to their normal ranges and flats fishing has improved.
Even during the high water stages anglers that chased permit had excellent results using our favorite selection of permit flies.
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Sue and I spent a few days in the Everglades with Capt Steve Huff and had some pretty good redfishing. Due to recent rains there were a gazillion gallons of fresh water flowing through the estuary which made sight fishing tough but the redfish took on a beautiful bronze color from the tannin stain from the mangroves.
During some of the high water and stormy periods we threw jigs for snook and tarpon. Sue hooked a real honker of a snook which was stolen by a monster bull shark. She also fought a really big tarpon until the hook pulled out, but a rainbow in the background added a nice touch!
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Islamorada Sail-fly Championship
First round invitations to the Islamorada Sail-fly Championship were sent in early September and the tournament is halfway to its 20 team limit. Fishing dates are Wednesday and Thursday, January 13 and 14, 2010. The tournament is an all release fly fishing event using 8 kg or 16 pound class tippet supplied by the tournament. This is a boat team tournament with no more than two anglers per boat allowed. If you are interested in joining a group of relentless and undaunted sailfish fly anglers email me at sandy@floridakeysoutfitters.com or call the shop (305) 664-5423. You won't catch many but it is beyond exciting when an Atlantic sailfish takes your fly!
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September's Photo of the Month goes to Capt Kyle Giampaoli of Marco Island for this shot of a baby tarpon in Everglades National Park. Nice shot Kyle, I guess the purple fly works well!
Don't forget to submit your photos for Octobers photo of the month! Send via email to photo.contest@floridakeysoutfitters.com by 6:00pm EST on the last day of the month. Please include full name and mailing address.
All photos must be at least 300 dpi and actual printing size. Photographs must be a minimum of 3" x 5" and a maximum of 8" x 10".
All photos entered will become property of Florida keys Outfitters and used at its discretion. The staff of Florida Keys Outfitters will review all entries and determine the monthly winner by the 5th of the month. Their decision shall be final.
The winner will receive a $100.00 gift card from Florida Keys Outfitters.
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Bonefish and Tarpon Trust's 7th Bonefish Census
The Fall Florida Keys Bonefish Population Census is set for October 22 and your help will go a long way in determining the stability of the Florida Keys bonefish population. Census counts have held fairly steady for several years with an estimate of just over 300,000 bonefish in "fishable waters" and of "fishable size" For more information and to find out how to participate click here.
Florida Keys Fly Fishing School
To learn more about saltwater fly fishing and to improve your casting and angling skills, join us the weekend of November 7 and 8 in Islamorada. There are a few places remaining and we have an excellent slate of instructors prepared to offer personalized help and instruction. Find out more about the school online or feel free to call us at (305) 664-5423 or email your questions to sandy@floridakeysoutfitters.com.
We hope to see you there!
Sage Xi3 Fly Rods
We have the new Sage Xi3 fly rods in stock and we have been thoroughly impressed with their performance. Jerry Siem, Sage's Chief Rod Designer has outdone himself once again and he will be among the instructors teaching at the November fly fishing school. Feel free to stop by Florida Keys Outfitters and cast one soon! Learn more about them or buy one online! 
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New Website
Our new website at www.floridakeysoutfitters.com has just come on line, we will be adding more items continuously. We welcome your suggestions & comments.
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