Florida Keys Outfitters
Florida Keys Outfitters Newsletter
Greetings!  

Summer seems to have flown by for us at Florida Keys Outfitters. We have had some very good redfishing and there have been plenty of permit up and down the Keys. Some big tarpon are foraging the shallow flats near Flamingo and make excellent targets with their backs out of the water. Tough and technical fishing and not for the faint hearted! Spanish mackerel are also making an early appearance in the Gulf. On the reefs, the yellowtail bite has been fantastic. These are super fish on fly, light tackle or a bun!

Speaking of the summer flying by, The Islamorada Sailfly Championship will be here before you know it. We expect to fill the 20 team limit by the end of this week with virtually all of last January's participants returning.

Sue and I took a week to attend the Fly Tackle Dealer Trade Show in Denver. The hottest item we saw was Ted Juracsik's new Tibor Signature Series reel. It's going to be a smash for everything you catch on 7 through 10 weight rods. More about it follows. After the show Sue & I did a few days of trout fishing around Colorado. We fished the Eagle River near Vail as well as the Colorado near Glenwood Springs. Caught a lot of pretty fish but it's good to get back to where there is some oxygen in the air!

We are anticipating arrival of the new G. Loomis NRX fly rods any day now. They cast very well & I look forward to fishing with some.  We'll provide additional details as soon as we have them in stock.

Sandy's Angling Tip of the Month
 
Tying secure knots that won't slip is one of the most overlooked aspects for saltwater fly anglers.  The finest leader material available doesn't help if your leader breaks in a weak knot.  If you tie secure knots you'll confidently catch more fish maximizing the tensile strength of your class tippet!  With must know knots like the bimini twist, blood knot, nail knot and a Duncan Loop (Uni Knot) you are good to go in any situation.
Tibor Signature Series Reels
(Available December!)

"Saltwater anglers know how critically important it is to have the utmost confidence in your gear.  Tibor reels have always delivered performance and confidence"- Florida Keys Outfitters.


Signed by Master reel designer and fly fisherman Ted "Tibor" Juracsik, the elegant and efficient design of the Tibor Signature Series consists of very few parts. It features a completely ventilated spool and frame that keeps the reel cool during long smoking runs and provides a robust incoming and outgoing clicker sound. Our unique mechanical clutch system allows easy change from left to right hand retrieve and features Tibor's Quick-Change™ spool system which involves only a single moving part. The frame is also designed to accommodate one of our popular gamefish engravings or a custom image.

The Tibor Signature Series break-through sealed drag system is waterproof, self-maintaining and features the smoothest and strongest drag in the industry. The drag system constantly applies seal pressure while in free spool so the reel will never overrun while stripping line and is also equipped with Tibor's legendary silky smooth micro grain cork which is constantly lubricated.

Proudly made in the USA and with Tibor's warranty for life, Tibor Reels' new Signature Series delivers the same tough standards that have earned Tibor over 700 world records-more than any other fly reel.


Additional Features
 
  • Each reel is serialized for identification and protection.
  • Features a personalized name plate engraved free.
  • Limited lifetime warranty.
  • Standard colors are Jet Black and Satin Gold. Custom colors are also available. 
  • Comes with an extra thick neoprene case for convenient storage and transportation.
 
Two sizes will be available
  • Tibor Signature 7-9 holds 200 yds. of #30 Micron with 7, 8 or 9 weight line. MSRP $775.00 add gamefish engraving $830.00
  • Tibor Signature 8-10 holds 200 yds. of #30 Micron with 8 or 9 weight line or 175 yds. with a 10 weight line. MSRP $795.00 add gamefish engraving $850.00
Special Limited Time Offer, Save $55:  Buy a Tibor Signature Series reel prior to November 30, for December delivery and receive 1 free gamefish engraving at no additional charge.  The offer applies to black & gold reels.  Call us at (305) 664-5423 or email us today and order your reel now.

Tournament Updates



IFACT Red/Ghost Stalk - July 25-26: The Islamorada Fishing and Conservation Trust (IFACT) and the Islamorada Fishing Club presented the ninth annual "Red/Ghost Stalk," an all-release world class backcountry fishing tournament on Monday - July 26 for Junior Anglers (ages 9-17) and Young Adults (ages 18-30).  Targeted species were redfish and bonefish over 20 inches in length.  The primary objective of the tournament is to uphold the future of responsible recreational angling with focus on the highest degree of marine wildlife care and etiquette while fishing. Read the full tournament wrap-up.

Young Adult Grand Champion Luis Cortes from Miami (right) and Guide Jared Raskob of Tavernier (left)

Tres Pescado Slam - August 12-14: Ambergris Caye, Belize.  Team Anglers Abroad, Haywood Curry and guide Ken Coc from Caye Caulker take 1st place in the 2nd annual Tres Pescados Slam Tournament held Thursday August 12th through Saturday August 14th.  Along with winning the event's 1st place trophy, Ken Coc won the "Top Guide" trophy and Haywood Curry will be going to Islamorada, Florida in July 2011 to compete in the IGFA Inshore World Championships representing Belize.

Winning angler Haywood Curry (left) and guide Ken Coc (right).

Islamorada Fall Fly Bonefish Tournament - September 15-17: Islamorada Florida.
  • Grand Champion and Guide to Grand Champion - Paul Nute and Bou Bosso
  • Runner-up to Grand Champion and Runner-up Guide - Frank Juliano and Mark Gilman
  • Charles F Helmly Biggest Bonefish Award to Frank Juliano and Mark Gilman; 12.13 pounds
Upcoming FKO/IGFA 2011 Inshore World Championship Qualifying Events:
  • Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry - September 25-26, Islamorada FL, Charlotte Ambrogio
  • Oldest City Red-Trout Classic, Presented by PSS World Medical, Sep 30-Oct 2, St. Augustine FL,  Angela Costa
  • BayBone Tournament, October 1-3, Islamorada FL, Gary Ellis
  • RedSnook Catch and Release, October 1-3, Naples Florida, Meghan Clancy
  • Bonefishing World Championship, October 11-13, Islamorada FL, Charlotte Ambrogio
  • IWFA Islamorada Light Tackle Tournament, October 18-20, Islamorada FL,  Joan Kelley
  • Low Country Red-Trout Celebrity Classic, October 22-24, Charleston SC, Tracy Borczyk
  • PFC Grand Slam Celebrity Tournament, Oct 22, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010, Tampa FL, Ali Miller
View a complete listing of the 2011 qualifying events for the Florida Keys Outfitters/IGFA Inshore World Championships.

Inshore World Championships
ESPN Outdoors 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For more tournament information see www.inshoreworldchampionships.com. 
 
Florida Keys Fly Fishing School
 
The Florida Keys Fly Fishing School's next session is the weekend of November 12th, 2010. Learn saltwater fly fishing from expert instructors and acquire the skills, knowledge and confidence that would take months or years of trial and error accumulate. For more information call (305) 664-5423 or email.

Additional Protection for Permit
As one of Florida's "rock-star game fish," permit need more protection, state fishery managers decided Thursday.   "A lot of people spend a lot of money to come to Florida and the Keys to fish for tarpon, bonefish and permit," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  Read the full FWC statement.

Lionfish Derby
The first large-scale effort to evict lionfish from Florida Keys waters produced a banner haul of the invasive species Saturday in Key Largo.  More than 100 divers, competing on 27 teams in the inaugural Lionfish Derby, delivered 534 lionfish to contest officials at Coconuts Restaurant.  The next derby is scheduled for October 16th in Marathon.

BP Well Declared Dead
Almost five months after an explosion killed 11 workers and sank a drilling rig that led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, the blown-out Deepwater Horizon, BP/Transocean well was officially declared dead Sunday. A pressure test confirmed that cement pumped into the bottom of the well, situated some 18,000 feet below the surface of the northern Gulf of Mexico and 480 miles to the northwest of Key West is holding.

Monthly Photo Contest
 
Congratulations to Florida Keys guide Jon Milchman for submitting Augusts' Photo of the Month. This shot is of John Treace from Germantown, TN holding his first permit on the fly. Jon will receive a $100.00 gift certificate from Florida Keys Outfitters. Great fish! Great Photo! Happy Time!

Give us your best shot for October's photo of the month! Entries must be received via email, no later than 6:00pm EST the last day of the month.  Please include full name and mailing address.   Photos must be at least 300 dpi with minimum dimension of 3" x 5" (900 x 1500) and a maximum dimension of 8" x 10" (2400 x 3000) and submitted in JPG format.  
 
The staff of Florida Keys Outfitters will review all entries and determine the monthly winner. Consideration will be given to originality, composition and image quality. Their decision shall be final.  Photos submitted will become the property of Florida Keys Outfitters and used at its discretion.  Winners receive a $100.00 gift card from Florida Keys Outfitters.
 
I hope you too can spend some time through the summer pursuing our many fishing opportunities. Please call the shop or visit our online store for your angling needs and hope to see you on the water soon.
 
Tight Loops,