Fort Myers Beach Florida

January 18, 2016 By Blake Matherly

Bamboo Fly Rods, Sanibel Island Fishing

When fishermen get fishing opportunities, they usually take them. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, doesn’t matter, they usually take the back seat to a fisherman’s wants or dreams.

Such is the case on Sunday, December 20, 2015, on Sanibel at Norm Zieglars Fly Shop.

That day presented itself with an opportunity to cast a bit of history. Ernie “Woody” Wood, son-in-law of the late John Voelker a.k.a. Robert Travers (author of “Trout Magic,” “Trout Madness” and “Anatomy of a Fisherman”, Anatomy of A Murder”), broke out some of his vast collection of bamboo fly rods for us to cast. Many of the rods belonged to Voelker himself, all crafted from legendary rod makers.

A small but dedicated group of casting geeks got together to cast the rods and learn of their history from Woody. We even got some casting lessons from Joe Mahler, the person responsible for making this afternoon possible.

Thanks Joe and a special thanks to Woody for sharing some interesting history!

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!

Capt Blake
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December 19, 2015 By Blake Matherly

Sanibel and Fort Myers Fishing Report

What a year it’s been for Snook, Tarpon, Redfish and other species in the Southwest Florida region. I have been blessed with one of the best years I can remember. Lots of days on the water, lots of wonderful clients and mostly cooperative fish. Lately, our fishing has been off the charts. Warmer fall water temps, have kept the fish active and abundant.

We’ve been catching Tarpon as lately as a few days ago. Snook numbers are high. Just two days ago we had as many as 30 snook caught on one charter with at least 10 over 30″. Nice Redfish and we’re seeing more and larger Trout making their way into the back country.

Get ready for things to change though as the colder fronts are coming in and the water temps are going to move the fish into different areas. This will prompt different ways of fishing and using different bait.

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!
Capt Blake
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December 6, 2015 By Blake Matherly

Fly Fishing the Islands of Sanibel and Captiva

Fly Fishing has been some of the best of the year. Multiple hookups of Snook, Redfish, Trout and Tarpon. Yes, I said Tarpon.

Unbelievable huh? The weather has been great so the water temperature has been unseasonably warm. That makes the Tarpon happy so that makes my clients happy. I was even able to take the bow and cast a little lately and yes I was lucky in getting a pretty nice fish that liked jumping so good times had by all.

We’ve also had multiple hookups with Tripletail, Bonita, Mackerel, Jacks and a few Kings. Not sure how long this will stay as our northern friends are sending us some Northern fronts to calm down our bragging.

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!
Capt Blake
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February 18, 2014 By Blake Matherly

Fishing Guide Report in Sanibel and Fort Myers Florida

Charter fishing in the Sanibel and Fort Myers Florida area has picked up even with some days of low temperature. Knowing where and when to go is the key to success. Watching the water temp and the tides is equally important to figure out what species you want to target. Redfish and Spotted Sea Trout are our target fish during this time of year.

Some days during the winter the days even seem to be summer like in the temperature and in the way the fishing is. Those days are appreciated in the comfort and the amount and kind of fish reeled to the boat.

Sometimes the fishing is so good you may even need a little help from a friend. During one trip out with a great friend we had a little mishap in casting. As soon as the bait hit the water (on the other side of the tree) a Grouper hit the bait and the tug of war between the fish/tree/and boat was on. Seeing men in distress, a bold and brave maiden came to our rescue to rescue the line from the tree so the landing of the fish was possible. Our thanks to the maiden on the paddle board for helping the helpless men in distress and for making our day!

It was another great day on the water, many fish, great friends and a merry maiden (maybe Mermaiden)!

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!

Capt Blake <*(((><

November 24, 2013 By Blake Matherly

Sanibel and Fort Myers Fishing Guide Report

Fishing the waters surrounding Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva can produce fantastic results. Snook, Redfish, Speckled Sea Trout are just a few species that are living in these waters. You can target one, but are likely to catch 6, 8, 10 or more different species fishing the same type of bait, using the same techniques and even the same area.

My great friends from Omaha, came for a visit and enjoyed the bountiful waters. Carl and Marilyn Mammel enjoyed a couple of charter days out with Captain Blake on the Blue Egret and had a great fresh fish dinner that night. Carl caught a nice Tripletail but Marilyn’s got away. Notice this one did escape a threat early on in his life but Carl wasn’t about to let that happen again. Tripletail are a worthy opponent as they jump and pull drag trying to escape the dinner table.

Moving to the backcountry produces a number of different species such as the beautiful Redfish. Marilyn did get her revenge by outsmarting a number of Snook and this nice Redfish. This one was lucky as the Mammel’s do mostly practice “catch and release”.

We had a great couple of days on the water. The weather was beautiful but the company was special! See you guys soon.

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!

Capt Blake <*(((><