Some fun in the sun, fishing in the canyon

I’m back in Jackson after traveling for the better part of the past few weeks. First, Jamie and I traveled to Anna Maria Island in Florida to get some sunshine and rendezvous with friends Kurt and Kelly. We all usually try and do a Bahamas trip every spring but with the Covid situation making travel outside the US difficult, we opted for Florida where Kelly’s uncle runs Sand and Sea, a small group of condo units about 200 yard from the Beach. We’ve been there once before several years back and I was anxious to return and do some warm water fly fishing. We had a great time. Anna Maria Island is on the Gulf, a little over an hour west of Tampa. The island is a nice place for a family beach vacation with restaurants, shops and other amenities without the high-rises and madness of other Florida beach towns. Of course there’s fishing too. While this area is a major destination for fly fishermen targeting the annual Tarpon migration in May and June, the area is also known for its great Snook, Redfish and Seatrout populations.

Kurt and I managed to sneak away for a few hours here and there to cast a fly and were rewarded with some pretty good fishing. While it was still a little early (and cool) for the Snook along the beaches, we had a blast catching Sea Trout, Lady fish and some other assorted things. All our fishing was done on foot, exploring some cool turtle grass flats on the Bay side of the island. I got into some Ladyfish one evening while fishing the beach and was treated to acrobatic displays while the sun set.

It was really good to see Kurt, Kelly and their son. I always look forward to our warm weather trips together!

After returning home to Jackson, I packed my trout gear and drove south to meet up with my friends from Salt Lake City at Flaming Gorge. We spent last week fishing the Green river hoping to take advantage of midge and BWO hatches. While we had a great time, the fishing was pretty tough. Despite decent spring conditions, fish were in no mood to eat and made us work for the few we caught.

Back home in Jackson, snow in the valley is slowly melting and local fishing has been pretty decent due to warmer weather. I’m looking forward to getting out and taking advantage of the midges hatching.