Central FL Largemouth

[Steve S.]

Hi Larry

I'm a new fly guy this season. I fish mainly smallmouth, but my first trip out of the box this season will be to central FL to visit with my brother and fish a lot of the central FL lakes like Toho, Kissimmee, Harris Chain, etc.. I have been fishing these lakes for awhile, and my brother knows the ins and outs, but this will be my first time giving fly-fishing a go. Just bought your DVD as recommended by a friend. Just wondering if you had a few tips for a guy that's used to chucking spinnerbaits, topwaters and big plastics.

I will be casting a 7 wt Orvis TLS Power Matrix, 10'.

Thanks!

[dahlberg]

I'd just tell you to transpose what you know to using the flyrod.
Topwater is great down there, lots of big pad fields and floating mats.
You can also use head weighted fur strip flys to flop into the pockets, but it's not half as fun as using a diver or popper.
You want 3 divers; natural deer hair head with gold flashabou tail, all white/pearl, and frog.
good luck. try the lakes you hike into around Ocala if you have time.
best,
L

[Steve S.]

Topwater for smallies is one of the main reasons I was interested in pursuing fly-fishing and after studying all winter I can hardly wait to get out! The other reason I became interested may be kind of hokey, but a local fly-fisherman (Bob Long, Jr.) has a really cool photo blog of various subjects, some of which are fly-fishing related. I especially appreciated the art form of his fly-tying and photography and became intrigued at learning the art of fly-fishing for myself.

As for technique, I was most puzzled by how to fish deeper than on top. We'll jump on the St. John's once during the week and we typically are fishing a lot of pad beds with big plastics or spinnerbaits, but inside and deeper. Besides the depth issue, its a tangled mess deep in the pads. Maybe the casting rod will be better suited for this situation.

Thanks Larry. I'll post my results when I return. If you have any tips on tying the diver, let me know. My brother is a transplanted steelhead guy with fly-tying experience. We're going to give tying some divers a shot.