After ten days in Baja with Beulah Fly Rods, it all came down to the last thirty minutes! We fished the beach hard and made our way up and down the east and west cape of Baja, but it didn't all come together until our very last day in the south. Unseasonably cold water delayed the typical rooster migration north, and I'm hearing that right now it's starting to really kick off. This isn't the biggest rooster ever, but it did feel good to finally connect at the absolute last opportunity. See you next year, Baja!

It's been awhile since I've been able to post here. Between Flood Tide Co and Spotting Tails, I've been extremely busy.

Chartering has not been the easiest job here in Charleston recently. With tons of wind, buckets of rain, and lots of pressure from storms the fish have been elusive. On a charter a few days ago, we finally had a break in the weather and got out there for some nice sunny conditions. Well, we caught 'em but they weren't redfish! We ended up catching only flounder the whole trip! Goes to show that fishing is a mixed bag. You can believe your a good fisherman and you still don't know what you'll get.

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I had the pleasure of doing some scouting the past two days with my friend Omar. We wanted to check a few new spots we marked on Google Maps. After having a few unsuccessful scouting missions a few weeks ago, Poseidon finally blessed us. We showed up to the new spot at the perfect time. Tail after tail presenting itself out of the water like ghosts moving through the chocolate brown, muddy water. We finally found them! Of course in our excitement we made enough noise to hear us from a country mile away. But we still managed to snag a big fella! We went back the next night and found our business partners happy to oblige for another round.

As I always say, any day on the water in the Low Country is a damn good day.

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If you'd like to book a charter, find me at www.spottingtailscharters.com or book a trip through Amberjack.

Thanks!

We are very excited to announce an amazing new all-around fly fishing giveaway we've put together our friends from Blue Halo, Decade Reels, Crua Outdoors, and FishOn Energy.

The full prize includes:

- Cranberry 5wt fly rod from Blue Halo

- Gold fly reel from Decade

- $300 for gear and apparel from FishOn Energy

- Three person insulated Tri tent from Crua Outdoors

- And $100 credit from Amberjack

Share the link with friends after you enter to get bonus entries.

Good luck and tight lines!

"One thing you can count on with flyfishing is that no day is the same...even though there is some insight gained through time spent on the water...rain, hail and shine are just a few variables that make a days fishing something new and surprising...One thing that has never changed with flyfishing for me has been the fun and excitement of going on a trip with my fishing buddies...it is the one thing that always makes the fishing enjoyable and this backcountry trip...probably the last for the season...is no different. In a world of constant change it is cool to know that a fishing buddy, a flyrod and a bit of water will always provide a flybox full of fun and memories..."

We are not the average fly shop and guide service. Yes, others travel but few are willing to put their neck on the line by taking some of your most valuable clients and customers into the unknown. We do it regularly because we believe in creating memories and the best way to do that is to make every fly fishing encounter an adventure.

We took a group of young talented anglers to Sudan and Oman for some GT and Trigger fishing on the Red Sea and Persian Gulf and there was nothing from the moment we stepped on the plane here in Seattle to the time we arrived home that wasn't thrilling about this trip!

The Nubian Desert receives about 1-2 inches of rain a year and we brought it with us. Add to that excessive winds, a crazy dust storm and some desert lightning while living on a 40 foot catamaran.

Chest deep and taking waves to the head while casting 8 inch flies to these predators along the edge of a coral shelf knowing a hook up is an inevitable swim is something many will draw the line on, knowing the bottomless blue abyss in front of you is home to a variety of large sharks.

All in all, 3 rods were broken, 3 reels exploded and many fly lines either lost or destroyed and we returned with a lifetime of stories, a very closely bonded group of anglers and the beautiful surroundings of the north Sudan coast permanently burned into our heads.

Good times, join us on our next one...

If you are the kind of angler who tracks snowpack and streamflow reporting, then you know the scoop; it was a big snow year in Montana, with dumps of low elevation snow falling as recently as last week, and we've had plenty of spring rain along with a couple short periods of warmth and sun. What has that all added up to currently? Lots of blue-ribbon rivers in some state of run-off and most are unfishable.

By and large the freestone fisheries across the state are not worth your attention. If you look hard you might find some magic with a clean tributary or a slow, dirty back eddy, but trout-hound favorites like the Yellowstone, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, and Bitterroot are toast for awhile. The Upper Madison, Gallatin, Big Horn (running BIG!), and Paradise Valley Spring Creeks are all fishing fine with some variability and are viable options for you at this time.

Of course our home water the Mighty Missouri River is fishing pretty well even with some increased releases from Holter Dam and spiked flows in the tribs after a major gully-whumper last week. It is a busy river out there so please do you best to share the resource and accommodate all the visiting anglers we'll see for the next month or so.

If you are going to be fishing a tailwater like the Missouri and want to have some productivity then be prepared to fish a deep nymph rig and do it right - safety cast followed by a long drift with lots of easy mending, followed by an assertive hook set with good follow through and a nice re-cast when you realize it wasn't a trout at the other end. Hit it and quit it with all the shotgun casts, halfsie hooksets, limpwristed mends and ill-timed roll casts.

Good luck out there and we'll let you know when the June dryfly game has returned to Montana - it won't be too long now.

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We spent a day on the river Avon with Chris Clemes and his bespoke, traditional split cane rods - each made to order by hand. Great fun fighting wild brownies on these lightweight rods! Check out his work at www.chrisclemes.com.

Finally! Tarpon Time is here along the Nature Coast. This long awaited season has been highly anticipated since the banner season of 2016 came to a close last July. With all of the warmer than usual weather this winter myself and many of the other local Tarpon Guides from the area had all wondered what this season would bring. Would the Tarpon show up early this year? Would the season run extremely short? Would the fish even show up at all? These were just a few of the many questions we had all wondered after the unusually warm winter and dry spring we faced this season.

The Good news is that the Tarpon never strayed from their relatively reliable migratory pattern. Yes! There were a few schools of Large Tarpon that showed up during the later portions of April only to be shell shocked by a couple late season cold fronts. That’s the beauty of the checks and balances system in the world of Tarpon fishing. A warm winter is usually met with a late season cold front that keeps the Tarpons northern bound migratory pattern in check.

May 15th symbolically has been the starting date for what I would consider the Prime Time for Tarpon fishing the Nature Coast. Its during this time frame that most of the lingering cold fronts have a tough time making it this far south and it’s also this time when our local water temperatures reach that magical 74°-76° water temperature. Water temperatures are critical for Tarpon as they are considered tropical fish that require a certain water temperature to feel safe and actively allow them to feed. The cooler the water temperature the slower a Tarpons metabolism will be. The higher the water temperature the higher a Tarpons metabolism will be for feeding. When our local air temperatures find the 90° degree mark and our water temperatures hit 80° look out Homosassa, The Tarpon World will be on FIRE!!!

At this time visiting anglers are finding great Tarpon on fly action in and around the Homosassa and Chassahowitzka areas. These areas of lightly colored sandy bottom and vast areas of grass flats make up the perfect staging grounds for hungry Tarpon looking for one last meal before heading offshore to spawn. Shrimp, Crabs, Pinfish, Pigfish, Needlefish, Threadfin Herring, and Ballyhoo all make up a Smorgasbord of prey options for Nature Coast Tarpon. Flies of choice for this time of year are Black and Purple Toads, Burnt Orange EP Baitfish Flies, and Chartreuse Megalopsicls.

As the season progresses and these Tarpon continue on their migratory path up the Nature Coast bait fishing anglers in Crystal River and Yankeetown will find Tarpon cruising just offshore of some of the most westerly islands. Mangrove Pt. in Crystal River and Porpoise Pt. in Yankeetown are two great areas for those anglers that are interested in tossing small crabs and pinfish to Tarpon. The key when fishing these areas is to look for and spot rolling fish. Rolling fish typically are on a migratory mission when these reach these areas so anglers will need to get way ahead of the traveling fish and gently present their bait’s of choice. Patience is key and often the bite of a Tarpon can be very faint. I prefer using 60lb Fluorocarbon leaders tied on to a 4/0 extra heavy wire circle hook. The circle hook does wonders for taking the guessing game out of a Tarpon Bite.

Captains Tip: Just because one or two fish are spotted rolling doesn’t mean that there are only one or two fish in a school. It’s not uncommon to find 100 fish schools this time of year. Approaching traveling fish from a distance is key when targeting Tarpon this time of year. Electric motors or push poles are a must.

Capt. Kyle Messier

(352) 634-4002

kylemessier@yahoo.com

WWW.FLORIDAFISHINGADVENTURES.COM

WWW.CRYSTALRIVERFLYFISHING.COM

As the rivers start to rise hitting the edges and soft water on the Tailwaters has proven to be successful and especially fun throwin streamers!

Now that the waters are getting more colored up and the rapids are starting to roar changing up tactics using bigger flies like Pats Rubber Legs, worms, and streamers, taking the time to explore for soft water and even leaving the river all together to hit the still water will pay off!