WORLDWIDE BAD WEATHER
Firstly a quick apology! I haven’t blogged since the New Year... partly because I took a few weeks out and more recently I’ve been depressed with this awfully cold weather - and I’m not talking about the UK – I’m talking Florida! Now if you think we’ve had a long and cold winter in the UK, you should check out what’s been happening on this other side of the pond!

You may not realise it, but much of our weather starts its life over here in the US, and the bad weather we experience from storms and weather systems that cross the Atlantic is quite often much weaker. This year America, in particular Florida has experienced some of the coldest weather on record.

After a well earned break in January I arrived in the Keys in February only to find freezing cold conditions. The shallow Gulf requires a consistent water temperature above 68f (70-72-75f would be better) for it to produce good fishing, but with recent cold winds, the water temperature has dropped as low as the mid forties - and that spells tough fishing for all the critters us Brits like to catch! Let’s just say my first month in the Keys was hard work! Here’s the story so far...

FEBRUARY
February was plain and simply a tough month. There were no Tarpon around – even the world famous ‘Robbie’s Marina’ was Tarpon-less for days on end. An upside to the cold water temperatures is that for the very few species that migrate to the Keys for the winter period (November – February) the fishing has been on fire, especially for one of my favourite species, the Speckled Sea Trout. The trout fishing throughout Feb was awesome, so was the Cobia and Spanish Mackerel fishing.

Towards the end of February the water temperature rose from 57f to 69f over the course of one day and for a brief period the next day there were Tarpon everywhere. We fished that morning and had no takes, but witnessed one of the best morning Tarpon shows I have ever seen... tons of them annihilating a shoal of sardines. And then the water temperature plummeted once again and they were gone!

MARCH
The start of March was similar to February... cold and miserable, but the Sea Trout fishing was still explosive. This year I’ve found some new trout marks which were given to me by my good friend, Denis, a retired guide who passed away last year, and they have turned out to be very productive! One of the marks consistently throws up massive trout, in excess of the legal slot sizes, while the others hold a good head of keeper trout (from 15-20 inches).

In February there were no sharks due to the lower than normal water temps, but in March the sharking started to perk up. On one occasion we managed over 40 sharks in one session, the next day they were gone again. On another day we caught a Nurse Shark (actually the same one twice!) that was a good contender for the world record... but who wants to kill a fish for brownie points these days! I have heard several reports of record breaking Nurse Shark appearances during March – how strange?

To end March, spring finally arrived. Again one day the water temp flew from 59f to 70f and the Tarpon were back in town. The next morning we nailed our first Tarpon of the year at 160lbs and the water temperature has remained high (ish!!) since. The last week or so has provided exceptional Tarpon action. Each morning there has been a quick show for maybe 30-45 minutes and so far we’ve had almost 40 takes, possibly 30 hook-ups (most blowing the hook on first jump as they do!) and we’ve landed another two... one of 120lbs and one about 130-140lbs. In a few week’s time I reckon the Tarpon fishing is set to explode!

APRIL AND MAY
It’s still early days as the Tarpon season doesn’t really kick off till later in April, but things are looking good. There’s hundreds of Tarpon around, and for some strange reason... none of them appear to be less than 100lbs!! In fact out of the several hundred I’ve seen in the last few weeks, I haven’t seen one small one. I even hooked one from the stern of my boat in the marina, and it must have been 180lbs perhaps more. Of course it lasted all of five seconds!!

It looks like it’s going to be a great spring...watch this space!!

MY NEW KAYAK!
In February Miami hosts the ‘Miami International Boat show’... the largest boat show in the world and what better place to find a wide range of equipment at realistic prices. Along with many other tackle gadgets and gizmos I ended up buying a two man Crescent Splash 2 kayak for my customers to use. Watch this space... I have been so impressed with it for the price, I plan to review it later in the season! http://www.jgdproducts.com/main.sc

MORE NEW RODS!
Last year I had a few issues with the Star rods I was using, so they had to go. I had three light rods all break on the same whipping towards the tip section and one break through the butt. Although the butt break was probably a one off, the three that snapped through the tip didn’t give me confidence in using this brand again. It’s not often you’ll find me comment negatively about my problems with tackle... sh*t happens... but three rods all breaking in the same place!!

All the Star Rods have now been replaced with Hurricane ‘Redbone’ series rods... 8-17lb spin rods, 10-20lb spins and 20-40lb spins; and I have to say I’m totally impressed. Constructed using IM7 graphite blanks, these rods are not only light and sporty, but they also aren’t going to break! After the issues with the Star rods, this year I decided to really give these Redbone’s a hammering! So far I’ve had sharks to over 50lbs on the little 8-17’s and Tarpon to 160lbs on the 10-20’s, putting them under tremendous pressure, and they cope with ease. I haven’t even needed to test the 20-40’s!! Redbone Rods are serious rods and serious value for money. The  7-8ft spin rods would suit any shallow/light tackle boat fishing in the UK – check them out here http://www.redbone.org/rods.html A big thanks to my buddy George A from Miami for hooking me up with Redbone!

MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN TARPON COMPETITION 2011
British anglers have been travelling to the Keys for years and the end of last year somebody pointed out to me that perhaps a Tarpon festival/competition in the Keys for UK anglers might be a bit of fun, so next year we’re in the preliminary stages of trying to get a small comp off the ground. The festival will be called the “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun Tarpon Festival”. The plan would be to run this during peak tarpon season – late April/May/early June, with a Trophy (probably a good old English teapot) for biggest Tarpon (measured and photographed) during the five day event (10 night holiday) with optional pools for lure caught Tarpon, biggest Bonefish, Lucky Permit etc... The competition will be for two man teams – self drive or guided. The idea is still in its initial stages, but if you’re interested and have any ideas, drop me a line on jim@jim-odonnell.co.uk

HOLIDAYS 2011
Just a quick note... with the success of last and this year’s trips, the diary is open for 2011 and is filling up already. Next year we’ll have a new self drive to add to the fleet too, which can be rented daily or weekly, with our accommodation/fishing deals. We also have 2 weeks left in September/October this year again seeking Tarpon & Bonefish... drop us a line or give us a call if this interests you.

Hope you guys have a great flatty season. Honestly I’m gutted I can’t be with you (!!)

Jim

P.S I hope you like the new hooters pic ;)