Fishing Frenzy

Fishing the flats in Florida used to be a frustrating experience for me. For one thing, that crazy Florida weather played havoc with my plans. One minute it's fair, the next minute a thunderstorm has moved in, and has settled down for hours. All I wanted to do was fish the flats in peace.

It looks so easy when my man, Henry Wszczuk, does it, on Fishing the Flats TV. But while I might not be able to take in the more exotic sport fishing available to Henry and his ilk, in spots like Mexico or Costa Rica, I was perfectly content to fish home waters in my native Florida.

Before you knew it, Waszczuk had his own fishing magazine, and he turned years of angling experience into dynamic fishing the flats TV. Any given week, the viewer can watch Waszczuk and crew take on a new adventure. One episode might deal with fishing the flat (and ultra-skinny) waters of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, seeking the mighty redfish in its winter habitat.

Then there's the thrill known only to the angler who dares to fish the flats of the Florida Keys for tarpon, a creature known to tip the scales at one hundred pounds. Speaking of fishing the flats in Florida, feisty reds can also be found in the mangroves of Clearwater, an experience unequaled for those seeking pristine outdoors scenes.

More reds, more chances for me. This is prime fishing time, when the game fish are rushing in on the flats, right on the top of an incoming tide. Fishing the flats at time like this is what it's all about. Think about it mathematically. Fishing during a full moon plus a spring tide equals 3 to 4 hours of good fishing!

Down around Sanibel and Captiva Island in the southwestern part of the state offers the chance to fish the flats for snook, tarpon and sea trout. To fish the flats here, which are thick with turtle grass and studded with oyster shell bars, is practically guaranteeing catching some redfish, which hunt the baitfish hiding in the oyster shells.

I'll never forget one morning in particular, last summer, when I spotted a bunch of redfish hanging around a rocky creek mouth, going to town on some mullet. I landed the fly right in front of 'em, and before you knew it, I was fly fishing the flats like the pros on Fishing the Flats TV.

So, to sum up, once I figured out that the best fishing is usually when the tide is coming in or out, fishing the flat waters around my home has become a blast.