Disclosure: The article may contain affiliate links that may result in commission at no additional cost to the reader.
The day started out like any other one. We picked our day based on the weather to be sure we had calm winds and sunny skies to make for ideal sight fishing conditions. We made it to our spot and started poling the shoreline. We proceeded to get a handful of trout and snook with the lower light conditions up against the trees in the shallow water.
Once the sun got high around 11 AM we came up to one of my favorite stretches of the river. There is a nice drop-off with some large rocks that tend to hold bigger snook. As we looked hard and scanned deep I saw a pair of light green logs on the bottom. I could not tell exactly which way they were faced so I placed a conservative cast on either side with no reaction. After another cast to both sides I decided the last-ditch effort was to go for a reaction strike. I dropped a cast directly over both fish. I began stripping the fly with long fast strips to trigger the strike. Sure enough, both fish picked up and bolted after the fly.
After tracking the fly for about 15 feet the bigger of the two fish committed and destroyed the fly! She shook her head, jumped, and then headed for the hills. After a few great runs getting me to my backing and trying to break me off on trees and rocks she finally gave up. Once I got a hold of her I kept her in the water to keep her healthy.
I jumped in to snap a couple of quick pics and measure the fish on my rod. The fish ended up measuring out to 35 inches making it one of the biggest snook I’ve ever caught on the fly. A quick reviving and she was ready to go. Living on to be another day maker or heart breaker!
The gear I was using was a Hardy Demon SWS 9’ 6 weight Fly Rod, Allen Kraken Reel, Airflo SuperDri Redfish Fly Line, and a larger 6-inch general baitfish fly.
Article by Kieran Alex Hoffman (@kieranhoff), an angler based out of Titusville, Florida.
