Category: Event updates

Our June outing is our long-standing and much celebrated docklights
outing, and now it’s our Docklights AND Beaches outing.

JUNE OUTING, Friday-Saturday, June 16-17

• Fish from 6 PM Friday to 9 AM Saturday, then from 6 PM Saturday
to 9 AM Sunday.

• The outing prize goes to the fly fisher catching the longest snook.
Measure it and take a picture. Email it to Bob!

• Fish anywhere in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, or Manatee
Counties.

Largest Snook wins!

Don’t forget to submit any annual tournament!

Saturday, September 23rd

Saturday, 23, it’s our club’s annual fly fishing competition against the Tampa club. This is our memorial outing to remember Carl Hanson, who belonged to both clubs.
Two winners will be determined. The fly fisher catching the most panfish (aka bream) captures the Carl Hanson trophy for this club. The fly fisher catching the longest fish of any species (mudfish anyone?) gets to keep the drawing of Carl Hanson for a year until next year’s club-to-club contest.
Where? The Hillsborough River. You can fish anywhere on the Hillsborough River that you want to fish but meet up by noon for the picnic and awards “ceremony” at a shelter at Trout Creek Conservation Park in Thonotosassa.
Carl was a fly fisher and fly tier and, more importantly, a fly fishing teacher. On Tuesday nights he taught fly casting in his backyard. Come one, come all. Carl died in 1998 and he will long be remembered, especially by old timers at his two fly clubs, Suncoast Fly Fishers and Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club.
Check the leaders on the tournament chart below. Maybe you can take the lead in the bream and bass categories.

Also post them on our club’s Facebook. site….facebook.com/scff2020

Picnic location: Kayak launch, too. Trout Creek Conservation Park address is 12550 Morris Bridge Road, Thonotosassa. $2/car fee.

Okay, the board decided the Saturday, July 22 outing will not be Picnic Island Park because there was a concern that the water quality would not be the best in Mid-summer. So, instead the outing location will be the I-275 Sunshine Skyway. You can fish either side, north or south. But we’ll all meet up at noon for a pavilion picnic at the North Skyway Rest Area.

The member catching the longest redfish will be the big winner. (Okay,  it’s a $10 gift certificate.)

 Remember: measure your redfish. Take pictures. Also, do the same with your longest snook, seatrout, and ladyfish because they might take the lead in the annual tournament. See below.

I love to wade-fish the flats on either side of the Sunshine Skyway causeway and from either the North or the South Rest Area Exits. The North Skyway rest area has lots of pull-off-the-road shoreline suitable for wading or kayak launching.  Fishing on the west side of the South Skyway exit is good and there are one or two wade-

Bob Burkard: We have two outings in April

(1)Hillsborough River and (2) Everglades Canals

We are having two official club outings this month. On Saturday, April 21 we are fly fishing the Hillsborough River from Trout Creek Conservation Park .  Then, we are having a second multi-day outing April 26-30, Thursday-Sunday where our members will be fly fishing for exotics and native fishes in the Everglades canals.

#1: Trout Creek Conservation Park on the Hillsborough River,  Saturday, April 22

It’s just a little north of Temple Terrace. You’ll Take I-4, then go north on I-75 and exit on Morris Bridge Road. Kayak and canoe fishers will find lots of fishy locations. There are a few places near the park where you can fly cast from shore.  Here’s a link to more park info.

Fly fish in the morning then meet up by noon for a picnic lunch at a park picnic table. You’ll see the Suncoast Fly Fishers sign.  A $10 gift certificate goes to the member catching the longest bass. Measure it and take a picture of it before you release it.

#2: Everglades Exotics Outing, April 26 to April 30

Fly fishing for bass, bream, and exotics in the Everglade canals has become a Suncoast Fly Fishers tradition. Since joining our club 10 years ago, I have heard many stories of hundreds of fish caught per day in these canals.  I am excited to be a part of this adventure this year.

Two groups of our SFF anglers will be heading to the Everglades in late April to catch hundreds of exotics—peacock bass, cichlids, oscars, jaguar guapotes – plus native fishes– snook, bass, bream. And, yeah, mudfish.  A $10 gift certificate awaits the member who catches the longest exotic. That’s probably going to be a peacock bass.

Bruce Evensen and Bill Scarola are leading one group which will be staying at Roland and Mary Ann Martin Marina & Resort in Clewiston, which is on the south side of Lake Okeechobee.  This group fishes on some especially productive waters off of the New River Canal that parallels Highway 27 south of Clewiston. Talk to Bruce or Bill at the meeting.

Alan Sewell is your go-to person for fishing canal waters farther south. This group will be staying at the La Quinta Inn in Sunrise near Fort Lauderdale. Talk to Alan at the meeting.

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P2/Bob Burkard: We have two outings in April

(1)Hillsborough River and (2) Everglades Canals

If you’re interested in either of these expeditions then attend Thursday’s meeting to get up to date information as well as what gear to bring and where the groups will be fishing. You can call the hotels to reserve a room (if available). Be sure to tell them you’re with the Suncoast Fly Fishers to get a discount. 

Club Picnic on Saturday, Alligator Alley (I75) Rest Area, Mile Marker 34

Both fly groups will meet up at noon on Saturday or a club-sponsored picnic lunch and to compare fishy stories.  Look for the SFF sign at one of the picnic tables.  This rest area is about 11 miles west of the Toll Plaza.  It has a boat ramp, too.  Here’s a link to more rest area info.

Saturday March 25, Hog Roast and Silent Auction

Featured speaker: Fly fishing legend Chico Fernandez

St. Jerome Catholic Church, 10895 Hamlin Blvd., Largo

• This year members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club will join members of the Suncoast Fly Fishers adding to the product donations and bidding for gear and trips.
• Our speaker is fly fishing legend Chico Fernandez of Miami. He was our popular speaker at the 2017 Hog Roast.

• This is our premier club event of the year.  It is our principal fundraiser and a must-attend event for every SFF member and guests interested in fly -fishing or a fun night out!
• There is a lot of work to do. Volunteer at the meeting.  Also donate your best flies. Bruce Evensen will be collecting member-tied flies for the Hog Roast.

• We have a special guest — Patrick Berry, President and CEO of Fly Fishers International.

January 21st

Weedon Island Preserve is one of our club’s favorite outing locations so it’s back on the schedule for January. It’s a good month for Weedon. Big spotted seatrout are on the flats and they are hungry.

The Suncoast Fly Fisher catching the longest speckled trout will earn a $10 gift certificate to a local fly shop. Measure it. Take a picture of it. Show it to one of the outing committee members at the picnic. The picnic is at the pavilion (the only one) on the north side of the main parking lot. Fat juicy burgers and hot dogs are on the menu. Hot coffee, too. And chips. And cookies. You know the thing.

Check out the visitor’s map and other details on the Weedon website. There’s a kayak launch and many places to wade in and start fishing from the preserve.
Wade fishers often meet up in the main parking lot at 7 to 7:30 am. Some will probably hike to and wade fish the Riviera Bay shoreline. Some like to wade in at the kayak launching area. And some will take the 10- 15 minute hike down Lookout Point Trail and wade into Tampa Bay. You can also rent a kayak at the Sweetwater Kayaks station on Weedon Drive. Master’s Bayou (Snug Harbor) also is a great spot to fish but you’ll need to launch a kayak at one of the access points on the south side of Gandy Boulevard.
It’s a negative low tide day. The tide bottoms out about 9:15 then starts to come in fast. Low tides like that force spotted seatrout into deeper holes.

Saturday, November 19th

Our November 19th outing and picnic is at Weedon Island Preserve, one of our club’s favorite outing locations.

You can wade fish from multiple wade-in locations. It has a kayak launch and it’s easy to reach from different boat ramps.

Wade fishers will meet up in the main parking lot at 7:30 am.  Some will wade fish Riviera Bay. Some will wade in at the kayak launch area and fly fish the spoil island backcountry water . Some will hike the Lookout Point Trail and wade-fish the open water flats.

The member who catches the longest ladyfish wins a $10 gift certificate. Measure your fish. Take a picture. If you catch a redfish, a seatrout, or a snook that appears longer than  anything on the 2022 Outing Tournament list (see below) then be sure to measure and take a picture of those fish, too.  

We’ll all meet up for a picnic lunch at 11:30 at the Weedon Island Picnic Pavilion which is on the north side of the main parking lot.  Your outings committee is bringing food. Come hungry. 

Thursday November 17th, 2022