My other boat

Dragonfly Boatworks Dragonfly 12 paddle skiff

In the south, I'm known as Blue Boat Mark.  Not really.  But when I'm there, I do rock this badass paddle skiff from Dragonfly Boatworks. 

My Dragonfly 12 is an earlier model of the "Techie" and was specifically designed for fly fishing.  It has a clean hull with little to nothing to get your line caught on.  There is an insane amount of storage in a huge water-resistant compartment which is insulated and can be used as a cooler. There is also an insulated circular rear compartment that can be used for storage or a live well. The deck has grippy foam for your feet and 3 tracks for attaching the cooler and an endless amount of accessories. 

Dragonfly Boatworks is a flats skiff company and you can see the style reflected in the hull of their paddle boards/skiffs.  The seafoam color screams Florida to me but you can order them in a variety of colors. 

Fly fishing from a paddleboard is amazing.  It takes some practice but once you get it, there is no sneakier way to cruise the flats, canals, and lakes of Southwest Florida or wherever you are.  You see some crazy stuff that you'd never see in a larger craft. Some of what you see in FL will scare the shit out of you. I would love to have one for carping in Montana!!

I also want to give a shout out to West Wall Outfitters in Port Charlotte, FL for hooking me up with the boat and giving me way too much fishing information.  These guys are one of the only real fly shops for miles (so weird to me) but I'd drive past others to go to West Wall.  They have a great selection of kayaks for any type of fishing or recreation, fly tying materials, flies, leaders etc., groups and classes, and friendly staff that wants to see you happy and catching fish.

I can't wait to go buy some redfish flies from West Wall and fish on the blue boat in the Florida sun!

I needed a break

Baby tarpon face

After a long busy winter, I was due for a real break.  All I wanted to do was fish my ass off and get some revenge on some Southwest Florida saltwater species who have been giving me hell for some time now.  Mission accomplished!

Redfish tail spot

I spent some serious time spooking every redfish I came across.  It took many days for me to be able to consistently spot redfish with enough distance to get a shot at them before they took off scared.  By the end of my trip, I was pretty good at it and started to catch a lot of redfish.  What a beautiful and fun fish to catch on the fly!  I can't wait to get back on my secret redfish flats!

Redfish face

Baby tarpon

The big tarpon were in SW Florida while I was there but the wind was insane and I don't have a big enough boat to get out into the Gulf, yet.  I did, however, get into some great baby tarpon!  All I can say about these guys is holy shit!  They are the most insane, acrobatic, and fun fish you can ever imagine catching.  Like the redfish, it took a couple of days of exploring and getting my ass handed to me to be able to catch this entirely new species on flies.  With some help from the local fly shop and endless determination, it happened big-time.  I also can't wait to get back to my secret baby tarpon ponds.

Florida gator

Mother and baby manatee

Going fishing in Florida is full of sights, sounds, and dangers.  The variety of birds, plants, animals, and fish in Florida is just insane.

Gigantic Florida ditch pickle

Even the bycatch is cool here.  While deep stripping streamers for tarpon, I'd sometimes hook into the biggest largemouth bass I'd ever seen.

Gar

Anyone who's fished Florida knows about these gars.

Tarpon skin

Southwest Florida fly fishing is super challenging and fun.  I'm so lucky to have a connection to the region and I can't wait to spend time studying and exploring the fishery in the future.

Until then, it is go-time in Southwest Montana!  There are salmonflies on Rock Creek and the Big Hole, the MO is heating up big-time (as long as there isn't another push), and the carp are on the flats in the lakes.  The hills are green and there is still a lot of snow in the mountains.  The lilacs are blooming in Butte and it's a good time to be a fly fisher in Montana!