Compiled by Ben Iannotta and Guy Faherty
Plan your May
All meetings held at the Fraternal Order of Police lodge, 471 Old Mission Road, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, unless noted otherwise
May 2, 10 am - Club BBQ and Casting Competition. For the BBQ, the club will provide hotdogs and maybe hamburgers. Please sign up here and bring side dishes! In the casting competition, show off your skills and grow them by casting to targets and testing your distance.
May 11, 6 pm - Casting Practice followed by our business meeting at 7 pm.
May 18, 7 pm - Fly Tying. Pattern TBD.
Casting Practice each Saturday at 10 am
Highlights from April
Fishing report
Tarpon are starting to appear in the lagoon sporadically as the water warms. Calm, warm mornings are best. Bob Dillon reports catching a nice one on one of his Shrimpoon flies. Watch the video here or click the photo.
The Shrimpoon incorporates foam for buoyancy to keep the fly in the zone longer. Get one in front of a tarpon to find out why!
Shrimpoons can be tied in a variety of colors.
Tarpon often glide up to shrimp and other prey from behind and inhale them. Here’s a view of a Shrimpoon from the tarpon’s perspective.
Redfish, like this recent catch by the Gildon brothers, are less temperamental than tarpon.
Luke Gildon, left, and his brother Evan show off a nice redfish caught on fly, with their father, Jonathan, poling the boat.
Fly Tying Night
Carmine Martucci led tyers through creating a Seaducer, a pattern that’s great for tarpon, snook and just about anything that swims. Photo by Guy Faherty
New member Lynli Vincion took on the pattern, as did one of our original members, Perry Baker. Photo by Guy Faherty
New member Jonathan Gildon with his sons and a friend learn to tie the Seaducer, as Frank Brownell offers advice. Photo by Guy Faherty
Jack Budniakiewicz, seated, hones his tying skills with Bob Dildine. Photo by Guy Faherty
Our annual Open House
The club needs someone to chair the committee that will plan and carry out this event. Opening our doors is a great way to show the community the fun we have and bring in new members.
Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T)
The club is working to bring this popular tour to our area in 2026, which marks its 20th anniversary. The short films showcase “unforgettable stories, breathtaking landscapes, and a community bound by a passion for fly fishing.” The venue and precise timing for the stop in our area are TBD. The cost to the club will be $1,200 and we’ll need to identify strategies for recouping that cost. Tim Sheehan leads the planning.
