Other Species
The dogtooth weren't the only bruisers we had a chance to tangle with. Casting sinking lines and half-and-half streamers over submerged coral heads produced bluefin trevally, coral trout, green jobfish, giant trevally (albeit small ones), several other unidentifiable species — and a bunch of shredded fly lines. One of the most interesting days saw me climbing aboard a small inflatable skiff and fishing patch reefs with Keys old hand John Donnell and fishing buddy Mike Monier. We stopped for lunch on a small sand spit where the duo had spotted a school of common darts (very similar to our Atlantic palometa) the day before.
Tying on a small crab pattern, we stalked the beach. We couldn't find them until I spotted a 400-pound lemon shark cruising down the beach. Knowing how our fish in the Keys behave, I launched a 50-foot cast over the shark's dorsal. Letting the small crab pattern settle, I stripped once and was on with one of the little scrappers.
I was afraid that the shark would turn on the fish, a perfect bite-sized meal. But, as it turned out, the sharks (four of them in all) were there for the cake — fledgling boobies and terns attempting to master the art flight — not the ice cream. We went on to have an enjoyable afternoon, releasing a dozen of the little guys before heading back in the skiff in search of larger prey.
Unfortunately, my 10-day odyssey came to an end before the best fishing of the trip. I didn't want to board the Caravan seaplane for our two-hour flight back to Cairns, but I did. During the flight back, I reflected on what will likely be the most remote fishing trip I'll ever go on — with good buddies and anglers who would become lifelong friends — and I can't wait to go back.
Gear Guide
RODS: This trip required a variety of tackle, since we weren't sure what we were going catch. For reef species 8- or 10-weight rods suffice. When chasing dogtooth (unless attempting to set light-tippet records), I'd opt for at least a 12-weight, and a 14- or 15-weight might be a better choice.
REELS: Large-arbor, DD reels capable of holding 200 yards of backing for reef species and 800 yards of backing for dogtooth
LEADERS: 12-pound or heavier is needed to wrestle reef fish away from the rocks and, with regard to dogtooth, there is no shame in going with 20-pound. Bite tippets of 40-pound mono or heavier are necessary for reef fish, while I'd recommend Malin's Boa or hard wire in 60-pound or heavier to prevent bite-offs from doggies.
LINES: Density-compensated sinking lines like those made by Rio or Scientific Anglers in weights ranging from 350 grains to 700 grains are ideal.
FLIES: For reef species, nothing works better than a general selection of Clouser Deep Minnows, half-and-halfs or Deceivers. For dogtooth, I found several effective patterns, including Cam Sigler's Tube Fly or Fish Fly, Enrico's Tube Fly and Big Eye Bait Fish, as well as Robrahm's Dark Day and Flying Fish patterns.
OTHER GEAR: Iridium satellite phone with laptop connection to stay in touch; Tibor LineMaster for changing fly lines and adding backing after getting shredded in the reef.
