If sales of Fuzzy Fiddlers and Wooly Critters are any indication, fly fishing is on the rise around Amelia Island. Lures like these are big sellers at RennWorks Outdoors, a local fishing store with a special affection for fly fishing.
Shannon and Josh O’Connor opened RennWorks in 2019. They grew up on Amelia Island and fishing is in their blood. Shannon’s grandma (and Josh’s great-) fished with what she called simply “chicken feather attractors and a Calcutta cane pole (no reel),” Josh says, admitting that today’s gear is far more specialized, especially for fly-fishing. “Some of our flies attract fishermen more than fish,” he says, pointing out feathery beauties mounted as collectors’ items.
RennWorks has pre-made flies, plus tools and materials to make your own, including flashy feathers from specially bred chickens, turkeys, and other birds; racoon belly hair; deer tails dyed in multiple hues; and synthetic look-a-likes. There are fake eyes (some as small as sesame seeds), fuzzy substances to mimic egg sacs, and much more.
Anglers from near and far come to our area to fish during high tides, some of the highest on the East Coast, says fly-fishing guide Billy Cochran, another Amelia Island native. “It’s crazy how saltwater fly fishing has advanced,” he says. Billy once fished in local golf course ponds to avoid doing homework. Now he’s well-schooled in the ins and outs of nearby bays, oyster beds, tidal creeks, and fish behavior.
High tides bring fiddler crabs, shrimp, and other tasty morsels up in the marsh grass. Redfish, sea trout, tarpon, and other popular game fish come in with the sea to gobble them up. And this lures fly-fishers to our extensive waterways.
During high tides, anglers paddle kayaks out into the marshes, pole flat boats, and sometimes even wade stealthily through fields of spartina grass. They listen intently for slurps and gulps, watching for the slightest ripple, flash, or the exposed tailfins of hungry fish snapping up dinner. They aim to see a fish before they cast their bait, which is not food. It’s an imitation of food that fish like to eat.
“I’d say about 40 percent of dedicated fly-fishers like to tie their own flies,” says Billy while crafting a fly to move like a fiddler crab. He holds a hook in a special vice, then wraps it with colored thread, carefully adding materials to mimic a crab’s “googly eyes and scurrying legs.”
Soon he is adding fluffy fibers for the body, a beady eye, a 3D printed crab claw, synthetic legs, and a weed guard. “It’s subtle, but sweet. And light, so when it lands on the water the fish won’t be alarmed,” explains Billy. “Creating your own lure to catch your own game just ups the ante. With this little fly, you can catch a 35-inch redfish.”
The long, looping cast fly-fishers are known for takes a lot of practice to master. That’s because they use a lighter lure (fly) on a heavier line than in conventional fishing. “It’s calm and focused. You’re like a predator quietly stalking prey,” says Billy.
Local guides serve mostly out-of-town male customers – but women are quickly catching on, the guides agree. LeeAnne Conway, a former crafter of fly rods, is one of Captain Chris Pinkney’s customers when she visits her folks on Amelia Island. “I love fly-fishing because so much of myself goes into it. I just totally focus on attracting that fish.”
Susie Whiteaker, who fished from Amelia Island’s beaches as a child, believes so strongly that fly-fishing has therapeutic value that she teaches it to cancer patients through a non-profit organization called Casting for Recovery.
“It’s relaxing, like Zen for me,” says Robert Prager, an environmental engineer who has designed complex water projects all over the world. Robert was six when his dad got him hooked on fly fishing. Now he brings fishing gear wherever he goes. At home on Amelia Island, a favorite spot is Egans Creek, where he sometimes out-catches conventional anglers.
In winter, when waterways are their clearest and he isn’t taking other folks fishing, Captain Lawrence Piper relaxes by casting flies in peaceful Muddy Creek, Lanceford Creek, or the swamps along the St. Marys River. His blog, “Anglers Mark,” overflows with colorful fish stories.
Local pros and hobbyists all agree that exploring nature in our beautiful waters is the biggest thrill of fly-fishing – catching fish is a happy bonus. They say most fish enticed to bite your fly are usually admired, sometimes kissed, then gently released to swim away.
If you’d like to learn more, watch for a presentation with the experts to be held soon at Story and Song Bookstore Bistro.