Fishing the Flats with Henry Waszczuk
When it comes to fishing the flats of Florida or Belize, Costa Rica or Mexico, you can’t do better for a guide than Mr. Henry Waszczuk. If you check out his TV show, Fishing the Flats, you’re guaranteed week after week of exciting trips to far-flung locales all in the pursuit of nature’s most challenging sport fish.
It looks so easy when my man, Henry Wszczuk, does it, on Fishing the Flats TV. But while I might not be able to take in the more exotic sport fishing available to Henry and his ilk, in spots like Mexico or Costa Rica, I was perfectly content to fish home waters in my native Florida.
Before you knew it, Waszczuk had his own fishing magazine, and he turned years of angling experience into dynamic fishing the flats TV. Any given week, the viewer can watch Waszczuk and crew take on a new adventure. One episode might deal with fishing the flat (and ultra-skinny) waters of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, seeking the mighty redfish in its winter habitat.
Low tide will find you in 12 inches of water, staring down into a sandy bottom thatched with turtle grass, or a muddy bottom dotted with manatee grass. Either way, the fish will be darting around, hunting baitfish, or in cool weather sunning themselves against the sand. He who would fish the flats in search of redfish will do best with an 8-weight rod, with a floating line.
When fishing the flats in Florida, the choices of site are endless. If you don’t want to worry about tides, you could fish the flats around Mosquito Lagoon, or the Banana River Lagoon. This area is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, world famous for its redfish.
Incoming tide is not the only time to fish the flats. As a matter of fact, game fish sense when the tide is about to go out. They’ll hang around in the mouths of tidal rivers, confident that a blue-plate special is coming their way, just as soon as the tide turns! This is when I love fishing the flats, when the reds are everywhere.
Exotic locals alone do not make for riveting Fishing the flats TV. Your host, Henry Waszczuk, also provides knowledgeable guidance on gear. What kind of skiff is required to fish the flats of St. Augustine for flounder, for example? What kind of rod is best, what kind of line, what kind of lure?
Any question you may have about fly fishing the flats is sure to be answered in the course of watching this show, or perusing Waszczuk’s magazine called “Fins and Skins.
If you’ve enjoyed all the exciting information you read here about Shallow Water Fishing, you’ll love what you find at Stay Put Fishing and shallow water anchors.
No comments yet.