OUTDOORS

20 THE SUN OUTDOORS MARCH 16, 2022

Tie one on

Reel Time

RUSTY CHINNIS

Ihave to begin this article with a confession. I have known how to tie flies for a long time but have been too lazy to tie my own for far too long. First it was guide friends who tied them for me. After that I would tie out of necessity, or buy a few flies for a trip to the Bahamas or Belize. I found out how rewarding it was to tie a fly and then catch a fish on it a long time ago, too, but it was my last trip to the Bahamas that changed all that.

As it turned out I had again hurriedly ordered some flies from a “reliable” source, choosing a few old classics as well as my current favorite, the Peterson Spawning Shrimp. As it turned out, the flies I ordered didn’t match my expectations, probably more a case of “operator error” on my part. Fortunately, two friends in my party offered me some of their flies. I got bailed out on that trip and despite some challenging conditions managed to catch some quality fish. Then and there I vowed that the next trip I took I’d have a box of my own hometied creations. Fast forward to today, 10 days from my next trip to the Bahamas. This time I have seven flies tied and am on track to have a quiver of ammunition that I have confidence in. And confidence is key!

In my experience, flies don’t have to be fancy to catch fish. They do have to resemble something a local species feeds on and appear natural in the water. Two of the most reliable patterns mimic baitfish and shrimp. Probably the most basic and one of the most effective and popular flies is the Clouser Minnow, created by Bob Clouser. This was the first fly I learned to tie and is still a favorite. Another favorite is the bendback, a streamer tied to be “weedless” and fished in shallow water. The bendback is also easy to tie and very effective when properly tied and presented. As mentioned, my current favorite fly and one that’s a lot more complicated to tie, the Peterson Spawning Shrimp, has gotten me tying flies and enjoying the process. Fly tying is like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get. Then suddenly you find yourself working a little harder than might be necessary to please both you and the fish.

The effort paid dividends locally when my friend Benny Parrish and I came in second in The Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament, a benefit for Tampa Bay Waterkeeper. I caught all my fish on the Peterson Shrimp pattern I tie for bonefish. It was after that when I realized almost every species in both fresh and saltwater feed on shrimp, which further boosted my confidence in the pattern. If you currently tie, my advice is to master a fly you have confidence in and then work to make a fly your own. I’m constantly thinking of ways to improve the patterns I fish and finding my enjoyment of fly fishing enhanced by the experience.

I would strongly advise fly anglers to take up fly tying if they haven’t already. Start with a simple travel kit so once you’re committed you’ll be able to continue using it. Maybe then you’ll upgrade your equipment and even carve out a place dedicated to tying flies. Not only will you enjoy the experience more but you’ll have better quality flies at a much better price. Instruction on tying every imaginable fly is available on YouTube so please excuse me while I "tie one on."

The Peterson Spawning Shrimp is a realistic and very effective pattern for a host of species.

RUSTY CHINNIS | SUN

KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN Volunteers from the Inspiration Academy baseball team will spend part of their spring break waving signs near Manatee Beach to alert passersby to stay vigilant to prevent drownings.

Bringing awareness to a silent killer

With spring break upon us, WMFR leaders are hoping to bring awareness to child drownings.

BY KRISTIN SWAIN

SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com

HOLMES BEACH – “Do you hear that silence? That is the sound of drowning,” West Manatee Fire Rescue Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski said, opening a discussion on the threats posed by not remaining vigilant around water.

Kwiatkowski was joined by Chief Ben Rigney, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, Manatee County Commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Carol Whitmore, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, Manatee County Marine Patrol Chief Joe Westerman and Manatee County Assistant Chief of Special Operations Sean Dwyer, among others, to speak at the event held March 10 at Kingfish Boat Ramp.

Of all of the people who spoke during the event, the most powerful and heart-wrenching testimony came from the Bardwell family, who lost their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Lylah, in 2021 due to drowning.

Tom and Courtney Bardwell recounted the events leading up to their child drowning in their backyard pool. Tom Bardwell, Lylah’s father, who was home with the toddler at the time of the accident, said that with all of the safety precautions in place to prevent the child from accessing their pool, including a pool fence, he stepped away to take a phone call. In that short amount of time, he said Lylah had apparently tossed a favorite toy over the pool fence and somehow made her way past all of the barriers to keep her out of the water without supervision.

Lylah Bardwell was one of 19 drowning or near-drowning victims under the age of 18 in Manatee County in the past 12 months.

Speaking from her experience, Titsworth said she nearly lost one of her nephews to drowning when he was a child. Thankfully, she said the boy was found in time and able to be resuscitated. She encouraged everyone to make sure that there is a responsible adult keeping a close watch on everyone in their family or group when in the water, whether at a backyard pool or at the beach.

Dwyer echoed Titsworth’s recommendation, saying drowning can happen quickly and in just a few inches of water. He said in addition to making sure there is an adult watching children swim, to swim near a lifeguard, if possible. He also recommended having someone who is CPR certified nearby. Additionally, he recommended making sure all children are properly instructed on how to swim, a sentiment repeated by several of the speakers.

Westerman said that for anyone bringing children to the beach for spring break, make sure you swim where a trained lifeguard can observe and respond if an accident happens. He also encouraged beachgoers to learn about rip currents and how to avoid being sucked under and potentially drowning when encountering one.

He said the first thing to do when you realize you’re caught in a rip current is to not try to fight against it to get to shore. Instead, swim out or allow the current to pull you out, maintaining your head above water, and then swim to the side then back to shore once released from the current. Fighting against the rip current will sap your energy reserves and could increase the chance of drowning.

With spring break fully underway in Manatee County, Kwiatkowski said there will be volunteers stationed in the mornings along Manatee Avenue leading to Manatee Beach waving signs to alert passersby about the initiative to prevent drowning and raise public awareness.

KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN The family of two-and-a-half-year-old Lylah Bardwell share the story of how their family changed forever when their daughter drowned in their pool in 2021 despite the family taking precautions to prevent her from getting near the water.