Welcome to the first-ever Mangrove Outfitters’ blog post! In this space we plan to share shop news, fishing reports, fly fishing techniques, product reviews, and more! If you, dear reader, have any suggestions in what you would like to see in this blog, we would love to hear them.
First off, we want to let you know there is a new member of the Mangrove Outfitters’ team. Cody Shadley, Tom’s son, has joined us full-time. Cody has life-long experience fly fishing in various locales and has spent a lot of time fly fishing our local waters here in Southwest, Florida. He is a great addition to our staff, which still includes, Capt. Tom, Capt. Pat, and Capt. Paul who are all actively leading premier guided fly fishing charters.
We invite you to read on through the Mangrove Outfitters Blog to discover both new and time tested products that make your Florida fly fishing the best experience it can be!
Fly Fishing Naples Report
If you are just arriving to Naples for the winter season, welcome! The fishing has been great all summer, and into the Fall! Red Tide has been in the news recently, and we have been receiving phone calls at the shop about it. It has been in the area, but in no way as bad as it was in 2018. We've seen very little impact south of Marco Island, with previous occurrences concentrated in North Naples and Lee County.
Lately, the water temperature has dropped and the Redfishing has been great (especially on a custom 7wt SAGE by Capt. Tom)! If you have the opportunity to run off the beach, try and take the time to find Tripletail. We have great shrimp fly patterns in the shop perfect for just that!
Fly Fishing Products and Events Report
New products are arriving daily. Most exciting on the rod front is the new G. Loomis NRX + S rod. Lighter by 15 percent than its predecessor, the new NRX + S is still a fast rod but has a perfect tip, and great “castability”. Scott Fly rod’s new flagship stick, the Sector, has arrived at the fly shop this week in both 7wt and 8wt. Fast and powerful, this new rod will become the go-to for anglers fishing in windy situations. Both rods are exciting, and we would welcome the opportunity to cast them with you.
Around the shop, we have made some changes in the layout and product selection. We have added an offering for Ladies, featuring Free Fly Apparel, that we plan on expanding with products from Orvis. In addition, we have new items from Simms and Patagonia. Finally, we have two new custom designs featuring Mangrove Outfitters’ artwork. The first features Tom’s Lightbulb Fly and the other, the Bag-a-Bones series, highlighting the long history of the shop’s twenty-six years of business here in Naples, Florida, with a very unique take on poling and fly fishing from a skiff for Snook, Redfish, and Tarpon.
If you are traveling to fish this winter, we wish you safe travels including your rods, reels, and other gear. Rod tubes, waterproof packs, and bags by Fishpond USA are perfect to ensure safe passage. Once here, stop by the shop and to say hello.
Fly tying class is still the first and third Saturday of the month at 10 AM. Beginning January 1st we add a 6-8 PM class the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. Finally, coming off our very successful first Ladies Fly Tying Night we are adding a second event on December 11th from 6-8 PM. Our first class was led by our very own Christina Legutki. Our December class will be led by the Backcountry Fly Fishers’ Vice President, Stephanie Spell.
Finally, we have changed our store hours to seven days per week. Monday - Friday: 11 - 6 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 11 - 5 PM!
Please don't hesitate to call or stop by if there is any way we can help you.
Thanks for reading,
The Mangrove Team