Recently I missed an opportunity in a purchase that most likely won't come back up again anytime soon and after beating myself up over for a bit it all came back to how being ready when the time arrives is so important to many things, especially fishing.
I learned this a long time ago as a guide and really clarified it one day when fishing with Capt. John Kumiski for his book Redfish on the Fly a Comprehensive Guide. The other guy in the boat that day said something about luck and fishing, spurring John to tell a story which is longer than I'll type here but the point was that effective fishing has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with being ready for whatever you encounter. The first example that comes to mind on this is having a fish show up just 50 feet out only to realize you aren't ready because the fly line is wrapped around your left leg or fish are chasing bait up in exposed oyster shells but you don't have any flies weedless enough to get close in.
I don't think this means that you have to take the kitchen sink with you but it does mean that you need to understand your target and be able to take advantage of the situation. The better you are at determining the possible demands the better you will be in selecting what is required to meet those demands.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Quick or Acurate or Long?
I had a very nice gentleman on my boat about 2 and half weeks ago who fished a low tide with me. When we first got up on the flat we found some shrimp getting chased by both Redfish and a fair amount of birds in about a foot of water. We had already rigged up his 9 wt. with a Dupre Spoon Fly so I slid it out of the rod holder and we went to work.
We hooked 17 that day and this is why. The first reason was because the reds were actively eating and the birds where helping us locate fish. The second reason was because the water was fairly clean, so the fish didn't have much trouble seeing the fly. Finally, while this gentleman was not a real long caster he had the ability to do what I asked very quickly. Obviously a certain distance was required but mostly it was all about being able to get it there as soon as we found a target and hit that target fairly accurately.
The reason I bring up the difference between a long, quick, or accurate cast is that before heading on a fishing trip a quick and fairly accurate cast might be more obtainable than a long cast in a short period of practice time. In practicing right before a trip don't change too much about your actual casting stroke, instead go with what you have (assuming it is somewhat decent distance wise). If you leave that stroke alone and focus on casting the same amount of line distance wise with one less false cast you will obviously be quicker. In other words learn to shoot line not carry it. Most likely this in itself will make you a more actuate caster, but accuracy is the second thing to work on if you have a little more time.
A very long, quick, and accurate cast will catch more fish, of course. Some days that is the only way you will catch fish. But a reasonable distance done extremely quick and fairly accurately will yield more fish than a lot of distance that takes even 4 or 5 false casts to perform. Fish change direction, get out of range, see your shadow, get spooked by a bird and so on, in one false cast, let alone 5. Get it there now!
We hooked 17 that day and this is why. The first reason was because the reds were actively eating and the birds where helping us locate fish. The second reason was because the water was fairly clean, so the fish didn't have much trouble seeing the fly. Finally, while this gentleman was not a real long caster he had the ability to do what I asked very quickly. Obviously a certain distance was required but mostly it was all about being able to get it there as soon as we found a target and hit that target fairly accurately.
The reason I bring up the difference between a long, quick, or accurate cast is that before heading on a fishing trip a quick and fairly accurate cast might be more obtainable than a long cast in a short period of practice time. In practicing right before a trip don't change too much about your actual casting stroke, instead go with what you have (assuming it is somewhat decent distance wise). If you leave that stroke alone and focus on casting the same amount of line distance wise with one less false cast you will obviously be quicker. In other words learn to shoot line not carry it. Most likely this in itself will make you a more actuate caster, but accuracy is the second thing to work on if you have a little more time.
A very long, quick, and accurate cast will catch more fish, of course. Some days that is the only way you will catch fish. But a reasonable distance done extremely quick and fairly accurately will yield more fish than a lot of distance that takes even 4 or 5 false casts to perform. Fish change direction, get out of range, see your shadow, get spooked by a bird and so on, in one false cast, let alone 5. Get it there now!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
What Happens on White Sand
The other day I was trying to find access to a wading flat and couldn’t really figure out a good way in, so on my way back I noticed a little movement on a white sand area that had very little water on it. The area is fed by a creek that came off bigger water about ¾ of a mile away. I hopped out and sure enough this movement was a Red. I have seen this before on some other light colored areas but this was such a small area that I would have never thought to really give it much of a look. It ended up producing 5 fish in a fairly short period of time and did the same two different days later. Though I learned a long time ago that if water gets somewhere then so do the fish, with very few exceptions, I never really focused on such small areas. Many of these spots are no larger than a 16’ flats boat.
Okay, so what, the fish got up on light colored sand, what is the big deal? Well around here most bottoms are fairly dark making it pretty hard to see copper colored fish like reds and so we don’t get a chance to see a dark moving object over light colored sand as often as so many other saltwater fisheries do. Second these areas generally represent the shallowest water in the Low Country if the water ever reaches them in the first place. Since finding that spot I have located many others that produce fish after the water has gotten too high for a normal short grass flat which is the final plus. Many of these fish are in ankle deep water and yet they don’t seem to be limited to a size constraint making them some of the most entertaining fish to cast to and actually watch eat.
Okay, so what, the fish got up on light colored sand, what is the big deal? Well around here most bottoms are fairly dark making it pretty hard to see copper colored fish like reds and so we don’t get a chance to see a dark moving object over light colored sand as often as so many other saltwater fisheries do. Second these areas generally represent the shallowest water in the Low Country if the water ever reaches them in the first place. Since finding that spot I have located many others that produce fish after the water has gotten too high for a normal short grass flat which is the final plus. Many of these fish are in ankle deep water and yet they don’t seem to be limited to a size constraint making them some of the most entertaining fish to cast to and actually watch eat.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Fishing Mecca
I always hear people tell me every time they get out on the water they learn something new. As a guide I am out on the water over 200 days a year and with over 6 years of guiding I still learn things every day. My job is to try and put people on fish to help write the stories of their outdoor experiences. For many fly fisherman the Holy Grail is making an 80’ cast to a school of bonefish, fooling a tailing redfish into eating a crab pattern, watching their reel sling water as it goes into the backing on a 150lb tarpon, or wearing out a huge popper only to see the water rise as a peacock bass is closing in. I am looking for the things I learn along the way that will help me do my job better in each trip I take. What I learn is my wealth here in the Lowcountry, and as I learn I hope to pass on some details that will help you in your outdoor adventures.
I have wanted to start this blog for sometime now, the straw that broke the camel’s back was a day that taught me more than most and yet another person bringing up the fact that they learn something every time they are out, that sat me down to type. The state of SC has 50% of the entire east coast’s marshland water, with another 25% just to the south in GA and though I mostly fish in this fishing mecca, I hope that some detail I record in this blog helps you in your fishing endeavors no matter where you fish.
I have wanted to start this blog for sometime now, the straw that broke the camel’s back was a day that taught me more than most and yet another person bringing up the fact that they learn something every time they are out, that sat me down to type. The state of SC has 50% of the entire east coast’s marshland water, with another 25% just to the south in GA and though I mostly fish in this fishing mecca, I hope that some detail I record in this blog helps you in your fishing endeavors no matter where you fish.
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