Recently I have helped prepare quite a few people who are getting ready for trips in the coming months as well as myself for a trip to Belize. So I thought it would be a great time to talk about being prepared for a trip. With all that I see in the outfitter, hear on the telephone, and experience on the water I feel pretty confident that I will supply some good insight toward your travel.
Fly fishing trips, especially those out of the country, are unlike a trip to the in-laws or out of town for a few days with the wife. To have a successful fishing trip there is a great deal of thought and preparation for so many reasons. I think the first of those reasons is because when you are there you want to take full advantage of the situations you are in. Another reason is that these trips are expensive. They are expensive enough that many will pay for trip insurance and yet wait until the last few days to prepare. Often this results in people leaving out enough of something or forgetting it all together. Running out of the flies that have been working, not having a spool of 8lbs test fluorocarbon when fish are extremely spooky, or not having a higher weight rod for windy days are all things that could make or break many of the shots you will have at fish. In other words don't ruin an expensive trip because you don't have the right tools once you get there.
For my upcoming trip I will have one carry on bag that fits six, four piece, rods in their rod socks. Inside this bag I am carrying four rods, 7wt - 10wt, the 7 for Bones on calm days, 8 on not so calm days the 9 mostly as a backup and the 10 as a permit and tarpon rod. I have the corresponding reels for each rod as well, while fishing the 7 or 8 I plan to have the 9 and/or 10 rigged for the right species so they are ready to fire. I also have a change of underwear, t-shirt, hat, leaders and a box of flies incase my checked luggage does not make it I will have the essentials. Finally on an outside pocket I have the TSA webpage on fishing and hunting printed so if I get questioned about flies then I can present their own words in defense. Click for that page.
Preparation that is just as important is to practice before you come. I am not saying you need to be able to put a fly out 80 feet into a coffee cup with a stiff wind on only one back cast but I am saying that no matter how good or poor a fly caster you are practice will always serve you well. I feel it is important to practice in a few different ways according to the time you have before the trip. A few weeks or more out is the time to work on the parts of your cast, your acceleration and stop, the angle of your arm, where your elbow is, not opening or breaking your wrist, tight loops, and so on. As you get closer to time stop practicing the parts and practice fishing. Focus on targets and cast to them from the ready position as if you were on a boat, also walk around and pick targets as if you were wading. Finally continue to practice fishing but do so with minimal false casts. In most resects practicing fishing and practicing fly casting are two different things. Those that do something well in the heat of the moment use the muscle memory they have because if they stop and think about the details they are more likely to falter.
There are going to be quite a few different things that you can't prepare for but all the more reason that if you are going on a trip in the first place you should plan for every feasible thing you can.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Not Spooking Fish
Over all the years of my guiding there have been a few constants in the success of catching fish, one of those is that spooking fish is a horrible finish after all the hard work of finding them in the first place. I am sure that I still have things to learn on how not to have this happen but right now I have a pretty good grasp on what to and what not to do on this topic.
Sight is usually the key to staying out of trouble. If you can see fish far enough out then you are ahead of the game, after all not running them over with the boat is always helpful. Sometimes the fish dictate this in a nective way, they sit a little deeper, pick a muddy area to reside in, and/or hardly move. Other times fish will have their backs out of the water with birds over them chasing the shrimp they are kicking up. Most fish are somewhere in the middle, with a momentary flash of white from their underside or water that is just slightly shaky. Being vigilant equals seeing fish and if you see them early you can be prepared.
While you are poling to where they are there are things to do to make sure you don't make the fish aware of your presents. Don't think you need to get there in the next few seconds, pushing the boat extremely fast is more likely to create pressure waves. Keep someone on front so that the bow stays down and doesn't slap, be tender with the pole when you first make contact with the bottom to avoid crunching noises, no one in the boat should be picking up their feet unless they somehow can keep those feet from returning to the boat surface, as the caster don't sway because rocking the boat will make pressure waves, and minimize talking but when you do talk make sure you do so in the direction of the other person so you don't have to talk as loud. As you approach make sure you are 100% ready to cast, you should always be, but if you have this luxury then you have no excuse. When poling the boat you need to make sure the boat is positioned properly, if possible, to put the fish in line with the casters strongest ability as far as his cast.
When you get to the casting range don't cast in the middle or to the other side of the school. The fish on the other side are just as fishy as the fish on your side and if you pull one off your side then most likely the others will not spook as bad as if you lay fly line across the school and or pull a fish through the school. Know your depth so you know the heaviest your fly has to be to get to the bottom, in other words if a light fly will do the job then it will do it better.
Sight is usually the key to staying out of trouble. If you can see fish far enough out then you are ahead of the game, after all not running them over with the boat is always helpful. Sometimes the fish dictate this in a nective way, they sit a little deeper, pick a muddy area to reside in, and/or hardly move. Other times fish will have their backs out of the water with birds over them chasing the shrimp they are kicking up. Most fish are somewhere in the middle, with a momentary flash of white from their underside or water that is just slightly shaky. Being vigilant equals seeing fish and if you see them early you can be prepared.
While you are poling to where they are there are things to do to make sure you don't make the fish aware of your presents. Don't think you need to get there in the next few seconds, pushing the boat extremely fast is more likely to create pressure waves. Keep someone on front so that the bow stays down and doesn't slap, be tender with the pole when you first make contact with the bottom to avoid crunching noises, no one in the boat should be picking up their feet unless they somehow can keep those feet from returning to the boat surface, as the caster don't sway because rocking the boat will make pressure waves, and minimize talking but when you do talk make sure you do so in the direction of the other person so you don't have to talk as loud. As you approach make sure you are 100% ready to cast, you should always be, but if you have this luxury then you have no excuse. When poling the boat you need to make sure the boat is positioned properly, if possible, to put the fish in line with the casters strongest ability as far as his cast.
When you get to the casting range don't cast in the middle or to the other side of the school. The fish on the other side are just as fishy as the fish on your side and if you pull one off your side then most likely the others will not spook as bad as if you lay fly line across the school and or pull a fish through the school. Know your depth so you know the heaviest your fly has to be to get to the bottom, in other words if a light fly will do the job then it will do it better.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
If you are waiting on something to happen then you better damn well be ready when it does.
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.
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.
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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