saw a number of individual fish tailing over the last two weekends. landed this one fri night on a copper crab. been a long time coming, but well worth it. revived and released.
Need to practice getting the fly out farther more quickly. Any advice on how to old the rod & line while stalking for a quick presentation at distance? ive seen a video or two on youtube, but like most other suggestions, they are directed to casters on boats. its def more difficult standing in knee deep water and grass…
Casting while wading is the same as on a boat… line management is a little different… but not that much.
I just keep my line on the reel until I see a fish… while walking to the fish i pull off 40-50’ of line… even if I don’t need that much… just let it drag behind you, its not that big of a deal… if the fish is close then just stand still and strip the line off at your feet on the side of your casting arm…
The rest is just casting mechanics… Practice at home… to be effective in the salt water game you need to be able to put 50’ of line out in less than 3 false casts… this is just practice… learn to double haul (if you can’t already)… and practice, practice, practice… there is no other way, no secret… just practice…
Congrats on your first of hopefully many to come…
Mad Mike
"to hell with insane… I’m OUTsane!!! "
Nice fish and it looks like you are using a kayak, so I’ll reference my experience with that. I usually pole around on the yak till I see a fish. Rod is at my feet, line on the reel. Gently step out of the yak, gently drop the anchor or stick ski pole thru the scupper hole into the mud.
Like Mad Mike said, begin walking towards the fish and stripping line off which trails behind you. Unhook the fly, few false casts and put it on the dinner plate. Even if it snags grass behind you it should easily come off while casting.
I’ve poled around on my yak with 3 fly rods rigged (for topwater, tailers and cruisers) and line spooled for each ready to go on the bottom of the yak. It can become a mess. I recommend keep the line on the reel but be ready to act quickly and efficiently when you see the fish. Figure out what you want to do first and have the checklist of what you need to do to get out of the yak and then casting in your head, i.e. step out, secure paddle, put down anchor, grab rod… When I’m on the flats and no fish show, on occasion, I will practice this. Go through it over and over again and you will have less issues and catch more fish. Simple, and difficult, as that. Oh and practice casting.
There is no normal life, there’s just life.
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing
www.knotthereelworld.com
thanks confirmed im staging well just need to practice casts more. Hokie its been a process figuring out the best way to get set up but heres my ride right now. i can pole or paddle from the cooler, looking forward to winter when i can see through the water from up there.
A motor on a yak? That has to be cheating.
quote:Dude!!! Yamaha, Baitcaster, Yeti, Lip Grabber, Fly Rod, Bait Bucket... you are living the dream. :wink:
Originally posted by AvuncularBen…heres my ride right now. i can pole or paddle from the cooler, looking forward to winter when i can see through the water from up there.
Hopefully, you take this as a compliment. I wish I had all of that available to me (in one set up) when I started out in fishing. It’s a rich fishing environment and we now have all of this high quality and compact packaging.
Buttttt… lets get to the point:
Beautiful and healthy first fish on the fly.
thanks, do take as a compliment. it looks simple but thats because of all the thought, research, trial and error, and money ive put into the set up over the last few years. Although ive just started fly fishing, ive been fishing my whole life, much more regularly over the last ten years.
reminds me of an anecdote
"Mark Twain, like most writers, found it easier to write long than short. He received this telegram from a publisher:
NEED 2-PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS.
Twain replied:
NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS. CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES."
ultimately just try to have the tools to get me on different waters in a position to catch fish as efficiently as possible. still not a cake walk–running the motor, balancing on the boat whether sitting or standing, transporting–all takes plenty of concentration and effort. def not for everybody.
fyi did some researching before i got that icey tek cooler. taller, cheaper, lighter, more interior space than comparably sized yeti. also dimensions make a good fit in the deck.
on another note, was down last weekend, almost had number 2. this time had a heavier, dumbbell fly and it threw my mechanics way off. wind was a b**** too. was like walking the edge of a kiddie pool with a tail in the center, and i couldnt get the fly there to save my life. when he finally spooked, cant remember a time i was boiling that bad. lucky i didn’t break that rod in my tantrum. lesson learned though, how becoming a better fisherman goes. ill prob go practice cast today.
quote:
Originally posted by AvuncularBenthanks, do take as a compliment. it looks simple but thats because of all the thought, research, trial and error, and money ive put into the set up over the last few years. Although ive just started fly fishing, ive been fishing my whole life, much more regularly over the last ten years…
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>The effort that you put into that rig is what caught my eye. If you are having to drive down from Columbia, I’d be happy to put an X on a map if you give me a day or two notice where you are planning to fish. PM me. I’m local from McClellanville to Edisto.