First saltfish OTF yesterday..

Saltwater Fly-Fishing
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WHOO HOO!!! GOT 'EM!!! finally!

(Sorry… my cameras have been shipped over so I had to use the phone… )
I trolled around Bushy Park to all my usual haunts and managed a trout, about 16" on a red and green paddle tail grub right as the tide turned… I had a few mud minnows out on the bottom that were providing the bluefish with a hearty snack and I saw something chasing bait on the surface so I reeled up the spinning gear and laid it down flat and broke out the long rod… I started out with a olive/white clouser and had a lot of fish following it, mostly bluefish but no takers… I switched to a smaller clouser with some blue flash in it and same thing… lots of follows and a few rolls of a white belly at it but no takers, (looked like trout so I reely got excited), … I dug around my fly box and the clouds parted and the angles sang as I gazed upon the Mad Mikes Mud Minnow, size 6 I had tied a few months back… grey colored fur with red barbell eyes… I tied it on and after about 12 casts with the same results as the other flies I was about to give up. I told myself… “One more cast, and we’ll try sumptin else…” 2 or 3 false casts and plop it landed about 2 feet from the grass… strip… strip… BANG! Fish on! At first I didn’t realize what was happening… I felt the take, the pull and the head shake and when I saw the rod bend it finally hit me that I had a fish on! I started to get excited and I reminded myself I had been here before and until that fish was in the boat I would stay calm… it ran and jumped, back and forth… finally I got her to the boat and scooped her up and into the boat! 17.5" and the M4 stickin out of her mouth pretty as you please! I took a few pix and when I let he go she kinda sat there so after a few minutes of coaxing she finally gave me a good slap on the hand as she dove away and swam off strong! Man My hands were shaking and I felt like I was high as a kite! MAN WHAT A RUSH!!! I finally

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CONGRATS!

Now go get you a red one on these flood tides while you still can.

Originally posted by livinandfishin

Trust me, while your pinned down taking enemy fire and you call in for air support and you hear a jets afterburner crackin the air overhead would be the most liberating sound you could ever ask for. I haven’t experienced that first hand in actual combat, but I have trained in a similar scenario where it still makes the hair stand up on your body.

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a few more, and it’ll be Nikon Yoda! good work stickin to your guns. when did ya get back? great lookin trout, who was more supprised?

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I got back from training on the 20th and I think I was more surprised when I realized I had a decent fish on the long rod :wink::smiley: I am actually leaving for real thsi time :roll_eyes: on Tuesday but hopefully will be fly fishing my butt off in my down time while deployed… Last tiem I still had access to this site and my nikonjedi@yahoo.com e-mail so keep your eyes peeled for fishin reports from Iraq :wink: I got my new St Croix 6wt and my March Brown 8wt and I am ready to tangle wiht some of those giant carp over there :wink:

“Paddle faster boys… I hear banjo music!”
Charleston Director- SCKayakfishing.com
Tarpon 160os

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Congrats man!:smiley:

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HOOKED for life! Be careful over there.

“Reasonable risk is implied in lion hunting”
Peter Hathaway Capstick