6 Tips For Catching Spooky Bonefish

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BONEFISH CAN GET SPOOKY. CRAZY, UNREAL, MADDENINGLY SPOOKY.

I found myself dealing with just this situation the other day. Wading for super spooky bonefish in skinny water. Not the easiest day of fishing to be sure, but I did pretty well. I thought I’d share some of the tactics that I use to bring spooky bonefish to hand. Some are obvious and some, not so much.

Wade quiet, or not at all
Bonefish are very sensitive to sound. Especially the sound of your legs pushing water. On days when the wind is still and the water calm, you can barely move without alerting them. Take special care that your steps do not push water. Go super slow! Be aware of pot holes and soft mud that may throw you off balance and cause sudden movements. Find ambush spots like inlets and points and just hang out for a while. Let the fish come to you.

Use light flies
Bonefish are extra spooky in skinny water. You don’t need a heavy fly when the water is shallow so switch to a lighter fly that will land softer on the water. Use bead chain eyes instead of lead eyes, and for extra quiet presentations wrap some hackle at the eyes to cushion their landing.

Keep a low profile
When bonefish are close, crouch or kneel to minimize your visibility. Wear soft natural colors that blend with the surroundings. This is crucial when fish are following your fly and swimming straight for you.

Lead ’em farther
If fish are blowing up on good presentations, or even before the fly hits the water, it’s time to lengthen your lead. The other day I

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Sunday Classic / Choosing a line for your switch rod Part one: Understanding lines and line tapers

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SO YOU BOUGHT A SWITCH ROD…NOW WHAT?

The idea behind the switch rod is simple. What if you could have the best of both worlds? What if you were nymphing under an indicator but you had the length of a Spey rod to highstick? What if you could cast a dry fly eighty feet without a backcast? What if you could swing flies on a skagit head and sink tip in the morning and dead drift dries in the afternoon without going back to the truck for another rod? Is that a world you’d like to fish in?

Switch rods are a wonderful and versatile tool for fly anglers but they can be as vexing as versatile. In fact, it is their versatility that makes them so confusing. There are about a dozen ways you can set up and fish that new switch rod. They range from nymphing for trout to swinging for steelhead and even casting in the surf for stripers. How your rod will fish starts with the line you choose and it all adds up to make selecting a line for your switch rod the most confusing choice in fly fishing.

I know a lot of guys come to the switch rod from a single-hand casting background. They hear all the talk about two-handed casting and get to feel like they are missing something. The switch rod offers the option of single-hand performance and seems like a friendly way into the world of two-handed casting. The trouble is that lots of those guys never get comfortable putting their left hand on the rod, usually because

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Saturday Shoutout / Under the Bridge

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A beautiful journey to Norway for grayling and brown trout on the Rena.

“Nothing kicks the Rena at its best,” or so say the Norwegians, apparently. From what you’ll see in this short film, it’s easy to believe. Blizzard hatches, long gliding runs boiling with rise forms, sone of the prettiest trout and biggest grayling you’re likely to see. The Rena must be a treasure for the anglers who call it home.

Enjoy, “Rena Under The Bridge.”

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New Fly Lines And Leaders From Scientific Anglers

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Watch the Video!

The folks at Scientific Anglers are always hard at work putting you on fish.

This year is no different. Lot’s of new products from SA, including new slickness technology, amazing sinking lines, price point saltwater lines and wire bite-tip leaders. I’v had the chance to fish several of these new lines and I’n very impressed. You can read my review of the Titan sinking lines here.

WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR THE FULL RUNDOWN ON NEW FLY LINES AND LEADERS FROM SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS.

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Tarpon on the Fly: 10 Rookie Mistakes

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I’ll never forget heading down to the Florida Keys for my first fishing trip for tarpon on the fly. Cruise control set and adrenaline pumping through my veins, that fifteen hour drive south only felt like it took four hours. My rookie confidence was overflowing, leaving me zero doubt that I had the necessary fishing skills to step up to the challenge of landing a tarpon on the fly. After my first trip was completed and I played it all back in my head, I realized I could have been a whole lot more prepared. My guide Capt. Joel Dickey did his job. He put me on plenty of fish, I hooked up with a couple nice tarpon, but I never landed one because I made too many rookie mistakes on the bow. Below are 10 common mistakes I wished I would have taken the time to read over before I made my first tarpon outing.

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Destination Fly Fishing On The Cheap

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Everyone wants to fish like a rock star, but not everyone has the budget.

Fortunately you don’t have to have deep pockets to have big fly fishing adventures. While storied Atlantic salmon rivers and Christmas Island my stay off the list, there’s plenty of awesome fishing in reach and you can have a quality experience without spending a lot of money.

I’ve done a lot of budget fly fishing travel. While I get some really great fishing opportunities these days I’m still pretty frugal in how I take advantage of them. There’s not a lot of first class seats on the G&G tour bus. Over time, I’ve figured out how to stretch a dollar pretty far and how to maximize my chances of success.

Here are some tips for destination fly fishing on the cheap

Choosing a location

This is the cornerstone of a great fishing trip. Every decision and outcome depends on making a good choice of fishing location. There’s lots to think about, so take some time and make a solid choice. Here are a few things to think about when choosing a location.

The Experience
What kind of experience are you looking for? You could choose a total immersion like boat camping where you are on the water every minute, or you could travel to a new place with lots to offer culturally or things for the family to do while you’re fishing. There’s no wrong answer. What matters is that you come home feeling that your time and money were well spent. Know what you want and be careful where you compromise.

The Timing
Where you fish may depend on when you can go. Ideally you’ll be able to hit the location you choose when the fishing is at its absolute best, but there are plenty of variables. It might not be so fun to bang it out on a famous river during peak season, so you may choose to throw streamers after school back is in session rather than fish dry flies in a throng. You might, like I do, choose to go bone fishing in the winter to get away from the cold, knowing you might catch more fish in April when the weather is unbearably hot and there are clouds of horse flies. It may also be a matter of finding a place where the fishing is good the week you have time off. Do your research and know what to expect.

The Weather
Weather is always a source of stress when planning a fishing trip.

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Sunday Classic / Outboard Jet Boating 101- Safety & Maintenance

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Every year I see more and more outboard jet boats on the water.

I can’t say it really surprises me though, I totally get why anglers are drawn to them. In my opinion, jet sleds are one of the coolest boats anyone can drive or fish out of. They can run in just about any kind of water, they offer anglers the ability to re-run and fish sections of water at the drop of a hat, and they are quite affordable and easy to drive. A lot of guys these days are dropping coin and converting their two and four stroke outboard props to jets. It can be done fairly easy if you are mechanically inclined and can follow directions. There’s also quite a few first-time boat purchasers out there that have chosen to go the jet motor route and many more anglers presently riding the fence, about to pull the trigger.

Problem is, the majority of the salespeople selling these jet motors don’t regularly provide the buyer with the most important piece of the puzzle; common sense jet boating safety guidelines and troubleshooting on the water. Any veteran outboard jet boat owner will tell you it’s only a matter of time until you screw up and have an accident on the water or have engine mechanical problems. Understanding how to run safely and perform on-the-water maintenance is critical if you want to avoid accidents, bodily injury and consistently bring your jet boat back to trailer in tip top shape.

My goal for this post is to provide a jet boating 101 quick read, for those anglers out there who have recently purchased a jet outboard or for those considering purchasing one in the near future. My hopes is that it will keep some of you from making some of the same rookie mistakes I did, and you’ll learn how important it is to be prepared and drive safely when running jet outboards. Below are some things I’ve learned from my time running a jet sled in Alaska, but most of the information I learned, came from hanging out with veterans that run jets every day. I’ll attempt to give you the meat and potatoes but I’m depending on the followers of G&G that are the experts on this subject to voice their thoughts.

PRE-TRIP EQUIPMENT & BACK-UP GEAR CHECK

It’s important that you’re religious about doing a thorough pre-trip boat equipment check before you head out on the water each trip with your jet sled. You should always take the time to look over the motor to make sure everything is in proper working order. If you have a 2-stroke motor, make sure you have filled your oil reservoir, check to make sure the fuel lines are connected snugly to your motor and running gas can, grease your motor to push out any water in the engine and check to make sure your foot is clear of any debris. Visually check and touch your main nuts and bolts to confirm they are tight. They can loosen up from gravel road trailering and during use. Last, check to make sure you have your anchor and tool box.

BACKUP GEAR & SAFETY EQUIPMENT

Don’t even think about making your first trip out with your new jet boat until you have acquired critical backup gear/and maintenance equipment. We all want to keep our boat light as possible so it performs at it’s best, but it’s far more important you have the back up gear on hand in case you run into any problems on the water. Doing so, you’ll avoid finding yourself stranded out on the water. Below is a recommended backup gear list all jet boat operators should have on board with them at all times.

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Saturday Shoutout / Keep ‘em Wet Photo Tips

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As anglers who love fly fishing we have a responsibility to the fish.

Catch and release fly fishing is a subject dear to my heart. Most fly anglers understand the importance of using best practices when handling fish. Lately the slogan “keep ‘em wet” has been everything from a hashtag to a battle cry. We all know that fish are best off when left in the water, but how do you get a good photo of a nice fish when you’re by yourself?

This great video on orvis.com will show you how to get great looking photos of your fish and keep ‘em wet the whole time.

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New Fly Rods and Reels From Redington

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You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get performance in fly rods and reels.

Redington has really made a name for itself as a hard working brand that offers value and performance. I see their gear on rivers all over the world and no wonder, they give anglers what they want. Solid gear at a good price.

Redington has three new rods and a new reel this year. A good all-arounder, a new predator and a trout spey. There’s also a new light weight fly reel with a powerful drag. Whatever you’re fishing for, Big Red has you covered.

Watch this video for al of the details on new fly rods and reels from Redington.

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Fly Fishing: 3 Great Times to Fish Streamers

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I fell in love with streamer fishing the very first time I cast one. All it took was me bringing one trout to the net on a size 6 white Zonker, and I was hooked. I’ll never forget that beautiful 15″ wild rainbow trout, that I caught and released on a ten foot wide Southern Appalachian blue liner up in North Georgia back in the 90s. I remember the tiny stream being too overgrown and tight for me to make traditional fly casts so I crawled down on a flat boulder, stripped out some fly line and dead drifted the streamer downstream into a pool. Nothing happened at first but I didn’t give up. Instead of retrieving the fly all the way in, like most anglers regularly do, I instead made a few strips in and then let the streamer drift back down into the pool. On my third attempt, that gorgeous wild rainbow trout hammered my streamer and I brought it into my net. I still use that downstream stripping and drift back technique quite a bit when it’s called for. It works equally well with nymphs and dries.

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