The Fish In-Between
By Louis Cahill
Are you walking past the fish of the day?
From where I’m standing, in water that barely covers my boots, I can see the next pool. A beautiful bend, dark green and lazy, with a big submerged log on the outside edge. A little riffle at the head, pouring into a deep pool. It’s the perfect picture of the old fishing hole. I know there is a big brown in that dark green water. I literally know. In fact, everyone who fishes here knows. He’s not a secret and yet, to my knowledge, he’s never been caught. Hooked, for sure, but never landed. Still, you have to try with a fish like that.
There’s another beautiful run below with a handful of nice fish in it. I fished it without reward. Those fish, as well as the big brown, see plenty of flies. For all I know I’m the third angler through here today, but where I’m standing, a shallow, straight run with no obvious fish holding features, I’m pretty sure is virgin water. I’ve watched plenty of guys fish through here, and with the exception of the one standing to my left, they all fish the lower hole, then walk straight up the bank to the big bend, ignoring this littler piece of water.
Directly across from me is a clump of stream-side rhododendron, it’s leaves nearly brushing the water. It’s as un assuming a spot as you might find on a trout stream but I know from experience not to disregard stream-side cover, no matter how humble. There’s a spot under those leaves, about the size of a shoe box, you can’t see into. If I were a trot, in such a well trafficked piece of water, I’d like to be where no one could see me. I make a roll cast just upstream and let my fly slide under the branches.
Read More »Guide’s Eyes
By Jesse Lowry
Seeing bonefish can be a tall order for first-time flats fishermen, even those with well trained trout eyes. First off, there can be a lot of water to cover and you don’t have the benefits you generally would on a trout stream; the likely holding places and relatively stationary fish. Bonefish move, and can move fast, and not necessarily in straight lines, which admittedly is part of the fun. A head on 60-foot shot with the wind at your back can turn into a 25-foot backhander to the back of the boat into a 20mph wind in a heartbeat; absolute tranquility to pure chaos in 4.9 seconds.
Now this shouldn’t put you off taking the leap and booking your first trip to the flats. You don’t have to be able to see the bonefish right away to catch them. On a recent trip to Bair’s Lodge, a first timer to the flats caught 8 bonefish on the first day and commented that he didn’t see a single one until they were pretty much at the boat. This is the result of the guide spotting fish for you, calling out shots, talking you through how to strip the fly to convince the bones to eat, the Bahamian guides are pros at this.
But what if you want to start seeing fish like the guides do and get the most out of your trip? Here are a few tricks I found helped me:
The hookup:
You’ve put your cast to where the guide called the fish and wham, bang, whiz, the fish is on and you’re into the backing. Now you’re focusing on line management and fighting the fish. You also have got the perfect opportunity to locate and watch a bonefish on the flats. Look to the end of your fly line and watch for the shadow, see if you can actually see the fish and watch how it disappears and reappears, and looks different on different bottoms, it should give you at least a taste of what to look for.
The release:
You’ve landed your fish, snapped a quick picture and you’re about to release it, turn around and hop back in the boat, or sort out your line on the deck. Stop right there! Release the fish and try
Read More »Change The Retrieve Not The Fly
By Louis Cahill
We’ve all been there, the fish follow the fly, they look, they chase, but they don’t eat.
I was talking the other day with one of the anglers joining me for a week of bonefishing on South Andros. He was tying flies, and like any of us, eager to be prepared for anything the fish might want. I was explaining to him that, in my opinion, having the right weight fly for the conditions was as, if not more, important than color or profile.
“The fly may not look exactly like food, but if if acts like food it’s going to get eaten,” I told him.
That’s especially true of bonefish but I think the idea carries over to any fishing situation. If your fly acts like food, you’re on the right track. That’s essentially the idea behind a good dead drift and it’s the idea behind a good streamer retrieve or a swung fly.
Most of us rush to change flies when we get refused. There are times when that’s the right thing to do. When you’re playing match the hatch with a picky riser, for example. Once an educated trout refuses a fly, it’s best not to show it to him again. However, if you’re engaged in a more active kind of fishing, like streamer fishing of saltwater, you’re often better off to change the retrieve.
If the fish is following the fly, he sees something he likes. Your fly is at worst half right. Changing the retrieve to make that fly behave like food might be all you need to do. The obvious advantage to this is, it’s a correction you can make immediately, while the eat is still possible.
Let’s get back to bonefishing for an example. Let’s say
Read More »8 Tips For Catching Bonefish in The Worst Conditions
“There ain’t no fun without the sun.”
If you’ve done any bonefishing at all, you’ve probably heard that expression.
Short of a full on tropical storm, there’s nothing worse than a dark windy day for bonefishing. It makes finding fish nearly impossible. Cloudy days turn the surface of the water into impenetrable glare, and wind makes it impossible to see pushes and nervous water. It’s a wicked combination.
On a recent trip to Abaco Lodge we had a couple of days just like that. The last day of our trip there was no sun and 30 MPH wind. Sounds bad, huh? Well, here’s the thing. While most anglers stayed back at the lodge, my buddy Scott and I were into double digits by lunch. Thanks to some great guiding by Captain Freddy (formerly of Andros South) and some attention to the basics, we had great fishing in spite of the weather. We even got to hear some of Freddy’s famous singing.
HERE ARE 8 TIPS TO PUT YOU ON BONEFISH WHEN CONDITIONS ARE AT THEIR WORST.
Focus on your short game
Most of the fish you find will be very close to the boat when you see them. Maybe no more than a leader length away. Your success depends on being able to deliver a short, accurate cast in a hurry. Two things that will help are a good ready position and casting stroke.
Be sure you have 7-9 feet of fly line outside your rod tip. This will allow you to load the rod and make a cast with no false casting. Have your fly in hand and ready to deliver. Remember that for a short cast you need a short stroke. Give it plenty of gas, but keep that stroke short, the rod tip should only move a couple of feet. You’re casting with just the tip of the rod. See more HERE.
Adjust your retrieve
When you make a really short shot, your retrieve has to change. If you strip away, you’ll likely run out of line before the fish eats. Use short, twitchy strips to tease the fish in.
Find shelter from the wind
We all struggle with casting in the wind. Once foamy white ribbons start to form on the water (18 MPH) it’s a real challenge. Don’t fight it if you don’t have to. Try to find flats on the leeward side of high ground or even tall mangroves. Spots like these give you a respite from the wind and improve your visibility greatly. The calm water in the lee will show pushing water and even the occasional tail.
Look for feed marks
When visibility is poor, it’s tough to even know if you’re on the right flat. Check the bottom for feed marks. These dark gray spots on the bottom are made when bonefish bury their heads in the sand chasing crabs. The darker the feed marks, the fresher they are, and their number tells you how many fish have been feeding. If the water is at all milky, fish are very close.
Use dark reflections
Reflections on the water of dark mangroves, trees or high banks create
Read More »Mora’s Dorado Streamer: Video
Dorado streamers are an exercise in elegance.
The first time I tries tying streamers for golden dorado I made a mess of it. I imagine that is a pretty common experience for anglers tackling this apex predator for the first time. Coming from a background of tying streamers for species like trout, pike and musky, my instinct was to put way too much material on the hook. The flies looked great, but they were impossible to fish in the way they need to be fished.
Dorado fishing is intense. There is no explaining it. You just have to experience it for yourself. It’s streamer fishing at it’s absolute best and most demanding. You have to make accurate cast, quickly, and you have to do it all day. Your ability to accurately cover structure is key. It’s like tactical shooting with a fly rod. If your fly is too heavy, you’ll be toast at the end of the day when your chance of hooking a kraken are their best.
The most important thing in tying any fly is to understand the target species, how they feed and the triggers that make them eat.
Dorado flies don’t need to run deep. The fish is not afraid to come to the surface, or of anything else for that matter. They also do not need to push a ton of water. They do need a sizable profile, great action and high contrast. Effective dorado patterns deliver these elements with the bare minimum of materials.
The guides at Parana on the fly, where I host my annual dorado trip, tie every day. These guys know dorado and are masters at crafting effective patterns. Don’t be fooled by their simplicity. It’s exactly that simplicity that makes them effective.
HERE’S PARANA ON THE FLY GUIDE LUCAS MORA TYING A CLASSIC DORADO STREAMER.
Read More »The Fusion Warrior
If Lance Egan’s Rainbow Warrior and my Fusion hooked up and had a beautiful baby, what would it look like?
Wyoming winters are long, really long. These conditions can be challenging to endure, yet they provide ample time for creation behind the tying vise. After posting a tying video for Lance Egan’s Rainbow Warrior I couldn’t help but wonder. I was curious what a combination of my Fusion and his Warrior would look like.
I’m a huge believer in the combination of a little flash and a lot buggy when it comes to nymph. The combination of these two patterns fills that niche wonderfully. The use of grey ostrich herl in the abdomen provides ample movement and a subtle veil to the flash of the underlying tinsel. The application of the Rainbow Sow Scud dubbing provides mottled coloration and a soft hackle like movement when applied with a dubbing loop. Tied on the Tiemco 2499BL in black, the pattern supports a significant gap that helps to increase the odds of hooking and holding fish.
When fishing this pattern I use it as
Read More »Aquamarine, A Permit Tale
“Now! Now is the time! Hurry!”
I am perched on the bow of a rocking Hell’s Bay Waterman, on the flats of Abaco, squinting through my bifocals and trying in vain to find the opening in a figure 8 knot. I’ve cut off six different crab flies and lucky number seven is waiting for me to finish this damned knot, while a forty-pound permit feeds in front of the boat. Ashron, my guide, is trying to help. I know this, but it’s not working. Sweat is running into my eyes and I’m starting to get tunnel vision.
The permit stops feeding and I’m finally able to finish the knot. Now we have to wait again. This big permit is doing what’s called “riding a ray.” It’s hovering over a manta ray about six feet across and picking up the scraps the ray misses. It’s sort of the Holy Grail of permit shots. As long as they stay together, the permit will focus on the ray and eat happily. We pole along about seventy-five feet behind them waiting for the ray to stir up the mud by feeding. Drop a crab pattern in that little puff of mud and you stand your best possible shot at hooking up on the permit.
Six different crab patterns have failed to get the desired reaction. I’ve had looks, swirls, follows and charges but no eats. Lucky number seven is a tiny Mop Crab no bigger across than my pinky nail. There is no eighth pattern in my box. There was, in fact, no seventh pattern. This fly came from Ashron’s hat. I’m already kicking myself for that. I’m kicking myself for making some bad casts early on, for not having practiced more before I came, for not calling my mother more often and any other shortcoming I can think of. This is what happens in your head when permit fishing and I know full well that the nagging voice in my head must be quieted before that ray muds again. That’s the devil F-ing with you. Permit ride rays and the devil rides permit.
“Now!” Ashron tells me. I see the puff of mud, I let go of my fly and sweep back my rod and tell the devil, “Watch this.”
Read More »Labrador Bound
By Jason Tucker
It’s no secret that I love brook trout, and thus the name of my blog, Fontinalis Rising.
Size doesn’t matter. From 4-inch little gems to behemoth monsters the size of respectable brown trout, I find them all fascinating and exciting. When I was a boy, my grandfather took me down to the river and showed me two fish in the 24-inch range that had staked out the area as home.
Most of our fish were in the 6- to 8-inch range, and 12 inches was considered a good fish. To see two fish that had doubled that mark was incredible. Ever since then, I’ve wondered what made those two fish get so big.
I spent as much time as possible fishing for brook trout in Northern Michigan and its Upper Peninsula, and after many years I finally caught a 16-inch fish, which was my personal best for some time.
Since then I’ve gone to Nipigon, where a 12-inch fish is considered small. I caught one fish that was 22 inches, and lost several fish that were much bigger. (Brook trout tend to pack on the pounds once they reach about 22 inches. A 20-inch fish may weigh 3 pounds while a 23-incher may weigh 7 pounds.)
A few years later I was invited to go fish with the Sault Gang. We caught 38 fish that averaged 18-20 inches and 1.5 to 3 pounds, and got one big male that was over 4 pounds. I also took a trip to Isle Royale with a distinguished group of gentlemen. The fish there average 3-5 pounds. With research I’ve discovered that
Read More »Eye Surgery #8 Update
By Louis Cahill
I’m two weeks Post-op and things are going well.
I hate talking about my medical issues, but lots of you are asking for updates, so I’ll keep it short. That should be easy since, as of now, all the news is good. A lot went on in the run up to the surgery but I’ll just hit the high points.
Things were feeling a little sketchy the week before my surgery. The oil in my eye had completely turned to muck. Like spring run-off inside my eye. As a result, I developed glaucoma. Rising eye pressure threatened to damage my optic nerve. There was no choice but to remove the oil, however, the murky oil prevented my doctor from seeing the condition of the retina. He was going in blind and not happy about it. I won’t lie, it was scary.
Fortunately the surgery went well. Dr Alurkar flushed two liters of solution through my eye cleaning it out and the retina stayed attached. Statistically, the majority of folks in my situation, who do experience another detachment, do so during surgery. The vast majority experience it during the first week. I’m two weeks out now and my doctor says the retina looks fantastic! After a couple of truly awful days, my pressure has returned to normal so it appears I dodged the glaucoma bullet with no apparent nerve damage. I will not be in the clear for 60-90 days but things look really promising right now.
It will take at least 90 days to really know what I can expect for vision. It’s a mess right now but the double vision caused by the oil is gone and as of just last night my eyes have started trying to focus again. That’s very encouraging. Whatever I end up with, I’ll be very happy to have it. I’m struggling to keep my expectations in line. I’m just superstitious enough to worry about jinxing myself, but I’m starting to feel truly optimistic. I am sooooooo ready to get on with my life!
Thank you all for your continuing support throughout this nightmare. I can not tell you how good it feels to have so many people in my corner. I can’t imagine how difficult this would have been without that support. Hopefully I’ll be checking in with more good news in a couple of weeks.
Thanks!
Louis Cahill
Read More »Carp on the Fly – 12 Q&A’s to Get You Ready
Good friend and fly fishing guide, Ryan Dunne has been capitalizing on the growing carp buzz by fly anglers lately.
Ryan commented, “I’ve seen a significant increase in carp fishing inquiries the last two years, and when the dog days of summer arrive and the trout fishing bite goes south, I now opt for poling my skiff and guiding my clients to carp on my local rivers and lakes”. Thank you Ryan for taking the time to sit down with Gink & Gasoline to answer twelve frequently asked questions about fly fishing for carp.
Have you found certain colors of fly patterns to be more effective than others?
I find that the water conditions and ambient light conditions dictate which color is more effective. I typically stick to four different colors when tying carp flies. They are black, brown, olive, and orange. Although the majority of my flies are tied in the aforementioned colors, I do tie with other colors as well.
Have you found certain fly tying materials (synthetics or natural) that carp seem to dislike?
I haven’t noticed a difference in carp behavior towards either type of material. However, most of my fly patterns contain a combination of both synthetic and natural fly tying materials.
What are a couple of your favorite go-to carp flies?
My two favorite patterns are the Carp Carrot and Carp Dragon.
Is the weight of your fly patterns critical and if yes, when do you prefer heavier flies?
Weight is definitely a key part to my subsurface carp patterns. Feeding carp rarely stay in one place, so you want to get your fly in the feeding zone as quick as possible. Water depth will dictate the weight of my patterns. I find that bead-chain and dumbbell eyes in various sizes are ideal for carp patterns.
When would you say is the most consistent time to go carp fishing?
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