Why All Fly Anglers Should Be Watching Their Back Cast
No fly angler should ever feel ashamed to watch his/her backcast when fly fishing. In fact, if you make a habit of consistently watching your back cast, you’ll become a much better fly caster overtime and catch a good deal more fish when you’re on the water. Just because Brad Pitt in the movie, A River Runs Through It, didn’t watch his back cast in most of the fly fishing scenes throughout the film, doesn’t mean fly anglers should follow his lead. The best fly casters in the world watch their back cast when presentations call for it. They might not do it all of the time, but they sure as heck don’t think twice about doing so, when a specific presentation calls for it.
Read More »Better Casting for Bonefish
By John Byron, The Bonefish Beginner
Tons of great advice out there on how to cast a fly rod. Tons more on how to catch bonefish.
These two streams of good information come together in the universal charge you read over and over again: hey dummy, practice your casting!
These days, travel dead, lodges closed, bonefishing a hope for the future, practicing is good therapy and a great opportunity to be a lot more ready when things do open up again.
Yes it’s true, sometimes you need all the range you can get, heroic throws to the edge of your best abilities. Sometimes too it’s not a cast at all, just a quick flick to put the fly 15 feet from the boat where a fish snuck up on you.
But what should be the goal of your casting practice to tune you best for the majority of shots?
I say it’s fifty feet. An honest fifty feet from the reel to the fly where it lands on the water.
Mark your flyline with a Sharpie at fifty feet, leader included, and leave the rest of the line on the reel when you’re practicing. Hone your casting and aim your practicing to reliably cast fifty feet — all conditions, all directions, all winds. Get good at fifty feet and you’ll catch more bonefish.
Yes, there are guides who’ll say you’ve gotta be good at everything. The answer is … give me as much time on the water as you get and I will be.
The rest of us? Let’s work on what gives us the best shot without all those years’ experience. That’s skill at fifty feet.
If you keep the practice range to fifty feet and ease off the long throws, you’ll gain the abilities you need most of your time on the water. Tighten the loops, land the fly softer, end the wind knots, get really comfortable with your gear.
Probably better at…
Read More »Top 10 Redfish Flies
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF REDFISH PATTERNS FLOATING AROUND OUT THERE.
All the way from Florida to Texas anglers and tyers are hard at work designing patterns to fool redfish. Most of them imitate the crabs, shrimp, and baitfish that make up the majority of the redfish diet. The great thing about redfish patterns is, for the most part, they are pretty darn simple fly and easy to tie. It’s one saltwater fish that isn’t very picky. Redfish are aggressive enough to take just about anything that’s swimming in front of them. The key to choosing a fly for redfish, like most fish, is knowing what they’re eating that time of year, as well as water clarity, and how active the fish are in their current situation on the flats. There are tons of awesome redfish patterns and it’s not easy to pick a top 10 but here are 10 of my favorite commercial Redfish Patterns.
#10 Kinky Muddler
Big bait, big fly. This is a go to pattern during the warmer months when Redfish are feeding on finger mullet. The low tide flats seem to fill up with mullet and the redfish take full advantage of the buffet. This is one of the best all around finger mullet flies and it works well when the fish are focused on the bigger baits. The Kinky Fiber and Angel Hair provide a big head followed by bucktail, and long stripes of saddle hackle give it the mullet movement.
#9 Fools Gold
An excellent small crab pattern for tailers. Gold body, raccoon tail, and dumbbell eyes to get it down. Works along the bottom like a crab and also gives a soft presentation with its light weight, and small size. Lots of movement and flash to get the full attention of a redfish looking for food.
#8 Fishalicious
Funky but effective on not only redfish but baby tarpon, and snook. The deer hair head gives it almost a subsurface presentation and works great for those actively feeding redfish. Not a very heavy fly but creates a lot of movement when fishing shallow water redfish. The darker Olive/Black color works very well in muddy water situations too.
Read More »Winston Air TH Spey Rod: Video
These new two hand rods from Winston incorporate the technology and materials of the Air rod family.
The Winston Air is one of the most responsive fly rods on the market. Thanks, in part, to it’s nano-silica technology the Air delivers maximum performance with minimum effort. The Air TH, in classic Winston 13′ 3″ length is no exception.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE WINSTON AIR TH.
Read More »The New Able Vaya Fly Reel
The updated Vaya fly reel is a unique piece of fly fishing gear.
Sealed drag, quick release spool, and of course stunning finished inside and out are a few of the features of these hot looking, saltwater safe fly reels.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE NEW ABLE VAYA.
Read More »The First Ten Seconds
CHAOS AND PANIC ARE GOOD WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT GOES THROUGH MANY ANGLERS HEADS DURING THE FIRST TEN SECONDS FOLLOWING A BIG FISH HOOKUP.
The decisions you make during those first seconds of the fight will often determine whether you or the fish wins the battle. There’s lots of ways to lose a big fish and sometimes it’s completely out of your control. But one of the worst decisions you can make, specifically when a fish is making a screaming run upstream or downstream of you, is deciding to stay put and not follow. When this happens you better be ready to kick it into high gear and move your ass fast in pursuit. Otherwise, you’ll quickly find yourself with no leverage to apply adequate power to fight and steer the fish. It’s like trying to drive a car on a curvy road without a steering wheel, it’s just not going to work.
Big trout usually only have a couple really long hard runs. If you can stick with them during the blitzing runs and keep good tension, you’ll often find the hardest part of the fight is over with. After that it’s all about being patient and
Read More »Riversmith River Quiver: REVIEW
For more than two decades I’ve done it the exact same way. Rise before the sun, chuck my waders, boots, and gear in a big plastic tub, and then toss my rigged-up rods inside the cab of my vehicle.
The long, bumpy, unkempt roads of the southeast’s public lands wreaked havoc on my trucks. Those fragile fly rods that I haphazardly tossed through the back glass? Rod tips sliding across the dash. Blanks bouncing over the backseat. Most days I was just lucky they made it. There were plenty of unlucky days, though. Never did I think that I would find myself snapping off the tip of one of my fly rods because it got stuck between the windshield and the dashboard, but one morning I did just that so I could go fishing. And that sound… That awful sound of a fly rod screming as it is sent through the glass guillotine… my passenger window. Car doors. Rear tailgates. They have all caused their fair share of destruction. Not to mention the constant sliding around of fly rods and constantly moving them out of your face. And yes, I have tried a handful of interior rod racks, but none ever really solved any problems or worked well enough to keep around. So, until recently, I’ve just dealt with having fly rods running amuck in my vehicles.
About a year ago, I received a phone call from the folks at Riversmith. They had recently launched their new River Quiver rod rack and were generous enough to send one my way to test drive. After talking with Luke on the phone, and meeting John at IFTD, I can tell you from the get-go that these guys have the right ideas, methods, and goals in mind. They themselves were avid fly anglers and had used other rod racks on the market that left them with the desire to design a better one. Riversmith unturned every stone on this project. Aside from just being able to carry fly rods, they wanted the River Quiver to excel in areas where others fell short. Security. Durability. Design. Ease of use. They even focused on materials and design that would ensure road noise was kept to a minimum. Not only developing a solid product, Riversmith has also committed to excel in customer service and sharing their passion for fly fishing alongside their customers.
Riversmith offers four different models of the River Quiver that will accommodate most anglers’ needs, as well as two color options. The standard River Quiver is available as a “2-Banger” at $399.99 and a “4-Banger” at $599.99, allowing folks to carry either two or four rods up to 10’4” in length along on their journeys. If you’re needing to carry along some longer sticks, Riversmith also offers extended versions of both the “2-Banger” and “4-Banger” that allows enough space for rods up to 11’4” in length. Originally offered in unfinished aluminum (which we have), the River Quiver is now offered in a sleek, matte black for an extra $60 for the 2-Banger and $80 for the 4-Banger, and is currently only offered on the standard length models. The sturdy reel box is made of tough AES polymer and features a keyed lock with a beefy hinge and side-swinging door. The box has ample room for large saltwater reels and allows for larger fighting butts. A tongue-and-groove joint runs around the entire perimeter of the box and resists prying and tampering, keeping your rods and reels that much more secure. Each of the rod tubes are
Read More »New Alpha Fly Rods From Winston
The new Alpha series fly rods from Winston speed things up.
Winston is hitting the ground running with a new fast action rod. The Alpha is a top shelf offering in Winston green and all the touches that go with it. It also uses the famous Winston Boron reinforced but section. Justin Pickett is a big fan.
WATCH THE VIDEO AND HE’LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE NEW WINSTON ALPHA.
Read More »New Saltwater and Euro Nymph Fly Lines from RIO: Video
RIO has a host of new Direct Core saltwater fly lines, and a nifty trick for the occasional euro nympher.
Rio’s direct core lines have been out for a while. The flagship Flats Pro is a great example of how the direct core makes for better fishing. This year RIO is introducing several purpose driven Direct Core fly lines, including specialty tapers for bonefish, permit and tarpon.
As a bonus, you’ll also see the new Euro Nymph Shortie, an attachable head that turned your standard fly line into a euro nymphing line in seconds. A great trick for when you need to get technical on the spot.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON DIRECT CORE FLY LINES AND THE EURO NYMPH SHORTIE!
Read More »The New Yeti Hopper M-30 Portable Cooler: Video
The new Yeti Hopper M-30 uses magnets to keep ice longer.
If you’re looking for a portable cooler that’s rugged, doesn’t leak and keeps ice frozen, the M-30 is a big improvement. Magnetic closures keep the cold in when it’s warm out. Just the thing for those summer days when WE ARE GOING TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE YETI HOPPER M-30.
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