11 Tips for Correctly Presenting Your Fly To Tarpon
Anyone who’s fly fished for tarpon has probably experienced how easy it is to present the fly incorrectly.
If you miss your target, even by just a little bit, it can drastically lower your chances for getting a tarpon to eat. Cast the fly too close, and the tarpon will spook. Don’t lead the fish enough, and your fly won’t get down to the tarpon’s depth. Cross the fish at the wrong angle, and your fly will be moving towards the fish and it will spook. The list goes on and on.
Bottom-line, there’s a very small margin of error bestowed to anglers fly fishing for tarpon. You have to execute everything damn near perfect to put the odds in your favor, and even then, you aren’t guaranteed squat. Here’s the problem. The average angler that travels to fly fish for tarpon is not educated on how to read and respond accordingly to different fishing scenarios on the flats. A lot of this has to do with lack of experience and time on the water. If you find yourself falling into this category, prior to fishing, you should take the time to have your guide explain how you should handle common fishing situations that you’re likely to encounter. As a kid the same preparation was used by my Dad to walk me through how to make a clean kill shot on a deer. I can hear him now, “If the deer is faced in this direction, I want you to put the crosshairs here”. He must have gone over a dozen different scenarios during the drive up. By the time he was done talking, I felt like I had been hunting for years. It’s no different fly fishing for tarpon. Taking the time to have your guide walk you through different fishing scenarios will greatly increase your tarpon insight, fishing awareness and get you prepared for the real McCoy.
The second thing anglers should do to increase their success tarpon fishing is have a solid game plan or checklist that they’re willing to stick to on the bow. It must run like clockwork, flawlessly and consistently every time. The game plan should begin at the angler ready position, with fly in hand, and end with a well-calculated presentation cast. Success all boils down to angler aptitude and experience. The more you have of it, the better the chances you’re going to make the right calculations and decisions on the water.
I gave my good friend and Florida Keys flats guide, Captain Joel Dickey a call to look over my checklist and give me some pointers. Below is a checklist we came up with that
Read More »The New G4 Pro Jacket
The New G4 Pro Jacket from Simms features new materials and design.
New Gore-Tex material gives this performance driven jacket a light, lived-in feel without sacrificing a warm, dry fishing experience. The storage layout makes it easy fish without a vest or pack. Thoughtful design and performance materials make the new G4 Pro the best jacket Simms has ever made.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE NEW G4 PRO JACKET.
Read More »The Secret Spot
Dirty little secrets. We all have them.
Well, maybe they’re not so dirty, and if they are, I guess we have ourselves to blame. But everyone who ever owned a fishing rod has one. The spot that we think of as ours. It’s human nature I suppose, to want to own something, especially a place. I’ve heard that Native American cultures did not believe in the idea of people owning the land. I guess it’s clear how that played out. As for the rest of us, the ones with the fishing rods, we hold that idea firmly to our chests. The idea that we have a secret spot. A place that that we, through our skill, wisdom, charm and good looks, what-have-you, have found and laid claim to. A place so good that we dare not tell a soul about it.
Generally there is some impediment involved. Our place is hidden, hard to reach, you have to know that turn or trail or pull off. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a secret, right? Everyone would know about it. We get satisfaction from knowing something others don’t. We judge ourselves as somehow better than the masses for having and keeping our little secret. We go there and enjoy the great fishing and the solitude, and for a time we enjoy the illusion that we are alone. That we have been magically transported back to those “good old days” before every tree had been cut and every pool had a trail to it. We enjoy the idea that we are casting to fish who have never seen a fly, until the inevitable happens. Until we find that beer can or bright blue worm container, the ones my buddy Dan calls Indian pottery. Then we wake up for a spell, to the realization that there are no secret spots, no good old days. We rant a bit about how the whole thing has gone to hell. We blame the bait fisherman and talk about giving up. Eventually we move on to the business of finding the next secret spot.
Eventually we will find it. It will be farther in, longer to walk, harder to find and we will be that much more clever for having found it. It will be the good old days again. Then we will do what we do with all secrets. The thing that makes a secret worth having,
Read More »#Flies4Friends
Focusing on the positive has changed the course of my life.
Regardless of how small or large positive moments are, they perpetuate the existence of hope and joy in the lives of people. In an effort to help keep this optimistic momentum moving, I’ve started “Flies4Friends”.
During the month of February, I’ll be tying flies and sending them to my friends. My hope is that when they receive them in the mail, it will bring a smile to their face and joy to their hearts. On Instagram, I’ll be taking pictures of those flies and using the hashtag #Flies4Friends to encourage other people to do the same. If you’re a tier or a buyer, I would urge you to join me by sending or giving at least one dozen flies to a friend this month. Give them with no expectations of reciprocation, only with the knowledge that you’ll be bringing joy to another person.
Regardless of where we exist in this world, we always have the ability to make a positive difference in the lives of others. As fly fishers, we have a wonderful means to connect with people who love what we do. This month, let’s use that connection to give to them instead of ourselves and in the process, make the world a more positive place.
SEE YOU AT #FLIES4FRIENDS
Read More »New Recon Fly Rods from Orvis
The awesome Recon rod line is back, new and improved.
The Recon rods from Orvis have always been an incredible bargain. Truly a premium fly rod at a budget price. The new Recons are all new with updated materials and tapers, increased hoop strength and straighter tracking.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO AND TOM ROSENBAUER WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE NEW RECON FLY RODS FROM ORVIS.
Read More »Forget The Wind: Tips for Fly Casting in the Wind
By Louis Cahill
Fly casting in the wind is just fly casting…in the wind.
“Ok, so I’m in my ready position, and the wind is blowing on my right side…”
The question came from an angler at this year’s January Bonefish School. I didn’t need to hear any more of it.
“I’ll stop you right there,” I replied, “The answer is, stop thinking about the wind.”
I vividly remember being in that mindset. Freaked out about the wind, overthinking stuff that had nothing to do with getting the fly in front of the fish, rushing my cast and melting down on the bow. It’s a terrible feeling. I see other anglers give up completely, either on the bow or back at the lodge with a book. The fact is, is you are going to fish saltwater, you’re going to have to cast in the wind and the sooner you make piece with it, the more fish you’ll catch.
I get asked all the time how to cast in the wind. Maybe more than I get asked anything else. Here’s the answer. There’s a secret to casting a fly rod in the wind. From the looks I get when I tell folks, I’m guessing it’s a well kept secret. The secret is, you cast exactly like you cast when there’s no wind.
The techniques for casting a fly in the wind are exactly the same as casting on a calm day. The difference is that the wind does not forgive poor technique. Sure, there are some helpful tricks you can use, like a Belgian Cast when the wind is off your casting shoulder, but that’s specialized stuff and if you are struggling with the wind, it isn’t really an answer. If you are struggling with the fundamentals of the cast, advanced technique you haven’t practiced is’t going to help any more than striking a Bruce Lee pose in a bar fight. You’re likely just going to get your ass kicked extra hard.
The most helpful thing you can do on a windy day is forget about the wind.
For most anglers the problem isn’t that they don’t know how to cast in the wind, but when the wind blows, they forget hoe to cast. This is the voice of experience. I was in that camp for years. I remember when the light finally turned on. It was a revelation. Casting in the wind is just casting without losing your composure.
Disclaimer: If you don’t understand the fundamentals of the fly cast, well, you need to. You can’t Zen away ignorance. Start with The 5 Essentials Of A Good Fly Cast Revisited, and practice. For those of you who can make a nice cast when it’s calm but fall apart in the wind, here are some practice tips.
SOME DOS AND DON’TS FORECASTING IN THE WIND.
Don’t rush your cast
Most angler try to generate line speed in the wind by casting harder. Usually the first thing to suffer, or disappear all together, is the pause at the end of the stroke. Your fly line is weighted to load the rod. If you don’t let it straighten out, you can’t get a good load and you have no power in the cast.
Don’t drop your rod tip
The other effect of casting harder is usually dropping the rod tip. In an effort to make a longer stroke the rod tip comes off a straight line path, causing the line to crash down on the water and the leader to pile up.
Stop the rod hard and high
The stop at the end of the stroke is what forms the loop. Stopping the rod high and hard makes a tight energized loop that cuts the wind.
Keep the rod in the stopped position
Most anglers drop the rod too early on their presentation. In general,
Read More »My Grandfather’s Clinch Knot
DO YOU THINK ABOUT TYING YOUR SHOES, BRUSHING YOUR TEETH, PUTTING ON YOUR SHIRT?
I’ll bet I’ve tied the Improved Clinch Knot more times than I’ve done any of those things. But I like to think that I pay more attention to my fishing knots than I do the knot in my shoe laces. When a long standing friend got into fly fishing and I started taking him out to show off a few of my favorite spots he was eager to learn everything about it. Including, of course, knots. Knots are one of those things that are handed down through oral tradition. These days you can go to YouTube and learn to tie any knot you want, but that’s not how I learned. Like most folks who have been fishing for a while I learned my knots from the guys I fished with, most importantly, my Grandfather. So when my friend Michael saw me tie my clinch knot, he saw me tie it the way my Grandfather had taught me. When I was done, he quizzed me, “how many wraps did you do?” “Six” I answered. “shouldn’t it be seven?”, he asked. “I’ve always done six” I replied “but I suppose seven is fine”. He was insistent, “the guy at the fly shop told me it has to be exactly seven”.
There is an awful lot of superstition in fly fishing, but some things do matter and it got me wondering. I told the story to my buddy Dan who is a notorious big fish magnet. Before I could even ask him for his opinion he said, “well you can tell him five works just fine too”. Five? I admit I was a little surprised. If Dan was landing his fish on five wraps why was I wasting time doing six? I tried and I was just not able to tie a clinch knot with five wraps. It just made me nervous. Why?
Read More »New Zero Sweep Packs and Boat Bags from Umpqua: Video
The new Umpqua ZS-2 line of fly-fishing packs includes waterproof boat bags.
The Zero Sweep packs are filled with sweet features and focus on a smooth exterior that doesn’t catch fly line. The ZS-2 packs are awesome updates but the new Boat Bags are really exciting. These bags are well thought out and have every feature a professional guide is looking for.
GET ALL THE DETAILS ON THE NEW ZS-2 PACKS AND BAGS FROM UMPQUA!
Read More »If You’re Not Looking For Trout, You’re Missing Out
One of the things I always stress to my clients is the importance of always keeping an eye out for trout on the water.
The first thing I do when I walk up to a prime piece of trout water, is take a minute or two to scan the water for dark shapes, shadows and subtle movements. I do it before I wet my fly or even my boots for that matter, because I know, if I can spot a trout, I’ll immediately double my chances at getting my rod bent. I also look for trout when I’m wading from one spot to the next. This is where many anglers mess up and get distracted by all the great looking water upstream of them, and then end up missing opportunities to spot and catch trout in transit. I used to spook a ton of trout myself moving from one fishing spot to the next. It still happens but not nearly as much because these days, when I’m on the move, I’m not in a hurry and I take plenty of time to look for trout as I wade.
You have to look for trout to spot them. They don’t shout, “hey, I’m over here”, or wave a white flag at you.
Read More »Bonefishing, Be Quiet on the Bow: Video
by Louis Cahill
Stealth may be the most important element in bonefishing.
Bonefish have amazing hearing. Their lateral line is incredibly sensitive to any vibration or displacement of water. An angler who makes noise on the bow, or rocks the boat, isn’t going to get many good shots.
I always fish in socks to insure my feet are quiet on the bow. Still there are other precautions you have to take. How you move around is as important as your footwear.
IN THIS VIDEO I SHOW YOU A FEW TIPS ON HOW TO STAY QUIET ON THE BOW WHEN BONEFISHING.
Read More »