How Not To Learn Bonefishing
Float to the Bahamas on a 55 gallon drum and save the air fare but hire a good guide every day!
My buddy Brad went to the Bahamas for bonefish recently. I loaned him a rod, reel some leaders and a box of my favorite bonefish patterns. It was his first trip to the salt and when he got home the stories brought back memories.
Brad is a great angler. He guides for trout and when it comes to working a tough fish with a tiny dry fly he’s the man but salt water is a totally different game and, like all of us, he ran up against the learning curve pretty quickly. He came home from the trip with a photo of himself holding a nice bone and that’s better than I did on my first salt water trip so I’m not dogging my friend here but I’m going to tell you where he went right and where he went wrong.
Brad took some advice I gave him and that was a good start. First off he went to the Bahamas. There’s a lot to learn for the beginning bonefish angler and much of it is retraining muscle memory. Developing a good strip set for example. The only way you learn to strip set is by feeding fish. “Those crazy ass fish run every which way!” Brad told me. That’s true, and you only learn how to lead moving fish by getting shots at moving fish. Simply put, in the Bahamas you get a lot more shots and you feed a lot more fish.
The first way he went wrong was he went to the wrong island. I told him to go to South Andros but he has a friend with a place in Eleuthera and went there. He saved some money and I get that, but he caught a lot fewer fish. It’s like my friend Joel told me when I booked my first trip to Andros. “The Bahamas is the best bonefishing in the world and Andros is the best bonefishing in the Bahamas.” Well said, and true.
I learned to fish salt in the Florida Keys and that’s a tough way to go. The fish in the keys are a lot more educated. The bonefish in the keys are big but fewer and the turtle grass bottom makes them hard to see. The Bahamas has
Read More »15 Pieces of Dirt Cheap Gear Every Angler Should Own
Fly fishing gear is plenty expensive.
That’s not lost on anyone. Some of that pricey gear is worth every penny but there are lots of cheap and simple items that will make your fly fishing easier and more enjoyable without draining your bank account. Some of them are even free. You can buy everything on this list for $125. You’re probably using some of them already and you may use some I haven’t thought of. If so, please share them in the comments.
HERE’S MY LIST OF 15 DIRT CHEAP PIECES OF FLY FISHING GEAR I USE ALL THE TIME.
Rising Crock Tool -$20
At $20, the Crock is the second most expensive item on this list, but worth twice the price if you ask me. This is the one tool I use every time I fish, in freshwater and salt. It’s scissors, pliers, hemostats and a catch-and-release tool all-in-one. The quality is outstanding and it’s the only tool you need.
Paint Strainers -$1.67 ea
Nothing will put you on fish faster than knowing what they’re eating. Stretch one of these inexpensive paint strainers over your net and take the guess work out of matching the hatch. Watch a video on how use them HERE.
RIO Cranky Kit -$7.95
Changing lines without some kind of line winder can be a mess. This simple tool makes it easy to keep your lines neat and untwisted when you change them out. It’s small enough to keep in your fishing kit and make quick changes on the road.
Dry Pac Roll Top Dry Bags -$7.24
I use these in small and medium sizes for everything from wading boots to camera gear. They’re tough as nails and absolutely waterproof. Pack wet gear in your luggage or carry valuables on the boat in these bags. I’ve even filled them with air and used them as floats for tricky river crossings.
Door Mat -$15
I keep these in the back of the truck and throw one on the ground for changing into my waders. It keeps your socks dry and clean and saves wear and tear on your wader booties. You can get them a few bucks cheaper but I’m featuring the one that says “Go Away” for steelheaders.
Pill Bottles -$FREE
Ok, maybe these aren’t free but we all have them laying around. They’re great for carrying big fluffy flies in bulk. I always have one full of mouse patterns.
BBQ Wipes -$FREE
I buy these by the case for $7 because I’m honest, but you could just take the free ones at the BBQ restaurant. It’s the simplest way to clean your fly lines any time. Read more and watch a video HERE. And yes, they are perfectly safe for your fly lines.
Fleece Pants -$15
Ask anyone who fishes with me if they’ve seen me in my PJs. This is about all I wear under my waders. They wick moisture, dry fast and keep you nice and warm. Well, warm anyway. I sometimes even wear them into the bar.
Tying Effective Hair Wings
By Bob Reece
Social media allows for the viewing of frequent and numerous fly patterns. As with all things fly fishing, there are seasonal trends. This time of year dry flies make a common appearance. Many of those incorporate some form of hair as a wing imitation. While effective, this material can provide tying and durability challenges.
When spinning deer or elk hair, a bare hook shank is helpful. Yet, when tying in a hair wing it is detrimental. The smooth surface of the hook shank creates much less friction than one wrapped with thread. This lack of friction causes the hair wing to shift position when being tied in. The simple correction of this issue is to lay down sparse thread wraps over the hook surface where the wing will attach.
Glues should never be used as a substitute for sound tying techniques. However, they can greatly help to enhance the durability of the parts that make up a pattern. Any time I tie in a hair based wing, I always follow it with a small touch of Zap-A-Gap Thin. This helps to further anchor in place and hold the hairs, subsequently enhancing the on-the-water life of the fly.
Lastly, but most commonly seen in the pictures that I view, is an excess of hair. The hair wing of any dry fly pattern needs only to provide the impression of a wing. Using too much hair can negatively affect the profile and effectiveness of the fly. It can also
Read More »Spotting Big Trout in all the Wrong Places
One of my home waters that I spend 500 plus hours a year guiding on is notorious for big fish holding in water that most people would consider horrible trout water. I’m talking about water that is less than a foot deep that even veteran anglers would regularly walk by without fishing. The other day guiding I spotted a huge hooked jaw male rainbow pushing 30 inches. It was sitting in plain view on a gravel bar in six inches of water hugged up against the edge of a rhododendron. My partner and I watched the fish feeding regularly for about five minutes, while we planned out our spot and stock. I had seen big fish laying in this shallow gravel bar in the past many times, but nothing this size. Here’s the ironic part, right before we had approached the spot I had just explained how important it was to scan the water, even ridiculous looking shallow water before making a cast in the chances we might spot a big fish.
Heavily pressured fish are smart and often sneaky. I truly believe big trout will
Read More »Improving Your Water Haul Cast
By Justin Pickett
Fly-Fishing around tight canopy can prove challenging, and, here in the southeast, there is plenty of it.
Rhododendrons dominate the banks, along with wise, old Hemlocks, Oaks, pines, and many other bushes, shrubs, grass, and flowering flora. Because of this, I often do my best to take them out of the equation by changing my casting technique to best suit each situation.
One of the casts that I use most often, when tight banks and overhead canopy are staring me down, is the water haul cast. It’s the perfect cast for keeping you out of trouble for a few good reasons. For one, It takes the back cast completely out of the equation, eliminating the possibility of getting hung up in the trees and bushes that lurk behind you. As well as keeping your cast close to the water’s surface, which keeps you relatively safe from most overhanging obstacles. On the other hand, if not executed correctly, the water haul can prove frustrating and getcha worked up in a hot minute.
When it comes to mistakes made with the water haul, there are a handful of problems that I see consistently when I’m guiding clients.
PROBLEM: YOUR CAST IS PILING UP AND IS WELL SHORT
During the passive phase of the water haul, you are allowing the flow of the water to straighten your fly line and leader, downstream from you, which pulls against your line, leader, and flies which transfers energy to the rod blank. This step loads the rod and gives you the stored energy needed to make the cast. What I see happen most often is that when the angler begins to make their cast, the rod loads up and then slingshots forward, but the flies only sling a few feet out of the water, or maybe not at all.
The first thing that often happens here is that during the time it takes to straighten your rig and load the rod, your flies fall to the bottom of the streambed, and if you’re fishing with an indicator or a dry fly, the hydraulic force of the water presses the indicator/dry fly into the water’s surface, if not below the surface. When this happens, the water flow is creating more resistance and energy than you have stored in your rod. The end result is often what I described above. The energy stored in the rod isn’t enough to overcome the forces of the water against your rig and your flies aren’t able to well…fly. The solution to this issue is simple, though. As you prepare to straighten your rig, move your rod tip a few more inches downstream and let it come tight. As you become ready to cast, raise your rod tip slightly and move your rod tip forward those few inches that you added on. This will bring your flies up in the water column, greatly reducing the water’s resistance against them. If you are fishing with a dry (especially larger flies) or an indicator (especially thingamabobbers), focus on trying to “skate” them across the water for a few inches before attempting your cast. This breaks much of the surface tension and allows for an easy, well executed cast.
The second reason that your flies will pile up while attempting a water haul is because
Read More »A Threaded Discussion: Video
by Bob Reece
What’s the best thread for fly tying?
One of the benefits of social media is its ability to open lines of communication. I frequently receive pictures of various fly patterns that people have tied. In tandem with these photos, I’m often asked for my thoughts on how to improve the quality of the shared pattern. My first point of emphasis usually lands on a thread related element.
In general, as the fly size decreases so should the diameter of the thread. This is essential knowledge for any tier that is looking to create a higher quality product. All threads are broken in to sizes ranges. The two most commonly referred to sizing categories are Aught and Denier.
Threads measured in the Aught range are best used for patterns that do not require smoothly built up thread bodies or other portions of the fly. This is due to the fact that these threads do not lay as flat when wraps are laid down. For this category a larger number signifies a smaller diameter thread. For example a 14/0 thread has a smaller diameter than an 8/0. Due to advancements in thread technology, even smaller diameter Aught threads can display exceptional strength.
In a turnabout with Denier threads, a larger measurement number signifies a thicker diameter thread. For example
Read More »Nobody Wants To See Your Rotting Corpse
THIS IS WHY MY HERO SHOTS WILL ALWAYS LOOK BETTER THAN YOURS!
I try not to do this. To give up on a well-reasoned argument and turn to an angry rant, but once in a while I can’t help myself. I’m sick and tired of opening Facebook and seeing photos of a dead fish and some grinning asshole. You’re not a hero and that’s not a hero shot.
Fish are beautiful, living creatures and like all living things they are only beautiful when they are alive. Nobody wants to see a photo of your dead girlfriend and I don’t want to see a photo of your dead fish. It’s a corpse, not a trophy.
The color starts to leave a fish as soon as you lift them from the water. I know this because photographing fish is my job. Ten seconds. That’s all the time it takes to photograph a fish. Lift, snap, dunk, repeat. That’s how you do it. Ten seconds at a time. And then let the damned thing go!
I saw a video on YouTube the other day. The guy was talking about catching his biggest brown trout. It was back in the days of film and he said, “I hated to kill it but I had to. I was out of film.” No! You didn’t have to, you self-centered moron! Do you have Alzheimer’s? Were you going to forget catching that fish? Or are you such a lying douche bag that no one believes you anymore?
Killing a trophy fish does not make you cool. It makes you a dirt bag!
photo-3You know what else doesn’t make you cool. Your name in the record books. Nope. Not cool. Neither is “landing” a tarpon on 12 lb test. Here’s a photo of
Read More »The Right Stuff: Video
You know that feeling when you hook a fish and everything goes wrong?
I saw that play out just recently, and I saw a great, if not unconventional, recovery. I was fishing with Jesse Lowry on South Andros. Jesse hooked a nice bonefish and things went sideways. The fish ran straight at Jesse and there was no way he could take up line fast enough. When the reel couldn’t catch up, he went to stripping and then he couldn’t strip fast enough.
Most anglers would have lost it at that point. I’ve seen it a hundred times and most folks just watch it happen, but not Jesse. You could see his determination. He wanted that fish. He reached out and caught hold of the slack line outside the rod tip and hand lined the fish. It was hysterical, and effective.
Jesse landed the fish but when he tried to lift it for a photo the fish had other plans. He flipped out of Jesse’s hands to freedom. Jesse made one more attempt to grab the fish out of the water and it showed him up by swimming right between his feet. That guy does not give up and I respect that in an angler. That’s the right stuff.
I WAS LUCKY TO CATCH THE WHOLE THING ON VIDEO!
Read More »Fast Pocket Water & Big Attractor Dry Flies
During the spring, summer and fall I often get the itch to forget about catching numbers and instead see how big of an attractor dry fly I can get away with fishing and still fool trout.
For those of you who don’t know, my closest trout waters are North Georgia and Western North Carolina. We don’t regularly fish giant attractor dry fly patterns, like lots of my western friends do, because most of our water just won’t yield much results. That’s whats so cool about the idea of fishing them, when most anglers would chastise you. It gives me a little extra reward fishing patterns out of place and still catching fish. My favorite trout water for doing this on are medium-sized streams, particular in gorge sections that have a steep stream gradient. This type of water generally is loaded up with pocket water, and that’s perfect trout water for fishing big attractor patterns. Most of the trout found in these stretches of water are forced to be opportunistic feeders. The fast and turbulent water don’t give them a lot of time to examine their food before it’s out of their reach.
I’ll never forget an epic day of fishing in western North Carolina last year, fishing a size 6-8 Royal Wulff. I caught some really nice brown and rainbow trout that day, and I chuckled inside as I got weird looks from other locals on the stream, as they watched me drifting unusually large dry flies. They must have thought I was a
Read More »Putting Your Rod Tip In The Water Can Be A Game Changer
When a strong fish runs hard downstream too quickly for you to follow, you find yourself at a disadvantage. With the fish directly downstream, the angle of the hook in the fish’s mouth is perilous. Any thrashing or head shaking on the part of the fish can easily result in a long distance release. If you are unable to get downstream and establish a better angle to the fish you are left with only one choice, bring the fish to you. But how?
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