Bruce Strips for You Photo by Louis Cahill
So you’ve found yourself a bonefish and you’ve made that big cast into the wind, now what?
The propped retrieve is key to success. There are several things keep in mind. The speed and length of the strip, keeping slack out of the system. And what if the fish follows but doesn’t eat? Bruce Chard is back to help you get it all right and hook that fish!
Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
thanks again Bruce, wanted to ask do you have a typical leader length when fishing in the salt or is it all dependant on conditions and species ea day?
Wayne,
Glad you liked the tip. It’s often the simple things in fly fishing that keep us from catching fish. Thanks for following the blog.
Kent
The other key to stripping a fly for bones is LISTEN to your guide…Many of us are already hard of hearing,and when the adrenaline starts flowing during a presentation, our listening skills go to hell! Your guide has a better sight angle and will talk you through what he sees as the best way to trigger interest from the fish, improve the “follow” by suggesting different lengths/speeds of retrieve,when to pause,and when to “long strip”. (I won’t spoil the guide’s last piece of advice, just do what he is coaching and don’t lift the tip until you have a solid arc in the rod!)
Amen brother!
Pinching the line too tightly to the rod handle is the main reason people don’t feel the fly (or the subtle take of a bonefish that surged forward with the fly). I try to remind folks to *drape* the line over their stripping finger, not pinch it tight to the rod. Also, you want to extend your rod hand so that you’re pulling the line nearly straight over your finger, not *around* the finger at a right angle, which creates friction that can prevent feeling the fly.
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