# Shallow water AJs



## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Looked around the 'net but no definite answers so thought I'd ask here.

Know where smaller, 29"-, hang out in 60-80 ft of water. Easy to get em fired up with a topwater so was planning to take the hooks off a big popper, toss out a fly (on floating line), let it sink , cast the popper way past the fly and rip it back. When it passes the fly, start stripping the fly back in front of their faces.

Sounds good so far but am at a loss for the drag setting, lock it down? Tackle will be 11wt line, TiCrX 10wt rod and a Ross CLA 7 reel.

Have a feeling I'm gonna get whipped in this depth of water cause the AJs won't move off the "structure" very far, maybe 50-70' before they veer off the popper. As long as I get the line back I'm ok with that. Maybe less flyline out there?

Thanks in advance!


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## sniperpeeps (Mar 5, 2011)

I've guided clients on exactly the thing you are talking about. The way we were successful was live chumming them, getting them fired up on top then presenting a fly. The key was making a long cast behind the boat int the chum and stripping like crazy. You should have no trouble making that work.

edit-We were on anchor, up current of the structure about 75'. Didn't lock them down on drag let them run and tire out.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks for the insight. We never had enough live bait to try that. Never anchored ( we sucked at that! ) used chunks, only thing that showed up were those silly red fish.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Any saltwater species on the fly is awesome! I still wanna hook a snapper on mine!


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## FreeDiver (Jun 12, 2013)

You won't always need live chum, I mean go throw a net and catch a live well full but I'd start out just tossing cut up cigs or squid and once you start seeing color, toss the lives out. I like to hit a few live on the deck and get them to twitch on the surface.... 

But hell you might get more than small jacks man, snappers will inhale a fly and b line to the bottom! Good fun, do t for get there's bonitas running around as well. 

Good luck.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I catch them using fast sinking lines on wrecks and structures within 8-10 miles out without chumming at all. Use 500-600grain, sink too lines and start a drift upcurrent while casting down current. You make your cast and let the fly sink before doing a rapid, two hand strip. You'll catch AJs, Snapper, Triggers and various others doing this. Way too much fun.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

What kind of flies are you planning to throw for AJ's?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

My favorite pattern is a squid imitator. This is the one I tie and use but anything similar will work.


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

I had a fella do that last year, we got them started on poppers and then he did his fly thing. Took a long time, but he got it to the boat....


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## Trble Make-rr (Sep 30, 2007)

Jason, we chummed up Early last spring in a close spot. You could have cast a fly on any one of them. It looked like a giant school of goldfish


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Kim said:


> What kind of flies are you planning to throw for AJ's?


Got these, should have a few more someplace. All have the chartreuse thing going on, should use some of the pink bucktail I have. That's one of the 6" poppers I've been flinging.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Jason said:


> Any saltwater species on the fly is awesome! I still wanna hook a snapper on mine!


I'll give you a heads up when the time gets close. Want to see what you think when you see the size of the snappah that will show up. :thumbsup:


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Why not just use a fly popper?


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Have you tried tossing one big enough to "pop" like that wood popper I have pictured?

I'm not that good.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

I know how that goes. I've been trying to learn how to cast with a fly rod and have caught myself twice. I watched a couple videos where they were using fly poppers on Red Fish with great success. It looked like so much fun that I dusted off the fly rod and have been getting a little practice every now and then. The wind is not my friend when I have a fly rod in my hands. I doubt that a fly rod can throw that much weight but Chris V would be the guy to ask about that and he can probably recommend a fly popper that you could throw far.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

"Far" and "popper" pretty much don't belong in the same sentence for me when flailing a fly rod. The flies I posted, I can get em out 60'-80' with 2 false casts with my setup, NO BREEZE.


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## FreeDiver (Jun 12, 2013)

Look at gurgler flies their fun to tie and work on just about anything.. And you and cast a popper as far as you want as long as it's sized up to your fly line.... You can easily cast a fly 80ft or 100ft... If you know how to double haul properly. I'm no pro, but when I wanted to make my self better I left the other rods at home, forcing myself to me patient and focus on tight loops.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Last time I took out the 8 & 11 wt together, it cranked up to 15+. Don't want to ruin the weekend for everyone else.


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

It can be dead calm, but as soon as.I pick up my 12-13 wt...20 knots. Made me learn to use a 45° angle, instead of going verticle on the backcast.

I love throwing at kings with flies.


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## Boboe (Feb 4, 2013)

kingfish501 said:


> It can be dead calm, but as soon as.I pick up my 12-13 wt...20 knots. Made me learn to use a 45° angle, instead of going verticle on the backcast.
> 
> I love throwing at kings with flies.


Orient yourself so that the wind is blowing the line away from your head, not onto it. So, if you're a right handed caster, have the wind hitting your left shoulder. No need to 45 it then.


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## a (Oct 2, 2007)

kanaka said:


> Got these, should have a few more someplace. All have the chartreuse thing going on, should use some of the pink bucktail I have. That's one of the 6" poppers I've been flinging.



I would be sure to use a fly about the same size and color as your popper. Personally i would hope my chum attracted.....most anything else.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Boboe said:


> Orient yourself so that the wind is blowing the line away from your head, not onto it. So, if you're a right handed caster, have the wind hitting your left shoulder. No need to 45 it then.


Luckily, that's the way the boat will drift. Casting from the stern area, backcasts AWAY from the forest of rods around the console.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

a said:


> I would be sure to use a fly about the same size and color as your popper. Personally i would hope my chum attracted.....most anything else.


10-4 match the hatch, eh? I have 4" poppers but no flies (yet) in their colors.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

You need to use something very aggressive to get those poppers any distance. Also, don't forget to include Intermediate lines in your arsenal for throwing poppers. Yes, they sink very slowly but most AJ appropriate sized poppers will float and pop very well in conjunction with an int. line.

You have to have a very good handle on how to double haul correctly and throwing big flies on heavy lines defines the term "chuck-and-duck"!


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks Chris, however still planning to use style of pictured flies hopefully in more colors but attention getting poppers will be flung from spinning gear. 
Bay boat hull prevents me from exploring further areas comfortably so hate to upgrade more in the fly arsenal.


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## FreeDiver (Jun 12, 2013)

A bay boat can put you on plenty of spots to catch just about anything unless your looking for YFT or Marlins. As for flies, you can never have enough! And having multiple types of flies and quick knots will help you land more fish... Or atleast produce more bites when "matching the hatch". 

Good luck. I think I'm a gonna go sling some freshly tied flies tomorrow, all this talking and not enough strip setting!


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

kanaka said:


> Thanks Chris, however still planning to use style of pictured flies hopefully in more colors but attention getting poppers will be flung from spinning gear.
> Bay boat hull prevents me from exploring further areas comfortably so hate to upgrade more in the fly arsenal.


And you'll do just fine. Like I said in my original reply on here, I still prefer subsurface flies for AJs and squid patterns are still my go-to.

Good luck! Post up some pics


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

Boboe, doing the gun and run thing to chase baitballs, gotta learn to throw oriented with the bait, no matter how you wind up with the wind.

My main rod is a 12-13 wt Redbone, so the wind doesn't bother me as much as I say. Throw either Mylar tube flies or big L-Flies for kings, mahi, etc or when the wind is kicking, big deceivers. 

Used to anchor at the Massachusetts then throw at the turret and strip like hell with the fly going downcurrent. Then you are throwing crossword...that is where I picked up the 45 angle.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

kingfish501 said:


> It can be dead calm, but as soon as.I pick up my 12-13 wt...20 knots. Made me learn to use a 45° angle, instead of going verticle on the backcast.
> 
> I love throwing at kings with flies.


And since I'm getting ready for a trip tomorrow and asked questions involving fly flinging, the winds are supposed to be 10+......

Supposed to be a meat trip anyway.


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