# SW Fly Fishing Ain't Magic.



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

Intro to my next E-book on SW Fly Fishing. It will be available soon.

Fly Fishing Tips.
Before we get into the tips, I want everybody to understand one thing. 
Part 1. FLY FISHING AIN’T MAGIC.
If you believe everything that is written about fly fishing today, you are probably intimidated unless you have mighty deep pockets that you don’t mind digging into. For the average guy though, $400 for a rod, an additional $3-400 for a reel, $60 or more for a line and $50 or more for backing just to see if you might like fly fishing is a little ridiculous. I think that a lot more folks would get into fly fishing if they weren’t steered wrong by snooty writers who would never be caught dead using anything but a Scott, Winston, Sage, or G. Loomis rod that they most likely get free just for pushing them in their articles. I’m here to tell you, it ain’t that way at all. 

Several manufacturers have beginners packages for both fresh and saltwater fishing that are perfectly adequate for anything I’d expect a beginner to target. I can think of several nice outfits that you can buy for about what you’d pay for a mid range spinning outfit and less than you’d pay for an “Over the counter” Grouper rig. Let’s say $150 tops for a rig that is light years above anything available on the market as little as 20 years ago. I’d suggest an 8-wt for both fresh and salt. Light enough for Bluegills and heavy enough for most fish up to 30# or so. 

There are at least a million standard fly patterns and dozens of personal variations on each of these but a half dozen or so flies will catch every saltwater fish normally found on this coast. BTW, 
Fly Tying Ain’t Magic either and it doesn’t have to be expensive, regardless of what you’ve read. 

I am not going to go into casting. There is a heck of a lot better stuff written about casting than I could ever write. Remember one thing when it comes to casting: If you can cast 40 feet accurately and consistently, you can catch plenty of fish. 

NOW LET’S LOOK AT ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FLY FISHING.

The logical way to start would be to explain the advantages and disadvantages of fly fishing. 

The biggest advantage of fly fishing is its stealthy and natural presentation of a lure that simulates critters that specific fish are targeting as food. Simply put, you can fish a lure (fly) that closely matches the size, shape and color of natural food and present it so lightly that fish in mere inches of water aren’t disturbed. The delicate presentation cannot be matched with spinning or bait casting gear. 

If you drop a jig, spoon, or plug within 3 feet of most fish in really shallow water, most will rapidly depart. Casting beyond a fish and retrieving the lure close to the fish works pretty often but, lots of times, your lure is intercepted by a fish you haven’t seen and, often don’t want to catch. Casting beyond the fish isn’t always possible and there are the times your lures snags on the bottom. Often, you can drop a fly within striking range of a fish without spooking him and, for most saltwater fish species I target, refusals are rare. It is kinda neat to see your target, make the presentation and then watch him stalk or crash your fly. That, in itself is another advantage, excitement. 

If, for some reason, you don’t hook up on the first strike, you often get another shot because fish don’t always spook. Simply cast the fly again. This cast should be duck soup because you already have the correct amount of line out. 

In areas where you have a distinct grass line, bank, oyster bar, or any area where fish are congregated, fly fishing is often more productive than any other technique because, once you have the right amount of line out, you can make multiple casts to the area with total control and stealth. 

Flies that are properly weighted can be fantastic in a chum line. Darn few other artificial lures can achieve the correct sink rate. Spanish mackerel, Tuna, Mangrove snapper and Spadefish shy from a lure that sinks too fast or too slow. 

Properly tied flies, especially those tied with weed guards, seldom snag and can be fished through weeds, rocks and oysters that seem to reach out and eat jigs and plugs. This is a huge advantage. If you snag a $15 plug right in the middle of a bunch of fish, you go get it and spook the fish or break it off and still may spook the fish and loose a $15 lure to boot. 
If you are a fly tier and lots of fly fishermen are, there is great satisfaction to catching a fish on one of your creations that cost mere pennies to tie. 

THERE ARE A FEW MORE DISADVANTAGES THAN ADVANTAGES TO FLY FISHING.

WIND is the biggest bugaboo of all. There is a way around this though. Pick up your spinning rod or bait caster or try to find an area where wind isn’t a problem. Finding an area with wind protection isn’t always an option on salt water though. A spinning rod can be a trip saver if you aren’t too hard headed to use one. 

A fly rod isn’t much of a “Searching” tool. On open flats, a spinning rod or bait caster has a great advantage. You can cover huge amounts of water with relative ease compared to what a fly fisherman can cover. For scattered fish, the spinning rod is by far the best option. 

Under perfect conditions, I can occasionally send a fly 90 feet. Under fishing conditions, 60 feet is a long cast for me and for practical fly fishing, 40 feet or less is much preferred. Actually, it is kinda cool watching a fish take a fly 20 feet from the boat. If fish are striking more than 60 feet from the boat, I try to get closer or just pick up my spinning rod. 

When fish are feeding deep, anything beats a fly rod---even a hand line. Yes, some folks use lead core fly lines and weighted flies but, in my opinion, this is trick stuff. Lots of big bottom fish have been caught by fly fishermen but why not use more suitable tackle? Nobody ever accused me of being a purist when it comes to fly fishing. I’ve been known to hang a hunk of bait on a fly. I occasionally resort to a sink tip or even full sinking line but I’d rather fish a floating line. Floating lines are much easier for beginners to use.

When you are fishing for fish that demand a fast retrieve, with a fly rod, you are limited by how fast you can strip the fly. This is best accomplished by holding the rod under your arm and stripping with both hands. Imagine what happens when a Bonita or other really fast fish grabs your fly and the reel handle tangles in your shirt. I’ve had this happen at least 3 times. With a fast retrieve bait caster or spinning reel, high speed retrieves are simple.

There you have it. This is my take on the pros and cons of fly fishing in general. If you are still interested in becoming a fly fisherman, by all means, read on.


----------



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*End of Intro.*

Part 2. OK, LET’S GO CATCH A FISH.

At this point, let’s assume that everybody can cast 40 feet with reasonable accuracy and repeatability. If you are used to fishing spots at a range of 80 to 100 feet, you must realize that you are going to have to stay low and be quiet because fish have a much better chance of seeing and hearing you at close range. Clothing choice is a far bigger concern when you must get close. Bright stuff just doesn’t get it when you have to get close and personal. 

Your approach is often dictated by wind and tide. With the sun at your back, you can see fish further. Unfortunately, they can see you better also. In this situation, stay low and use side arm casts if possible. Conversely, with the sun in your face, you can’t see nearly as well. The fish can’t see you as well but, they can see the sun reflected off bright objects, your bright yellow shirt or shiny fly rod for instance. Stealth is of utmost importance. If you can’t approach fish unnoticed, chances are you aren’t going to catch much regardless of how good your other skills are.

THERE IS A LIKELY LOOKING SPOT.

I can’t see a fish but there is good current moving over a rock, creating a little ripple over it.

It looks like a fishy spot. The depth up stream of the rock is possibly 5 feet and the rock is about 2 feet under the surface. Since I haven’t seen a fish, the first cast should always be up current of the rock. This is based on the inclination of actively feeding fish to be on the up current side of obstructions, facing into the current or directly on top of the up current edge of the rock. I always drop my fly several feet up current, the distance determined by the current speed. If the current is really ripping, I may cast 8 or 10 feet ahead of the rock. 

WE’VE MADE OUR CAST. NOW WHAT?

This next part is all important. TAKE NOTES! The instant the fly touches the water and before the leader and line hit, drop the rod tip all the way to the surface and point it at the fly. There is a good reason for doing this. With the rod tip high, the heavy fly line sags and drags the fly back toward me and away from where it should be. It must have taken me 20 years to understand what was causing my fly to swim toward me when I really didn’t want it to. By keeping the rod tip low I can maintain control while I pick up any slack with my line hand. I try to remove the slack with minimal fly movement. Now I have control of the fly with the line, leader and rod directly in line with the fly. My fly will be right where it hit the water. If there is an instant strike, I can hook up with a short jerk of my line hand. (NOTE: This only takes an instant and soon becomes almost automatic.) 

Now let’s talk about line control. I mentioned “Line hand” in the preceding paragraph. Maybe I got ahead of myself. Holding the rod in my right hand, my line hand is my left hand. The forefinger on my right hand is of utmost importance. This finger pinches the line against the fore grip between each strip of the fly and is first to detect a strike. If I am casting a lot and catching fish, quite often I will need protection on the right forefinger. Line burns and cuts are common. One wrap of adhesive tape can prevent or at least minimize problems but it always interferes a little with the sensitivity needed to detect a soft strike. Most line cuts and blisters are right between the first and second joint of this finger. 

Now let’s talk a little about rod and line handling beyond basic casting. I’m right handed so I cast with my right hand. Many right handed casters mount a fly reel to crank with their right hand. This necessitates switching hands to fight a fish or reel in line. I understand that this is the recommended way but I mount my reel to reel with my left. 

Part 3. THE RETRIEVE OR FISHING THE FLY. ANIMATION.

There are many types of retrieves. The retrieve type and speed is dictated by type of fly and the prey it imitates, the species you are seeking, water depth, current speed, and possibly other factors. 

I described the spot and made my cast a few paragraphs back. A slow sinking weedless streamer that matches prevalent baitfish in size, outline and color should be a good choice. In this case, I’d let the fly sink a foot or so before starting my retrieve. I base this on water depth and clarity for the most part. In reasonably clear water, a fish should be able to see or detect your fly from several feet away. In the spot mentioned above, I expect to find Redfish, Trout, and Jack Crevalle. If I am in a brackish area, I might catch a Largemouth. 

My favorite retrieve for a streamer is two 6” strips and a short pause. (This same retrieve works equally well with a Clouser Minnow.) Strip-strip-pause, strip-strip-pause, etc. When fishing along a bank where the water drops off fast, I seldom work a fly out more than 6 to 10 feet.

Ok, where is the rod tip? STILL RIGHT AT THE WATER LEVEL AND POINTED RIGHT AT MY FLY. As I strip, the index finger of my rod hand cradles the line, pinching it against the rod when I need to reach forward to catch more line with my left hand. This gives me positive control of the line at all times and allows me to set the hook instantly. 

With a shrimp imitating fly, I generally fish it with a slow, steady pull for about 2 feet, stop for a second and pull it slowly another 2 feet or so. Popping bugs and Sliders are among my favorites. I like them because they are productive and I see the fish take them most times. I usually let either style sit a few seconds then give them a hard 6” jerk. The Popper chugs loudly and the Slider darts forward 6” or so. I then twitch them at about 3 second intervals. Again, I seldom fish these flies more than a few feet past the targeted area and then cast them several feet down current of the previous cast. 

Another top water fly that I use frequently is a personal creation I call a Walker Dog. It is basically a slider type that sits at about 45 degrees tail down at rest and comes to horizontal when jerked. I fish it in 3” jerks with only a tiny pause between jerks. Basically the rhythm is jerk--jerk--jerk--, etc. Jack Crevalle try to annihilate this fly. 

With my rod tip held low and pointed at my fly, the fly reacts instantly and exactly with the movement of my line hand. I can control the rhythm. Any slack reduces the effectiveness of my stripping as does lifting the rod tip. I can comfortably move my line hand only about two feet. After that I pinch the line against the rod grip with the first finger of my right hand, then reach forward and grab the line right at the rod and start another 2-foot retrieve. All the while, I maintain constant and consistent action for my fly while being ready to set the hook. If I try to move the fly with by moving the rod tip, I lose control of the fly because I will, invariably, cause slack line. If I use hand pulls, I am always in control.

Part 4. STRIKES,BITES NIBBLES, ETC. REACTION AND HOOK SET. 

Back to our scenario: The fly is about a foot below the surface. It perfectly obeys the strip- strip-pause, strip-strip pause cadence of my left hand because I am holding the rod tip low and in alignment with the end of the floating fly line. Perhaps I see a flash as the fish eats the fly or just feel a heavy tug. My reaction should be a fast strip of line with the left hand while raising the rod tip to about 30 degrees above horizontal. For lack of a better term, let’s call this a “Strip strike” or “Strip hook set.”
When I use a “Strip strike,” I move the fly about 2 feet or so. If I miss the fish, he will often charge and eat the fly a second time. I seldom miss a hook up when the fish is enraged. If, however, I strike with the rod and miss the hook-up, the fly comes out of the water and I have to cast again. 

There is an even more compelling reason why the strip-strike is more effective. Up to this point, I’ve been meticulous about maintaining a straight and tight line from rod tip to fly to maintain control. The strip strike conveys the pull straight down the line and I am still in control and tight to the fish. Conversely, striking with the rod requires lifting the line, which certainly eliminates the straight-line pull, wasting a lot of the strike energy because of friction caused by dragging the line sideways through the water. The bending of the rod tip causes an additional loss. At this point, my rod is way out of position, making it hard to control the fish. If the fish happens to be a Bass or Snook, he is already headed toward cover. 

The term “SCREWED” comes to mind.


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

You're absolutely right Ken. Its obvious that fly-fishing magazines are almost completely market driven. There is still some love of the sport in those mags, but the punchline to every single article it seems is to sell you something expensive. 

I'm not gonna lie, most of my fly rods are not cheap, but I also have some inexpensive ones and the ones I learned with and caught plenty of fish with were anything but fancy.


----------



## gatoryak (Mar 14, 2011)

Great Post!!! I have been saltwater fly fishing about two years now and beginning to have some good success. A lot of the stuff written out there probably is literally scaring fisherman off! Many average fisherman out there would benefit from having a modest 8wt fly rod along in the boat with them. If you get into a schoolie situation; spanish, albies, dolphin, trout, reds, or even a stealthy situation, you can have some big fun with that fly rod! Pictures @ gatoryak.multiply.com - caught all those recent fish with a $200 (on sale) TFO/Orvis MA5 rig


----------



## REDFISH101 (Mar 27, 2009)

Very good read and dead on thanks for posting Captken. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


(((It is kinda neat to see your target, make the presentation and then watch him stalk or crash your fly. That, in itself is another advantage, excitement.)))))

thats my favorite part^^^^^


----------



## captsi (Feb 26, 2011)

Didn't get a chance to read the whole article... got a honey-do looming over my head. However, I did want to note that I have bought and sold several expensive rods in the past 11 yrs that I've fly fished, however my favorite was my first, which I still use today... the $30 Martin 7wt combo out of a bubble pack at Kmart. I have caught everything from panfish and brook trout to 10 to 12 lb bonitas offshore on that thing... I even caught a 15.8 lb large mouth on it. I am just like the next sportsman. I love gadgets, every single one of them. However, fly fishing doesn't have to be a rich man's game.


----------



## okimoto (Nov 21, 2011)

Good stuff, Ken.

I had my first saltwater experience a couple of weeks ago. I just took out my freshwater gear. My 8wt is Redington Crosswater combo (inexpensive), and it is fortunately acceptable for light saltwater fishing. I mainly use Clouser Deep Minnow for largemouth here in Atlanta, so even though they were tied on Mustad 3366 (freshwater hook), I used them anyway. I just tied a couple of Crazy Charlies and Snapping Shrimps for the trip. Probably the most expensive piece was the barbel eyes for Clousers (about 10 cents each). I didn't have to buy expensive dry hackle or any other fancy feather, so the flies were really cheap to tie. I'm not local, so to me finding a good place to fish is the hard part (starting from parking, making sure I'm allowed to fish in the area, meaning not restricted; I have a Florida saltwater license, etc). I didn't catch anything, but I enjoyed it, and it was a good learning experience.


----------



## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Saltwater Fly Fishing*

Excellent post; Captain.

The part about catching fish on equipment, including flies, that you've made yourself was duly noted..

Fly tying/rodbuilding can be as inexpensive as you want it to be. 

I build rods, tie flies, tie leaders and generally stay pretty busy. 

I fish mainly in salt water for trout and redfish but have been known to cast a fly in the surf or freshwater for bream and bass. C2


----------



## CaptHarry (Oct 13, 2007)

Nice advertisement for your book


----------



## ditz (Apr 22, 2012)

I am new here but I must say that CaptKen's post is really good and I would suggest that it be pinned for all the newbies that show up here.:notworthy:


----------



## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

GREAT POST and ADVISE !! Thanks for sharing !


----------



## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Pinning the Post*



ditz said:


> I am new here but I must say that CaptKen's post is really good and I would suggest that it be pinned for all the newbies that show up here.:notworthy:


 I agree! C2


----------



## okimoto (Nov 21, 2011)

I made a reservation for the Memorial Day weekend, so I'm coming down to Destin for another fly fishing (I'm bringing my baitcaster just in case :whistling. I hope I catch something on a fly this time.


----------



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*I took my own advice on Friday. (4/27)*

I fished a Crease fly for about 2 hours and must've caught10-12 Bass. None were worth bragging about other than I think I caught every one that struck. It is mighty hard to keep from jerking the rod when a Bass blasts your fly but you will learn after a while that the strip strike catches more fish.

My hook-up rate on Snook was pretty good Friday too. I missed several but I think these were just lookers. Snook often splash at a top water 3-4 times before they bite or just turn it down. I managed to catch one that was about 12# and he really gave me a tussle. I think he struck at the popper 3 times before eating it. If I had jerked with the rod I woul;d have pulled the fly out of the water. With the strip strike, I moved the fly about 2'.

I probably would have caught more and bigger fish on a Bendback but I sure like topwater strikes.

That will probably be my last trip fishing my 8 wt because the Tarpon are here. I'll fish with my 9wt Colton and expect to land a few with it because it has a whole lot of a$$. The 9wt is a lot easier to cast than my 12wt which I use only when the fish are thick and I only sight cast.

I took my 3 year old gradnson fishing for Black Drum today. Unfortunately they had lovin' in their mind and would not eat. We probably saw 200 over 30# and several in the 70# class. Total for the day was one Remora that left a Drum to eat Brayden's Fiddler Crab. Good day fishing with my favorite kid.


----------

