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MM 81.2 Oceanside
Islamorada, FL 33036
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July 16 - February
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Tip of the Month Archive
Control the roll! Too often I see a cast aimed on in a good line direction but the loop unrolls too high above the water. The result is that the fly and leader drift back or off to the side causing slack and a missed opportunity. Same thing can occur when you shoot all the line that’s off the reel and it comes abruptly to the end jerking back at you. Practice adjusting the plane of your stroke to let the line and leader unroll just above the water. Then feather the line between your fingers to stop the forward progress. You will end up with a straighter line from line hand to fly giving more control for instant stripping, plus you’ll catch more fish!
Ideal conditions for permit fishing include strong new moon or full moon tides, clear bright skies and of course the dreaded “W” word! Yes, ideal conditions would include winds between 12 and 18 miles an hour and March usually provides plenty of wind on the flats. This combination of conditions brings several things to your advantage. First, strong tides generally push more permit farther up on the flats and bright sun lets you see them farther away. Water turbidity caused by wind lets boat noises travel less obviously in the water allowing you get closer for the shot. With all of those things in place I find the most success by landing the fly right in the permits face. They will often aggressively eat the fly on the sink or sometimes even spin around to a crab pattern that landed on their tail. Try this tactic and you will catch more permit!
When a big, strong, fast fish takes off on a long run the first tactical strategy is to close the gap between you and the fish as quickly as possible. There can be several feet of stretch in an entire fly line and leader as well as a big belly if the fish has made an arc. You can pull to the point of pain but the fish will feel little resistance 200 yards out. It is virtually impossible to “bring” an 80 or 100 pound fish to the boat, so pole or back down while retrieving line as fast as possible. Once at 40 feet or so you can apply the angles and pressure to subdue most of the big ones. Learn to apply 10 pounds of tensile pressure at 30 feet and I promise you will catch lots more of the big ones!
Improve your visibility by using a quality pair of polarized sunglasses, a visor or cap with a dark brim (for glare absorption) and a sun mask, or some other face protection. In addition to protecting you from the sun the mask will absorb glare from the water and the deck of the skiff.
I normally use a 11wt fly rod for tarpon, but on calm days I’ll sometimes go to a lighter rod, often a 10wt. Calm days make big fish very spooky, and a heavy fly line landing on the surface often sends them headed for deep water. A 10wt. lands softer and can be deadly on calm days.
Always evaluate what went right, or wrong, after every sight fishing opportunity. Analyzing the results of each opportunity will help angler/guide increase the chances of success. Maybe the fish didn’t see the fly? Was there any reaction? Was the angler tight to the fly, if not, the fly could’ve been eaten and spit out.
Keep your rod tip low to the water at all times. On a choppy day, it’s much eaiser to get “disconnected” from the fly as the deck of the skiff bounces and slack is constantly thrown into your line.
Always control the fly line with your line hand and never let it go. This habit is ingrained in every good flats angler I have ever known. Squeezing a few more feet out of the cast by letting go of the fly line is always a bad idea. Overshooting your target, energy transfer loss and loose fly line wrapping around the rod butt are likely results.
Fly line management – wind is inevitable, here’s a tip to help manage the loose fly line on the deck of a skiff. Once you’ve properly stacked your line on deck and are in the ready position. Take a handful of fly line and stuff it into your pants pocket, this will keep your line separated and prevent twisting. During your cast the line will immediately be pulled from your pocket.
A cold and windy winter day is a great time to learn and test knots; you can use the finest leader material available, but if you don't tie the right knots (and properly), you are going to have broken lines and lost fish. Learn the Bimini Twist, Blood Knot, Improved Clinch, Surgeon's, and Nail Knot and you're set. Test them for strength and compactness, if they are not properly seated, clip them off and re-tie.
