Index

INTRODUCTION

The Transition From Fresh to Salt Water

THE SALT IS DEFINITELY THE NEW FRONTIER IN FLY fishing. This is not to say that fly fishing in saltwater is new; fishermen have been casting flies into the salt almost as long as they have in fresh water. What is new is that countless numbers of freshwater anglers are venturing into the saltwater world. The majority are trout fishermen looking to expand their horizons, and, like us, they will probably also continue to fish for trout or other freshwater species. But the salt offers new adventure, and with the success of the east-coast striper and bluefish fishery, more and more anglers are finding their way onto the flats.

Sporting travel businesses are reporting record bookings to tropical saltwater fly-fishing destinations, from the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, Venezuela, and the coast of Mexico to the far distant flats of Christmas Island.

Rod and reel manufacturers are selling more saltwater models than ever before, and fly-line companies are developing innovative ideas in fly-line technology for the saltwater market. These companies know the beating that tackle takes in the salt and are constantly working on designing superior technical gear intended to handle the problems that come with fishing in salt water.

To the entry-level saltwater fly fisherman, this is a brand new world that comes with a brand new set of rules. To be successful, you need to know how to cast—really cast. We’re not talking about casting a size 14 Adams dry fly 30 feet on a 5-weight line. We’re talking about 8- and 9-weight lines, or heavier, and flies that can sometimes be as long as the 5-inch brook trout we carefully release in a headwater mountain stream. Fifty-, 60-, or even 70-foot casts are sometimes necessary, and they may have to be made into an unforgiving headwind.

In the trout world, you generally have time to make a few false casts before presenting the fly to the fish. Trout are often stationary targets. If the fish refuses, you almost always have time to try another pattern. In the salt, it’s more often than not a one-shot deal, and it had better be on the money. There is little room for error. Flats fish are almost always on the move, and you need to react quickly. Casting is the name of the game, and one of the most important assets a caster has is the double haul. The casting chapter addresses the correct techniques and steps for learning the double haul, which will increase line speed and make longer casts possible, provided you have first mastered the basic mechanics of casting.

Saltwater fish are stronger than their freshwater counterparts, and hooking, playing, and landing a saltwater fish will be a new experience. These are wild fish, not hatchery-bred trout. They are strong and fast, and whereas a freshwater fly fisherman may need only 50 yards of backing that rarely gets used, a saltwater fly fisherman may see his backing go through the guides on almost every hook-up. The average flats saltwater reel will carry at least 150 yards of backing and have a superior drag system to fight the fish. Tippets may need to be wire instead of monofilament, and you will have to learn some new knots. Whereas the butt section on a trout leader may test out at 25 pounds, the saltwater shock tippet may test out at 70 pounds or more.

In fresh water, the angler is generally casting to one target; in saltwater, your target can be a single fish or a school of fifty or more. Reading water is as important in saltwater fishing as it is in fresh, but in saltwater it can be much more difficult. On a trout stream, a flat may be 20 to 50 yards long and the cover may be undercut banks or overhanging trees. In saltwater, a flat may appear to go on forever and there may be little or no apparent structure visible to the angler. Tides play a major role in the world of saltwater fly fishing, and anglers need to understand their effects on the fishing. There is much to learn, but that’s what makes it fun.

Saltwater fly fishing can be a game of hunting. You need to be constantly on the alert, as this is often a visual game where you look for the fish. It’s the thrill of the hunt that makes this kind of fishing so appealing. Like trout fishermen who quietly wade and cast to rising fish, the saltwater angler too can wade and cast to tailing or cruising fish. To be alone wading on a tropical flat with tailing bonefish within casting range is an unforgettable experience and one that, like trout fishing, will captivate you and entice you to return.

Pay close attention to the casting chapter—it’s your first step to success. A saltwater guide once commented that most trout fishermen can’t get the fly out of the boat. Don’t get caught in this situation—learn to double haul. Buy the best tackle you can afford; you’ll never regret it. Hire a guide for your first few times out; you’ll save yourself a lot of wasted time and frustration. Enjoy what has become the new frontier in fly fishing.

Sunset in the Bahamas, angler and guide. Productive times relate to tides, and you have to be able to see the fish. But sunset is a very pretty time to be on the flats.

The Basic Outfit

ALWAYS USE THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB. THIS IS good advice when it comes to selecting the proper outfit for saltwater fly fishing. On the average, you’ll be casting flies that are heavier and more wind resistant than your favorite trout flies. Your casts may have to be longer, and the fish you catch will be stronger.

In most cases, buying your first saltwater outfit can be quite an investment. When purchasing a fly rod, reel, and line, buy the best you can afford. Most of today’s better graphite fly rods have lifetime warranties and will be replaced at no charge if you break the rod.

Before choosing an outfit, consider the fish species you’ll be fishing for, the fly sizes, and the line weight needed to do the job. (See Chapter 5 for specific recommendations.) No one outfit will cover all freshwater needs, and the same holds true for saltwater.

Basic 8- and 9-weight saltwater outfits, with rods by Sage, reels by Pate, along with pliers, hook hone, and fly box with bonefish and permit flies.

Fly Rods

The most popular material for saltwater fly rods is graphite. Graphite rods are lighter than fiberglass or bamboo and are strong enough in fighting and lifting power to handle the strength and endurance of a saltwater game fish.

When selecting a fly rod, saltwater anglers need to consider length, action, line weight, handle design, number of sections, and guide size. A rod length of 9 feet is by far the most popular choice; it offers good leverage and casting advantages, especially when wading. Other fishermen favor a rod length of 8½ feet. In the end, like everything else, it comes down to personal preference.

Most saltwater fly rods have medium to fast action. Saltwater fly rods need to load quickly, even on short casts. High line speed is essential and is accomplished best by the higher modulus of graphite found in most saltwater fly rods.

Your first cast is usually your most important one. It may need to happen fast, and it must be accurate. The right fly-rod action can help you make that happen. It’s very important that the rod have enough strength and muscle, especially in the butt section, to lift off the bottom a fish that has gone deep. Most fly fishermen think that the longer the rod, the more leverage there is for lifting. Interestingly enough, a shorter rod can have more lifting power than a longer rod, although it is not as good at casting. Many charter boats go offshore equipped with super-stiff 6-foot trolling rods that offer tremendous lifting power.

Fly rods with full wells handles and fighting extensions. This handle design makes gripping the rod easier and more comfortable when fighting big, strong fish.

Handle designs are important, and a full wells grip, offered by most top fly-rod manufacturers, is by far the most popular for saltwater fly rods. It’s a comfortable grip that puts less stress on the angler’s hand and wrist.

Reel seats should be anodized to resist corrosion from salt water. Your fly reel needs to be firmly locked in place on the rod, and an uplocking reel seat is the most popular, efficient, and preferred.

Most saltwater fly rods come with a fighting butt. This is a short extension behind the reel seat used to create a pivot point for pumping and fighting fish. Some manufacturers offer fighting butts that can be removed. Beware—the fly line can easily get wrapped or fouled around a fighting butt that’s more than a couple inches long. Most fighting butts have a large, rounded end of soft rubber or neoprene for added comfort.

Larger, oversize ceramic stripping guides, snake guides, and tip-tops will allow the fly line to travel faster and shoot farther. Another advantage is that knots seldom foul or get caught in the larger guides.

If you see a knot in the fly line headed for the guides, simply turn the rod upside down so that the knot rides against the rod instead of hanging down in the guides. It will often slide right through all the guides and out through the tiptop when the rod is turned upside down. Otherwise, it will get hung up and can rip the guide off the rod.

Selecting your first saltwater fly rod is much easier if you can try casting it first. It’s a real advantage if the fly shop carries rods by a number of different manufacturers. This will give you the opportunity to compare action, handle design, guide size, and the general aesthetics of the rods.

Fly Reels

Saltwater fly reels differ greatly from their freshwater counterparts. A major fly-reel manufacturer once stated that a trout reel does nothing more than store the fly line. This may be true when you’re after small fish, and although trout worldwide do grow large and strong enough to require backing and a sturdy drag, most you encounter will not run line off the reel. In salt water, however, it can happen with almost every fish you hook. Whenever any fish is strong enough to run line off the reel, the angler needs to get it under control. Control is usually accomplished by getting the fish on the reel and letting the drag system tire it out.

Another aspect of saltwater fishing is corrosion of reel parts. Few freshwater anglers think about cleaning their favorite trout reels after every outing, but saltwater reels should be maintained daily.

A good-quality saltwater reel often costs at least as much as a fly rod. Many high-priced saltwater fly reels are made from expensive bar-stock aluminum and designed by highly skilled machinists. The performance, fittings, and finishes are top shelf, and the drag systems are state-of-the-art.

The drag system on any saltwater fly reel should be adjustable. The external adjustment knob should be easy to reach and the adjustment clicks clearly defined. A wonderful feature is an external rim for palming, pretty much standard on most saltwater models. We prefer an audible click on the outgoing fly line but a silent retrieve.

When storing your saltwater reel at the end of the trip, always back off the drag. Most reel manufacturers recommend this. Allowing the drag to stay on may compress the cork drag washers used on many saltwater fly reels. If this happens, they won’t function properly and will eventually deteriorate.

The size of the reel spool is important. Wide spools allow for additional line capacity, but rewinding the fly line evenly on the spool can be difficult when fighting a fish. If the fly line comes back on the reel unevenly, it will bulk up on one side or the other, and the fly line or backing can collapse into a tangled mess. Large arbor narrow spool reels are becoming more and more popular with a lot of anglers. The reel may at first appear too large for the intended fly rod, but in reality, the larger arbor will recover the fly line and backing at a much faster rate, and the narrow spool keeps the fly line in place.

Right- or left-hand retrieve is a matter of personal preference. We both cast with our right hands and reel with our left. Neither of us likes to switch hands after the fish is hooked, and we like having control of the rod in the stronger hand.

A typical saltwater fly reel (right) is much larger than the average trout reel, like the two on the left. The typical freshwater reel may hold 50–75 yards of backing, whereas the average saltwater model holds 200–300 yards.

Most saltwater fly reels have external rims so that the angler can apply additional drag pressure by palming the reel.

Many skilled anglers, on the other hand, prefer to cast and reel with the same hand. They feel that the dominant hand can reel faster and for longer periods of time because it is the stronger hand. Our suggestion is to reel your saltwater reels with the same hand that you use to reel your freshwater reels.

The reel handle can spin very quickly on a direct-drive fly reel as the fish runs and takes line off the reel spool. In a fight with a saltwater fish that is running line, it becomes a game of give and take. He takes some line, and you work to get some back. In this process of fighting the fish, it’s easy to get banged-up knuckles from a poorly designed reel handle. The handle should taper out from the side of the reel spool to a smaller end. This taper will allow your fingers to easily slip off and clear the spinning handle when the fish runs. Reel handles that are large and flat can give you a nasty whack on the knuckles.

The line capacity of the reel is extremely important in saltwater fly fishing. It’s not uncommon to see a bonefish run 70 to 80 yards in a blink of an eye, and most of the inshore species can run that and more. Your saltwater reel for flats fishing should carry at least 100 yards of 20-pound backing. If you’re after larger fish like big tarpon or other offshore species, carry a minimum of 250 yards of 30-pound backing.

Backing

We like a round Dacron backing that resists rot and mildew and a highly visible color that differs from the color of the fly line. The color difference makes it easy to see when all the fly line is out through the rod tip and you’re into the backing. It’s also helpful as the backing and line are reeled back on the spool.

Gel-Spun Poly is a relatively new backing material that is thinner in diameter than other backings, yet it is ten times stronger than steel of the same diameter. Manufacturers claim that the new material is extremely abrasion resistant and offers a low coefficient of friction, which creates less wear and tear on the fly-rod guides. The smaller diameter of the Gel-Spun Poly will allow for significantly more backing on your fly reel.

The best way to install backing on your fly reel is to take it to a fly shop with a line winder and let the shop install it for you. The backing must go evenly and firmly on the spool. A line winder can do the job correctly in just a few minutes. You’ll have trouble if you allow the backing to bulk up on one side or the other of the reel spool or if the