The world of saltwater
flyfishing is very different than freshwater flyfishing. One of the most
obvious difference is
the size of the tackle.
Most freshwater flyfishing can be done with fly rods from 4 to 6 weight
rods and lighter, while
a 6 weight is the lightest
rod you would want to try to tackle the saltwater fish with. The most common
all around fly rod for saltwater flyfishing is an 8 weight. ( I prefer
a 10 weight for most of my fishing) The reason you need to use heavier
tackle in saltwater
is not just because the size of the fish you will run into, but more because
you need to make longer
cast with larger flies, and there is always some kind of wind to deal with.
The lighter rods
should only be used
on days with no wind and on smaller gamefish like ladyfish, seatrout and
small jacks. Some
flyfisherman like to
be MACHO and go after some larger species with 4 and 5 weight rods. The
only thing these
light rods do is fight
the fish almost to death. Sure it is nice to see a big bend in the rod.......but
at what cost ? What is
the difference if you
use a 4 weight rod with an 8 lb tippet, or an 8 weight rod with an
8 lb tippet ?
A healthy fish that
swims away.
FLY RODS
As I told you earlier
I use a 10 wt fly rod most of the time. Here are my reasons;
A heavier rod carries
heavier fly line which is easier to load and takes less false casting to
get your fly to the fish.
( isn't that the name
of the game ?) Less false casting also means LESS WORK! I don't know about
you but I fish
for fun, so the less
work it is, the more fun it is. Less false casting also means your fly
spends more time in the water
and less time in the
air ! When I tell people that I use a 10 weight almost all the time
they all say the same thing.
Don't you get tired
casting that rod all day? Well, most 10 weights today are not that much
heavier than an 8 weight.
Think about it; if
you make 2 or 3 less false cast for each time you present your fly during
a day of fishing using a 10 wt
over an 8 wt rod, and
you cast 200 times during a day of fishing, that would mean you would make
400 to 600 less false
cast during a day of
fishing.......... now which rod would make you more tired ? Now here is
the biggest reason I
prefer the heavier
rod "SPEED!" I do a lot of sight fishing and your window of opportunity
while sight fishing is usually
small. You need to
deliver your fly to the fish RIGHT NOW! The heavier rod loads faster than
the lighter rod which
helps you get the fly
in the water ASAP. Another thing to think about...... the less your arm
and rod is waving in the air,
the less of a chance
the fish might have to see you. Two other reasons I prefer the larger rod
is; I like to cast the biggest
fly I can ( within
reason ). The heavier rod and line makes this much easier ( easier = more
fun ). Wind is the other reason
you may do better than
with the lighter rod. Casting with some wind or with a larger fly sometimes
make the caster try
to force his cast which
with a lighter rod will make the rod flex too much which makes for larger
loops in your fly line
and less energy transfer.
FLY REELS
When it comes to spending
money on new equipment, many knowledgeable people will tell you the same
thing
"spend as much as you
can on the rod and less on the reel". A cheap rod will have slower action
and flex more when
try to cast and leave
you frustrated. I won't tell you to buy the cheapest fly reel around, but
the rod is more important
than the reel.
When choosing a fly
reel you should buy one made for saltwater. ( Even thought you buy a reel
made for saltwater,
you still have to rinse
it and clean it every time you use it ! ) The ones made out of Bar Stock
aluminum are
ones to look for. Find
one that matches and is balanced your rod. A smooth drag is important but
unless you
are going for fish
that take long fast runs like Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon or chasing down
offshore fish like Kingfish,
Albacore, Tuna or Bonita
you won't need a great drag. If you fish for Snook, Redfish, Striped Bass,
Bluefish,
Weakfish, Seatrout
or other inshore species you can get away with a reel for $100.00 to $150.00.
FLY LINES
Here is my advice to
you about fly lines......... BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD !
This is one place you
do not want to skimp. You fly line is what carries your fly to the fish.
Cheaper fly lines
don't seem to be as
slick as the better ones do. They won't last as long either so you will
end up buying
new line sooner, so
get the best. Keeping your fly lines clean is very important too. Clean
it and coat it with a good
line dressing often.
I am not going to plug many products, but the Scientific Anglers Fly Line
Cleaner and Dressing
is the best I have
ever used.
Most saltwater flyfishing
situations all you need is a good floating saltwater taper line that matches
you rod specs.
10 weight rod - 10
weight line. ( If you are really new to flyfishing here is what the letters
and numbers on the fly line
boxes mean. If you
see 10WFF on the box it means 10 weight line, "WF" means Weight Forward.
That means there
is more weight in the
front of the fly line which helps you cast larger flies longer and faster.
The second "F" means
that that line is a
floating line. If you see 10WFS, that means 10 weight line, Weight Forward
taper and "S" mean
that it is a sinking
fly line.) The second most popular type of line is and "Intermediate" or
slow sinking line. Most
intermediate lines
are also clear and sometimes called "Mono core" or "Slime Line" These lines
are great when
used in the surf, when
there is floating grass around, around dock lights at night or if you want
you fly to sink a little
bit more. There are
also lines that have a "Sink Tip" which means that most of the fly line
floats, but the front tip of
the line sinks helping
keep your fly down. These lines are easier to cast than the intermediate
or full sinking lines.
Full sinking lines
are used for deeper waters and are difficult to use for the beginner. All
lines have their place.
LEADERS
You can ask 10 different
fly fisherman about leaders and may get 10 different answers. While leaders
are a critical part
of saltwater flyfishing,
they don't have to be as complicated as some make them out to be. It would
take up a lot of
time and space to really
get into leaders, I will talk about some of the keys to making your fishing
fun and productive.
If you really want
to dive into more info about the leader system I use click on this link
Dan's
Leader System.
Having a good leader
can really help or hurt you when trying to get your fly to the fish. One
of the most important
things to consider
when making a leader is the type of mono you use to tie them. Monofiliments
come in different
sizes and hardness.
If you chose a mono that is too soft, you will have a leader that will
collapse during your cast and
your fly will usually
end up right besides the end of your fly line in a big mess. The soft mono
won't transfer the energy
you developed with
your fly line to your fly. On the other hand if your leader is made with
mono that is to stiff, your
fly may slam into the
water with too much splash spooking the fish. You need to try different
lines to see which one
works best for your
style of fishing and casting. The length of your leader is very important
also. A leader of 8 to 9 feet
is usually all you
need, but if you can make one longer and be able to cast it, all the better.
In most situations
I throw a 12 foot leader.
If it gets windy or you are throwing larger flies you may need to make
you leader shorter.
KNOTS
The type of knot you
use to tie your fly on can have a good or bad effect on the way your fly
acts in the water.
Most flies swim better
tied on with a loop knot , while other flies act more naturally tied on
with a jam or cinch knot,
like the Uni or Trilene
Knot. The knot you tie you leaders with can also make a difference in how
strong your leaders
are and how good they
go through the guides in your rod. This subject would be too long to cover
here, but if you
want to know about
how to tie and when to tie certain knots click on this link- Saltwater
Knots.
THE FLIES
This is my favorite
part THE FLIES !!!!! I have a very simple approach to flies........ WHAT
DO THE FISH EAT !
I tie and design my
flies to imitate the foods that the fish in that area eat most of the time.
Oh, sure there are times
when that funky pink
and purple fly is all they will eat, but I put my money on a fly that matched
the fishes menu.
So what do the fish
eat ? Well that's easy - baitfish, shrimp, crabs, eels, worms and other
littler critters. The thing is
there are a zillion
different little baitfish and other critters swimming out in that big sea,
but for the most part you can get
away with a dozen or
so different flies that imitate some different types of baits. Lets go
over the different baits briefly.
Minnows
I like to put the different
bait fish into size and shape categories first then color. The small slim
minnow like Glass Minnows,
Rain Minnows, Anchovy,
Silversides are best imitated by flies that are small and flashy. Usually
white or silver flies
with green, chartreuse,
olive or tan on top. Epoxy minnows and Clousers in size # 4 or # 2 can
cover these baitfish.
I like flies made with
synthetic materials that become translucent in the water just like most
small minnows do.
The other common type
of minnow shape is taller or minnows that are flat on their sides. The
minnows include Shads,
Pilchards, Herrings,
Spanish Sardines, Menhaden, Whitebait, Bunker, Greenbacks. These fish are
almost all silvery
on their sides and
sometimes darker on the tops. Larger flies with higher profiles in white,
gray or silver with green,
olive, blue or black
on top mimic these baits best. Some of the rounder or fatter baitfish like
Mullets are best imitated
by a fatter fly in
silvers, and whites with topwater flies working great for these baits.
Some of the darker
baitfish like Pinfish, Croakers, Killifish, Chub Minnows, Sheepshead Minnows,
Cacaho Minnows
and other minnows swimming
around the mangroves are best imitated by darker flies with some stripes
on them.
Shrimps
Shrimp come in many
sizes and colors but the most common ones are the white, pink, tan and
green colors.
Although there are
many flies that try to intimate shrimp, not many of them act or swim like
a shrimp in the water.
If you want to use
a shrimp fly it is important to check out their swimming action before
trying to fish with them. Tie
one on with a loop
knot, and try it in the water. If it doesn't look realistic, try a cinch
or jam knot. If it still doesn't
swim correct.........
give it to your buddy!
There are basically
three styles of shrimp flies. One is a shrimp fly that sinks quickly and
is fished hopping on
the bottom, or creeps
along with small slow strips. Another style is a slow sinking or neutral
type that is good
in shallow grass flats,
or can be dead drifted is an area with good current. The third type is
a topwater slider type
of fly that acts like
a shrimp swimming or popping on the surface.
Which ever type of
shrimp fly you need, be sure the fly doesn't spin, sink odd or come in
sideways as you strip
it. A shrimp usually
does not act in these manners, and a picky gamefish will RUN from a fly
that seems unnatural
to it.
Crabs
Like shrimp, crabs
come in countless sizes and colors, and like shrimp flies, some of them
look great in your
hand, but can't swim
or act like a crab on the end of your leader. Most crabs that gamefish
eat are quite small,
usually smaller than
a quarter. Their colors range from cream, tan, brown, black and olive colors.
Many have
some kind of markings
like speckles or bars to help them hide from their predators. Another thing
most crabs
have in common with
each other is most of them live on the bottom around rocks, oysters, mangrove
roots,
grass or hide in the
sand. Some crabs do swim with the tide, float with the current or cling
to other floating debry.
Fiddler crabs live
most of their lives out of the water unless the tide gets high enough to
flood the area they live
forcing them to survive
under water.
The biggest problem
with most crab flies is, in order to get the right size and shape,
tiers must use some material
not suited to sink
like spun deer hair, wool and yarn. In order to get these flies to the
bottom, they are heavily
weighted and become
difficult to cast. (I call these flies "Chuck and Duck" crab flies) Another
problem with a crab fly
that is not designed
correctly is they will sink unnatural and let the fish know they are fake.
Some crab flies are made
with epoxy, and
sound like a rock hitting the water when they are cast to spooky fish.
Although a crab fly may
seem difficult to use,
there are many fishing situations that they are second to none!
Topwater Flies
Most topwater flies
imitate minnows and baitfish, and some imitate shrimp. There are two basic
types of topwater
flies. A slider, or
a diver floats at rest, and dives when retrieved quick. You can also make
them pop with a
short, hard jerk, or
pull them in slow to push a wake. The other style of topwater fly is a
popper. They do just
what their name says..........POP!.
Pencil Poppers are smaller and slimmer, and make less noise as a regular
popper.
Eels, Worms and
other Critters
There are many other
types of food you can imitate with a fly like Eels, Squids, Worms and other
critters.
There are even flies
made for Bonefish that imitate Sea Urchins. All these flies have their
place in the food
chain, so I would suggest
they have places in you fly arsenal too.
Attractor Flies
There are some flies
that just don't imitate anything....... They just catch fish! Flies in
bright, out of this world
colors, have been catching
fish for years.............so don't be afraid to try something new.
SALTWATER
FLIES HOME - STRIPED BASS FLIES
-
SNOOK REDFISH SEATROUT FLIES
- OFFSHORE FLIES - TARPON
BONFISH PERMIT FLIES -
FLY TYING MATERIALS -
SALTY DAN'S JIGS - FLY RODS,
REELS, LINE - MAIL
ORDER FORM- PRO'S CHOICE
FLY KITS
SPECIAL
ORDERS - TAXIDERMY -
FISHING
REPORT -
SALTWATER FLYFISHING
TIPS AND TACTICS - THE PRO'S SAY
- E-MAIL US
