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Here are some things which have happened
to me while fly fishing salty pelagics .
Let's see how some of you would have
solved these problems:
1.) A large fish is hooked. A
tangle of line is on the deck ready to steam up to the stripper guide as the
fish runs.
TURN ROD OVER, GUIDES
UP AND POINT TOWARD FISH
2.) By one means or another this
tangle got through the guides and now is between the fish and the rod
tip.
MOTOR TOWARD FISH,
MOVE TO STERN WHILE REELING LINE TO TIP AND HAVE MATE ON BOW
UNTANGLE
You may be fishing alone !
G.
3.) While fighting a large tarpon,
the fly line engages a ball of seaweed. It's heavy and won't come
off.
BACK OFF DRAG, USE
SEAWEED AS PARTIAL DRAG UNTIL ABLE TO REACH SEAWEED AND
REMOVE
Yes. Never be panicked or in a hurry.
Remember: That ball of weed is a VERY efficient drag, especially since
it is right on the water ! Added to a tight reel drag,
however, it may be too much. A matter of judgment on your part.
All that OK unless it happens when the fish is wild and making lots of
jumps. G.
4.) Your tarpon is about to run
around a lobster trap buoy. You are alone in your flats
skiff.
MOTOR TO BUOY, DO NOT
FIGHT AGAINST ABRASIVE ROPE
5.) The fish runs beneath a large
matted weed line.
KEEP ROD LOW TO
WATER. IF ALONE, MOTOR PAST WEED LINE AND REMOVE
WEEDS
6.) You have been fighting a large
fish for about 45 minutes. He's no where near ready to land.
Suddenly the handle falls off your fly reel into the
water.
WHEW! QUICK FIX STRIP
LINE IN OR ‘SPANK’ REEL RIM TO GATHER LINE.
TIME CONSUMING FIX;
REPLACE REEL AND CUT FIGHTING LINE AND CUT LEADER OFF GOOD REEL, USE DOUBLE
UNI TO ATTACH FLY LINES.
I've actually done that when a reel locked up while fighting a
black marlin in Panama on conventional tackle. Never did it with a
fly line. We back down giving slack. I cut the line and spliced it
to the line on another reel with two quick back-to-back uni knots and landed
the fish. G.
7.) A large lemon shark approaches
the tarpon you just hooked a minute
ago.
RUN BOAT AT SHARK TO
CHASE OFF
That shark won't
go far as long as you have that tarpon on !
G
8.) A huge bull shark is chasing
the 80 lb. tarpon you are fighting.
BREAK OFF BECAUSE
BULL WILL NOT GIVE UP
9.) You have just taken the hook
out of a large tarpon and are ready to release the fish as a big
hammerhead shark approaches.
PULL TARPON ON DECK
AND RUN BOAT OUT
SAFE RANGE TO
RELEASE
10.) You just released a 50 lb. tarpon in
clear water 6' deep. You are dismayed to see that the tarpon is on the
bottom upside down (belly up) and not
moving.
USE PUSH POLE TO FLIP
FISH RIGHT SIDE UP AND IT SHOULD SWIM OFF.
11.) You try to remove the hook
from the tarpon's mouth but it is stuck in the bone so deep you cannot get it
out.
CUT THE
LINE
Clip the shock tippet as close to the hook as you can.
G.
12.) The `12 lb. albie you have
just landed is vibrating so rapidly that you can't get the hook out for a
quick release.
HUMMMM- FLIP UP
SIDE DOWN AND TRY TO CALM IT?
13.) You just removed the hook from
a schoolie bluefin tuna of about 20 lbs. What is the best way of
releasing that fish ?
SHOOT IT IN TO THE
WATER LIKE A FOOT BALL MOUTH FIRST
14.) This morning the sailfish are
very aggressive.... they have been "piling on" the fly and inhaling it so deep
that the class tippet keeps breaking. What do you do when the next fish
approaches ?
STRIP LINE
FASTER
Won't work !
G.
15.) The grouper you hooked on a
Clouser and density compensated fly line has sounded and gone into the
rocks. You can't budge him.
RELEASE ALL TENSION
ON THE LINE, OFTEN THE FISH WILL SWIM OUT
16.) You have been fishing for
small bluefin tuna in the 20 lb. to 40 lb. range. Suddenly a giant tuna
of about 700 lbs booms through the school and grabs your
fly.
BREAK HIM OFF—HE
AIN’T COMING BACK.
17.) You have a guest on your
skiff. Every time a tarpon takes his fly he immediately strikes with the
rod tip and pulls the fly right out of the fish's open
mouth.
ASK IF HE WOULD LIKE
A LITTLE INFORMATION THAT COULD HELP GET THAT HOOKUP. THEN EXPLAIN THE MOUTH
OF THE TARPON IS DIFFERENT THAN A TROUT OR BASS- IT WILL NOT SHUT UPON
INHAILING A FLY. THEN SHOW HIM THE TIME DELAY, ROD/SIDE POSSION AND
STRIKING TECHNIQUES OF A STRIP OR SCISSORS..
With many newbies, all that goes out the window when the tarpon
takes the fly !
G.
18.) A large tarpon tracks your fly and
follows it but won't take it
!
THINK LIKE A MINNOW
WITH A 50 LB TARPON BEHIND YOU AND MAKE THAT FLY HOP-SKIP-JUMP LIKE WALKING ON
HOT COALS.
19.) A bonefish follows your fly
for quite a distance but doesn't take
it.
DON’T MOVE IT UNTIL
HE TURNS SLIGHTLY AWAY AND THEN JUST TWITCH IT.
Sometimes that does work.
G.
20.) The whipped loop on the end of
your fly line rubbed on the coral as you fought your last fish and is
coming apart. It is the only line you
brought.
DO AN IMPROVED
ALBRIGHT KNOT
That is an alternative which is OK.
G.
21.) You have been fishing with an
intermediate sink fly line. Now the fish are on the flat in water only
12" deep. You don't have a floating fly
line.
START THE RETRIEVE
WHILE THE LINE IS STILL IN THE AIR AND THE LOOP IS UNROLLING
22.) You have fought a tarpon on a
15' Spey rod. You are in a skiff and cannot get the fish to the boat by
usual means.
WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE
YA DOING WITH A 15’ ROD? GO TO THE BOW OF THE BOAT AND HAVE THE
MATE AT THE BACK AND LEAD IT TO HIM
23.) The large striped bass you
are fighting from a skiff dives straight down under the boat on the port side
and then runs under the bottom in the direction of the starboard side.
(A "keel-haul !)
SLIP LINE, PUT THE
ROD TIP AND AS MUCH ROD AS NECESSARY TO KEEP IT FROM CATCHING ON ANYTHING AS
YOU WALK TO THE BOW AND AROUND TO STARBOARD
24.) You are casting to tarpon rolling on
the surface one evening in the Bahia Honda
channel .... water is 15' to 25' deep. You cannot get a
strike.
TRY TOP WATER
POPPERS
Fun to try.... but it won't work. (In other situations
such as during a dawn patrol in shallow water when tarpon are crashing shrimp
in a shrimp hatch, poppers do work. IT'S A
BLAST!! G.
25.) You just hooked a tarpon as you were
about to pull your retrieved fly from the water. The fish leaps only 10
feet from the skiff. you have 75' feet of fly line on the
deck.
SOUNDS FAMILIAR AND I
BELIEVE I SAID-‘ I BETTER REEL IN SOME LINE QUICK’ AND YOU SAID—‘IT WON’T BE
THERE LONG’ AND IT WASN’T
You listened and did it well !
G.
PUT THE ROD BUT
AGAINST YOUR FOREARM, LIFT THE ROD UP AND AWAY FROM YOUR LINE HAND THAT IS
MAKING A 90 DEGREE ANGLE WITH THE LINE TO THE 1ST GUIDE.
DON’T LOOK AT THE FISH, WATCH THE LINE AND MAKE SURE IT WILL CLEAR THE
DECK.
Yes.
G.
26.) You have just made a cast to a
bonefish which spooked. Your guide points out another approaching from
behind you. He hasn't got time to turn the
skiff.
BARNEGET BAY CAST,
CONSTANT TENSION CAST, CIRCLE –C CAST- CHOOSE THE CAST THAT WILL KEEP
THE LINE FROM CROSSING BETWEEN YOU AND THE GUIDE
27.) The tarpon are feeding in a
weed line. Scattered weeds all over the place on either side of this
line. You are fishing with an intermediate line, but do not have any
weedless flies.
MAKE THE CAST AND LET
THE FLY SINK THE BEGIN THE RETRIEVE
28.)
You and your buddy
have just hooked up on two big tarpon ... a double
header.
ENJOY THE RIDE- IT
DOSE NOT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT
May work if the tarpon are not huge. (If I remember
correctly, that did happen when you and Peter were fishing with me last
week..... double header with both fish in the air at once.) Never works
with really big poons.
G.
29.)
Have fun with these real life events
!
Gordy