Res;ponses to "fish story"

Walter & Group...

While awaiting some more action on the FUNDAMENTALS, I thought I'd take a moment to share some of the responses to my "fish story" :- 

From Paul Rose :

Gordy do you have a link to the Blanton loop conversation? Enjoyed the

story. I will never hold a tarpon in the water again!

Paul

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paul...

As my memory serves me, Dan's website is : www.danblanton.com   Navigate to Tackle & Techniques.

Speaking of holding tarpon.

It is a wonder that more anglers who pose for a picture while holding a tarpon as they sit in water deep enough for big sharks to swim don't get attacked.

Once my brother Mackey was about to lip gaff a large tarpon which had taken us out into deep water.  He had the bite tippet in hand.  In another couple of seconds he'd have placed the hand gaff around the lower jaw of the fish.  Just then a tiger shark came from under the boat and took the tarpon by the head.  Mackey would have lost his hand at the very least if he'd been a bit quicker !   (He's never lip gaffed a tarpon since.)

G.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From David Lambert ;

Cool story, Gordy.  And wow!

Extreme Fishing #2, indeed. Maybe Extreme Swimming, Too!  Nothing like a 10-foot hammerhead to improve your side stroke.

D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jerald Lewis (one of our newest members) weighs in :

Gordy,

 

Thanks for sharing.  Great story!  The loop in the fly line described below is exactly what I have on my 8 wt rod that I use for redfish and largemouth.  The butt end of my leader has a perfection loop.  While easy to change out the leader, it is definitely NOT a smooth connection.  Since I?m new to your group, I didn?t see your original question.  Does it have to do with making up the leader/line connection?  If so, I look forward to the responses.

 

Jerald Lewis

FFF Certifed Casting Instructor

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jerald....

 

We actually had that discussion on connections between the butt section of the leader and the fly line many months ago.  We covered these methods :

 

1.)  -  Nail knot.

 

2.)  -  Needle knots

 

3.)  -  "Leader to line knot"  (Depicted on page 12 of her book, Joan Wulff's FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES.) & variations.

 

4.)  -  Loop-to-loop connection between the butt section of the leader and the fly line.

 

                     a.  Various loop knots in the butt section including the uni loop, perfection loop, surgeon's loop, the crimp sleeve loop and the non-slip loop.

 

                     b.  Loops in the end of the fly line including the Ron Hyde loop (folding the end over and using two nail knots of 10# mono.),

The Lefty Kreh whipped loop, factory welded loops, and loops made with braided sleeves.

 

5.)  -  "Permanent" leader to fly line connections including those employing a hollow braided Dacron, Nylon or polyester sleeve augmented with nail knots and cements.

 

6.)  -  A "permanent" connection between the fly line and a short segment of Nylon monofilament which can be loop-to-loop connected to the remainder of the leader.

 

As you may imagine, the two smoothest connections are #2 and #5.

 

The loop-to-loop connections are easiest to change on site.

 

# 1.), # 2.), and # 5.) are "permanent" connections.  #3 is sometimes not too difficult to change.

 

In my "fish story", I pointed out a major problem which can emerge when using a connection which catches in the tip top and guides.  This can also result in broken rod tips and lost fish.

 

When fishing trophy trout using 8X tippets, one can lose a fish in a heartbeat if the line/leader connection binds the slightest bit against the tip top or rod guides if the fish unexpectedly takes off just when you think the struggle is over.

 

Not so much of a problem when using short leaders, but with long leaders it is sometimes difficult to land (or boat) a fish without getting that connection into the rod guides.  Can turn out to be a super problem when using long leaders when fly fishing for any big game including large tarpon and billfish.

 

When fishing fly billfish tournaments in Central America where points are gained on the basis of the number of billfish tagged and released in a given number of hours, we found that the smooth "wind-on" connections made a big difference since the angler could get the line/leader connection up in the rod guides allowing the mate to more easily tag and release the fish in short order.

 

(I don't fish tournaments any longer for a variety of reasons.)

 

Gordy

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

                                                          On a less serious note.............

 

 

From Rick Whorwood :

Hi Gordy

Here I am tying size 16 Hendrickson dry flies, thinking about 20" Trout. While your out trying to feed a Hammerhead, with you as bait. You and I have a rule, stay in the Skiff !! remember !! I have connection at Loomis, I'll get you another rod ! Stay in the Skiff !!

 Rick Whorwood
www.flycastingschool.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rick...

Good advice in these waters.   As you know, I've been "bait" before. Someday we'll tell of the experience with large bull sharks you and I had at the "Gordy's Bar & Grill" tarpon spot here in the Keys years ago.   

When fishing in the Bahamas, we once witnessed what is known as a "shark frenzy".  I also saw one at Cosgrove Shoal off Key West.  Hundreds of huge bull sharks and lemons attacking one another and tearing each other to bits.  Seathing, boiling blood red foam all over the place.  No one I know knows why this sometimes occurs seemingly without provocation.   I threw a shark fly into the melee and the fly line was instantly cut to bits.  One of the sharks even grabbed the shiny propeller of our skiff.  I started the moter, shoved it in gear and gave him a dental job.   We left the scene.  

On another trip, we did that off Isla Montuosa, Panama.  That one was a huge tiger shark which had not only grabbed the outboard propeller, but was lurching back and forth as though trying to turn over the skiff.  Starting the motor did the trick.

 G.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Tim Lawson :

Gordy,

 

Great story!  I was fishing Islamorada a few years ago and TWO hammerheads came up and simultaneously ate my tarpon. One ate the front half and the other ate the back half. All that remained was a shower of silver dollar-shaped scales floating slowly downward.  Standing on an elevated casting platform with the skiff rocking in the waves gives a whole new meaning to ?adrenalin rush? after witnessing such a performance.  I can?t even imagine the rush after being knocked into the water.

 

Tim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tim, 

Good reason to carefully get down off that platform !    

I love catching sharks on the fly.  Never found a better fly for that than Lefty's Shark Fly.  Last year, I was fishing Steve Rajeff from my skiff.  He hooked a monster ..(Maybe ??? 400 or so lbs.??)  He fought that fish over the flat and out into the channel   After 2 hours, the tippet popped.

After some injuries and near problems, our fishing club granted no points for sharks brought into the skiff.  Other fish are weighed .... but sharks are judged strictly by measured length at the gunwale after which the leader is cut.

One of the very most exciting fish to hook on a fly in our waters is the creature known as the "Spinner shark"  (Actually a black tip shark or mackerel shark).  These are almost impossible to land.  They can leap 10 feet or more out of the water straight up.  As they do that, they spin rapidly 'round and 'round like a figure skater.  Even heavy wire shock tippets are likely to break.   G.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Irish method of fishing by Liam Duffy :

Gordy,
         Forget leader design, lets have a bit of Craic (Pronounced Krak!!!)

I got into trouble in the U.S. when I said lets go for a bit of Craic (Craic is the Irish word for fun! and yes we do have our own language over here!!) So, I'll start the ball rollin' :

Story told about an English Lord who hired a ghillie and boat and went fishing for the day on Lough Sheelin (My local lake) never caught a fish. When coming back into the harbour at Kilnahard (another Irish word!) they met an old local man who had ten fish in the boat. The english lord asked "how did you catch so many fish my man" and the local replied "Sure I use the traditional ways" the Lord asked "what are they" and the local replied "sure come out on the lake with me and I'll show you" so out they went and the old local was puffing away on his pipe. They stopped near church Island and the local reached under his seat, took out a stick of dynamite, touched to fuse to his pipe and threw it over the side of the boat. A few seconds later "BANG" and the local scooped up several trout.

The english lord was shocked and  started giving out to the local about poaching, ethics, conservation, etc. After a few minutes the local reached under his seat, pulled out another stick of dynamite, touched it to his pipe,which lit the fuse, he then tossed the stick of dynamite to the english lord and asked "did ye come here to fish or talk" needless to say the second stick of dynamite also went overboard!!

Anybody got any other GOOD stories???
Best Regards,
Liam Duffy

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`