Task 17 Discussion 5

Walter & Group...

[GH] Here are some wind casting problems and solutions which go way beyond the scope of Task 17, but might be raised during orals as the examiners tackle one of the 5 primary topics ..... FLY FISHING.

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[GH] From Rick Brown,

Gordy, There is at least one other problem with a wind blowing into the line hand side. Most anyone who has fished from a boat in the flats or on a big Western river knows what it is. Depending on wind direction and your position in the boat your fly can be blown in the direction of anyone else in the boat. A size 22 midge might not present a huge problem but a # 4 weighted Clouser is a missile even if someone is lucky enough not get a hook between the shoulder blades.

Best solution for me is a back cast presentation.

Rick

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[GH] Rick,

Yes, indeed. One of my flats fishing buddies, ex Marine, Dave Sylvester refers to the weighted Clouser which strikes another angler as "The Nine Millimeter" !

When flats fishing from a skiff, we usually designate a single caster even when we have two anglers. There are various methods of having them take turns and be "up". There is the issue, however, of the guide up on the push-pole platform who must be considered with each and every presentation.

When staked out on the flat as we sight fish to approaching schools of tarpon, we sometimes have a primary angler and a backup angler. The backup angler has his outfit ready, but down and out of the way while the primary angler makes all presentations. If the fish hasn't been spooked and the primary angler gets a tangle, he knows to drop down and allow the backup angler to fire off a shot. All that only works with anglers who have lots of experience doing this together, as you may imagine. Otherwise, it can be a Beserabian Fandango.

Fishing two anglers at the same time when drifting, staked out, or anchored does demand measures which insure the safety of all concerned. Your solution of using the back cast presentation works well. Fly fishers fishing from drifting skiffs on lakes learn these methods well. They are necessary when two anglers fish from a river drift boat, too. Less often, we'll use a different method when drifting as one angler makes short casts and the other long casts. Under certain circumstances, the roll cast comes in to play. Sometimes the use of one angler using a vertical casting plane while the other casts in an off horizontal plane helps.

I recall salmon fishing from a canoe on the Restegouche in Canada years ago, when our two guides placed me in the center of a 22' canoe. They solved the "problem" by anchoring the craft following which each guide scuttled down as low as possible as I covered each section of water. The bowman would periodically raise the river anchor to let the canoe drift down stream to the new position.

Some of my fishing buddies are left handed while I'm right handed. This makes it a lot easier when we are "blind casting" together. Switching to the non-dominant hand is another solution for those capable and comfortable with this.

Familiarity can breed success, too. My dad (Pop Hill) and I fly fished together from skiffs so often, that we developed this method : The stern angler had the sole responsibility of preventing collisions. Pop was so good at it, that he'd sometimes be able to time his back casts so they came within inches of mine... yet never collided.

Then there is the problem of what best to do in the event both anglers hook up at the same time. With small fish, this isn't much of a problem..... but with large fish, it can be disastrous. With tarpon, this almost always results in both fish being lost. Our solution : One angler immediately agrees to tighten down and let his tippet pop. With some fish such as sailfish or cobia, we have done it differently. The fish which makes the longest run is kept far out there, while the second fish is fought with max. drag and kept as close to the boat as possible. That way, the close-in fish can move back and forth beneath the line connected to the distant fish without tangle. Pressure is not brought to bear on the distant fish, 'til the close-in one has been released.

Brother Dave and I experienced a "once in a lifetime" event two years ago. A large school of big permit was slowly approaching on the flat. We each made casts and both of us hooked up at once. You can't imagine the criss-crossing and resulting entanglement resulting in the loss of both fish. (Permit are masters at lightning quick changes of direction when hooked.)

Fishing in the Ocean from small skiffs off Montauk, New York for striped bass can sometimes be dangerous as the boats rapidly converge on a school of feeding fish in rough seas. I have witnessed one angler's back cast taking the cap off an angler in another skiff. When close to the surf, the surf casters purposely cast their heavy lures to strike the skiffs and drive away the fly fishers. That has been called, "COMBAT FISHING" by the local guides. It can't be appreciated until experienced !!!

Gordy

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[GH] On wind, from Bill Keister . I included his attachment :

Gordy,

As you may remember I am a self proclaimed trout bigot. I know you salt water guys talk about wind, but we lowly trout guys have to deal with wind too. Try a Vermont trout lake in late October with the snow going sideways less than a month before ice up. Or as the attached picture will attest we have to deal with wind on our annual trips to Chile. The rods pictured are a 10 foot 4 weight Sage XP and a 9 foot 5 weight Scott G2. They were being held steady at right angles to the wind on Casa Richards Bridge number 2 in the Nirehuao valley. On this day we counted ourselves lucky when we got the fly in the water.

Bill Keister

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[GH] Bill,

Nothing "lowly" about a trout fisherman. I morph into one on short notice.

Makes me wonder how you were able to handle the wind on that windy day !

Hard to imagine fishing dry's with that wind. Perhaps nymphing.....? Looks like a white strike indicator on one line.

Now for the physicist in you. Were those rods "loaded" ?

Hope you were able to find some wind breaks.

Gordy

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