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Walter & Group...
[GH] Dave Barron gives a bit of advice for those who are guiding :
My advice now is to never take your eyes off the fish; it is the guide job to position the boat so he is not in line with the back cast. I will send Frank a note and correct what I told him.
Dave
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[GH] Dave,
Keeping an eye on the fish is always good advice. Amazing how that fish can "disappear" in a heartbeat if you look away even for an instant.
At the same time the angler must avoid any chance of hooking the guide.
If there is a second angler in the skiff, the back cast must also be away from him. In general, it is best to simply avoid placing your back cast over the skiff.
Veteran anglers develop a "sixth sense" which translates into a constant awareness of where the guide is. That isn't always true of his push-pole, however, resulting in an occasional back cast hitting the pole, especially if the guide has had to extend the pole out to one side to turn the skiff. The other side of the coin is that the guide has a good idea that the angler will make his back cast in a direction away from that of his spotted fish so that he usually keeps the pole out of that quadrant.
Many guides crouch way down with the pole placed low, in line with the skiff. The angler should never rely on this.
When I have the luxury of hosting very experienced anglers, the only time I have to turn the skiff is when the fish is dead ahead ("12:00 position"). These anglers can present well on the back cast or the forward cast even at distances of 50" - 60'. For longer presentations, I usually have time to turn the skiff.
Of course, a back cast presentation can be easily made when using one of the saltwater quick casts we've discussed.
Gordy
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Questions on the quick casts made while wading a flat :
1. Name some of the problems encountered when using the quick cast when wading a flat.
2. How (if ever) would you change your quick cast method to help solve some of these problems.
3. Are there any advantages to wading rather than fishing from a skiff when going for bonefish on a firm, shallow flat ? If so, list them.
4. Are there any advantages to fishing this flat for bonefish from a skiff ? If so, list them.
5. When fishing tropical flats, it is rare to have to wade water which is more than mid-thigh depth. Once in a while, we do that for permit in water waist deep. If you did that, how would you modify your line handling and casting methods ?
6. You are wading a flat with a tidal current running in a down-sun direction. You have chosen to work in that direction because the visibility is better, and you have spotted a few fish there.
Would you consider a modification to your casting and line handling technique ?
While we're at it, let's add a couple of practical flats wading questions -
7. This one has nothing to do with casting. You are wading a bonefish flat which is almost knee deep. Your skiff is staked out about 100' away. A 5' lemon shark is slowly swimming right toward you. What do you do ?
8. You are wading a muddy flat for redfish. There are many sting rays moving about. Some are partly buried in the marl. How do you avoid accidentally becoming injured by stepping on one of them ?
Gordy
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