Tactics

Backhanded Cast

I saw this post over at Deneki about backhanded casting. I agree. It is a great skill to have. I wouldn’t have gotten my Grand Slam in Belize if I didn’t have a backhanded cast.

One thing I noticed in South Andros was that my backhand cast is actually better looking than my forward cast. The loop is tighter and seems to lay out flatter. I don’t really know why, but my backhand cast is a thing of real beauty. I’ve been trying to figure out why and trying to make my forward cast more like it, but I haven’t cracked that code just yet.

Anyone have that answer?

Tactics — 2 Comments
11
Jul 11

Orvis and 5 tips for Bones

I almost went to work for Orvis. It was on the table when the opportunity to work at a software startup came along. I figured it was a choice between selling Hydros sticks and eventually buying a bunch of them. I would have liked talking about fly fishing all day. That wouldn’t have been the worst thing.

I like Orvis. They have some good sticks and good reels these days. They also put out some really good web content, like this “Five Secrets You Must Know About Bonefish.”

• Know What Makes Bonefish Tick

Bonefish are predators, but their life is still one of eat or be eaten. If you have ever seen a bonefish do battle with a crab you will be convinced of its determination to eat. Watch a bonefish become alarmed and it is astounding how quickly it will abandon that meal when it senses a threat. A bonefish has a radar array that is controlled primarily by its lateral line. It senses both good and bad vibrations. A shark entering the flat 100 yards away can put down an entire school of bonefish. A crab shuffling its fins into the marl produces a sound that rings like a dinner bell. An angler can see the excitement in the bone by the way its dorsal fin quivers. Often, in this state of tunnel vision, a bonefish can be excited to the point of distraction. A wise angler chooses this moment to make the shot.

photo credit - Andrew Bennett

Tactics — 2 Comments
01
Jul 11

Deneki – Rub Your Fly in the Sand

Well, this is actually something I’ve done before. I’m not sure where I first heard this, but I’ve done this. I’ve done it when I’ve been on my own and I’ve done it when I’ve been with guides. Seems a pretty good idea. If it doesn’t work, oh well, but it certainly is worth a shot, I’d say. It is not likely to actually hurt anything.

Reach down onto the flat, grab a little handful of sand from the bottom, and rub your fly around in it.

via Bonefishing Tip | Rub Your Fly in the Sand.

Tactics — 1 Comment
05
Jun 11

Al Caucci Fly Fishing

Tips for bonefishing from Al Caucci. Why not?

Rig your rods with flies before you step into a boat. This way when your guide stops the boat you are on the bow and ready to fish by the time he makes his first push with the pole. I can’t tell you how many times I caught and landed bonefish while someone was struggling to get their rod strung up.

You can read all of Al’s advice at Al Caucci Fly Fishing.

Conservation / Tactics — No Comments
27
May 11

Chico doing it right at MidCurrent

With some practice and experience, all the questions and answers will become second nature so that you are simply “doing” as much as thinking about what you are doing. And when you finally slip your hand over that big fat bonefish, the feeling of accomplishment is great. After taking a few thousand bonefish myself over many years, I still don’t take any part of the pursuit for granted.

via “Close to the Bone” | MidCurrent.

This photo was in a post about bonefishing written by good ole’ Chico. I’m glad (and I bet Aaron is glad) that when it came time to select a photo of Chico with a bonefish they picked this one… the fish in the water, the release likely to be a good one, the fish probably surviving.

Fish Tails / Locations / Tactics — 3 Comments
17
May 11

Ten Tips for Belize from Orvis and El Pescador

The good folks at Orvis recently posted up a list of ten tips to help your experience be all that you want it to be when you head down to El Pescador. The list comes from Ali… who we’ve met and interviewed in this VERY BLOG!

Ah… Belize… it’s been sooooo long (actually, just in November, but sooooo much has gone on since then). El Pescador was good to me… a grand slam on my first tarpon and permit? Seriously? That’s just silly.

Here’s my list of 5 things I can think of to help make your Belize/El Pescador trip all it can be…

Bring lots of #8 gotcha’s in various colors… don’t do what I did and have a couple that I only had one color of.
Put weed guards on the good stuff.
Have your box organized so you know which flies have weed guards and which don’t.
Strip fast for the permit, but feed the tarpon.
Leave the 8 at home… 7 for the bones, 9 for the permit, 10-11 for the poons.

Other things I think of when I think of that trip… the beers are less than 12.oz and that means you need to keep track of how many of those things you drink… we had a beer tab of just shy of $400… for three days.

There are places with bigger bonefish, for sure. There are probably places with bigger tarpon at times of year. However… if you are looking for a grand slam… there probably isn’t a better place to get it done… anywhere.

Permit. Not a world record, but a frigging permit!

Not a big tarpon, but a tarpon.

Bone

—

Locations / Tactics — No Comments
14
Apr 11

Deneki and the Red Shirt of Doom

On day 1 of Deneki FIBFest at Andros South last month, your fearless editor decided to sport a nice new red shirt that was really going to look good in hero shots. The problem? You have to catch a fish before you can take a hero shot.

I saw that shirt in the morning and thought to myself “Interesting choice.” Red is supposed to pop in pictures though… you go through some fly fishing photos and you’ll find some strangely bright colors.

I sometimes wonder if it is a bad thing being tall… 6’3″. Do the fish see me more? Do I see the fish more? There are so many factors to consider… but do yourself a favor… leave the red shirt at home!

Tactics — 9 Comments
04
Mar 11

Thinking about casting…

Andros South is in… 21 days (until I leave, 22 until I get there) and I’m starting to think about getting that new Rise 8 wt. out on the grass field at the local school. It is occurring to me that I need a little bit of stick time before I am presented with my first cruising bonefish or 2011.

Hey buddy, I'm not going to go cast myself, ya know!

I found this bit on the Deneki site from Bruce Chard about casting in the wind. Thought it was worth reading again (as I’m pretty sure I posted this when it first went up back in 2009.

Here is a little except from a piece I wrote about my Grand Slam down at El Pescador. It highlights a couple of really, really bad casts I put out after some bonefish…

As I stood on the deck, thinking back just a few minutes to me botching a good permit shot, the guide spotted two bonefish cruising the mangroves. I was very conscience that I had a 10 weight in my hand and I was thinking that the presentation would be too heavy. It is a dangerous thing, thinking. I made the first cast to the bones and tried to ease up on the power so the line wouldn’t smack on the water. Totally underpowered, the cast landed in a heap. I cast again, but my head was too much in the game and the result was the same.

My friend Shane, who is a certified casting instructor, couldn’t hold his tongue. “Those are the two worst casts I’ve ever seen you make.” he said. It was pure truth. Those casts were just horrible. I couldn’t help but give a little laugh at the ridiculousness of the casting and the degree to which I could rain on my own parade. It was also glad that Shane had just shown that he wouldn’t hold back the truth and when you are out there to learn, you need the truth.

Yeah… maybe I should get out sooner rather than later to chip off the rust.

Tactics — 1 Comment
02
Mar 11

Deneki – Bonefishing 101 – Andros South

There is a reason why I keep posting stuff about Deneki Outdoors and it isn’t because I’m going to FIBFest 2. Deneki posts up great content all the time. Some of it is educational, like their newly released Bonefishing 101 guide. Other posts are about the guides, the Androsian people, the experience. Day, after day… great stuff. Makes ya want to go there.

More about Bonefishing 101…

What is Bonefishing 101? It’s a .pdf file that you can download to your computer, and it covers the fundamentals of bonefishing.

* The Ready Position

* Casting on the Flats

* Spotting Bonefish

* Setting the Hook

* Fighting Bonefish

via Bonefishing Tips | Free Download | Bonefishing 101.

If this is Bonefishing 101, surely the week I’ll be spending down at Andros South will be something along the lines of graduate work.

Tactics — No Comments
18
Feb 11

Deneki Outdoors – the Moon and Bonefish

So… maybe I shouldn’t worry about the moon phase on my trip to Andros South.

There are many variables in bonefishing much more important than the phase of the moon – weather being the biggest. We think planning your bonefishing trip to avoid a full moon is a little bit silly.

via Deneki – Andros South.

Good… cuz… We Like The Moon… just say’n.

Bonefish on the Brain Bonefish and all that relates (maybe a bit about tarpon too).