Flatswalker muses on C&R. Truth seems to be that most folks aren’t doing it right. Look around the web and see the number of grip and grin photos. I have some from my first trip before I knew any better and now I try really hard to make sure the fish I catch have a fighting chance.
For the longest time I’ve lauded fly fishing for it’s low-impact on the species we chase in our silly little obsession. On the face of it there’s something to such a notion: fly fishing is often catch-and-release, the mechanics of it usually prevent gut-hooking fish, and (frankly) we often catch far less fish than other techniques, which limits the impact further.
Read the Flatswalker story here Flatswalker.
Um… you are doing it wrong…
Before I knew better
You are doing it right…
Good on ya.
What info do you need? Bonefish & Tarpon Trust has it all. Check out their C&R page.
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Tags: bonefish, bonefishing, catch and release, Flatswalker, fly fishing, flyfishing
I know lots of good bone fishers who use the HEAVIEST leader tippet they figure will work. One expert, yes expert, uses 15# as his base tip. Simple reason: he gets the fish in faster. He cranks it. A 15 won’t stop a bone, I promise. So, the sport gets the fun of the sport.Stout Leader Benefit: Mr Bone is less worn by a shorter fight, and has a chance of surviving the barres and sharks that can’t wait for the result of all that water disturbance. Same basic reason I figure stouter rods, 7wt minimum, are better than light rods for bones — for those who think 5wt, and in some cases 6’s, and such are “sporting” . Might be ok for an Ascension Bay smelt, but for anything 3# or larger, use something that will get ’em in. Bonefish are wonderful creatures that will give all the fight they can. Not much will stop that first or second run, but when they get close…I suggest you give them a chance before their ultimate fight for survival comes along. I really hate to see that puff of red explode yards away from the boat after a release.
Bjorn, as always, thanks for the props. There’s some good stuff happening here. I’m going to focus on a lot more conservation in the future and really try to nail it home. I know it can be a drag on the more fun aspects of fishing, but it’s SOOOO critical, especially at this stage in our sport’s (and planet’s) history.
Bjorn, do you have an email address or can you shoot me an email at my address above? I have some fly questions, etc. for you. Thanks so much,
Nate
Agreed. Heavier rods, heavier tippets mean shorter fights and that gets the fish back to swimming freely faster. I do the same with trout fishing… when I nymph I used pretty much only 3x… get that fish in!
Any time. It is important and I’m all about moving conservation topics forward… kind of one of my things.
Bjorn,
When you hit Andros, give 20# Seaguar GrandMax a try. Plenty of bites and faster landing times for us.