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Salt Water Flyfishing Basics by Bill Harvey
Posted by Bill Harvey on 11:10:39 1/1/2003 In reply to:Bill Harvey - posted by JimD on 7:39:57 1/1/2003 JimD, Never too busy to answer questions about flyfishing or any or our programs. After all, that is pretty much what TPWD is about!!! Now, these are just my opinions based on my experience.... Rod I really like fishing an 8 wt rod with a "fast" action for saltwater. I like a lenght of 9 ft. There are shorter 8wt rods on the market, but if you are wading, a shorter rod actually works against you for distance. I will explain that in a second. I prefer an 8 wt for a couple of reasons. First, this wt has a butt section that is heavy enough to allow me to play and land fish quickly. That is a real consideration in the warmer months as the longer a fish fights in hot, low oxygen water, the more stressed the animal becomes. Stressed fish tend to "salt dump" electrolytes and physiologically it can be pretty tough. Second, I can use an 8 wt rod with a 7 wt line or an 8 wt line effectively. If I am out on a day when distance of the cast is a factor, I can get a bit more distance with a 7wt line on an 8 wt rod. That is particularly useful in the wind. Also, the smaller the line, the less profile it has in the water. Now the difference between and 8 wt line and a 7 wt line, in terms of thickness, is probably not significant, but every little bit helps..... The distance of the cast is pretty much a direct function of the length of the rod arc in the cast. Now, if I am in 18 inches of water, the effect on rod arc is the same as if I am 18 inches shorter or using a shorter rod. That is why sometimes it seems so much harder to cast when you are actually standing in the water!!! Rods much longer than about 9'6" can be cumbersome on land or in a boat. Fast action rods are great for presenting really tight loops, which can be critical when fishing in the wind. Now, there is a bit more skill involved in using a fast action rod, and they are not great if you are using really heavy flies or flies with a lot of wind resistance where a a more open casting stroke provides a more effective means of presenting those flies. But for fishing in shallow water, heavy flies are only a hindrance, particularly over flats with lots of seagrass. Plus, the skill necessary to use a faster rod really is just a function of shortening the effective casting rod arc during the loading phase of the cast. Reels: Reels are pretty overrated in my view. Buy the least expensive reel you can find that has a decent drag system and is anodized aluminum. Cabela's sells a real called the "Drake " that is less than $100 and a fabulous reel for the price. Just an excellent buy. I have several Billy Pate Reels and these are marvelous. But, disassembly requires an engineering degree and the phone number of Ted Jurasik Tool so you can reorder parts you lose in the process. Ross makes a reel called the Gunnison which is a great reel for the price. Get an extra spool for whatever reel you get so you can mount a couple of different line weights. Flyline: I use Cortland 444 lines and love them. I tried a bunch of specialized flylines for saltwater, and came right back to the Cortland lines. I like a weight forward line, color doesn't make much difference to me, only that I see yellow lines better than other colors. Fish probably do, too, however. With that, in REALLY high wind a double taper line is nice to have because you can roll cast these lines more efficiently. I have one and use it sparingly, but sometimes a roll cast with a hauling movement is the only cast you can use; and you can still cast it 60 feet with the wind at your back. Leaders: Chuck Naiser gave me a couple of Umpqua redfish leaders about three years ago and I never have used anything but these since. They are not cheap by any means, about $3.75 each, but these are terrific leaders. Tippet: I use flourocarbon tippet exclusively these days, usually bought from Cabelas. It matches well to the redfish leaders, but make sure that the diameter of the tippet is the same as the diameter of the end of the leader. Flourocarbon tippet tends to have smaller diameter at "pound test" than monofilament leaders. So, you might have, for example, a 12 pound tippet on a 10 pound leader because flourocarbon is stronger and therefore has smaller diameter at weight. If the diameters do not match closely, the transmission of energy down the length of the line is not consistent and the fly will tend to do odd things at the end of the presentation. At least in my experience. Sometimes I like to use a sinking line after the sun gets up. I will fish along deep cuts with a sinking line and catch a whole series of different species. Just a thought... Leader length and tippet length: The Umpqua leader is 9 ft long. I usually take the first 16 inches off the leader, tie a perfection loop and then add 18 inches of tippet, again, sequred by a perfection loop. I will clip the loop tag as close as I can get it and then dab just a smidge (notice the very precise units of measure) of zap a gap on the knots. I have never had one fail. I use the perfection loop because I can change tippet and not have to use any additional leader length to tie on the new section of tippet. I am pretty cheap by nature and this usually results in a much longer leader life for me. This gives me the same 9 ft leader, with 18 inch tippet included As for flies, there are so many variations and so many great tyers out there, it is hard to recommend more than a couple of things that really have worked for me. I have a friend named Roy Williams who lives in Rockport who ties a fly called the "Foxy" Clouser which is just dynamite when you need a fly that sinks moderately quickly and has great action. It is tied with arctic fox fur and has an incredibly live action. I will check with Roy and see if he would mind posting his contact information. He is the most meticulous fly tier on earth, he actually weighs his flies to make sure they are all the same. I am generally pleased if mine sort of even LOOK the same. Another great fly for on those days when you run into black drum is an epoxy fly, red, shaped like a crab (well sort of). Black drum are very hard to hook up if they do not see the fly right on the bottom. This discussion has sort of been limited to fly gear itself, but would be happy to address questions about other gear as well. We have had the opportunity to try out so much great paddling gear, navigational aids and other stuff!!! Bill

Salt Water Flyfishing Basics by Bill Harvey

Posted by Bill Harvey on 11:10:39 1/1/2003
In reply to:Bill Harvey - posted by JimD on 7:39:57 1/1/2003

JimD,
Never too busy to answer questions about flyfishing or any or our programs. After all, that is pretty much what TPWD is about!!!

Now, these are just my opinions based on my experience....

Rod
I really like fishing an 8 wt rod with a "fast" action for saltwater. I like a lenght of 9 ft. There are shorter 8wt rods on the market, but if you are wading, a shorter rod actually works against you for distance. I will explain that in a second.

I prefer an 8 wt for a couple of reasons. First, this wt has a butt section that is heavy enough to allow me to play and land fish quickly. That is a real consideration in the warmer months as the longer a fish fights in hot, low oxygen water, the more stressed the animal becomes. Stressed fish tend to "salt dump" electrolytes and physiologically it can be pretty tough.

Second, I can use an 8 wt rod with a 7 wt line or an 8 wt line effectively. If I am out on a day when distance of the cast is a factor, I can get a bit more distance with a 7wt line on an 8 wt rod. That is particularly useful in the wind. Also, the smaller the line, the less profile it has in the water. Now the difference between and 8 wt line and a 7 wt line, in terms of thickness, is probably not significant, but every little bit helps.....

The distance of the cast is pretty much a direct function of the length of the rod arc in the cast. Now, if I am in 18 inches of water, the effect on rod arc is the same as if I am 18 inches shorter or using a shorter rod. That is why sometimes it seems so much harder to cast when you are actually standing in the water!!! Rods much longer than about 9'6" can be cumbersome on land or in a boat.

Fast action rods are great for presenting really tight loops, which can be critical when fishing in the wind. Now, there is a bit more skill involved in using a fast action rod, and they are not great if you are using really heavy flies or flies with a lot of wind resistance where a a more open casting stroke provides a more effective means of presenting those flies. But for fishing in shallow water, heavy flies are only a hindrance, particularly over flats with lots of seagrass. Plus, the skill necessary to use a faster rod really is just a function of shortening the effective casting rod arc during the loading phase of the cast.

Reels:
Reels are pretty overrated in my view. Buy the least expensive reel you can find that has a decent drag system and is anodized aluminum. Cabela's sells a real called the "Drake " that is less than $100 and a fabulous reel for the price. Just an excellent buy. I have several Billy Pate Reels and these are marvelous. But, disassembly requires an engineering degree and the phone number of Ted Jurasik Tool so you can reorder parts you lose in the process. Ross makes a reel called the Gunnison which is a great reel for the price. Get an extra spool for whatever reel you get so you can mount a couple of different line weights.

Flyline:
I use Cortland 444 lines and love them. I tried a bunch of specialized flylines for saltwater, and came right back to the Cortland lines. I like a weight forward line, color doesn't make much difference to me, only that I see yellow lines better than other colors. Fish probably do, too, however. With that, in REALLY high wind a double taper line is nice to have because you can roll cast these lines more efficiently. I have one and use it sparingly, but sometimes a roll cast with a hauling movement is the only cast you can use; and you can still cast it 60 feet with the wind at your back.

Leaders:
Chuck Naiser gave me a couple of Umpqua redfish leaders about three years ago and I never have used anything but these since. They are not cheap by any means, about $3.75 each, but these are terrific leaders.

Tippet:
I use flourocarbon tippet exclusively these days, usually bought from Cabelas. It matches well to the redfish leaders, but make sure that the diameter of the tippet is the same as the diameter of the end of the leader. Flourocarbon tippet tends to have smaller diameter at "pound test" than monofilament leaders. So, you might have, for example, a 12 pound tippet on a 10 pound leader because flourocarbon is stronger and therefore has smaller diameter at weight. If the diameters do not match closely, the transmission of energy down the length of the line is not consistent and the fly will tend to do odd things at the end of the presentation. At least in my experience.

Sometimes I like to use a sinking line after the sun gets up. I will fish along deep cuts with a sinking line and catch a whole series of different species. Just a thought...

Leader length and tippet length:

The Umpqua leader is 9 ft long. I usually take the first 16 inches off the leader, tie a perfection loop and then add 18 inches of tippet, again, sequred by a perfection loop. I will clip the loop tag as close as I can get it and then dab just a smidge (notice the very precise units of measure) of zap a gap on the knots. I have never had one fail. I use the perfection loop because I can change tippet and not have to use any additional leader length to tie on the new section of tippet. I am pretty cheap by nature and this usually results in a much longer leader life for me.

This gives me the same 9 ft leader, with 18 inch tippet included

As for flies, there are so many variations and so many great tyers out there, it is hard to recommend more than a couple of things that really have worked for me. I have a friend named Roy Williams who lives in Rockport who ties a fly called the "Foxy" Clouser which is just dynamite when you need a fly that sinks moderately quickly and has great action. It is tied with arctic fox fur and has an incredibly live action. I will check with Roy and see if he would mind posting his contact information. He is the most meticulous fly tier on earth, he actually weighs his flies to make sure they are all the same. I am generally pleased if mine sort of even LOOK the same.

Another great fly for on those days when you run into black drum is an epoxy fly, red, shaped like a crab (well sort of). Black drum are very hard to hook up if they do not see the fly right on the bottom.

This discussion has sort of been limited to fly gear itself, but would be happy to address questions about other gear as well. We have had the opportunity to try out so much great paddling gear, navigational aids and other stuff!!!

Bill

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