Check that one off the bucket list.

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Prof. Salt
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Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by Prof. Salt »

I fished the front yesterday and survived the cold rains early, then paddled miles of water looking for fish. It was tough, but I managed a couple of slot reds, half a dozen smaller ones and several trout. Around 12:45 the tide began to drop, so I relocated to a big drain in hopes that fish would feed in the moving water. After an hour of casting and watching, I realized it might not happen today ...so I began working toward the truck. Only 20 yards from the drain I was stopped by several fins that popped up together just outside the shore grass. At first I thought they were reds, but I quickly realized the fins were black and rounded - but once in a while there would be a big "torpedo" wake leaving the fins, like a red in the shallows can produce. I knew they were nice sized fish, whatever they were, so I approached and began to cast. I tried Gulp, crab/crawfish/shrimp imitations, and then picked up the fly rod. The fish weren't scared of the lures and I crept to within 20 feet as I was working the fly. For a while I thought it must be small sharks in the dirty water, but at one point I realized that one side of the fins were black and the other side was more of a bronze redfish type of color. Hmmm. I decided they must be feeding cow nosed rays showing either the upper or lower side of their wing tips, and they wanted nothing to do with moving flies. In desperation (I just wanted to catch one on the fly to say I had done it), I tied on a really bright weedless fly that I had tied for really dirty water. It's chartreuse and white with black lines, and has a neon pink hood that encircles the whole front end of the lure. It's the "loudest" thing in the fly box. I pitched it a foot ahead of one of the visible fins and let it sink, then very slowly began to strip it back. Within about two seconds the line went tight and we were hooked up! About two weconds later it wasn't a ray but a good flounder that went airborne, scattering the rays in all directions. He jumped three times completely out of the water as I worried about losing the fish before I could get it in the net. All worked out well (for me at least) and the fish came aboard the kayak. Seventeen inches of lovely flat fish on a fly. I'll take it!

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Ron Mc
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by Ron Mc »

good job and very nice photo
also probably the best eats you can (occasionally) get on a fly rod.
If you want to target them, try bottom-bouncing passes and sand holes with a TS250 sinking line.
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Prof. Salt
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by Prof. Salt »

Thanks! Just got a waterproof cover for my iphone and I'm impressed with the photos so far.
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kickingback
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by kickingback »

:clap: Well done Glenn. Nice flattie. I need me some flounder soon myself.
Wag
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by Wag »

Fascinating. Thanks for the report!
Tombo
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by Tombo »

Like I said before, great pic worthy of a fly fishing magazine cover.
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topwater trout
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by topwater trout »

Very nice
ben_beyer
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Re: Check that one off the bucket list.

Post by ben_beyer »

This is awesome and why I want to work on my fly game.
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