CELEBRATING 8 YEARS AS THE VOICE OF SALTWATER FLY FISHING
FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
LOS CABOS HAS BALLS
TUBE FLIES for Billfish SEA TROUT in Northern Europe REWA Reflections The SAYONARA Sling A Fish MY AGE CHROME from the Sea
50
NOV/DEC 2020
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 1
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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 3
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Bundle up and make the cast to some morning reds in the winter on the west coast of northern Florida. Photo: Mike Martin
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 5
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The iconic arch of Cabo San Lucas is the gateway to the sea and the last natural structure you pass on your way out to the blue. Photo: Ruth Peterkin
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 7
Lofoten, Norway, has flats as clear and blue as those in Belize, though the gray sky accentuates the difference between the locales. Photo: Nick Fox
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TM
GUIDE TESTED.
GUIDE TRUSTED.
On the Cover: Andrea Izzotti is an award-winning wildlife photographer based in Genova, Italy. These photos are from a shoot in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Story on page 28.
Editor-In-Chief: Joseph Ballarini Managing Editor: George V. Roberts Creative Director: Scott Morrison Food Editor: Kelli Prescott Travel Editor: Peter McLeod Historians: Pete Barrett & Ed Mitchell Editors-at-Large: Joe Doggett Mark Hatter Trey Reid Ryan Sparks James P. Spica Jr. Intern to the Editor: Heather Thomas
Creative Contributors: Joseph Ballarini Oleg Breslavtsev Sammy Chang Barry Ord Clarke Johann du Preez Nick Fox Kyle Gemas Mark B. Hatter Henry Hughes
Andrea Izzotti James Jackson Jim Levison Anthony Loganzo Arthur J. Lux Michael Martin Ruth Peterkin Trey Reid
George Roberts Mark Sedotti Kurt Schiele Cameron Scott Scott Sommerlatte Ryan Sparks E. Donnall Thomas Jr. Lori Thomas
Correction: In issue 49, September/October 2020, we incorrectly spelled the photographer’s name of the photo essay “Redfish Road Trip.” Our sincere apologies to Paul Doughty.
About Tail Fly Fishing Magazine is the voice of saltwater fly fishing in a bimonthly print and digital publication. We focus on delivering high-quality content, the very best photography, destination travel, reputable commentary, and technical features from the saltwater fly fishing culture. Tail Fly Fishing Magazine began as a digital publication in 2012 and debuted as a print magazine in 2016. Combined, the digital and print versions reach readers in over 45 countries. In many places throughout the world, fly fishing has become important to both people and the environment. As a method of fishing imbued with values of stewardship and conservation, it connects people with the marine world in significant and positive ways. We, the anglers, are the last line of defense for our outdoor spaces. Tail Fly Fishing Magazine supports the arts and creativity, conservation, and organizations that trumpet this message. We’re grateful for your support and we welcome photographic and written contributions. TFFM is published six times annually, and your print subscription includes the digital version. Subscriptions are available through our website. International subscriptions are also available for most countries. Please contact our general mailbox, admin@tailflyfishing.com, with any advertising, subscription, or submission questions.
Tail Fly Fishing Magazine 2300 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 305-763-8285 tailflyfishing.com
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CONTENTS
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18
INSIDE THE BOX - Arthur J. Lux Tube flies—they’re not just for Atlantic salmon anymore.
20
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE - TFFM Staff The perfect holiday hookups for anyone who lives the lifestyle.
28
LOS CABOS HAS BALLS - Photo Essay by Andrea Izzotti and Joseph Ballarini In late October schools of sardines begin to ball up off Cabo San Lucas—and the pack is not far behind.
36
42
REWA REFLECTIONS - Kyle Gemas Guyana may be infamous as the home of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Cult, but it’s also home to one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. There’s some Kool-Aid we can all drink!
52
BOURBON - Trey Reid TFFM’s newest editor-at-large, Trey Reid, schools us on the uniquely American spirit— recipes included.
70
SEA TROUT IN NORTHERN EUROPE - Barry Ord Clarke Norway is known for big, powerful rivers filled with salmon. Lesser known is its thriving sea trout fishery—no lodge, guide, or license required. But you might want to bundle up.
76
THE SAYONARA SLING - Mark Sedotti Casting guru Mark Sedotti teaches you how to unleash the secret weapon for two-handed distance with a single-handed rod.
ON THE PLATE: VENISON - Kelli Prescott Red meat wild game—Italian-style.
NO SANCOCHO - Mark B. Hatter “You did everything right,” Philipps said. “Everything except cast when I told you to.” Just another lousy day billfishing in Guatemala, so details were bound to get lost in translation.
86
CHROME FROM THE SEA - E. Donnall Thomas Jr. Fishing for Pacific salmon in rivers is all well and good, but the author prefers to angle them in the ocean, while they’re still in the eating mood.
94
58
A FISH MY AGE - Henry Hughes Join the author on a night sea journey—in the dead of winter—to hunt for the one of the West Coast’s longestlived gamefish.
64
POEM - Cameron Scott “Circumnavigating the Island”
96
INDIAN OCEAN BONES - Peter McLeod Go along with TFFM’s travel editor, Peter McLeod, to the Seychelles, where you’ll stalk a ghost of a different color.
104
THE UNDERTOW: TURKEY IN THE STRAW - George V. Roberts
Photo: Kyle Weaver TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 13
Letter from the Editor THE NOVEMBER ISSUE is the final installment of TFFM for 2020, and as a team we’re happy to see this year come to a close. While our usual freedoms have been limited by the year’s most improbable events, most of us have found a way to make the best of the situation. Our hearts go out to the businesses large and small that have not been able to survive the tribulations of 2020. At the same time we laud those with courage and tenacity to try something new during such a turbulent time. WE HAVE TAKEN this downtime to rethink and analyze our publication, particularly the structure and content of each issue. There are some changes coming in 2021 that we’re sure will take TFFM to the next level. ON MY INTERNAL REEL of motivation there is a quote from a very unlikely source, the late Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel, the French fashion designer and businesswoman. She once said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Take this with some discretion; for if you’ve never seen a runway show, their idea of different can sometimes be described as bizarre. There is a real message in her statement, however, and one that I’ve internalized: Lead, don’t follow. AS AN EDITOR, some of my letters and features have gone against the grain of popular thinking, receiving both praise and criticism. I appreciate the feedback from both sides. For those of you who have sent negative emails, or telephoned the office directly, you can attest that I responded personally to address your concerns rather than hiding behind the corporate facade. It’s my hope you are still reading despite our differences in opinion. A KNIFE WITHOUT AN EDGE cannot make a cut. We’re sharpening our blade.
WE HAVE ALREADY INTRODUCED Andy Mill and his son Nicky Mill to the editorial lineup for 2021. And we’ll continue to announce more editors and contributors who are highly regarded authorities in their areas to help steer the TFFM ship. Three new additions—Nathaniel Linville of The Angling Company in Key West, Dr. Elizabeth Wallace of the Florida Wildlife Commission, and Jon Olch, author of A Passion for Permit—are inked in on the editorial calendar. We have also invited some of our previous contributors to take a more prominent role in the magazine. You’ll be seeing more of Trey Reid, E. Donnall Thomas, Brent Hannafan, James P. Spica Jr., and Joe Doggett. AS ALWAYS, we invite new writers and photographers to submit content for consideration. As the editor, I’ve always wanted to make a 100-percent readergenerated issue, similar to the all-female issue we did awhile back. I encourage readers to submit contributions or contact me directly if you’re interested in seeing your work appear in the pages of TFFM. WE ARE CLOSING OUT THE YEAR with an issue we’re all proud of, filled with considerable content, including some fantastic photos from TFFM regular Mark Hatter as well as a spectacular photo essay shot by a National Geographic photographer from Italy, Andrea Izzotti. As we say with each issue, this one is better than the last. Enjoy,
Dr. Joseph Ballarini Editor-in-Chief
Grand Slam slate carving by Leroy. Ambergris Caye, Belize. 14 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
VICTOR CASTRO (1962 - 2020)
by Trey Reid Victor Manuel Castro Gutierres was
Judging by the outpouring of grief
speargun for a fly rod, and dedicated
my fishing guide when we met in
and sympathy for Castro’s family, my
himself to ecological tourism and fly
2007. Over the next 13 years he be-
experience wasn’t unique. He touched
fishing.
came much more than that.
the lives of thousands of traveling fly anglers from across the world
“My dad was a commercial fisherman
He was a mentor, sharing his knowl-
over 25 years of guiding the waters
for many years, and he struggled a
edge of saltwater fly fishing and the
around the small fishing village of
lot to bring the daily bread to our
coastal ecosystem of Mexico’s south-
Xcalak, Mexico. With infinite patience,
table, with many limitations,” said
ern Yucatan Peninsula, as well as a
a sly sense of humor, and unflinching
his son, Victor Manuel Castro Arreola.
dear friend. Even though we lived
integrity, he altered the fly fishing
“Over the years he founded his
nearly 1,200 miles apart, we stayed
landscape on Mexico’s Caribbean
business, Osprey Tours.… He became
in touch with regular messages and
coastline, playing an integral part
passionate about the flats. He was a
social media. He guided me to my
in the development of a low-impact,
fighter. His life changed.”
first bonefish in 2007 and my first
ecologically friendly tourism indus-
permit last March (see “Journey to
try centered on Chetumal Bay flats
Castro hosted anglers from the US,
Xcalak,” issue 48, July/August).
fishing.
Canada, Mexico, South America, and
A saltwater fly fishing trailblazer on
Born December 14, 1962 in Xcalak,
velopment as a fly fishing destination
Mexico’s southern Caribbean coast,
Castro grew up fishing with his father
that filled a gap between Ascension
Castro died August 8 in Chetumal,
and started his career as a commer-
and Espiritu Santo bays to the north
Mexico, after a brief battle with
cial fisherman. Twenty-five years ago
and Ambergris Caye, Belize, to the
COVID-19. He was 57.
he took an English course, traded his
south.
Europe, contributing to Xcalak’s de-
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 15
THE FIRST TIME I FISHED WITH CASTRO, IN 2007, HE RETURNED MY TIP BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS TOO MUCH COMPENSATION FOR THE NUMBER OF FISH WE SAW.
Brianna, Victor Alonso, and Samuel.
“We have great weather for fishing,
He also left behind many friends and
but now we don’t have fishermen,” he
extended family members in Xcalak.
said. “Such is life.”
When word of Castro’s death spread on social media, friends from around
When a tornado ripped through the
the globe shared scores of thoughts
busy commercial area of a city not
and condolences on his and family
far from my home last spring, he
members’ Facebook pages.
sent a message to make sure my family and I were okay. We routinely
Both of Castro’s parents and his
swapped fishing pictures, and shortly
sister also died from COVID-19 in a
after I submitted “Journey to Xcalak”
span of just a few weeks, and with
to our editors, with my friend on my
few clients visiting Xcalak because
mind, I was inspired to make my own
of coronavirus travel restrictions,
homemade banana-leaf tamales.
the family’s finances were strained.
They weren’t nearly as good as Flo-
A GoFundMe page to help defray
ra’s, and I told him so when I shared
the family’s medical bills doubled its
a photo.
fundraising target in two days. “Those tamales look delicious,” he He led countless anglers to their first bonefish, permit, and tarpon over the years, poling his pangas Lizbeth, Yamily, and Brianna across Chetumal Bay, but he was especially fond of wading the flats in search of bonefish. “Walk like a cat,” he often advised. “The bonefish is very spooky.” Castro exhibited unyielding patience and had a knack for connecting novices with the bay’s wary denizens. He used a combination of warmhearted encouragement and the skill acquired through years of guiding to find success for his clients. He had a profound generosity of spirit that manifested in an easy smile and lively eyes. He loved his family and enjoyed talking about them as much as fishing. He’s survived by his wife, Flora; sons Victor, Andres, and Jesiel; daughters Lizbeth and Yamily; and grandchildren Josmar, Cindy, Melanie,
16 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
“The GoFundMe was a success
replied. “It’s always good to try.”
because Victor had so many friends,” said Rob Mukai, an American hotel
Our last day together in a boat was
owner who called Castro his closest
special because we caught a per-
friend in Xcalak. “He made a huge
mit, but it has become even more
impact on a lot of people.”
meaningful since Castro’s death. A friend and I were supposed to go out
Castro’s son, Andres Isai Castro Arre-
with Castro’s nephew Felipe Miravete
ola, will carry on his father’s legacy
that day, but a scheduling conflict
with Osprey Tours.
meant the jefe himself would guide us. Any time you catch a permit is
“It’s very strange and he will be
a great day, but catching it with my
missed,” he said. “But we will contin-
old friend took it to another level. I
ue on because my father was a great
expect to catch more permit, but I’ll
man.”
never again sit in the panga with my friend and talk about it. I feel cheat-
The first time I fished with Castro,
ed, although I take comfort in the
in 2007, he returned my tip because
memory of sitting there with him,
he thought it was too much com-
eating a sandwich and sipping a Dos
pensation for the number of fish we
Equis, talking about his life on the
saw. He went inside his home and
water, and about living his dream in a
returned with a plate full of his wife
tropical paradise with his family.
Flora’s homemade banana-leaf chicken tamales. It sparked a friendship
“It’s been a good life,” he said.
that carried on despite infrequent face-to-face meetings. During the last few months of Castro’s life, we communicated often about the state of the pandemic.
I’d call it great.
ALASKA Mossy’s Fly Shop 750 W. Diamond Blvd, Suite 114 Anchorage, AK 99515 907-770-2666 mossysflyshop.com CALIFORNIA Bob Marriott’s Fly Fishing Store 2700 W. Orangethorpe Ave Fullerton, CA 92833 714-525-1827 bobmarriottsflyfishingstore. com COLORADO Front Range Anglers 2344 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 303-494-1375 frontrangeanglers.com
ORVIS Sandestin 625 Grand Boulevard Ste 101 Sandestin, FL 32550 850-650-2174 Orvis.com The Angling Company 333 Simonton St Key West, FL 33040 305-292-6306 anglingcompany.com GEORGIA Cohutta Fishing Company 39 S. Public Square Cartersville, GA 30120 770-606-1100 cohuttafishingco.com
NORTH CAROLINA Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd D5 Cornelius, NC 28031 704-896-3660 carolinaflyfishing.com OBX on the Fly 107 Sir Walter Raleigh St Manteo, NC 27954 obxonthefly.com RHODE ISLAND The Saltwater Edge 1037 Aquidneck Ave Middletown, RI 02842 866-793-6733 saltwateredge.com
CONNECTICUT
ORVIS Atlanta Buckhead Square 3255 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30305 404-841-0093 Orvis.com
The Compleat Angler 541 Boston Post Road Darien, CT 06820 203-655-9400 compleatangleronline.com
The Fish Hawk 764 Miami Cir NE #126 Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-3473 thefishhawk.com
FLORIDA
LOUISIANA
ORVIS Charleston 535 King St, Charleston, SC 29403 (854) 999-4985 Orvis.com
239 Flies 3431 Bonita Beach Rd SW Unit #205 Bonita Springs, FL 34134 (239) 908-3513 239flies.com
Marsh & Bayou Outfitters 2600 Florida St Suite 3 Mandeville, LA 70448 985-869-7335 marshandbayououtfitters.com
Southern Drawl Outfitters 1533 Fording Island Rd Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 843-705-6010 southerndrawloutfitters.com
ORVIS Baton Rouge Perkins Rowe, Bldg. H 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd., Ste. 140 Baton Rouge LA 70810 225-757-7286 Orvis.com
TEXAS
Forgotten Coast Fly Company 123 Commerce Street Apalachicola, FL 32320 850-653-1024 forgottencoastflycompany. com Florida Keys Outfitters 81219 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL 33036 305-664-5432 floridakeysoutfitters.com Mangrove Outfitters 4111 Tamiami Trail E Naples, FL 34112 239-793-3370 mangroveoutfitters.com Ole Florida Fly Shop 6353 N. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33487 561-995-1929 olefloridaflyshop.com Orlando Outfitters 2814 Corrine Dr Orlando, FL 32803 407-896-8220 orlandooutfitters.com ORVIS Ocean Reef 1 Fishing Village Drive Key Largo FL 33037 305-367-2227 Orvis.com
MARYLAND Alltackle 2062 Somerville Rd Annapolis, MD 21401 888-810-7283 alltackle.com MASSACHUSETTS The Bear’s Den 34 Robert W. Boyden Rd Taunton, MA 02780 508-977-0700 bearsden.com MONTANA Frontier Anglers 680 N. Montana St Dillion, MT 59725 406-683-5276 frontieranglers.com
SOUTH CAROLINA Bay Street Outfitters 825 Bay Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843-524-5250 baystreetoutfitters.com
Bayou City Angler 3641 Westheimer Rd Suite A Houston, TX 77027 832-831-3104 bayoucityangler.com
Sportsman’s Finest 12434 Bee Cave Road Austin, TX 78738 512-263-1888 sportsmansfinest.com Swan Point Landing 1723 Cherry Street Suite 4 Rockport, TX 78382 361-729-7926 swanpointlandingflyshop.net Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. 1933 E. Levee St Dallas, TX 75207 888-824-5420 tailwatersflyfishing.com UTAH Fishwest 47 West 10600 South Sandy, UT 84070 fishwest.com 801-617-1225 WASHINGTON Peninsula Outfitters 19740 7th Ave NE, Suite 110 Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-394-1599 peninsulaoutfitters.com The Avid Angler 17171 Bothell Way NE #A272 Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 206-362-4030 avidangler.com WYOMING Lander Fly Shop 305 Main Street Lander, WY 82520 307-438-3439 landerflyshop.com Retail Chains:
Gordy & Sons Outfitters 22 Waugh Drive Houston, TX 77007 713-333-3474 gordyandsons.com
Barnes & Noble—630 retail locations in the USA
ORVIS Austin 10000 Research Blvd - B04B Austin TX 78759 512-795-8004 Orvis.com
Bass Pro Shops—95 locations in the USA
ORVIS Houston 5727 Westheimer - Suite A Houston TX 77057 713-783-2111 Orvis.com
NEW YORK
ORVIS Plano Preston Towne Crossing 2412 Preston Road Suite 200 Plano, TX 75093 972-596-7529 Orvis.com
River Bay Outfitters 980 Church St Baldwin, NY 11510 516-415-7748 riverbayoutfitters.com
ORVIS San Antonio 7427 San Pedro Ave. Suite 104 San Antonio, TX 78216 210-812-3017 Orvis.com
R E T A I L E R S
Books-A-Million—260 stores in 32 states
C A R R Y T A I L
Dick’s Sporting Goods (select locations)—over 700 stores in the USA Field & Stream Stores—35 locations in the USA CANADA Drift Outfitters & Fly Shop 199 Queen St. East Toronto Ontario M5A-1S2 647-347-7370 Driftoutfitters.com Retail Chains: Indigo Books—over 200 stores under various banners
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 17
inside
Tube Flies box for Billfish the
by Arthur J. Lux
As someone who has tied dozens of flies for bluewater
In lieu of attaching the hook with a loop you can also
outings, I’ve come to the realization that it’s a fool’s errand.
use a small metal clip, which you can get at your local
The reality is that you may only use four to six flies a day,
hardware store. The clip should be able to withstand a
but to have six appropriate flies, you need to have 40 ready
few hundred pounds of pressure. Don’t overdo it, though,
to go in various sizes. Typical billfish patterns are tied on
as a clip that’s too heavy will hinder your cast. If you use
hooks from 2/0 to 10/0, and it requires a great deal of time
the clip, simply loop both the knot at the hook and the
to stockpile enough so that you’ll feel prepared for the trip.
other end that will clip to the leader.
This can take several weeks.
Frequently, an angler fishing for mahi might encounter a
I do still tie standard flies for billfish, but in order to
marlin. This is where having an interchangeable system
save time and money I’ve streamlined the process. Tube
of tube flies really pays off. The mahi fly you’re using
flies are a great way to ensure that you have both the
might be fine for billfish, but the hook might be too
pattern and the hook size needed. Tying on tubes allows
small. This systems allows you to up the size of your
you to change the hook quickly. You no longer need to tie
hook in seconds.
a sardine pattern on different size hooks; simply tie it on a tube and when you’re on the boat you can select the
This is a typical selection of tube files for blue water.
desired hook based on the situation you’re in.
Pink and white seems to be a popular color combination
I like to use a shock tippet of 40 to 60 pounds that’s
purpose, simply trim the tail.
attached to the hook with a loop knot. To rig, simply slide the tippet though the tail end of the fly and snug the hook eye just inside the back end of the tube. Secure the shock tippet to your leader with a blood knot and you’re ready to go.
18 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
for sailfish. If you desire a smaller fly for a specific
Many bluewater patterns are now commercially available. In fact, I purchased this assortment on eBay because my flies just weren’t pretty enough for the shoot. Go fish!
A recluse and infrequent contributor to TFFM, Arthur J. Lux cut his teeth on conventional fishing and bluewater tournaments—but he did eventually see the light. He is now a fly-only bluewater angler. He roams the world eating, drinking, and fishing— not necessarily in that order. He can tie our flies anytime.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 19
GEAR Scientific Anglers Rod Sleeves There are few things more valuable to the fly angler than his or her gear. SA rod sleeves protect fly rods while they’re nestled in a hard rod rack on a skiff or while riding in a rusty old pickup truck from the lodge to the marina. Four sizes to accommodate single-handed and two-handed rods. A great stocking stuffer. (scientificanglers.com) $12.95 to $29.95
Fishpond Cutbank Gear Bag A gear sanctuary for salt or fresh water, the Fishpond Cutbank gear bag keeps your important gear protected and dry. Adjustable internal dividers allow you to customize your boat bag based on what gear you are carrying each day. Multiple clear, waterproof zip pouches protect phones, keys, or other small items and allow for easy access. Sturdy walls protect gear and provide structure so the bag stands on its own. Plenty of room for larger items such as cameras, reels, fly boxes, and rain jacket. (fishpondusa.com) $249.95
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GUIDE Thomas & Thomas Exocett SS The T&T Exocett SS is an 8’ 8” rod that excels at handling sinking lines or compact floating shooting heads. The four-piece multi-modulus blank dampens the shock associated with heavy lines and the powerful tip helps pull sinking lines to the surface to recast. Blank is a matte black finish and the grip is made from Flor-grade cork reinforced with highdensity rubberized composite. Hardware includes titanium frame guides with ceramic inserts and RECoil titanium alloy snake guides. If you fish sinking lines—and most saltwater fly anglers do—this is your rod. (thomasandthomas.com) $855
Nite Ize Hitch Phone Anchor + Tether Imagine you’re on the bow of the skiff. You’ve just caught a beautiful bonefish, and you’re straining to get the perfect angle for a photo when you lose your grip on your phone and watch it plop into the salt. (Ask us how we know about this scenario.) The Nite Ize Hitch Phone Anchor + Tether will save the day the next time fish slime or salt water loosens your grip. Its simple design fits any phone with a case and protects your phone from drops, loss, or theft. Peace of mind on the water for a very small price. (niteize.com) $15
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 21
GEAR Pelican 20QT Elite Cooler The Pelican 20QT Elite Cooler has served us well not only as a cooler, but also as a boat seat, a camping stool, and a chopping/prep surface area, to name just a few functions. It’s just the right size for a day trip or overnighter, and it’s easy to carry and access. Bombproof latches open with a simple push and give you tactile confirmation that they’re closed. Multiple color options and a lifetime guarantee make it hard to beat for a piece of gear you’ll be proud to pass on to your kids. (pelican.com) $149.95
Hydroflask 32 oz Wide Mouth Bottle The Hydroflask 32 oz Wide Mouth Bottle is the ultimate hydration companion on all days—not just hot ones. Double-wall vacuum insulation and prograde stainless steel construction means beverages stay ice-cold for 24 hours or piping-hot for 12. A wide opening means a fast fill. While stainless steel may be heavier than a standard reusable plastic bottle, temperature control, durability, and BPA-free materials are well worth the weight. (hydroflask.com) $44.95
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GUIDE Rumpl Stash Mat Part of the attraction of fishing is the downtime between fish—those times when you anchor up, crack a beer, and kick your feet up. For moments like these, Rumpl’s new packable Stash Mat is perfect. It’s lightweight and packs into itself at 6 x 12 inches, so it doesn’t take up much storage space. Throw it across the bow for a comfortable place to sit. And if you beach the boat, you can stake down the mat thanks to reinforced tabs on each corner. At 52 x 75 inches, it fits four people comfortably. A waterproof bottom alows you to lay this thing anywhere. However, what we like most is that it stands up to anything: sand, water, spilled beer, a dripping sandwich. Just brush it off, fold it back up, and toss it into the hatch. (rumpl.com) $79
Asobu Ultimate Mug If you’re like us, life, fishing, and coffee go hand-in-hand. As the weather cools, it’s nice having a mug that keeps your drink hot— whether at the tying bench, on the road, or in the boat. Most travel mugs are lined with metal, which alters the taste of your coffee. The Asobu Ultimate Mug is crafted with a stainless steel outer and copper inner lined with ceramic, which translates to long-lasting heat with no off-flavor. (asobubottle.com) $24.99
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 23
GEAR Primal Urge Meat Snacks Are you a carnivore, or do you know anyone who is? If so, you’ll truly enjoy Primal Urge Meats. Each month, this service will deliver a box of meaty snacks to your door, each assortment picked from a variety of hundreds of different products, including unique flavors of jerky, sticks, and strips. The list of options is growing all the time. All MSG-free and from small farmers here in the USA who care about what you’re eating. (primalurgefoods.com) $14.95/month
Mangrove Outfitters At-Home Fly Tying Kit How many times have you seen a great-looking fly but didn’t know what materials were needed or how to tie it? Mangrove Outfitters has you covered. We learned about Mangrove Outfitters Fly Shop fly tying kits and ordered one for ourselves. We received the box with Tom’s Lightbulb, one of three patterns available. This is a white baitfish pattern that’s used globally in both salt water and fresh and looks great in both clear and tannic water. Each kit contains enough materials to tie a dozen flies. The kit includes a pre-tied pattern for you to use as a model. A detailed how-to video on the Mangrove Outfitters YouTube channel walks you step by step through tying the pattern. Also included is a nice koozie and a custom sticker. After being in business for almost 30 years, Mangrove Outfitters knows their stuff. Great gift or stocking-stuffer. (mangroveoutfitters.com) $39.95 24 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
GUIDE Duck Camp Drifter Pants Duck Camp’s new Drifter Pants are the fishing pants by which all other fishing pants should be judged. They do everything you would expect of a quality pair of fishing pants—they’re lightweight, quick drying, UPF 40+ rated, breathable, moisture wicking, and stain resistant. But just as important, they’re also damn comfortable thanks to articulated knees, a gusseted crotch, and a comfort fit waistband. Whether you’re throwing them on for a day on the bow of a skiff or layering them under waders these will become your go-to pants for all things fishing. (duckcamp.com) $89
Toadfish Non-Tipping Can Cooler Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. If you’ve never spilled a drink on a boat, then you probably haven’t spent much time on one. The Toadfish Non-Tipping Can Cooler is the protector of beverages everywhere. End alcohol abuse—that is, spilling drinks— by using this handy item on your next nautical voyage. The bottom sticks to any smooth surface and only unsticks when you pull straight up. The beverage cannot be knocked over. In three different sizes to fit 12 oz regular, 12 oz slim, and 16 oz tall cans. A great stocking stuffer for any angler. (toadfishoutfitters.com) $24
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GEAR Gillz Polarized Sunglasses Quality polarized sunglasses are one item whose purchase can break your bank. Gillz offers an entire collection for under $100. Seven frame and six lens options provide stunningly clear vision and maximum glare reduction whether you’re fishing offshore, flats, lake, or stream. (gillz-gear.com) $99.99
Baker HXSS Stainless Steel X-Heavy Duty HooKouT There’s a reason they’re called snappers. Nothing can ruin a day of fishing quicker than getting your fingers bloodied by a toothy bluefish. A great tool for hard-to-release fish is the Baker Hookout HXSS. It securely holds a wide range of hook sizes, and corrosionresistant stainless steel is ideal for salt water. Large hand grips for easy operation and superior control. $34.99
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GUIDE Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Redfish Line Catching a tailing red is the bomb! Just make sure you have the right fly line for the job. The Sci Anglers Amplitude series of lines are the highest-performance lines the company has ever produced. The Amplitude Smooth Redfish Line is designed with a short head for quick shots. Comes in both a Warm and Cold version to suit your fishery. (scientificanglers.com) $99.95
Korkers Darkhorse Wading Boots A good pair of wading boots are essential for the coastal fly angler who plays the game on foot. You’ll find no better wading boots than the Korkers Darkhorse. These remastered classics offer superlative fit and function, internal drainage to reduce weight, fast and effortless putting on and taking off, and they’re ideal for both fresh and salt water. Two sole packages offer options for all wading conditions, including Felt Sole (ideal for slippery environments), Kling-On Sticky Sole (boats and wet wading), and Studded Kling-On Sole (for extremely slippery environments). Soles can be changed in less than a minute. (korkers.com). $189.99
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 27
A Photo Essay by Andrea Izzotti Words by Joseph Ballarini The streets of Cabo San Lucas are closed every October 18th for a parade to honor the city’s patron saint, Saint Joseph. I sometimes talk about Saint Joseph’s feast day parade as the reason I started visiting Los Cabos, since we share the name, but those who know me best know full well it was the marlin. The best time to experience a bait ball and frenzied billfish on the fly is late October though late November, as long as favorable conditions prevail and the sardines do not move out too quickly. The speed of a striped marlin is often exaggerated, with reports exceeding 50 miles per hour. While marlin are capable of impressive bursts of speed,
28 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
Los Cabos Has Balls
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they top out at around 25 miles per hour. A typical striped marlin is between 150 and 250 pounds, but a 12- to 15-year-old fish can approach 450 pounds. The sardine schools have only their great numbers as defense. To confuse predators, they form tight balls, relying on the probability that some will fall but enough will survive. Not only do the sardines have to endure assault from below, but they are also attacked by frigates from above. Marlin are pack hunters; they systematically take turns charging the bait, bills slashing, in an attempt to disorient, injure, and isolate individual fish from the school. Isolated prey last no more than a few seconds outside the protective cloud of the ball. The most common marlin flies are white topped with green or blue; they can be tied as straight baitfish patterns or a popper head can be added
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to create surface disturbance. You simply toss them into the boil and strip them to suggest wounded or isolated prey. During times of high activity, a few strips are all that is necessary. The frenzy can last for minutes or hours, but it typically stops as quickly as it starts. Even if it lasts only minutes, it’s truly a sight to see. Andrea Izzotti is an awardwinning wildlife photographer based in Genova, Italy. He is the author of Tales from Blue and Other Colors (2020) and Travelers in the Blue (2020). His work has appeared in National Geographic Italy, National Geographic Viajes, National Geographic Kids, Focus, Focus Wild, as well as other books and magazines. You can visit his website at andreaizzotti.it.
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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 35
A Fish My Age by Henry Hughes I listened to my younger friends as we
from Alaska to Baja California, and
glow, swimming inches behind the
drove through Oregon’s coastal range
they make up an important part
little rockfish, but sunlight and the
toward the ocean. Nate and Jarod are
of the recreational and commercial
lapping hull turned the beast away.
biologists for the US Fish & Wildlife
fishery. But few people cast to them
We released the small rockfish and
Service, Peter is a professor at a state
with flies.
looked for more. Nothing. Then
university. Strong wind predictions
One summer afternoon, Peter and I
a huge splash behind us had me
and the younger men’s concerns—
were riding ocean swells on his 16-
fumbling for the fly rod and shaking
federal and state budget cuts, hectic
foot skiff, Kelson, when the surface
out some line. Peter laughed. I turned
work schedules, kids home sick, and
began to boil with anchovies and
to see a pair of sleek porpoises arcing
frantic spouses—made me hope
the hearty splashes of pursuit. Peter
through the water.
the trip would offer some relief. I
had his 8-weight Cabela’s rod at the
glanced back at the boat we trailered,
ready. He made a decent cast from
A surface flurry of rockfish happens
remembering past trips that buoyed
the pitching bow, stripped the sinking
only every once in a while on
our spirits during trying times.
line and pale streamer a couple of
the ocean. Black rockfish, olives,
feet, and hooked a nice fish—maybe
yellowtails, and widows will come to
For years we have enjoyed catching
4 pounds—that bent the rod, dove
the surface, but typically the fish
rockfish along the West Coast,
deep under the boat, and eventually
are too deep to reach with flies. For
dropping jigs into craggy lairs and
came to my net. I freed the fly, and
small boat and shore anglers like
kelpy crevices, or down through
Peter sent out a second cast that
us, however, stories of night fishing
sonar-exposed schools below our
immediately hooked another fish.
held special promise. Beginning in
boats. Members of the genus
This rockfish, much smaller, also shot
the 1970s, Oregon fly fishing maven
Sebastes, which means “magnificent”
straight for the bottom, attracting
Richard Bunse donned his miner’s
in Greek (and sometimes called “bass”
a large, fanged ling cod that trailed
helmet, a cord running down to the
by locals), the more than 75 species
it to the surface. We thrilled over
battery pack on his belt, and climbed
of Pacific rockfishes inhabit waters
the 3-foot predator’s greenish
over jetty rocks, casting streamers to
36 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
eager rockfish. “The action at night
rocks seem suddenly close, water and
Oregon coast can live into their 50s,
was incredible,” Bunse said. “Nothing
land melt together.
and it takes them five years or more
like what you’d experience during the
before they spawn. Yellowtail rockfish
day.” Legends also told of very big
“Don’t worry. We’ll be careful,” I
can live to be 65 years; canary
rockfish coming out under the cover
texted my wife, adding a piscine
rockfish, 85; quillback, 95. The ear
of darkness. Many species of fish are
emoticon, as the possibility of large,
bones of a 32-inch rougheye rockfish
nocturnal, hunting by glimpse, scent,
feeding fish inside the bay took
caught off Alaska showed it to be 205
and vibration. Normally wary brown
over our conversation in the truck.
years old. Although tarpon may live
trout boldly prowl the darkened
“I’d love to land a big one,” I blurted
to be 60, redfish 40, and striped bass
shallows of rivers and lakes, snook
aloud. Jarod smiled, but reminded us
30, bonefish and permit rarely exceed
gobble shrimp and smelt among the
that rockfish are slow-growing, long-
20, and false albacore live no longer
moon-dappled tropical mangroves,
lived creatures, often taking several
than five years. Rockfishes, along
and striped bass and bluefish gorge
years to sexually mature. This life
with the Greenland shark, Patagonian
on menhaden during warm nights
cycle makes rockfish vulnerable to
toothfish, and white sturgeon, are
along the Atlantic coast. Why don’t
overfishing.
some of the oldest-living fish in the
more fly anglers follow?
world. According to Dr. Milton Love of
Night fishing can be challenging,
the Marine Science Institute at
“If we catch a big rockfish,” Jarod
even dangerous. Humans are
the University of California, Santa
proposed, “how about we let it go?”
creatures of light, and the older I get,
Barbara, several studies have shown
Jarod, a conservationist at heart,
the more illumination I need to tie
an alarming decline in the number
caught and released a 3-pound
knots, untangle leaders, and find my
of older fish, whose offspring are
quillback on a previous trip, and the
way over the water. Whether wading
more likely to survive than those of
fish was on his mind. But angling
or navigating a boat, distance to
younger fish. According to Dr. Love,
lore warns against presumptuous
objects appears distorted at night,
the black rockfish common off the
planning, and this discussion felt
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 37
Peter’s 25-year-old Kelson, but her
because he was into a fish; so was I.
heavy, wide-beamed fiberglass hull
The bite was on.
is steady, even in a wind-whipped
DR. LOVE EXPLAINS THAT “DAY-NIGHT BEHAVIOR OF ROCKFISH REMAINS LARGELY UNSTUDIED,” BUT “IN DEEP WATER THE FISH ARE USUALLY VERY QUIET AT NIGHT.” THESE SHALLOW-WATER FISH WERE CLEARLY AWAKE.
February bay like the one we crossed
All of us were catching rockfish and
in the last hour of light. Hundreds of
an occasional greenling on flies. Most
black surf scoter hugged the lee of
fish were in the 11-inch range, but a
a seawall, loons surfaced with small
few larger fish up to 15 inches also
silver herring in their bills, and sea
came aboard. Peter changed to a
lions barked from a tilting green
smaller black Clouser and caught
channel marker.
three fish in as many casts, including a gold-faced quillback with deeply
Approaching a barnacled point on the
notched dorsal spines. Rockfishing
jetty, Nate readied the anchor, but a
is often excellent at high slack tide,
Coast Guard patrol drove down the
and darkness made it even better. As
road and waved us off. “Restricted
the tide turned and our boat swung
bar,” the officer shouted through
on the falling water, Jarod hooked a
a bullhorn, and we retreated down
large fish that bent his rod and ran
channel and anchored off another
for cover. “Damn,” he shook his head
stony knuckle that looked promising.
when the pulsing stopped. We were
It’s impossible for four men to cast
tempted to leave anchor and try to
a bit like a jinx, like sliding a big
flies from a small boat, so we took
free the snagged fish, but the tippet
ice-filled cooler in the truck before
turns at bow and stern, the chilly
broke. Soothing the loss of that big
a salmon trip, or snapping the
wind working for and against us as
something, we savored the nearly
net in place before the first cast.
it blew hard off the ocean. After 30
windless winter night. Fish splashed
Then I remembered the Elizabeth
minutes fishing the incoming tide,
all around us; and sea lions swam
Bishop poem about catching a
a red-freckled greenling gobbled up
nearby, their vapored breath rising
“tremendous fish” that didn’t
Nate’s scud. Then Jarod hooked a
in puffs of fog visible before the
fight hard, but was “battered and
10-inch copper rockfish, brilliantly
harbor lights. Nate shined a powerful
venerable” with hooks and broken
patched in pink and orange. We put
spotlight into the water, igniting the
leaders trailing from his mouth
on our headlamps and kept at it,
tinsel sides of herring dashing past.
“like medals with their ribbons.”
casting to the exposed rocks and
We all took turns, catching close to
The poem was written in 1946,
retrieving through water ranging
60 fish, toasting the bounty with
long before catch-and-release was
from 4 to 20 feet. Fishing was slow,
a round of whisky and tender beef
accepted practice, and yet staring
but as darkness fell, so did the wind.
jerky. Dr. Love explains that “Day-
at that big old fish hanging half out
The tide slowed, flooding close to
night behavior of rockfish remains
of the water, Bishop tells us—
high, and Peter caught a small black
largely unstudied,” but “in deep
rockfish on a Lefty’s Deceiver. Peter
water the fish are usually very quiet
… victory filled-up
is from the East Coast and he loves
at night.” These shallow-water fish
the little rented boat
his Deceivers along with his old
were clearly awake. Peter inspected
from the pool of bilge
electric blue fly line with 30 feet of
the well-chewed Clouser under his
where oil had spread a rainbow
black 450-grain sinking head that has
headlamp—broken deer hair over the
around the rusted engine . . .
put him into countless striped bass
paint-chipped red eyes. “I’ve got some
—until everything
from Maine to New Jersey. The line,
other steamers,” I offered.
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
kinked and worn, made it to Oregon
“I’ll stick with this,” he said. “It’s
And I let the fish go.
for a few more years of service, and
working.”
when I tell him it needs replacing, he There’s always a bit of murky bilge
says, “I love it, and know just how it
The Clouser Deep Minnow was
water below the low transom of
sinks and responds.” I couldn’t argue
created in the late 1980s by Bob
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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 39
cast, Peter raised the rod, felt the resistance of something—a snag?— then stripped and set the hook into a large fish. “This is something, guys,” he smiled. The rod bowed deeply and pulsed; and though there was no great run, there was clearly a big fish pulling toward the rocks. Peter got the fish on the reel, applying considerable low angle pressure to keep it in open water. Anglers know the thrill of a big fish at the end of the line. Sometimes we’re fairly certain what it will be, but in salt water the mystery expands with every powerful pull and dive. After ten minutes, Peter had his big fish close to the boat. Nate provided a spotlight, Jarod held the net, and I readied for a photo. Suddenly there was the golden flash of a huge copper rockfish. Jarod lifted the net and the fish glistened in a marble swirl of brown, olive, and metallic yellow, a white streak running behind the gill plate and pectoral fins, its spiny dorsal high and fierce. Rockfish carry a mild venom in their dorsal spines, and Peter was once so painfully stung that I had to administer a first aid treatment Clouser, a Pennsylvania angler and fly
movement of this fly dipping and
shop owner who sought a streamer
darting when you strip it erratically.”
for his beloved Susquehanna
Peter resumed casting his Clouser
smallmouth. The late Lefty Kreh
from the bow, but rather than
celebrated the Clouser in several
stripping erratically, he simply kept
articles and claimed to have used it
tension, letting the outgoing tide
to land over 80 species of fish. The
carry the now-distressed streamer
lead dumbbell eyes allow the fly to
slowly over the bottom. “They’re
drop quickly and ride hook-point-up,
taking it when it’s hardly moving,”
making it less snaggy. It may appear
he lifted another small fish out
to be the fly angler’s version of the
of the water. Young rockfish feed
bucktail jig, but it was designed
voraciously on bottom-dwelling
to swim in jerking horizontals. As
mysids, small crabs, and amphipods,
Clouser himself describes, “The
as well as free-swimming krill and
flat and narrow profile add to the
other plankton. After his next
40 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
of ice and rum. He carefully lifted this night’s fish with his Boga Grip scale—7 pounds even—approximately 22 inches. I took photos. We sounded off astonishment and praise. Victory filled up our little boat—and we let the fish go. “I bet that was a world record,” Nate said. “On the fly rod?” I qualified. “I bet you’re right.” Consulting the International Game Fish Association website, we learned
THERE IS NO IGFA ENTRY FOR A COPPER ROCKFISH CAUGHT ON A FLY ROD IN ANY TIPPET CLASS. PETER CAUGHT A WORLD RECORD.
that the official all-tackle record for
photos and witnesses, but the record
a copper rockfish is 7 pounds, 15
remains in our memory and in the
ounces, 22 inches, caught by Daniel
living leviathan that may be finning
Stamos, jigging a Diamond Bar in
this very moment in his keply cave.
Shelter Cove, Humboldt County,
“Once an adult finds a good reef, they
California. Two state records (which
don’t move around much,” Dr. Love
do not supersede official IGFA
told me during a phone interview. I
records) for this species were set in
sent the renowned ichthyologist a
the late 1980s: California, 8 pounds,
description and photo of our fish,
3 ounces; Washington, 10 pounds.
and asked him to estimate the age.
There is no IGFA entry for a copper
“That fish is just a little short of the
rockfish caught on a fly rod in any
maximum length, and because the
tippet class. Peter caught a world
maximum age thus far determined is
record.
54 years old, the fish is likely in that range.”
I contacted the IGFA and inquired about an application, but it became
I paused for a moment and said, “Like
apparent that we wouldn’t qualify.
maybe, 52, my age.”
The IGFA encourages catch-andrelease, but we did not get a weight from a certified scale, and we took no exact measurements. There are
“Sure,” Dr. Love said. “Very possible.”
Henry Hughes grew up on Long Island, New York, and now lives in Oregon. He is the Oregon Book Award-winning author of four collections of poetry and the memoir Back Seat with Fish: A Man’s Adventures in Angling and Romance (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016). An active angler, naturalist, and literary critic, Henry edited the Everyman’s Library anthologies Art of Angling: Poems about Fishing and Fishing Stories. His work has appeared in Harvard Review, Antioch Review, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Anglers Journal, and Flyfishing and Tying Journal. Henry teaches at Western Oregon University.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 41
REWA REFLECTIONS Arapaima in a Lost World Having just finished wiping the sleep
immigrations officer asked. Though
“What’s the address?” he shot back.
out of my eyes, my brain was now
he was speaking English, the cadence
It was 1:12 a.m. local time at Cheddi
trying to play catchup to process
bore a heavy Creole accent, making it
Jaggan International Airport and I
what the man behind the glass was
harder to understand.
was already having to think harder
asking. “Say again?” I blurted as I
than I wanted to.
was becoming more awake and in
“Rewa Eco-Lodge—I’m here to go
tune with each passing second.
fishing in the jungle for the week,” I
“Well, uh, I don’t think it has an
replied.
address … it’s just, like, a village and
“Where are you going?” the
42 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
some huts in the jungle.” That was
by Kyle Gemas Photos by Johann du Preez and Kurt Schiele
my official answer and I stuck to it.
fishing with for the week—grabbed
confident saying that there were
The man looked at me for a second or
our luggage and walked outside to
two hard truths about Guyana: the
two and then stamped my passport
meet our local ground agent and
roadside dog food industry was
and waived me through. I was
driver, who had an air-conditioned
booming and Banks beer wasn’t bad
officially in Guyana. I felt even better
van with a cooler full of Banks beer
for $1.50. Most people tend to recall
when I discovered my checked bags
ready for our 50-minute drive to the
another hard truth: This remote
containing all my gear had made
largest city and capital, Georgetown.
South American country is best
the journey successfully. We—that is, I and two of the three guys I’d be
known for being the home of Jim About halfway to Georgetown I felt
Jones and his Peoples Temple Cult,
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 43
which resulted in a mass suicide
little sleep I could and test how cold
glance, I wasn’t exactly sure how
of 909 people back in 1978. While I
the air conditioning unit could make
this plane would carry all of us and
was not going to be drinking any of
my room, knowing that there would
our gear across hundreds of miles
that Kool-Aid, for the many months
be no Freon particles floating around
of uninhabited jungle, but I’ve
leading up to this trip I had been
the jungle.
found that the best approach to an
drinking the Kool-Aid about Guyana
uncomfortable situation is to just
being one of the only places left in
In the lobby the next morning, I met
the world to catch a wild arapaima
my newfound friends from the night
on a fly rod. A little after 2:00 a.m.
before, Kurt and Erich, along with
We each had to step onto a large
we pulled into the Cara Lodge, which
their friend Dean. They had been
industrial scale to weigh ourselves
is arguably the nicest hotel in town.
friends for many years and were all
and our gear, a standard safety
While this really isn’t saying much, it
in their mid- to late-50s; having just
precaution when flying in very small
exceeded my expectations. The hotel
turned 30, I thought it my duty to try
planes, yet a strange procedure if
has hosted a variety of business
and impart some millennial wisdom
you’re used to just hopping on a
leaders and foreign dignitaries,
on these boomers while trying to be
commercial jetliner. I watched as
including President Jimmy Carter,
the best fourth wheel possible for the
the woman at the counter started
and now myself, representing the
week.
adding up our individual body and
lower end of the visitor spectrum.
assume it will all work out.
gear weight with pen and paper
Our 7:30 a.m. transfer to Ogle Interior
Ogle Airport was a fascinating
as opposed to a calculator. When
Airport would be here very soon, and
sight to see, consisting mainly of
her brow furrowed somewhat, I got
I decided it best to try to grab what
private chartered flights. At first
nervous for a second and began to
44 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
think our group was too heavy, but
has at least 85 percent of its natural
25-horsepower motors and began
luckily it never came to anything
rainforests alive and well. Besides
the hour-long journey upriver to
and we were cleared for departure.
gorgeous rainforest canopies, you
their lodge and village. Once we were
We loaded up, crammed our bodies
could also see lush mountains and
cruising on the river, the biodiversity
and gear into the plane, and were
even some grassy savannas. It’s easy
of the place was on full display: The
airborne.
to see why 16th century explorers
skies were filled with exotic, beautiful
like Charles Waterton came here
birds; caiman and giant river otters
Guyana lies east of Venezuela, north
looking for the mythical city of gold,
dotted the banks; howler monkeys
of Brazil, west of Suriname, and is
El Dorado. It wouldn’t surprise me if
roared from the trees; and at one
roughly half the size of New York
El Dorado was down there somewhere
point I was convinced that a T-Rex
State. Unlike New York, however,
below the canopy, but I was after my
Guyana’s total population is only
own El Dorado.
about 750,000, and just about none of them lived where we were going.
We landed on a jungle airstrip near
It’s the only country in South America
the village of Apoteri. After high-
where English is the official language,
fiving some of the local children who
as it was a British colony until 1970,
ran out onto the airstrip to greet
when it became an independent
us, we made our way down to the
republic. From the air it was easy
adjacent river, where we were met
to see why Guyana is so special; the
by representatives from the Rewa
natural resources and landscapes
Eco-Lodge (rewaecolodge.com), all of
are absolutely pristine and still very
whom were Amerindians, specifically
much intact. Guyana is one of only
the Makushi tribe. We loaded up two
two countries in the world that still
large aluminum boats fitted with
THE FISHING PROGRAM AT REWA IS BUILT AROUND FLY FISHING FOR ARAPAIMA, THE LARGEST FRESHWATER FISH ON THE PLANET.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 45
would eventually appear. While John Hammond ultimately did not welcome me to Jurassic Park, Rovin Alvin did welcome me to Rewa EcoLodge. Rovin is the village chief’s son and head guide of the fishing program. Besides fishing, the lodge also attracts birders and naturalists looking to revel in what feels like a lost world. The lodge was beautifully simple, and the Makushi do an excellent job of maximizing limited resources. The main lodge area featured six guest cabanas, a large dining hut and bar, an adjacent office where sparse wifi could be found, and solar panels keep the electric juices flowing. The guest cabanas featured a nice deck area with rod rack and hammock on the outside; inside there were two full beds draped in
46 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
mosquito netting. In the back there was an open air bathroom featuring a sink, flush toilet, and shower that pumped water straight from the river. After a nice lunch of baked chicken, it was time to rig up and try to find some arapaima. The fishing program at Rewa is built around fly fishing for arapaima, one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet. They’re greenish and scaly with a beautiful red tail, and they remind me of a cross between a tarpon and a gar. They even have an air bladder and come to the surface to gulp air. The fish have a voracious appetite and grow very quickly, yet they live surprisingly short lives, topping out at around 15 years
maximum. This makes it even more impressive that they can reach 9 feet long and weigh well over 300 pounds. It’s February, almost the peak of the dry season, and water levels are getting close to their lowest level, which is what you need to effectively fish arapaima. The Makushi have learned how the dropping water will trap the arapaima in large ponds and lakes, where they’ll remain until the water levels rise again and they’re free to relocate. After a brisk half-mile hike through the jungle we reach our first pond, and there’s a canoe and guide waiting for us with a push pole that was made from a small tree not more
than 15 minutes earlier. The tactics
day. After a nice siesta and lunch, I
went tight and I set the hook so hard
are simple: The angler stands at
was off to fish an oxbow lake that
that I actually fell backward into the
the front of the canoe and is poled
the Makushi referred to as “banana
boat. Arapaima require an incredibly
flats-style by the guide. Because they
sucker.” While the name is open to
powerful strip strike to penetrate
gulp air, arapaima must come to
interpretation, the lake itself was
their bony mouths, and fishing
the surface, and even when they’re
indeed shaped like a banana. The
with 80-pound mono affords extra
below the surface they release air
mid-afternoon sun this particular day
confidence that the leader will not
bubbles. After a week of staring at
was blazing, and the fish seemed to
break. From my experience tarpon
pond water, anyone can become an
feel it, too, as I saw no rolling fish nor
fishing in Florida, I could tell by the
expert at locating and deciphering
any movement whatsoever. To try to
pull that this was a solid fish well
arapaima bubbles. We were loaded
stay mentally engaged, I began blind
over 100 pounds.
for bear: 12 weight rods, fly lines
casting at various spots I deemed
designed for giant trevally, 80-pound
fishy. My luck eventually turned when
After a short but powerful initial run,
straight mono leaders, and large
I spotted a nice burst of bubbles
the fish jumped out of the water like
bushy streamer flies. The fishing is
about 70 feet off the bow. I threw
a tarpon and shook its head violently,
more technical than one may think,
a black and red piranha streamer
attempting to break free.
and bagging one of these beasts a
a little ahead of the bubbles and
day is a good day.
paused for a few moments to let
“Really big fish!” yelled Rovin.
the fly sink. About halfway through My good day came on the second
my first long and slow strip, my line
My tarpon instincts kicked in, and I
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 47
ROVIN HANDED
began to apply maximum pressure,
As the fish began to tire, I was
ME A SHORT
utilizing Billy Pate’s “down and dirty”
instructed to try to pull it into
technique, while trying to keep the
shallower water, where the Makushi
fish’s head down and not let it come
guides would then jump into the
up to the surface to gulp air. My
water, land the fish, and begin to
12-weight Crosscurrent had pulled on
revive it. I gave the fish one more
some big fish before, but it seemed
hard pull and Rovin tackled it like an
MUST HAVE HAD A
to be bending in ways I had never
angry linebacker and it was all over.
seen, and I was determined to see
Every arapaima is measured and
PUZZLED LOOK ON
how much backbone it truly had.
tagged, and the information is put
Another ten minutes of pressure had
into a catch database by Makushi
MY FACE, BECAUSE
the fish to the point where Rovin
scientists. This particular specimen
felt confident to jump into the water
was 78 inches long and 36 inches
WITHOUT MISSING
and prepare to secure the behemoth.
wide and was estimated to weigh
A BEAT, ROVIN
Arapaima are incredibly strong, but
about 210 pounds. It had never been
they lack the stamina for a sustained
caught before. I braved the caiman,
fight if the angler successfully
electric eel, freshwater stingray,
applies pressure. The warm, poorly
and piranha for some cool pictures,
oxygenated water surely didn’t help
and then I watched the fish swim
the fish either.
back into the deep, murky waters of
AND SHARPENED BAMBOO STICK. I
REPLIED, “FOR JAGUARS.”
48 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
“banana sucker.” That fish was the
have had a puzzled look on my face,
washing clothing using canoes to
largest I’ve ever caught.
because without missing a beat,
hold the water, or fixing up the cots
Rovin replied, “For jaguars.”
under mosquito nets. Hard work is
“Now your week is all downhill from
prevalent here; it’s something that
here,” Rovin joked. As the week
Camping is a cool experience;
is clearly instilled into the younger
progressed, I ended up catching four
camping in the jungle is an awesome
generations. Watching the young
more arapaima, none anywhere near
experience! Every night we would fall
boys haul the canoes barefoot
as big as the first, but all special
asleep to a chorus of howler monkeys,
through the jungle is a sight; and
nonetheless.
frogs, and insects. This was a
those same boys are always there
borderline religious experience for me,
waiting for you to return after a
Mid-week we loaded up the boats
as I usually fall asleep to the sounds
fishing session. Whenever you came
and headed farther upriver to a pre-
of cars, sub-woofers, and bad sitcoms.
back with damp and muddy clothing
made campsite known as River Burst,
In the morning, some combination
their faces would light up knowing
which was even more rustic than
of sun, bacon, and howler monkeys
that their hard work enabled you to
the lodge. By the time we eventually
usually had me stirring and ready to
catch a fish. The boys already have a
hit the riverbank, an entire team of
go.
guide mentality and will no doubt be
Makushi had already been hard at
running the operation one day, just
work pumping river water for bathing
The Makushi women are terrific
as their older family members are
and setting up cots and mosquito
cooks and very hard workers;
currently doing. However, this wasn’t
nets. Rovin handed me a short and
when they weren’t cooking food,
always the case.
sharpened bamboo stick. I must
they were cleaning dishes, handMost Americans and Europeans have
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 49
never lived, experienced, or even
their most recent post, the villagers
harder to continue to say no to a
seen subsistence living. Quite the
of Rewa are living in harmony with
potential revenue stream.
opposite. As Westerners, we live such
their environment: They treat it
a consumptive and unsustainable
well and it treats them well. The
Searching for a way to both earn
lifestyle that we need the rest of
land is theirs as much in spirit as
money and keep their lands and
the world to live lesser lifestyles
it is physically, and it has been
lifestyle intact initially proved to be
because the planet would not be able
for untold years. The Guyanese
a daunting task for the villagers.
to sustain a global American way of
government understands this and
But one idea offered a glimmer of
life. By our materialistic standards,
has recognized their indigenous
hope: an eco-lodge. While this may
the villagers at Rewa have nothing;
rights to the land and has left the
seem obvious to most, the idea of
yet every villager I interacted with,
management of the lands to the
building a business through tourism
from children to elders, were some of
Makushi.
was not immediately understood
the happiest and friendliest people
or accepted by many. “It took some
I’ve met. Here, nobody has multiple
The extraction industries—oil,
time,” according to Rovin, “and that
cars, a vacation home, or a closet
mining, timber—all want a piece
first year we only had two guests.”
full of clothing with the price tags
of this pristine environment. The
A few years later, Costa Del Mar
still on; instead, they have much in
Makushi have been approached
helped launch the fishing program,
the form of culture, community, and
time and again by foreign-owned
as seen in their movie Jungle Fish.
spirit. Instead of worrying about how
companies offering money and jobs.
Today, the lodge attracts anglers and
many Instagram followers didn’t like
Over time, it became harder and
nature lovers from all corners of the
50 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
globe. What’s special about Rewa
reaps all of the financial benefit,
Eco-Lodge is that it is entirely owned
which empowers and motivates
Kyle Gemas has been an avid
by the Village of Rewa (and not
them to continue to preserve their
fly angler for seven years.
some foreign millionaire). Everyone
pristine lands and resources and not
Besides traveling the globe
in the village seems to play a role
feel the pressure to sell out to the
looking for remote fisheries,
in the day-to-day operations, and
extraction industries. It’s simple and
he also competes in numerous
they all share in the benefit of the
beautiful, much like the Makushi
bonefish and tarpon fly fishing
profits generated. According to Rovin:
way of life, and it’s a model that
tournaments in the Florida Keys.
“Instead of leaving to look for work in
is being duplicated in other places
Kyle lives in Dallas, Texas, with
Brazil, the boys now want to stay and
around the world. On the boat ride
his wife and dog. Check out his
be guides. The Lodge keeps everyone
back to the Apoteri landing strip,
Instagram (@kgemas65) for
working and busy and we all earn
I tried to reflect and process what
great fishing/travel pictures,
money from it.”
had been an incredible week in the
or drop him a line with any
jungle. The fishing was unbelievable,
questions. For more information
Perhaps Rewa is El Dorado. While
the environment almost primeval,
on Rewa Eco-Lodge, visit their
I didn’t see any actual gold, the
and the people and culture were
website (rewaecolodge.com).
conservation and business model
fantastic. I can’t wait to go back—I
that the villagers have championed
need to find that T-Rex.
is worth its weight in it. The village owns and operates the lodge and
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 51
THE
Sayonara
SLING by Mark Sedotti Photos by Jim Levison and Anthony Loganzo
THE SAYONARA SLING IS A CAST I DEVELOPED IN 1996 AND IS THE CAST I USE TO ACHIEVE EXTREME DISTANCES. WHEN I WANT TO GET THAT 12-INCH BUNKER FLY OUT OVER 100 FEET, I USE IT. WHEN I NEED THAT SUPER-LONG SHOT TO MOVING FALSE ALBACORE OR TO SHY BLUEFIN TUNA THAT WON’T LET THE BOAT APPROACH WITHIN 120 FEET, I USE IT. AND FOR THAT LAST SHOT AT A TARPON GOING AWAY, OR ROLLING POONS IN THE DISTANCE, IT’S HEAVEN-SENT.
The Sayonara Sling, which presents
into the distance!) Let’s take a look
bottom of your forearm, right below
the fly on the back cast, gives you
at it.
the wrist. You might do this only on
two-handed distance with a singlehanded rod. Fly anglers have used back cast presentations for decades, and have cast far that way, too,
REEL TO THE SIDE—ROD BUTT INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE FOREARM
but nothing I’ve seen matches the
the presentation cast (false casting up to that point as you usually do). You accomplish this by rotating your casting wrist in a counterclockwise direction (for a right-handed caster—
distance, power, or accuracy that can
As with the back cast presentation I
clockwise for lefties), until the reel is
be achieved with the Sayonara Sling.
wrote about in a previous article (see
pointed out to the side 90 degrees.
(I named it Sayonara because when
issue 44, November/December 2019),
It’s like turning a doorknob in the
you learn it well, you’ll be saying that
a key component of the Sayonara
opposite direction. This allows the rod
word as you watch your fly disappear
Sling is placing the rod butt into the
butt to be in position so that when
52 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
1) Use your entire body in the cast.
you load the rod, the pressure of the
can cast. You can bend the rod a lot
bent rod presses the butt into the
more this way. Placing the rod butt
bottom of your forearm. This gives
into the bottom of your forearm also
you more leverage (i.e., more support)
gives you more control over the cast,
to bend the rod even more than you
because your supporting muscles
can with a traditional forward cast.
aren’t “maxed out” in dealing with
You’re supported by all the muscles
the incredible resistance of a deeply
of the hand and forearm, compared
loaded rod. Using only your the
with just the meager amount of
thumb, they are.
spot more efficiently.
Keep in mind that the more you
Twisting the hand this way also
4) Extend backward more easily,
bend or load the rod, the farther you
allows you to:
muscles at the back of the thumb.
2) View the target, your presentation, and the fly line itself more easily.
3) Lead with the reel, so that you
have more distance to load the rod and can direct the cast to a precise
which loads the rods even more and ultimately adds to your distance.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 53
1.
USING THE BODY— WEIGHT SHIFT You use your entire body in this cast, starting with your feet, up through your legs, hips, torso, and back; then to your shoulders and arms and up to your rod hand. It’s a natural and fluid movement throughout. Looking at the photos, you’ll see that at the beginning of my presentation cast my rod arm is extended straight forward (Figure 1). My body is leaned forward with my weight concentrated on my left foot. At this point the fly line is straight out in front of me.
2.
My body starts moving backward (Figure 2), and as it does the rod tip actually comes down a bit as I begin to pull on the straightened line. This begins the back cast presentation and creates a smooth transition from my final forward cast. At this point my rod arm remains straight. My weight begins to shift backward; my body and rod arm are moving in the same direction (Figure 3). My rod hand is starting to climb as it continues to move backward, and I’m pulling on that straight fly line with the rod just starting to bend. This is a pulling motion and a pulling cast.
3.
You’re pulling with your body and arm for the entire load. Your moving body and shifting weight, along with the rod butt pulled into the bottom of your forearm, will help you deal with all of the resistance of the cast and any physical stress on your arm or shoulder created by the tremendous load on the rod. Everything works together. The rod hand continues to climb while the rod is loading continuously
54 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
(Figure 4). The rod hand is moving along a straight line toward the
4.
target (which is a spot in the air above the actual target). Body weight continues to shift backward. Both body and rod hand continue to accelerate smoothly. The rod hand is well past my head now and is still climbing (Figure 5). My rod arm is beginning to straighten. The rod is at maximum bend; this is the end of the loading stage. Most of my weight has transferred to my right foot and is continuing to shift. You’ll complete the weight shift as the rod begins to unload (Figure 6).
MAXIMUM EXTENSION
5.
The unloading of the rod is performed with an extremely fast and short wrist arc. The casting arm is straight at the end of the unload (Figure 7). The rod tip stops very abruptly and smoothly. There’s so much power that the rod tip arcs over as the rod unloads. The straight arm at the end of the cast points to another key factor regarding the Sayonara Sling’s capacity for distance and power. Bracing the rod butt against my forearm and straightening my arm at the end of the cast in effect gives me a longer rod by 18 or so inches.
6.
Rod tip speed at the end of the cast determines distance. The faster the tip is moving, the longer the cast. You can achieve faster tip speed easier with a longer rod. To visualize: If you swing a baseball bat, the end of the bat will be moving faster than the area at the center of the bat. It’s the same with a fly rod. The reason you can cast farther more easily
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 55
with a two-handed rod of 11- to 13-feet is because two hands give you more support to load the rod deeper, and
7.
the tip of the longer rod is moving faster. It’s as simple as that. With the Sayonara Sling, the rod butt pressed into the bottom of your forearm gives you more leverage to load the rod deeper, and the maximum extension of the straightened arm at the end of the cast gives you faster tip speed. When you consider that you load the rod using the momentum of your body’s weight shift, you’ll understand why you can cast so far. Note that I begin the presentation cast with the rod extending forward and my entire weight planted on my front foot, and I end the cast with the rod extending far to the rear and my weight planted on my back foot. This extension and complete weight shift causes the rod tip to travel a very long distance from start to finish. Someone at a show I attended measured this and determined that my rod tip tracked 28 feet!
8.
KEY POINTS IN REVIEW 1) Rod butt tucked against the underside of the forearm, just below the wrist—gives you more leverage to load the rod deeper. 2) Complete weight shift and body momentum to load
the rod. You pull the rod into a bend with your body. Once you get to the end of the loading stage you’ll have built up enough momentum that the remainder of the cast is effortless. 3) Straight arm at the finish—gives you more tip speed. 4) Maximum arm extension both forward and backward. Rod tip tracks a long distance.
The Sayonara Sling is a cast you’ll have to develop. Review
9.
the article and go out and practice. When you do master it, it will give you much more facility on the water and you’ll be amazed at the distances you’ll achieve. You’ll make casts you never thought possible and will catch more, and larger, and more difficult fish as a result. It’s that special! Mark Sedotti is renowned as both a distance fly caster and innovative fly tier. You can contact him regarding private instruction as well as clinics and classes at: msedotti@hotmail.com.
56 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
photo: Brian OʼKeefe
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58 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
Text: Kelli Prescott Photos: James Jackson
The exotic has become the everyday. Venison, elk, and other red meat wild game are now common fare at the table; many high-end meat markets carry these items year-round, and some of our favorite restaurants highlight these proteins on their menus. Though today it often receives the red carpet treatment like the finest cuts of beef, venison is a simple protein that doesn’t require much work. Prepare lean, tender cuts of venison like your favorite steak: grilled over high heat, sliced, and served with your favorites sides. Or over a toasty baguette smeared with horseradish aioli. Or even raw—finely chopped, topped with a golden egg yolk, and complemented by subtle spices. Backstrap is my number-one choice (see the following recipes); the hindquarter cuts, however, come in at a close second. Simply debone the hindquarter and muscle it out—that is, once deboned, use a sharp boning or fillet knife and cut along the muscle groups so that you’re left with four to five sections of meat. Remove silver skin and any tendons, and then use as you would the backstrap.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 59
As for those tough, less-than-ideal cuts that come from the front shoulder and excess: stew, braise, and smoke. Make jerky or sausage,
VenisON CaRpaccIo
or grind into hamburger and use in
Carpaccio is a traditional Italian
refrigerator, uncovered, to dry out.
place of beef in your favorite tacos,
preparation of raw beef, pounded
Let dry for at least 1 hour before
meatballs, and more.
thin and served with a drizzle
using. Cured egg yolks will keep in the
of lemon juice and olive oil. This
refrigerator for about a week.
As a young girl I always looked
striking raw plate, which will excite
forward to fall—to hunting season,
your palate and impress your guests,
When ready to use, simply grate over
when I’d tag along with my dad to
is surprisingly simple to prepare. I’ve
your desired dish.
our deer lease and begin stocking up
substituted the standard beef with
the freezer for the year. Like so many,
tender cuts of raw axis deer; a zingy
For the venison carpaccio, add all
I grew up on Mom’s chicken fried
shallot vinaigrette stands in for
vinaigrette ingredients to a bowl
backstrap—my Dad’s favorite way
plain old lemon juice. I designed this
and whisk to combine. You may
to eat venison. It was thin, crispy,
recipe to allow for “freestyling,” so
substitute red onion for the shallot.
and tender, slathered in peppered
prepare to add a little of this and a
Once combined, you can begin to
white gravy. Over the years I became
little of that.
plate the dish.
determined to perfect this home-
To achieve the thinnest, most
cooked classic. In this feature I have
The cured egg yolk, optional in this
tender venison possible, pound it
shared with you all my surefire recipe
recipe, is the only thing that you’ll
out. Start by laying down a sheet of
to yield the crispiest, most flavorful
need to prepare in advance. Grated
cling wrap. Slice venison as thinly as
product—with a few tricks that you’ll
cured egg yolk is an easy, impressive
possible (about eighth-inch slices)
find helpful whether you’re chicken
finish that adds depth and rich flavor
and assemble the sliced venison on
frying venison, ribeyes, or anything
to any number of dishes, including
the cling wrap in a circular pattern.
else your heart desires.
fresh pastas, salads, and steak.
Once you’ve sliced enough venison
These days, dad stays busy at the
To make the cured egg yolk, mix salt,
another sheet of cling wrap on top.
deer lease taking down axis deer, my
sugar, and black pepper in a shallow
Use the smooth side of a mallet to
personal favorite of all wild game
bowl. Using a spoon, make a well in
pound the venison. Pound gently,
meats. Axis is milder in flavor than
the center of your curing mixture.
working from the inside outward, so
whitetail. Its meat is purple-pink in
Gently place an egg yolk in the well.
that you retain the circle shape.
color rather than the deep red of
Using your spoon, cover the egg yolk
most other wild game. Regardless of
with the salt/sugar mixture. Place the
When you have achieved desired
the animal’s size, I’ve found axis to
bowl, uncovered, in the fridge. The
thinness, remove the top sheet of
be more reliably tender when cooked;
curing mixture will draw out moisture
cling wrap and use the bottom sheet
it can please even the pickiest of
from the egg yolk.
of cling wrap to transfer and turn
to create a 6- to 8-inch circle, lay
eaters. I use axis deer in both of the
out onto a plate. Once on the plate,
recipes I’ve provided; you should
After at least 24 and up to 72
feel free to substitute any large
hours, the egg yolk will be ready.
wild game, from elk to nilgai and
Gently remove the egg yolk from the
Now you have a plate of thin
everything in between.
curing mixture and rinse with cool
venison—and the fun begins. Sprinkle
water until all the salt and sugar
the meat with flake salt and crack
is removed. Pat dry with a paper
some pepper on top.
towel and return the egg yolk to the
60 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
remove the other sheet of cling wrap.
In a separate bowl, toss a handful
INGREDIENTS:
SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE:
of arugula with a bit of shallot
venison backstrap, or hindquarter loin
1/3 cup olive oil
vinaigrette. Place the dressed arugula
parmesan, shaved
2 tsp lemon zest
on top of the venison in the center of
arugula
1/4 cup lemon juice
your plate.
cured egg yolk, grated
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
shallot vinaigrette
1/2 tsp salt
Drizzle another tablespoon or so of
flake salt (Maldon brand)
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
vinaigrette on the venison, adding
fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp honey
shaved parmesan and grated egg yolk
1 tbsp minced shallot
to finish. Serve immediately, getting
CURED EGG YOLK:
a little bit of each ingredient with
1 egg yolk
every bite.
2/3 cup kosher salt 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 61
ChiCKen FRieD VenisON I have worked hard to perfect my
secret to the best-ever chicken-fried-
chicken fried venison so that the
anything.
crust is as light and crunchy as possible. The method I use to bread
Slice venison backstrap in quarter-
INGREDIENTS:
my venison can be used with any
inch medallions and lightly pound
Dutch oven and vegetable oil, for
protein you plan to fry.
with the tenderizing side of a mallet.
deep frying
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3 cups all-purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder
For this recipe you’ll need a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed
Begin breading the venison. Each
2 tsp kosher salt
pot for deep frying and plenty of
piece will go first into the cornstarch,
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
vegetable oil. I’ve found that deep
then into the buttermilk/egg mixture,
1 tsp onion powder
frying ensures the crispiest results.
and finally into the flour mixture.
1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Although shallow frying is my go-to for chicken, deep frying is a must for
Press the flour mixture onto each
1/2 tsp paprika
this recipe.
side of the venison so it sticks well.
1½ cups buttermilk, divided 1 cup cornstarch 1 egg
Start by setting up a three-bowl
Deep fry the venison at 350º for
breading station. In one bowl add
about three minutes, or until golden
one-half of the buttermilk and one
brown and crispy. Let drain on paper
GRAVY:
egg. Whisk to combine.
towels.
1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp butter
While the venison drains, begin
2½ tbsp flour
making the gravy: Melt butter with
1 cup heavy cream
In the last bowl add flour, baking
vegetable oil in a saucepan and whisk
1 cup whole milk
powder, and spices. Whisk to
in flour. Cook for a couple of minutes.
1 tsp salt
combine. Once combined, drizzle
Then whisk in milk, heavy cream, and
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
remaining buttermilk on top. Using
spices until smooth. Cook on medium-
1/2 tsp onion powder
your fingers, mix and crumble the
low heat until thickened.
1/2 tsp garlic powder
In the next bowl add the cornstarch.
pinch cayenne pepper
buttermilk into the flour until shaggy bits start to form. This will create
Spoon peppered white gravy on top
a crunchy substantial last layer of
of the chicken fried venison and
crust for our fried venison. This is the
finish with sliced green onions.
62 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 63
By Trey Reid There’s a lot of folklore and fiction
changed all that much since the 18th
a burgeoning “foodie” culture
surrounding the story of bourbon
century, bourbon’s recent history
and one of its subsets, the craft
whiskey, with apocryphal accounts
has been one of its most intriguing
cocktail movement. It’s unlikely that
of everything from how the spirit
periods. It’s enough to make your
marketing and advertising haven’t
got its name to who invented it. Its
head spin without ever taking a sip.
played a role, and some even point
etymology has been linked to both
to pop culture influences such as the
a county in Kentucky and a street
Bourbon has surged in popularity
Old Fashioned-drinking crew of the TV
in New Orleans. It’s hard to trace
over the past decade, a meteoric
series Mad Men.
bourbon’s roots more specifically
rise that’s often called the “Bourbon
than early American farmers using
Boom.” In Kentucky, which accounts
Whatever the reasons, there’s
surplus corn to make hooch, but
for 95 percent of the world’s bourbon
no doubt bourbon is booming, so
being fans of irony, we’re partial to
production, there’s more of it aging
you’d think it would be easier than
the creation myth that attributes its
in charred oak barrels in rickhouses
ever to find your favorite bottle at
invention to Baptist minister Elijah
than at any time since 1970.
reasonable prices. But that’s not
Craig.
necessarily the case. “Consumption habits follow
Regardless of its actual provenance,
generational trends,” says Stan
It’s largely a matter of the simple
there’s no argument that bourbon is
Hastings of Moon Distributors
economics of supply and demand.
distinctly American, a democratizing
Inc., whose family has been in the
There were 8.5 million barrels of
spirit that’s consumed from blue
wholesale liquor business since 1935.
bourbon aging in Kentucky in January
collar bars to corporate boardrooms
“But nobody can really nail it down to
2019 (almost twice as many barrels
and all points in between. Bourbon
any one thing on why it happened.”
as Kentucky residents), but bourbon
is patience and resolve manifested
is a longterm proposition. Although
in a sweet and smoky amber liquid,
Some attribute bourbon’s 21st
bourbon only has to age two years to
and although its basic formula and
century renaissance to wider food
be labeled “Straight Bourbon,” many
manufacturing process haven’t
and beverage trends, including
distillers let their bourbon stay in
64 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 65
barrels considerably longer, 10 to 12
receive less. If you live in New York
Retailers also struggle to price
years or much more in some cases.
or Miami, for example, the odds
legitimate releases when demand is
of finding a bottle of Weller 12 or
so high on the secondary market.
“It’s hard to forecast what the market
Blanton’s is much better than if
will be doing years in advance,”
you live in Biloxi or Pensacola. There
“It happens,” Farris says. “When you
Hastings notes. “With vodka, you can
are also longstanding relationships
have a bottle that should probably
make it today and sell it tomorrow.
between distillers, wholesalers, and
sell for $69 but you know somebody
It’s much easier to forecast sales and
retailers that factor into allocations.
is going to snatch it up and turn
trends. We’re supposed to be putting a
around and sell it for $200 on the
34-year-old bourbon on the market by
“We still have to fight for everything
secondary market, it’s just hard to
the end of the year. That’s an extreme
we get because we’re in a small town
see that happen, so yeah, sometimes
example, but name another product
in a small state,” says Jamie Farris,
you might try to find some middle
where you’re forecasting five to seven
owner of Lincoln Road Package Store
ground between average retail and
years out.”
in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. “When
the secondary market price.”
we get an allocation of three bottles The inverse relationship between
of something our customers really
It’s still a great time to be a bourbon
bourbon’s availability and its price
want, how are you going to be fair in
drinker. Thanks to the bourbon
is also driven by such factors as
distributing that?”
renaissance and market trends
geographic disparities in allocation
resulting from it, there’s probably
there’s probably more market today than at and a robust—and illegal—
The bourbon secondary market has
more quality bourbon on the market
secondary market.
played an outsized role in prices and
today than at any previous time.
scarcity. Facebook is often cited as
According to the Kentucky Distiller’s
Since ratification of the 21st
a culprit because of huge bourbon
Association, bourbon production has
Amendment repealed Prohibition
groups that formed in the space,
increased 360 percent since 2000, a
in 1933, the individual states
but many bourbon enthusiasts point
surge driven by premium small-batch
have controlled the importation,
out it’s simply ruthless capitalism at
and single-barrel brands.
distribution and sale of alcohol inside
play and the secondary trade could
their borders. This has resulted in
happen anywhere. Facebook has shut
The Distilled Spirits Council of the
wide variances in state liquor laws,
down the groups in recent years, and
United States reports that American
as well as the three-tier system in
some distillers have put financial
whiskey sales were up almost 11
which suppliers sell their products to
and legal resources into quelling
percent in 2019, resulting in revenue
wholesalers, who then sell them to
the secondary market (counterfeit
of almost $4 billion for US distillers
retailers such as bars, restaurants,
products become a problem when
last year. Revenues for high-end
and liquor stores. While the system
huge sums of money are at stake).
premium brands (defined by the
is designed to ensure product
But when an $80 to $100 bottle
industry group as $20 to $35 a
safety and efficient tax collection,
of bourbon can be sold for $500 to
bottle) were up 34 percent from 2014
it sometimes has the unintended
more than $1,000, people find a way
through 2019, while revenues for
consequence of uneven distribution.
to make the transaction. Another
super-premium brands (more than
Big markets in urban centers sell
consequence is that some brands
$35 a bottle) were up 137 percent
more bourbon, so wholesalers and
have used the inflated secondary
over the same period.
retailers there are typically allocated
prices as an opening to increase
more of it while smaller markets
prices for legitimate releases.
66 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
But what distinguishes one bourbon
such as Jim Beam, Four Roses, and
own products mature. Midwest Grain
from another? By US law bourbon
Basil Hayden’s have spicier notes that
Products in Indiana is a huge producer
must be produced in the US (not
balance the corn’s sweetness.
that makes bourbons (and even more
just in Kentucky, as a common myth
rye whiskeys) for multiple labels.
suggests), made with a grain mixture
The aging process contributes
that is at least 51 percent corn, aged
additional nuance. The length of
Just as with wines, there are
in new charred-oak containers, distilled
time a bourbon spends in an aging
noticeable differences across
to no more than 160 proof (80 percent
barrel is an obvious determinant of
bourbons. Using the nose and tongue
alcohol), entered into the container
flavor, with longer aging resulting in
in tandem, tasters point to profiles
for aging at no more than 125 proof
more wood tannins interacting with
that are “sweet” or “spicy,” “round” or
(62.5 percent alcohol), and bottled
the liquid, but a barrel’s placement
“flat.” You’ll hear about flavor notes
at 80 proof (40 percent alcohol) or
in a warehouse and the climate
like vanilla, cinnamon, leather, oak and
more. (This is a good time to note
conditions over years of aging also
myriad fruits.
that the top-selling American whiskey,
alter a bourbon’s profile. The water
Jack Daniels, technically meets all the
used in the manufacturing process
“It’s not as crazy as it sounds,”
requirements to be labeled bourbon
plays another role. An oft-cited
explains James Cripps, a bourbon
but prefers to be labeled Tennessee
reason for Kentucky’s bourbon
aficionado and 30-year veteran of
whiskey. The Tennessee Legislature
prominence is the combination of
the liquor business. “If you can tell
has adopted its own law that sets
the water found in its limestone
the difference between a favorite
quality bourbon on the any previous time. out requirements for a product to be
substrate and the region’s wide
tomato sauce for pasta, you can tell
labeled as such, which includes the
swings in seasonal temperatures.
the difference between your favorite
process of maple charcoal filtration,
bourbons. It’s sometimes subtle, but
the only significant difference in the
“Not one single barrel tastes the
manufacturing process.)
same,” says Farris, who travels to
it’s there.”
Kentucky several times a year to
Lucky for drinkers, there’s a lot of
There’s still room for considerable
make barrel selections that are
bourbon out there to consider, even
variation within these basic
bottled specifically for his Mississippi
if market forces are making it more
requirements. The mash bill, or the
retail store. “There’s so much that can
expensive that it used to be.
composition of the grain types used
change the profile, from the position
in manufacturing, is the first way to
in the rickhouse to the barrel itself.”
alter a bourbon’s flavor profile. While
TFFM’s newest editor-at-large, Trey Reid, has written for numerous
the spirit is required to be 51 percent
These variances help explain one of
newspapers, magazines, and
corn, in most cases it’s usually more
the bourbon industry’s open secrets.
websites, and is a former field
like 70 or 75 percent corn, with rye,
While there are more brands and
reporter for ESPN. He works in public
wheat and barley typically comprising
distillers than ever, the vast majority
and media relations for the Arkansas
the rest. Wheated bourbons, or those
of the bottles behind your favorite bar
Game and Fish Commission,
that use wheat as the second-highest
and on liquor store shelves likely came
producing and hosting the agency’s
portion of the mash bill, typically
from just a handful of manufacturers.
television show, Arkansas Wildlife.
feature smooth, mellow flavor profiles.
Some brands buy bourbon produced
He also hosts the outdoor radio show
Popular brands like Pappy Van Winkle,
by other distillers, while many
The Wild Side on 103.7 FM The Buzz
Weller, Maker’s Mark, and Larceny are
startups and craft labels use existing
in Little Rock, which can also be
wheated bourbons. High-rye bourbons
bourbon to bridge the gap until their
heard as a podcast.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 67
Bourbon and Kronan Swedish Punsch This simple 50/50 mixture combines America’s native spirit with the national drink of Sweden. Kronan is made from various rums, bitters, and spices. At 52 proof, it cuts the bourbon nicely, and its high sugar content provides a roundness to this cocktail. Mix in an orange peel and you have a new version of the Old Fashioned that’s easily scaled up for big batches. This cocktail is an ideal after-dinner drink that goes very well with a fine cigar. 2 ounces bourbon 2 ounces Kronan Swedish Punsch Mix and pour over ice in a rocks glass.
Campfire Sour This cocktail is a riff on the classic whiskey sour, using a slightly higher-proof bourbon and a unique amaro, an herbal liqueur whose name in Italian means “bitter.” This 40-proof amaro comes from the Italian Alps and sports a smoky flavor profile with alpine herbs, berries, and rhubarb that compliment the bourbon, while the lemon juice provides a citrus counterpoint. 1 1/2 ounces 90-proof bourbon 1 1/2 ounces Amaro Sfumato Rubarbaro 1/2 ounce lemon juice Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a double rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Lion’s Tail This classic cocktail is similar to a sour but replaces lemon with lime. The allspice dram (a 45-proof, rum-based liqueur made with Jamaican allspice) and bitters give this cocktail an appropriate spiciness that melds the tropical and the seasonal. 2 ounces bourbon 1/2 ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram 1/2 ounce lime juice 3/4 teaspoon simple syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters Shake ingredients with ice and double-strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Sea Trout in Northern Europe Text and Photos by Barry Ord Clarke To most fly anglers, Norway is
and west from Sweden, Norway runs
the cold salt water of winter, it’s not
synonymous with big, powerful rivers and
from the 58th parallel in the south to the
only you who begins to feel the effects.
equally big salmon. However, few visitors
71st parallel north of the Arctic Circle.
Coastal sea trout, which have spent much
realize that we also have a wealth of sea
Norway has a coastline that is 21,347
of the winter in energy-saving mode, are
trout fishing. These are brown trout with
kilometers (13,281 miles) long, including
now ready for the spring feast. For the
the lifestyle and habits of the salmon—
bays and fjords. In proportion to the
coldest part of winter sea trout are as
our two most celebrated gamefish rolled
country’s area, this coastline is longer
inactive as possible and hold to areas
into one—combining the best of both
than that of any other major country in
that are warmest and where the sea has
species, and all the capriciousness of
the world. The Norwegian coastline faces
a higher content of fresh water. They
both.
the North Sea in the south, the Norwegian
can be difficult to catch then, but a large
Sea (Atlantic Ocean) in the west and the
streamer fished slowly can tempt a winter
Barents Sea in the north.
fish.
half a century here in Northern Europe,
Springtime in Northern Europe starts
In late winter and early spring, look for
it’s only in the past 25 years that it has
slowly. On my latitude, the first hint of
areas containing warmer water, 4 degrees
actually become popular. For myself and
green can’t be seen before early to mid-
Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) or more
many other Scandinavian fly anglers, it
April. It starts to show itself in last year’s
(a thermometer is an important piece
has opened up two entirely new seasons
dark and twiggy growth. The stark black
of equipment for the serious sea trout
in the fishing calendar—winter and
lines of tree branches begin to soften
angler). Concentrate on shallower, south-
spring—when other fishing just isn’t
as the longer days signal the change
facing, sun-rich bays and beaches whose
available, because of our severe winters.
of season and the beginning of the
waters have some flow. It doesn’t take
awakening from winter.
much more than this for the sea trout’s
Although fly fishing for sea trout in salt water has been practiced for well over
Norway is situated in the heart of Scandinavia. Northwest from Denmark
70 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
appetite to awaken from its winter’s sleep. When the spring sun has begun to warm
Also look for structure in the water—large
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stones, islands, or cliffs. These structures
Choose an outfit in the 6- to 8-weight
A good rule of thumb when fishing blind
collect and store heat from the sun, and
range, depending on the wind, matched
is to start by making a couple of casts,
this will warm the surrounding waters.
with a weight-forward floating or
followed by a couple of steps, working
intermediate line. For flies, streamers,
your way along the shore, and repeat
When water temperatures begin to rise
shrimp, and scud patterns are the norm
this until you contact fish. Sea trout are
over 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees
in sizes 6 to 12. Choose your tippet
constantly on the move, foraging, and if
Fahrenheit), sea trout will become
based on the size of the hook, but sea
you find one, there are generally more. If
much more active in their hunt for food.
trout generally are not leader-shy.
you don’t see or contact any fish within
They’re aggressive predators, and during
15 minutes, move on to a new spot. It’s
spring and summer they need to fatten
Look for patchy bottom of mixed sand
said that the most important piece of
themselves up after the winter’s fast.
and weeds, any sheltered spots in small
equipment for fishing saltwater sea trout
bays, or deep runs between islands
is a car!
Fly fishing for coastal sea trout in
where the tide rushes through like a
Scandinavia always involves wading.
river. Keep in mind that sea trout are
It’s also very common to see sea trout
Shore environments have a wide variety of
easily spooked. Start fishing before you
rising, just like trout cruising in a lake. If
wading conditions. From the archipelago of
come down to the water’s edge, and
you can put a fly into the path of one of
southern Norway traveling north along the
under no circumstances should you
these rising fish, nine times out of ten
coast, you’ll find boulders to pebbles and
begin to wade before you’ve fished the
they’ll pick it up!
shingle and plain sand—all shorelines can
shallows close to shore. A rule of thumb
produce fish. In winter and spring the sea
is to use a slow retrieve in winter and
Don’t look out the window and decide to
can be extremely cold, so many anglers
throughout spring. Fish your cast to the
stay home because it’s windy or raining.
prefer warmer neoprene waders over
end—sea trout like to follow the bait a
When the wind blows from the sea
thinner, breathable GORE-TEX.
few meters before they take.
against the land, all the food in the top few meters of water will collect near the shore. And wherever there is the most food, that’s where the sea trout will be. An onshore wind produces some of the best fishing. Under the cover of bad weather and high waves, large, shy fish will come into the shallows to feed. Another useful piece of equipment when wading the salt is a line tray or shooting basket. If you’re fishing an intermediate or sinking line, shooting line from the tray is much easier than trying to shoot line that’s sunk in the water. When fishing from shore, the tray helps keeping sand off the line and out of the iron grips of bladder weed. In a river, trout are stationary much of the time and wait for their food to be brought to them. Rather like they’re in a restaurant, they eat what they’re served at the table.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 73
Sea-run trout, on the other hand, have
Your chances of experiencing a large
trout cruise the shallows to feast on them.
to forage, and for the most part they
swarming are best after the water has
A sea trout can actually swallow and
feed “a la carte.” Sea trout in salt water
risen in temperature above 6 or 7 degrees
digest a fish that’s a third its own body
feed on a wide variety of prey species,
Celsius (43 to 47 degrees Fahrenheit)
weight, which is perhaps something to
but at certain times of the year they can
and around the full moon—but this is not
consider when designing and tying flies
be quite selective, and you may have to
a fast rule, as this year we experienced
for them.
“match the hatch.” For example, in early
a swarming during a warmer day on
spring the ragworms swarm and spawn,
a full moon in early March. Ragworm
In general, night is a good time to fish
creating the saltwater equivalent of a
swarmings can be very local in most
for sea trout. Consider that the sun has
mayfly hatch. The ragworm’s wedding,
situations, and it’s not easy to know where
been high in the sky all day and warming
as it is known, is considered the spring’s
they’ll happen.
up the shallows, especially those with
most exciting adventure for the sea trout
dark, muddy bottoms. These shallow
angler. And if you’re lucky enough to be
In summer, too, sea trout will feed
areas retain the day’s heat during the
in the right place at the right time, you’re
selectively on sand eels [see issue 47
first couple of hours of darkness. It’s
sure to connect with fish.
May/June 2020 for Barry’s tying feature
during this period that larger sea trout
on the Flat-Wing Sand Eel, eds.]. Also, if
venture into the shallows to feed—much
You can find ragworms in the stomach
you’re lucky and your timing’s right, great
shallower than many anglers would
contents of sea trout the entire year, but
dry fly sport may also be had when flying
believe. You should fish at least a couple
in the spring when you’re fishing a large
ants hatch and blow off the forested
of hours into the night. Try using Muddler
swarming, you’ll find that they’ll fall out of
coastline, triggering the silvery saltwater
Minnows, which will push a bit of water
the mouths of fish when you land them.
trout to rise as freely as their freshwater
when retrieved. Fish slowly and listen for
A ragworm fly should be fished slowly, so
cousins.
splashes.
If you experience that fish follow and will
Late summer and autumn sees the arrival
Night or pre-dawn fishing for sea trout
not take, it sometimes works if you place
of the herring; this means big baitfish
holds a very special place in my fishing
your rod under one arm and retrieve the
patterns. Herring shoal in the shallows,
repertoire; however, because my night
fly a hand-over-hand.
and under cover of darkness the larger
vision isn’t what it used to be, I now seem
that it swims like it’s flowing in the water.
74 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
to spend more time changing flies and leaders than actually fishing. There are many opinions about the best tides to fish for sea trout. In winter it’s most rewarding to fish the warmest part of the day, between 11:00 and 14:00 (2:00 p.m.), regardless of tide. When the water warms, in most cases it’s best to fish a couple of hours before the high tide to a couple of hours after. There are also many many differing thoughts about the best times to fish. If I’m restricted by the amount of time I can fish, I have a simple rule: two hours before high tide or two hours before and into dark (if you can get both high tide and darkness to coincide, you’re generally onto a winner). However, the soundest advice anyone can give you is to fish when you have the chance. Those who fish the most will catch more fish and gain the most experience. Last but not least: Unlike fishing for Atlantic salmon, fishing in salt water for sea-run browns in Norway is free; no national or local licenses are required, although fishing regulations vary from county to county.
Barry Ord Clark is an angler, fly tier, and photographer of international renown. He is the author of several books on fly fishing, the most recent of which is The Feather Bender’s Flytying Techniques (Skyhorse Publishing, 2019). Barry grew up in England but now lives in Norway. Be sure to visit his fly tying website (thefeatherbender.com).
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 75
No Sancocho BY MARK B. HATTER
What line should I bring with my
I had shared with the boys my
12-weight rod?
thoughts and wisdom, from flies and
It’s 9 a.m. We are 35 miles southwest
What’s the best color to tie for a
lines to tippets and double hooks.
of Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala,
sailfish fly?
After all, this would be my seventh trip
in the open Pacific Ocean. It is
How do you rig your double hooks?
for Pacific sailfish on fly tackle. And
uncharacteristically rough. The kind
Whaddya think of these flies I tied?
with more than a few billfish under
of rough that makes you want to puke.
Will a green and yellow mahi pattern
my belt, I was clearly the sage of the
The “Papagayo,” an easterly wind
work?
group.
associated with North American cold fronts, is piling up a steep sea with little interval. “It’ll die by 11,” Captain Brad Philipps assures me as I brace my legs against the pendulum-like rocking we are enduring up on the bridge. I’m glad he’s confident. I’m not so sure. The Decisive, Philipps’ 40-foot Gamefisherman, takes the sea in stride as spray whips behind the stern. Philipps is holding at just under 7 knots, scanning the water like a frigatebird. His plastic teasers and hookless baits smoke and chug in the clean water outside of Decisive’s wake. Brandon McGlamery stands on the deck, hands on hips, legs spread wider than his shoulders, knees bending with the rolling deck. I’ve been here before, but McGlamery and Joe Brennan are billfish neophytes—which is why I’m on the bridge with the captain giving first-ups to the guys. *** In the month that preceded our adventure, McGlamery and Brennan were like kids on Christmas Eve. As our January trip approached, my cell phone began to blow up with text messages:
76 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
That is, until we arrived on deck of
“Is no good,” he declared, this time
seamless leaders to short shooting
the Decisive and Philipps’ first mate
pointing to the fly lines on the rods
heads with a seamless connection to a
Johnny looked at our stuff and shook
we’d brought.
short shot of 80-pound mono backing
his head. “No bueno.…” Johnny intoned.
for cushioning. If you hook a marlin, “The reels are fine, guys,” Philipps
you’re going to need that shock
reassured us, “But your fly lines won’t
absorber.”
“Que?” I questioned. My rigs seemed
work. The boys will re-rig your reels
just fine last time I went billfishing.
with what you’ll need on the way out:
The guys shot me a quizzical look. I shrugged my shoulders and offered a weak defense. “Well, I did say it’s been a while since I’ve done this….” Then Philipps turned to me and pointed to my fly. “Hmmm,” he began, “I think we should rig you up with a Cam Sigler popper.” I took this as code for, “Your fly won’t work.” My fly was a large baitfish pattern tied in bright red flash material but with no popper head. I copied the pattern after my first trip to Guatemala nearly 15 years earlier when I fished with the late Captain Ron Hamlin. Furthermore, I had shared this particular fly with Brennan and McGlamery—and they’d tied a bunch of them. “I recognize the fly; it was Ronnie’s go-to,” continued Philipps. “You can try it, but with no popper head, it won’t chug water, and it’ll be harder for the sailfish to see.” Stubbornly I elected to employ my Ronnie Hamlin fly anyway. I asked the mates to leave it on my 14-weight after they had re-rigged me with the proper shooting head; Johnny obliged, shaking his head in polite disapproval.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 77
of fresh baitfish lining the cooler, like bullets in a high-capacity rifle magazine. “Cuantos?” Brennan asked Johnny. “Cien!” Johnny answered with a smile. One hundred ballyhoo, rigged without hooks, at the ready! From the bridge, Philipps noticed the three of us marveling at the bait box. “I have four freezers at home loaded with 10,000 freshly frozen ballyhoo,” Philipps’ watchword is preparation—
he told us. “The boys rig around a
which was immediately apparent
hundred baits each day—sometimes
when we stepped aboard the Decisive
more if the bite is going off.”
and marveled at his array of teasers, rods, and hookless baits as well as the
I suppose we shouldn’t have been
immaculately clean cockpit.
surprised. In his 15 years fishing Guatemala, Philipps has amassed a
78 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
The Yeti cooler behind the mid-deck
stockpile of trophies and accolades
rocket launcher/rod holder/rig station
from every bluewater organization on
caught Brennan’s eye. Johnny cracked
the planet. On November 30, 2015,
the lid to reveal an astounding array
he released his thirty-thousandth
billfish. (Most of these he has caught
“Cast!” Philipps hollers to McGlamery.
on conventional tackle.) Consider that
plastics. “Everything except cast when I told you to.”
the Guatemalan fishing season runs
“What?” McGlamery asks, turning his
from October through May; simple
head toward the bridge.
math tells us, then, that Philipps has
In point of fact, I think something was lost in the translation. Philipps,
released an average of 16 sailfish per
“Cast!” shouts Philipps again, and this
who is South African, can speak at
day. No wonder his crew rigs so many
time McGlamery obliges, placing the
least three different languages that
‘hoo and Philipps deploys dozens of
fly smack-dab where the teaser had
I know of. Nevertheless, Afrikaans
plastic teasers (of various colors and
been seconds before.
is his first language. So it comes as
sizes) for a single day’s charter. ***
no surprise to me that McGlamery In an instant the sailfish crashes
was momentarily mystified by what
the fly, and McGlamery hammers
sounded to him like “cahst.”
the hook home with a straight pull So there we are, thrashing along on a
backward against a drag tight enough
Baits deployed, it isn’t long before
whipped-up sea that looks more like
to tow a car.
McGlamery has another shot and
a sheet of crumpled and then hastily
performs brilliantly, at last landing
smoothed aluminum foil, when
Thirty feet behind the Decisive an
and releasing his first billfish on the
Philipps suddenly comes alive.
exceedingly pissed off 80-pound
fly.
sailfish launches vertically and tail“Left long—get your fly in the water!”
walks across the sea for a long ten
By the time Joe Brennan is on deck,
This technique allows the angler to
seconds … before spitting the fly.
the wind has abated and the sea has
water haul the fly for a single cast after
smoothed to a rolling swell. Indeed,
the hookless bait is pulled from the
Sancocho! This is the Spanish word
Philipps was right—just before 11 the
fish nearly at the transom and the boat
for a pulled hook.
Papagayo has blown itself out.
is placed into neutral. When the smoke clears, Philipps
We don’t have to wait long for Brennan
“He’s on it, Johnny! Tease it … tease
reassures McGlamery with his
to get his shot. A pair of hot fish come
it.... Get ready, Brandon!” Philipps
bite-sequence analysis: “You did
into the spread, and one explodes on
commands from the bridge while the
everything right,” he says, slipping the
the short rigger. The tease is perfect,
second mate clears other teasers and
Decisive’s transmission back into gear
the water haul on the money, and the
baits from behind the boat.
while the crew redeploys baits and
fish aggressive when he bites.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 79
“Hit him! Hit him!” McGlamery and I yell in unison, and Brennan does exactly that, jamming the hook into bone as if dropping a southside punk with a powerful right hook. No sancocho this time. In a matter of minutes, Brennan, too, is on the board with a beautiful cookie-cutter sailfish release. High fives, fist bumps, and even a few celebratory man-hugs ensue. Brennan and McGlamery dig deep into the ice cooler for well-earned beers while Johnny retrieves my rig from the salon. Eyeballing my fly, Johnny hesitates, looks up toward Philipps, and again voices his concern: “No bueno….” “It’s okay, Johnny,” Philipps reassures. Johnny hands me my rod with the Ronnie Hamlin fly. The bite has slowed a bit, long enough for the other guys to drink another round of beers and eat lunch. And all the while I’m sitting on the cooler, leaning against the salon window, and second-guessing my fly selection. Until suddenly it’s too late to make a change—because it’s game on. A hot fish comes into the spread, and I drop my fly into the water at the transom, loading the rod when the fly is dragged back with the wake. Seconds later Philipps hollers, “CAHST!” and I do, placing the fly at the edge of the white water near the transom. I mentally congratulate myself for not hosing up the shot. Then nothing. The crew pitches a bait and tries to reignite the fish’s interest. The fish is
80 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
having none of it. One and done. Not even a look-see. What the hell? Philipps is sanguine. “It was a good shot, but the fly was at the edge of the white water. The fish didn’t see it. If you had had a popper….” I’m not sure what else Philipps says after that. I get a headrush from the sheer embarrassment of it all and go temporarily deaf. That tiny, sarcastic, snot-nosed little man on my left shoulder starts in with the mocking: “Attention on deck! The so-called sage has lost an opportunity because of his ego.” No longer an alpha male, I turn to Johnny wearing a hangdog expression and ask, “May I please have one of your Cam Sigler poppers?” *** On our last evening we are invited to Casa Philipps in historic Antigua, once the multi-cultural capital of Central America, nestled between three volcanoes. After a dinner celebrating our successful billfishing adventure, we retire to the top deck of Casa Philipps to smoke Cuban cigars under the stars, sip whisky, and contemplate the vagaries of chasing billfish with the long rod. The insolent (and sometimes deadly) volcano called Fuego belches a plume of smoke and rumbles its discontent in the distance, which adds a bit of drama to the otherwise circumspect atmosphere. Philipps leans back and, like Fuego, releases a plume of smoke. “We know more about the moon than we know
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about the habits of billfish,” he offers. We are intrigued by his observation, but I am not so sure about his remark. I have been to Guatemala many times in the last 15 years and have fished with several captains. Until last November I was familiar with Philipps only by reputation. Invariably, his name invokes admiration and competitive envy. And why not? He is now approaching 40,000 billfish releases. Philipps downplays his successes, however, explaining that his formula is simple: Preparation rewards opportunity. This was selfevident during our trip: Philipps found agreeable sailfish for the fly rod when the bite was uncharacteristically slow. “I wish I could at least see a [expletive] sailfish!” one captain had quipped over the radio as we had raised yet another aggressive fish in our spread
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on our last day. The next time I sip whisky with McGlamery, Brennan, and Captain Brad Philipps, I will remind him of our starlight cocktail conversation. Then I will offer him the following amendment to his proposition: “We know more about the moon than perhaps most know about the habits of billfish.” And we know just who that exception is. Mark Hatter is a veteran outdoor writer and photographer who’s extensive works over three decades have been published in nearly three dozen different publication titles, including magazines, books, major advertising launches, catalogs, and, on-line media for the fly fishing and scuba diving industry.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 85
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Chrome from the Sea E. Donnall Thomas Jr. Photos by Don and Lori Thomas
Yesterday’s wind has gone wherever Whoever named the Pacific Ocean
But the North Pacific can be a fickle
it meant to go, and Clarence Strait
must have been engaged in magical
mistress, and the trick is to read her
rests as still as a backyard bass pond.
thinking. Piloting a small craft off
moods and accept her at her best.
Miles away to the east, the mainland
the coast of Alaska through irregular
There will be days when that same
Cleveland Peninsula appears to
seas created by conflicting winds and
dictionary doesn’t hold enough terms
lie within easy reach of a canoe,
tidal currents has made me wish for
of endearment to do her justice—
although I know better than to try.
dry land beneath my feet as much
and this is one of those days, the
Our skiff’s four-stroke outboard purrs
as I’ve ever wished for it in my life.
pleasure of the moment amplified
quietly as a kitten, but the noise
At times like that, “pacific” seems
by the memory of the week before
is still enough to leave me feeling
the most unlikely adjective in the
and NOAA’s prediction of the week to
vaguely embarrassed, as does the
dictionary.
come. To have remained ashore this
brief disturbance our wake creates
morning would have been churlish.
when it slaps the nearby shore.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 87
The silence that rises to greet us feels immensely welcome when I reach the point, cut the motor, and let the skiff slide to a gradual stop. Across the channel a northbound cruise ship glides along, bearing its own community of visitors determined to make Alaska feel as much like the places they came from as possible. Perhaps it’s best that way. Mid-channel, two purse seiners cross paths bound in opposite directions, each evidently with its own ideas about where to find the fish. That’s it. Otherwise, my wife, Lori, and I are alone on the water save for Kenai, our immense, seaworthy yellow Lab, standing at the bow like the figurehead of a Viking warship.
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While Lori twists the tops off our
I’ve timed our arrival to coincide
aluminum rod tubes—we’ve learned
with the morning low tide, but the
to respect the vulnerability of
currents and terrain are so complex
unprotected fly rods in bouncing
here that one never really knows how
skiffs—I watch the shoreline slide
the drift will behave until one can
along a hundred yards to starboard.
feel it. Easing gently back toward
the mouth of the bay, I like what
tree on the rocky point. The bird uses
like an osprey, the eagle flies in
I’ve found. Strong currents make for
the tree not as a residence but as a
search of fish as if it were making
difficult fly fishing.
vantage point from which to hunt.
a bombing run, and after banking
Now I watch it keenly as it lifts and
sharply a quarter mile offshore, it
Earlier in the summer, a mature bald
sets off across the glassy water.
begins to descend. Then it hits the
eagle took possession of a tall, dead
Instead of stooping dramatically
surface in an awkward splash and begins to struggle, talons locked upon something weighty. The eagle cannot get airborne again—its wings are too wet, the load too heavy. But it isn’t giving up, either, and as it flaps laboriously back across the water toward shore, I spot the early morning sunlight flashing off something large and shiny in its grasp. It has caught a salmon that can only be a silver, and the fish was swimming close enough to the surface to be in reach of an eagle’s claws and hence a fly line. Time to get ours in the water. ***
ANADROMOUS FISH ARE AT THEIR BEST, HOWEVER, BEFORE THEY BEGIN TO UNDERGO THE PROFOUND PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL CHANGES FRESH WATER INDUCES.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 89
The vast majority of salmon taken on fly rods are caught in fresh water as they transition from the marine phase of their complex life cycle and move upstream toward the spawning
dead-weight humpies that most
grounds where they will reproduce
experienced anglers would just as
and die. Fishing for them there
soon do without. These changes are
is logical enough on many levels,
usually apparent in pinks holding in
ranging from the practical to the
the salt near a stream mouth even
aesthetic. Rivers concentrate fish
before they enter fresh water. Silvers
and identify prime locations to cast
and kings, by contrast, often remain
to them, and swinging streamers is
bright and strong miles upstream
a wonderful way to fish for salmon.
from the sea, with considerable
Furthermore, the inevitable cycle of
variation among drainages. I’ve
life and death never loses its capacity
enjoyed angling for those fish for
to impress as I watch it play out before me in real time. Anadromous fish are at their best, however, before they begin to undergo the profound physiological and anatomical changes fresh water induces. Granted, “best” is a subjective term, but most anglers who have experienced salmon in the salt agree that they are more vigorous and challenging on the end of a line than they would be a few weeks after traveling up their natal stream. They strike harder, run more powerfully, and jump more frequently in the salt. They also taste better and are more nutritious, which may not matter to some but certainly does matter to coastal residents who have relied on salmon as traditional table fare for generations. The rate of decline varies considerably by species. Pink salmon—the lightweights among the five salmon species in terms of both size and reputation as an angling quarry—can actually be a lot of fun as bright fish migrating along shorelines, but they require little more than a whiff of fresh water to start turning into the grotesque,
90 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
decades—but they still weren’t as
favorite places to fish for salmon,
techniques is free to do so with no
challenging on the end of a fly line as
since the fish (save for the pinks) are
disrespect intended. I simply fish the
they would have been at sea.
still bright and beautiful, and while
way I choose to fish, and TFFM is a fly
I’m catching them I can observe the
fishing magazine.
Over the years, I’ve taken numerous
diversity of wildlife that makes the
representatives of the last two
marine environment so fascinating.
Geographically, I’ll focus on Alaska’s
Pacific salmon species—sockeyes
If I’m in the mood for seafood, I
Southeastern Panhandle, for
(reds) and chums (dogs)—on fly
can even wait for low tide and dig
several reasons. Its all-but-infinite
tackle in what was technically salt
a bucket of clams before leaving.
labyrinth of islands and bays offers complex inshore terrain that can
THE HARDEST PART OF CATCHING SALTWATER KINGS ON FLIES IS GETTING THE FLY DOWN TO THE FISH BECAUSE THEY RUN DEEPER IN THE WATER COLUMN THAN OTHER SALMON SPECIES. A FAST-SINKING SHOOTING HEAD IS ESSENTIAL, BUT A KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL TIDAL CURRENTS IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT.
The technical aspects of the fishing,
concentrate fish and provide shelter
however, don’t differ all that much
from the open ocean. Every small
from what takes place farther
community in the area offers access
upstream. So for the rest of this
to good water, and most of them are
piece I’ll focus on what I consider one
interesting destinations in their own
of North America’s greatest angling
right. Salmon bound for streams all
challenges: catching Pacific salmon
up and down the Pacific coast pass
on flies at sea.
through these waters seasonally, so their numbers are not dependent on
First, a matter of definition: When
spawning success in any particular
water, by which I mean that if I
I say fly fishing, I mean, well … fly
drainage in prior years. This kind
dipped my fingers in it and licked
fishing. I do not mean mooching
of fishing requires a target-rich
them my tongue would register
with a fly rigged to a banana weight
environment, and the fish are here.
“salt” in the impulses sent to my
connected to a fly rod. I do not mean
This coastline is spectacular, and
brain. Those encounters, however,
trolling a fly on a downrigger. It’s
diverse wildlife abounds. I used to live
took place in tidal estuaries. These
not that I’m a snob, and anyone
there and know the fishery better
intertidal zones are among my
who chooses to fish using those
than a casual visitor can. With all
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 91
EVIDENTLY WE’VE FOUND THE FISH, BECAUSE LORI IS HOOKED UP AGAIN BEFORE I’VE FOUND THE DRIFT I WANT.
this said, I readily acknowledge that
salmon,” one of the king’s many
Fly fishing for ocean kings is a bit like
the British Columbia coast offers the
nicknames. Peak king fishing usually
big-game hunting: A lot of time can
same benefits as a saltwater salmon
takes place between mid-June and
pass between encounters with the
destination.
mid-July along the Alaska coast, with
quarry, but just one such encounter
some variation by location and from
provides an immense sense of
year to year.
accomplishment and satisfaction. My
As for the fish, I’ll concentrate on silvers and kings because they
best ocean king was a 40-pound fish I
are the most rewarding, and their
The hardest part of catching
caught one morning near Sitka. I had
feeding habits make them a feasible
saltwater kings on flies is getting
previously lived for several years next
quarry at sea—in contrast to chums,
the fly down to the fish because they
to the famous Kenai River, where a
which feed largely on jellyfish, and
run deeper in the water column than
king that size was just another nice
sockeyes, which prefer zooplankton.
other salmon species. A fast-sinking
fish. Although I’d taken larger kings
We’ll go in chronological order
shooting head is essential, but a
on flies from the Kenai, none came
beginning with kings, which arrive
knowledge of local tidal currents is
close to inspiring the excitement
inshore earliest, even though they
equally important. As with current
of that fish from the Pacific. After
are significantly harder than silvers
in a river, the brisker the flow the
a surprisingly subtle strike on my
to catch on flies.
harder it is to get the fly deep. I
standard baitfish imitation, the fish
generally fish for kings within an
cleared the water a half-dozen times
While some resident “feeder” kings
hour of slack tide, either high or low,
as it ripped off 200 yards of backing
can be found near shore throughout
and avoid extreme tides altogether.
into the channel. Then it reversed
the winter, both the number and
Casting “upstream” into the tidal
course and headed inshore toward
average size of the fish increase
current and allowing the fly to swing
a kelp bed that could have spelled
with the arrival of migrating kings,
beneath the boat might not seem
disaster. Turning the fish put more
usually sometime in June. This
elegant, but it’s the most efficient
pressure on my 10-weight than any
schedule makes them the first of the
means of getting the fly down to the
tarpon, tuna, or giant trevally I’d ever
Pacific salmon to arrive every year,
25- to 50-foot depth usually needed
asked it to handle. After all that, a
as acknowledged in the term “spring
to reach kings.
prowling sea lion almost nailed the
92 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
fish as it came to the net. That story
fish than we can casting with fly rods.
Kenai rouses from his lethargy as
illustrates why I’m willing to invest
But even if you’re not lucky enough
a yard-long, mint-bright silver goes
the time and effort needed to hook a
to have an eagle on the payroll to do
airborne beside the boat. I start to
king in salt water.
the scouting for you, there are some
reel in frantically so that I can grab
tricks that can help get you casting
the net, but suddenly I’m hooked up,
to productive water.
too. In contrast to kings, which can
Silver salmon provide an interesting contrast to kings and are generally
strike with a subtlety that belies their
a much more fly-rod-friendly quarry
Terrain features like the rocky point I
size, silvers often slam streamers
at sea. While early returning silvers
described earlier can concentrate fish
hard. With my concentration
often overlap with kings, peak silver
migrating inshore toward their natal
elsewhere and one hand already
fishing usually takes place later in
streams, and underwater humps—
reaching for the net, I might have
the summer, from late July until
identified with the help of charts
lost my rod to this one. I’ve come
September. Silvers tend to be much
and a simple depth finder—attract
perilously close before.
more abundant, and when they’re
baitfish and feeding salmon. Kings
there it’s not unusual to hook
in particular will often congregate
Chaos reigns briefly as the two fish
multiple fish on one tide change.
near dropoffs adjacent to kelp beds.
circle in opposite directions and
The “fish finder” function on modern
cross our lines while Kenai barks
Silvers feed higher in the water
sonar can also be useful, especially for
encouragement. But it’s open water,
column than kings, which makes
locating kings. Personally I’m averse
and save for one determined run by
them far easier to fish for with fly
to relying too heavily on technology in
Lori’s fish for the nearest kelp bed,
tackle. An intermediate sink tip
the outdoors, so I have never used it
there is little room for error other
line will usually suffice, and I’ve
much for fish finding myself.
than that of our own making. Ten
even caught them right on top
minutes later, we’ve landed both
with floating lines. I like to have a
When I’m fishing with friends who
silvers and are back at it again.
spectrum of line options available so
are using conventional tackle, I often
Evidently we’ve found the fish,
I can reach fish at whatever depth
spend my time casting an 8-weight
because Lori is hooked up again
they’re feeding.
near the surface for silvers or pelagic
before I’ve found the drift I want. And
rockfish until they start hooking
so the action goes for nearly an hour
Kings and silvers at sea both feed
kings. That tactic saves a lot of wear
until it stops as abruptly as it began—
on a variety of squid, shrimp, and
and tear on my casting arm, and I
perhaps not to be repeated for the
baitfish. They are rarely selective, and
don’t regard it as cheating.
rest of the day, the rest of the week,
presentation at the optimal depth is
or the rest of the season.
always more important than specific
***
choice of fly patterns. I do most of
Who knows why? Mystery is just a
my fishing with a generic baitfish
Relatively free of obstructions,
part of the sea’s intrigue, and one
imitation that resembles a herring as
the skiff’s forward deck makes the
more reason why I keep coming back.
much as anything else. Eyes and some
craft’s best casting platform. Ever
flash are important ingredients in any
the gentleman, I’ve ceded it to Lori
A former Alaska resident who now
pattern meant for saltwater salmon.
while I do my best from the cluttered
lives in rural Montana, Don Thomas
stern. Sulking at my side, Kenai
and his wife, Lori, have fly fished
Any experienced angler can look at
makes it clear that he wishes we were
salt waters all around the globe.
a salmon stream and identify likely
duck hunting, but at least he knows
After growing up on Puget Sound and
places to start casting. The ocean,
enough to dodge the flying loops in
living in a coastal Alaska village, he
by contrast, is a huge place, and the
my running line.
has a soft spot for the North Pacific.
challenge of locating fish there can
Don’s and Lori’s work has appeared in
feel intimidating. Anglers trolling
For 20 minutes, we drift along on the
with conventional tackle can cover a
tide as casually as Huck Finn on the
lot more water while prospecting for
Mississippi. Then Lori whoops and
numerous national publications.
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CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE ISLAND by Cameron Scott for Haley Let us speak the truths of our lives as hammocks strung between trunks, palapas shading the sand. Let us cast at bonefish feeding over flats, rubber-lipped permit just out of reach, the trevally irretrievable in the current as garbage can lids, the tarpon cartwheeling in the slough. In the lee of some winds. In the brunt of others. Watch each step as each step washes away. We can linger near the school of snapper or walk near the triggerfish’s kingdoms of coral. You can tell me your beach sand, and I’ll tell you my black-tips. We can wait out storms or streak like barracuda through sunlight after needlefish as they shatter the surface in thin shards. And when we have wandered far enough, the edge will lead us back to where we began.
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Indian Ocean Bones by Peter McLeod
I LOVE BONEFISH. I HOOKED MY FIRST BONEFISH ON THE FLATS OF TURNEFFE ATOLL IN BELIZE IN THE MID-1990S. I’VE CHASED THEM ALL OVER THE GLOBE SINCE THEN. THE THRILL OF THE STALK AND THE POWER OF THAT FIRST RUN STILL MAKE ME SHIVER IN EXCITEMENT.
Most of my early saltwater fishing
There’s something honest about
sand flats of St. Francois Atoll in
career was based in the Caribbean:
a bonefish. Unlike permit or other
the Seychelles. I had been used to
the marl flats of Mexico, the coral
such species, if you make the right
chasing pairs and small groups of
flats of Belize, the wide open sand
cast and the right presentation and
fish. As I slipped quietly over the
flats of the Bahamas, the edges
use the right fly, then the bonefish
edge of the skiff onto the hard sand,
in Cuba, the turtle grass flats of
will usually oblige you with a hookup.
my guide and fishing partner began
Venezuela. Here I spent hours,
to wade line abreast through the
days, and weeks creeping up on the
In the early 2000s I finally made my
ankle-deep water on a pushing tide
glistening tails of Albula vulpes,
way to the Indian Ocean to chase
across a flat that went on as far as
the gray ghost of the flats—the
a different kind of bonefish: Albula
the eye could see. Sea slugs littered
Caribbean bonefish.
glossodonta. I’ll never forget the
the bottom, with only the odd
first time I set foot onto the open
patch of green algae giving away
96 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
the tidal movement as it drifted
fish charging 6 feet to intercept
or even a particularly extraordinary
nonchalantly past us. Suddenly, as
and tailing on the fly aggressively.
experience. I was struck dumb.
though someone had thrown some
No sooner had one battle ceased
Twenty years later anglers are still
kind of switch, we hit optimal depth:
and the fish been released than
experiencing this caliber of fishing.
We were coming from the lagoon,
another target hove into view. A
and from the ocean came a tide of
river of fish was coming toward
What distinguishes the two species
bonefish right toward us. All of them
us; eventually I had to stop and
of bonefish? I can offer just a few of
appeared to be hungry.
just watch my fishing partner land
my own observations. For one thing,
fish after fish. It was a baptism by
the Indian Ocean bones are longer
It was carnage: A small size-6 Silly
fire, to be sure; upon chatting with
and leaner than the Caribbean fish.
Legs Gotcha cast ahead and given
the guides, however, I learned that
They don’t develop the incredibly
one small twitch was enough to have
ours was not an isolated incident
thick head and shoulders of some of
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 97
the really big bones I’ve seen in the Bahamas or Venezuela’s Los Roques. In general, I’ve found that the Indian Ocean bonefish tend to move in bigger schools as opposed to singles and doubles. I suspect that this is for safety and something I have also seen on the flats of the Bahamas and Belize. Open sand flats simply don’t provide much cover from predators—especially barracuda, sharks, or that other apex predator of the Indian Ocean and Christmas Island flats, the giant trevally. In the Indian Ocean the fishing can actually be better on a dropping tide as opposed to a pushing tide. Generally speaking, this goes against convention—and might really come down to the structure of the flats. The huge drainage areas on these atolls drain into a series of channels that dissect the flats like the veins on a leaf. As the fish slide off the flats and are pushed into the channels, they seem to feed aggressively to grab that last meal. That “highway” the fish use to get to deeper water can be the perfect intercept point—if you can find it—and allow you to pick off fish without even having to move. Although theoretically the Caribbean fish should behave in the same
98 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
manner, I’ve always found them to
guard really helps and landing a fish
off the beach, which is a little like
be quite spooky on a dropping tide.
always involves an element of luck
setting a hook into a brick. Many
and high rod angles.
fish bust off. I recommend using a
I’ve also noticed a slight distinction
9-foot tapered 13-pound leader with
in the way I fish for the two species.
Because the two species are more
three feet of 12-pound fluorocarbon
Indian Ocean bones react better to
or less the same fish, there is little
tippet for abrasion resistance (in
an ambush: I lead the fish quite a
difference in tackle and setup: think
case it finds the coral). This setup
long way and let the fly sink to the
9-foot, 7- or 8-weight rods paired
doubles for triggerfish, so I don’t
bottom; as the fish approaches,
with a reel equipped with a proper
have to change my rig.
one short strip is enough to kick up
drag. The Indian Ocean fish tend
the sand. The fish will often pounce
to be less leader-shy than their
Personal preference may guide your
like a cat on a mouse, tailing hard
Caribbean counterparts (presumably
fly choices. I’ve found that Indian
to prevent the tasty morsel from
because, again, they have seen fewer
Ocean fish in the far-flung atolls are
escaping. These fish seem to be less
people), so consider going heavier
suckers for shrimp-style flies with
timid in their approach, perhaps
on your leader setup. Rarely have I
rubber legs, perhaps because of
because they have less contact with
experienced more aggressive takes
the disturbance they create in the
humans. Fishing amongst the coral
than in the Indian Ocean--perhaps
sand, and perhaps because shrimps
of the oceanside flats is more akin
only when the bones of Venezuela’s
represent a big, solid meal.
to the Caribbean, where a weed
Los Roques hit a minnow pattern
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 99
I BELIEVE THAT BIG BONEFISH CAN BE JUST AS CHALLENGING—AND LEAVE YOU JUST AS JILTED, CRYING JUST AS HARD IN YOUR DRINK THAT EVENING—AS TARPON, PERMIT, OR TRIGGERFISH.
want to snaffle it. As I walked down
These days I like to fish a smaller
a finger flat in the middle of the
but equally effective pattern, the
lagoon I saw a pair of large bonefish
Itchy Trigger. Originally designed for
moving around in a white sand hole
triggerfish, this fly is tied on a much
amid the coral. I made a longish cast
heavier wire hook to withstand
and dropped the fly to the edge of
trigger chomping. It’s also an
the sand. Almost as soon as the fly
excellent pattern for Indian Ocean
landed both fish spooked out of the
bonefish. The heavier hook does
hole in the opposite direction.
not appear to worry the fish and
On Alphonse Island in the Seychelles
upsetting. But I did not move. Instead
I first tried one of these shrimp
I watched as one of these fish made
It’s possible to get much closer
patterns: a big size-4 with dumbbell
a massive arc around the flat before
to Indian Ocean bones; in some
eyes called a Will’s Skittal, a mantis
coming straight back through the
instances they’ll even take a fly
shrimp pattern developed by a
hole at almost full speed. It smashed
almost at the end of the rod. A
friend of mine on Ambergris Caye
the fly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a
couple of years ago I found myself
in Belize as a permit fly. I took one
bonefish behave like that, but those
wading up the inner edge of a
look at the way it moved in the
shrimp flies accounted for many
huge area of white sand on the
water, pulsing bunny strip and all,
bones that week.
northeastern end of Providence
and I just knew that the fish would
100 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
certainly is reassuring when applying Obviously I found this mildly
maximum pressure.
Atoll in the Seychelles. It’s about as
perfect a bonefish flat as I’ve seen
flicked a rolling bead crab several
trying to catch up.
anywhere in the world, spanning
feet ahead of our prey without
approximately 1.5 kilometers from
even getting any fly line out of
My buddy and I grinned at each
the reef edge right across to the
the rod tip. The fish immediately
other. Slowly he began to regain
lagoon with an apex that meanders
accelerated; at the last minute,
line and some sense of control.
up the middle. Three of us and our
however, it shied away. By now it
Out of left field came our guide,
guide moored up the tender boat
was no more than 10 feet away,
running toward us across the flats
and began to wade up the flat
and as it moved off, I encouraged
brandishing his large net. Only in the
toward the apex, splitting into pairs.
him to make another cast as the
net did we realize what a tank the
The neap tide was dropping slowly,
fish now cruised to our right. The
fish was: It was 65 centimeters long
and as we hit mid-calf depth the
fly landed, he gave it one twitch
with a 33-centimeter girth, which
first fish slid down the flat toward
with the rod tip, and the bonefish
we reckoned was about 8 pounds. A
us. Its back looked almost green, so
attacked it. It tore off across the
superb specimen. We landed another
I suspect it had come off the grassy
flat, line tearing and reel singing as
six or seven fish in the next hour
areas to the east and now stuck out
the fish ripped through the surface
before the water height ruined our
like a sore thumb.
film and disappeared in a puff of
fun and the fish returned to the
sandy water. Fly line vanished in a
ocean.
The fish would soon be upon us, so
few seconds, closely followed by a
we hunkered down on the flat with
considerable amount of backing. The
Indian Ocean bonefish schools can
our chests nearly on the water.
fish was splashing in the distance
be much larger than Caribbean
My fishing buddy almost casually
and farther up the flat, the line still
schools—and Indian Ocean bones
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 101
seem to have a slightly larger
bonefish does require a slight
than another? I don’t know how to
average weight—but rarely do
change in tackle: A better tool for
answer that; personally I’m happy to
you see really big bonefish in the
such a job is a 9-weight, which will
chase either one. Many nights I fall
Seychelles. A 10-pound fish is
have more backbone to stop a fish
asleep thinking of their glistening
unusual out here, with one notable
hitting the dropoff. If you have
tails in the evening light. I dream
exception: Reached by a 36-hour
your sights set on a monster, St.
about the next time I will venture
overnight sail from Mauritius’
Brandon’s Atoll is where you should
onto the flats. It can never be too
capital city, Port Louis, St. Brandon’s
head. Still, over the years I have
soon.
Atoll boasts some of the largest
learned that catching big bonefish is
bonefish anywhere in the world.
not easy. Those who claim otherwise
TFFM’s Travel Editor, Peter
Leviathans inhabit those flats: St.
have never fished for big bones.
McLeod, is the founder
Brandon’s is home to an abundance
Those bones get big for a reason.
of Aardvark McLeod,
of 10-pound bonefish, and the fork
I believe that big bonefish can be
international fly fishing
lengths and dimensions of some of
just as challenging—and leave you
specialists. For more
the local bones suggest they might
just as jilted, crying just as hard in
information on fly fishing the
clock in in the mid-teens. The largest
your drink that evening—as tarpon,
Indian Ocean—or any other
one landed here to date had a fork
permit, or triggerfish. [Not sure
international destination—
length of 87 centimeters, which is
what Peter means by “target.” You
you can contact Peter at
just monstrous.
guys have any idea?]
peter@aardvarkmcleod.com
Of course, fishing for monster
Is one species of bonefish better
or visit his website at www.
102 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
aardvarkmcleod.com.
IMAGINE BEING
SKUNKED FOR ALL OF TIME
Photo: Silver Kings
AND NOW YOU KNOW WHY WE HELPED MAKE THE KEYS CATCH AND RELEASE.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 103
THE UNDERTOW Turkey in the Straw by George Roberts
casting and fishing tools. If you’re
but if you’re expecting it to elevate
considering purchasing one or more
your casting game significantly—even
As the managing editor of a
of these carbon fiber whiz-sticks to
measurably—over a rod that costs
magazine that sells advertising space
add to your quiver, or even if you buy
considerably less, you’re deluding
to fly rod manufacturers, I’m inclined
nothing but the Latest and the Best,
yourself.
to choose my words judiciously
let me offer you a piece of advice by
when writing on the subject of fly
way of an analogy from music:
The fly anglers to whom I’ve given casting instruction invariably have
rod selection; however, I believe a magazine’s first obligation is to its
If you don’t ever intend to play
been better-heeled, better-travelled,
readers.
anything more than “Turkey in the
and better-outfitted than I. Several
Straw,” you don’t need to own a
years ago I did an unusual lesson
Stradivarius.
with an older gentleman who had
As someone who has fly fished for
booked a trip to Argentina. This
more than 50 years and taught fly casting for more than 25—
High-end fly rods are marketed and
man had never taken a fly casting
now virtually retired—I will state
bought with the tacit understanding
lesson before. The lodge where he
unequivocally that I believe the
that they will make their owner a
would be staying had a number of
premier fly rods produced by today’s
better fly caster. Certainly, a high-end
two-handed rods available to guests.
top manufacturers are phenomenal
rod won’t make you a worse caster,
He did not own a two-handed rod,
104 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
had no intentions of buying a two-
of his single-handed rods, because I
handed rod, but he wanted some
wanted to see his basic cast before
familiarity with them before he left
we began the lesson. I forget what
for his trip. I explained to him over
model of rod he brought, but it had
the phone that instruction with a
recently come on the market and I
two-handed rod was not the first fly
remember it had a $1,000 price tag.
casting instruction anyone should
I hadn’t cast this model yet, and he
receive, and that it was unrealistic
invited me to try it.
to think that a single lesson with a two-handed rod, with no practice
After taking a few casts, I said,
thereafter, would be adequate for
truthfully, “I like that very much.”
him to become proficient before he got to Argentina. He would not be
“Yes,” he said, smiling. “It’s an
dissuaded, however, and I agreed to
excellent rod.”
IT’S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT VIRTUALLY ALL FLY RODS WILL DO WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO, PROVIDED THEY’RE PLACED INTO THE HANDS OF A COMPETENT CASTER.
meet with him—essentially to let him try a two-handed rod.
And then I watched him cast, and I wondered, How would you know…?
I had asked him to bring along one
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 105
I don’t mean this to sound
back cast is met with snickers).
condescending. But if you can’t
of YouTube. Nothing irks me more than to listen to some dweeb prattle
load or unload a rod well, can’t
Admittedly, I know almost nothing
on about the performance pros and
form a reasonable loop, and your
about fly rod design or construction.
cons of two rods when he’s obviously
timing sucks, how would you know
Back in the late 1990s I attended
not a good enough caster to do either
an excellent fly rod from a tomato
the Wulff Fly Casting Instructor
one justice. As Ludwig Wittgenstein
stake…?
School, and one of the attendees
proposed, “Whereof one cannot
began questioning me regarding the
speak, thereof one must be silent.”
Relatively few fly anglers ever
graphite modulus composition of
Sound advice for any fly angler who
attempt to learn how to cast in any
the rods I had brought with me. To
hasn’t taken the time to read Joan
formal or methodical way. And of all
which I replied, “You know, Bill, I don’t
Wulff.
the students I’ve taught in private
understand any of that stuff.”
lessons over the years, I can count
My involvement with fly casting
on one hand the number who’ve
Overhearing our exchange, Joan
instruction has given me better
come back for more than two. I’m
Wulff chimed in, “I don’t understand
access to equipment—in terms of
not sure why the game of fly fishing
any of that either—I just have to
industry discounts—than the average
has never matched the game of golf
pick the rod up and cast it.” If fly rod
fly angler. However, I’ve often said
in the latter’s acceptance of ongoing
technobabble means nothing to Joan
that if I were to cast a rod I couldn’t
instruction and regular practice. But I
Wulff, what do you suppose it means
live without, I’d buy it at full retail.
suppose it doesn’t help that we live in
to the average fly angler…?
This hasn’t happened yet. The rods I
a world where we can procure nearly
own and fish with are fairly modestly
anything we want instantly with the
Joan Wulff has likened choosing a
priced, and I also still own and fish
click of a mouse, or that we believe
fly rod to choosing a spouse; that is
with some rods that are over 20
we can learn everything we need to
to say, it’s largely subjective. When
years old. My wife would tell you that
for free from YouTube.
I first met Mark Sedotti he was on
because I grew up without money I’ll
the pro staff of a major rod company,
always be poor in my mind. There’s
I’ve often had the feeling, when doing
and the regional rep approached
probably some truth to this. Even
a casting lesson, that the student
me about joining as well. I’ve
with the deep discounts, high-end
was expecting me to “say the secret
always shied away from any serious
rods cost more than I’m comfortable
word” and make him a good caster.
involvement with rod companies
spending. The rods I regularly use
The world of fly casting instruction
because I believe that once you put
cast well, I believe, and I’m not
has a number of myths floating
yourself in the position of promoting
convinced I can realize the difference
about it as well, and the main one
a particular brand of fly rod
in performance between my rods and
that needs to be debunked is that
everything you say becomes suspect.
rods that cost three or four times as
such and such casting guru can take
And frankly, I didn’t care much for
much—and unless you’re in the very
a mediocre caster, work with him for
the rods. But my opinion then meant
top percentile of fly casters, I’m not
20 minutes, and have him casting
nothing, as it means nothing now:
convinced you can, either.
an entire fly line. There are several
Presumably Sedotti liked the rods,
theories as to what muscle memory
and he certainly had no difficulty
It’s not that I don’t expect a lot out of
actually is, but whatever it is it takes
making them perform spectacularly.
my fly rods—I do—but I expect even
more than 20 minutes to program.
more out of myself as a caster. A
In my own case, it took about ten
I strongly suspect that much of what
couple of years ago I bought a fly rod
years of regular practice before I
we believe about a particular fly rod
on eBay, a Garcia Conolon bass bug
felt I had a decent command over
has little basis in reality. If you’re
rod made in the early to mid-1960s,
my fundamental stroke (so I tend
shopping for a rod I can think of no
in the infancy of the fiberglass rod.
to get annoyed when my suggestion
greater waste of your time than
It was in the same line as the first
to students that they spend several
watching the plethora of “fly rod
fly rod I began fishing with at age
months working exclusively on their
shoot-outs” that glut the channels
seven. It was the same model of rod
106 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
Lee Wulff used to make his tarpon
Buying a high-end fly rod ensures you
to earn a living wage—that is, a living
film with Stu Apte for The American
have a premium casting and fishing
wage, as nobody who is rolling blanks
Sportsman TV series and that he also
tool, one with an excellent repair and
or wrapping guides is getting wealthy
used to land his world record striped
replacement warranty, which should
doing it.
marlin. I bought it because I thought
last you 20 years of regular use
catching a few smaller tarpon
provided you take care of it. (And if
In the final analysis, the only reason
with it might make an interesting
you think of the price as a rental fee,
this retired fly casting instructor can
article. Even in its day this was not
divided yearly, it becomes much more
think of that you should not buy a
considered a fine fly rod: heavy, soggy
reasonable.)
high-end fly rod is that it will make
glass, metal ferrule, and a stripping
you a great fly caster. As I’ve learned,
guide whose diameter looked smaller
Buying a high-end fly rod is good
that will not be procured with the
than the fly line itself. (Anyone who
for the fly fishing industry as a
click of a mouse.
waxes poetic about the sweetness of
whole, including magazines such as
glass should spend an afternoon with
this, which rely on manufacturers’
this beast.) I suppose I should not
advertising dollars to help keep them
have been, but after waggling it I was
supplied with paper and ink. And
a bit surprised when this rod cast an
if you buy the rod from your local
entire Wulff Triangle Taper line.
brick-and-mortar fly shop you’ll help support an angling institution that
It’s been my experience that virtually
is fast-disappearing in the age of
all fly rods will do what they’re
Amazon Prime.
supposed to do, provided they’re placed into the hands of a competent
Perhaps the best reason I can think
caster. In his lifetime Lefty Kreh
of for you to buy a high-end fly rod
leased his casting arm to several
is that it allows an American artisan
TFFM’s managing editor, George Roberts, is the author of Master the Cast: Fly Casting in Seven Lessons.
rod companies, not all of which produced high-end rods. Where Lefty earned his keep with the second-tier companies is that he could pick up any fly rod and make it look like it cost a grand. No fly rod at any price is going to magically transform you into a Lefty Kreh or a Joan Wulff any more than a Stradivarius is going to turn your middle-school violin student into Itzhak Perlman. And make no mistake: Itzhak Perlman could pick up a yard-sale fiddle and extract soulful Tchaikovsky from it. At this point you’re probably thinking I’m trying to talk you out of buying an expensive fly rod. I’m not. In fact, there are a number of excellent reasons to buy an expensive rod—at least, the most expensive rod you can afford.
TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 107
BUILT FOR LIFE www.seaholmautomatic.com
ROB FORDYCE
Host: The SeaHunter
108 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
PHOTO: DAVID MANGUM