MAY/JUNE 2019
FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
THE ART OF
DWIGHT HWANG: gyotaku Linesiders: Fly Fishing the Dark Side Pete Barrett Itchy Trigger Joe Doggett Tarpon Migration Michael Larkin, Ph.D. Gallasch Skipping Bug Dave Cornell Demystification of Permit Bob Branham Birds As Scouts Tom Gilmore Hijacked Scott Sommerlatte
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M/J 17 $10.50 CDN $9.50 US MAY/JUNE 2019 $9.50 US / $10.50 CDN
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THE VOICE OF SALTWATER FLY FISHING 0
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the next generation
T&T Ambassador, visionary Flyfishing guide and Permit aficionado Justin Rea likes nothing more than spending time on the water with his son Ryan. Handing down our knowledge and passion for the outdoors to the next generation is key to the survival and growth of flyfishing. At T&T we see a world of possibilities out there and believe the next generation should too.
whatever your saltwater endeavor, we have you covered.
Exocett Series - 7 models, 9’ 6-12 weight
Exocett SS Series - 5 models, 8 ‘ 8 ‘’ 160 -450 grain
Exocett Surf Series - 2 models, 11’2’’ 10 & 12 weight
Exocett Bluewater Series - 2 models, 8’6’’ 13 & 14/16 weight
ZONE Series - 9 models, 7’6’’-10’ 3-10 weight
Sextant Series - 7 models, 8’2’’ 6-12 weight
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TH E RO D YO U WI LL E VENTUALLY OWN
www.thomasandthomas.com HANDMADE IN AMERICA
Big explosion from a little fish. This juvenile in the Everglades sends water everywhere for the visiting anglers. Photo: Scott Sommerlatte
The Acrobat. They use the vertical jump as a measure of athletic ability in the NFL combine. Probably a first round draft pick pictured here. Photo: Neal Rogers
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Proven. Performance.
Proven. Performance. On the Cover: An approach to artistry: Editor-in-Chief: Joseph Ballarini finding perfect imperfection Creative Director: Michael Rea Thomas —Dwight Hwang
Managing Editor: George Roberts
Associate Editor: Tyler Justice Allen
Acquisitions Editor: Shawn Abernathy
Historians: Pete Barrett
Ed Mitchell
Food Editor: Kelli Prescott
Editors-at-Large: Joseph Albanese
Joe Doggett Scott Sommerlatte Creative Contributors:
Joseph Albanese Pete Barrett Bob Branham Dave Cornell Brain J. Davis Joe Doggett Tom GIlmore Bill Hassan Dwight Hwang Micheal Larkin, Ph.D Dr. Jiangang Luo
Arthur J. Lux Billy Mitchell Steve McLaughlin Gregory O’Toole Kelli Prescott Tony Peressini Neal Rogers Scott Sommerlatte Robert Thompson Mark White
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, local and global destination travel, reputable commentary, and technical features from the saltwater fly fishing lifestyle. Tail Fly Fishing Magazine began as a digital publication that debuted in 2012 and has been in print since 2016. 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.
To the thousands of anglers who put their trust in our reels, and our reels in their hands [ day after day and year after year ], WE THANK YOU!
www.3-TAND.com 203.345.7000
Tail Fly Fishing Magazine supports the arts and creativity, conservation, and organizations that trumpet this message. We are grateful for your support and we welcome photographic and written contributions. Tail Fly Fishing Magazine is published six times annually, and your print subscription includes the digital version. Subscriptions are available on our website and by mail. 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
in loving m e m o ry o f j o h n c. mel fi
info@3-TAND.com
To the thousands of anglers who put their trust in our reels, and our reels in their hands [ day after day and year after year ], WE THANK YOU!
www.3-TAND.com 203.345.7000
info@3-TAND.com
TM
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Editor’s Note Earliest Tarpon - Arthur J. Lux The prequel to the coming story of the first fly anglers to catch tarpon on the fly.
Don’t forget your bait … well, in our case, the flies. A simple and productive selection of essential tarpon flies with all of the fluff on the hooks—not in the presentation.
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Gear Guide - Staff On and off the boat, a fishing trip is a vacation and should be comfortable and rewarding. Included are some easily overlooked items that can make the outing even more of a success. Some can’t-miss selections, all focused on spring tarpon fishing. Demystification of Permit Captain Bob Branham
Itchy Trigger - Joe Doggett Triggerfish have become a targeted species by many veteran anglers. Visit the South Pacific on Doggett’s hysterical tale of failure and success in his quest for this toothy foe.
Poem - Brian J. Davis The Change Skiffside Ceviche - Kelli Prescott If you haven’t tried a TFFM recipe yet, you should break the seal with this one. Possibly our favorite and most delicious boat meal to date. Two styles—easy, resealable, and fresh. Will make you want to take the recipe to the lodge. Perfect Imperfection: The Gyotaku Fish Rubbings of Dwight Hwang Mark White How an angler from California took his passions for fish and art to another level to become one of the world’s most renowned masters of the ancient Japanese folk art of gyotaku.
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Small Batch Vodka - Staff Growing weary of Hoppy McHopperson’s Bitter Barley Bilge Brew…? Pull up a stool at Chez Tail and try out a real drink: Small batch vodka. Linesider Magic: Fly Fishing the Dark Side at coastal Bridges for Striped Bass and Snook - Pete Barrett From Maine to Florida, every state on the East Coast has bridges. Here’s how to work them.
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The Science of Tarpon Migrations Michael Larkin, Ph.D. Many anglers think they understand migratory patterns of tarpon in the southeastern US and the Gulf of Mexico. If you’ve read anything on migration patterns, there’s a very good chance you’ve read the work of Dr. Larkin, who spent years unraveling the patterns of migratory poons.
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Inside the Box - Gregory O’Toole
Veteran Keys guide Bob Branham takes some of the lore and mystique away from the Holy Grail of fly fishing. What’s left is practical direction on how to to land a permit on the fly. Branham was a student of the late, legendary Bill Curtis, and he’s considered by many to be the best permit guide in Florida.
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Fluke on the Fly - Joseph Albanese Most often overlooked as a fly rod fish, summer flounder or fluke offer exciting inshore opportunities during the dead-of-summer doldrums. Gallasch Skipping Bug Captain Dave Cornell Lefty Kreh called the Gallasch Skipping Bug the first really good popping bug for salt water. Master carpenter and longtime guide Captain Dave Cornell shows you how to recreate this retro pattern that’s taken everything from bluefish to barracuda.
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Chaos—but the Good Kind Billy Mitchell To look at Sean, you’d swear he knew exactly what he was doing. Then everything hit the fan.
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Birds as Scouts - Tom Gilmore All anglers know that screeching birds indicate fish. This piece is a master’s guide to reading the flock, written by the President Emeritus of the New Jersey Audubon Society. An Angler Opines: Hijacked Captain Scott Sommerlatte Big Brother wants you to pimp out your honey hole.
C O N T E N T S
R E T A I L E R S C A R R Y T A I L
ALASKA Mossy’s Fly Shop 750 W. Diamond Blvd, Suite 114 Anchorage, AK 99515 907-770-2666 mossysflyshop.com COLORADO Front Range Anglers 2344 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 303-494-1375 frontrangeanglers.com CONNECTICUT The Compleat Angler 541 Boston Post Road Darien, CT 06820 203-655-9400 compleatangleronline.com FLORIDA Apalach Outfitters 32 Ave D Apalachicola, FL 32320 850-653-3474 apalachoutfitters.com Black Fly Outfitters 11702 Beach Blvd, #109 Jacksonville, FL 32246 904-997-2220 blackflyoutfitters.com Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure 9501 US 19 N Pinellas Park, FL 33782 727-576-4169 billjacksons.com 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 Flounder Creek Outfitters 515 Garden Street Titusville, FL 32796 321-567-2931 facebook.com/ floundercreekoutfitters/ Harry Goode’s Outdoor Shop 1231 E. New Haven Ave Melbourne, FL 32901 321-723-4751 harrygoodes.com Ole Florida Fly Shop 6353 N. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33487 561-995-1929 olefloridaflyshop.com
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Orlando Outfitters 2814 Corrine Dr Orlando, FL 32803 407-896-8220 orlandooutfitters.com The Angling Company 333 Simonton St Key West, FL 33040 305-292-6306 anglingcompany.com West Wall Outfitters 787 Tamiami Trail Port Charlotte, FL 33953 941-875-9630 westwallflyshop.com GEORGIA Cohutta Fishing Company 39 S. Public Square Cartersville, GA 30120 770-606-1100 cohuttafishingco.com The Fish Hawk 764 Miami Cir NE #126 Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-3473 thefishhawk.com IDAHO Jimmy’s All Season Angler 275 A Street Idaho Falls, ID 83402 208-524-7160 jimmysflyshop.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 NORTH CAROLINA Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd D5 Cornelius, NC 28031 704-8963660 carolinaflyfishing.com
NEW YORK
UTAH
Urban Angler 381 Fifth Ave, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10016 212-689-6400 urbanangler.com
Fishwest 47 West 10600 South Sandy, UT 84070 fishwest.com 801-617-1225
RHODE ISLAND
TENNESSEE
The Saltwater Edge 1037 Aquidneck Ave Middletown, RI 02842 866-793-6733 saltwateredge.com
Fly South Fly Shop 115 19th Ave South Nashville, TN 37203 615-341-0420 flysouth.net
SOUTH CAROLINA
WASHINGTON
Bay Street Outfitters 825 Bay Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843-524-5250 baystreetoutfitters.com
Emerald Water Anglers 4502 42nd Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116 206-708-7250 emeraldwateranglers.com
Charleston Angler—Two Locations 654 Saint Andrews Blvd Charleston, SC 29407 843-571-3899
The Avid Angler 17171 Bothell Way NE #A272 Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 206-362-4030 avidangler.com
1113 Market Center Blvd Mt Pleasant, SC 29464 843-884-2095 thecharlestonangler.com
Retail Chains:
Lowcountry Fly Shop 626 Coleman Blvd Mt Pleasant, SC 29464 843-388-5337 lowcountryflyshop.com TEXAS Bayou City Angler 3641 Westheimer Rd Suite A Houston TX 77027 832-831-3104 bayoucityangler.com Gordy & Sons Outfitters 22 Waugh Drive Houston TX 77007 713-333-3474 gordyandsons.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
Barnes & Noble—630 retail locations in the USA Books-A-Million—260 stores in 32 states Bass Pro Shops—95 locations in the USA Dick’s Sporting Goods (select locations)—over 700 stores in the USA Field & Stream Stores—35 locations in the USA CANADA Fish Tales Fly Shop Ltd. #626, 12100 Macleod Trail SE Calgary AB T2J 7G9 Canada 866-640-1273 fishtalesflyshop.com Retail Chains: Indigo Books—over 200 stores under various banners
1982 letter from the editor In 1982, Billy Pate set an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) fly rod world record, landing a 188-pound tarpon on a 16-pound tippet in Homosassa, Florida. For the next two decades, anglers and guides attempted to break Pate’s record and become the first angler to land a tarpon on fly that was over 200 pounds. On May 11, 2001, it finally happened. Jim Holland Jr. (guided by Captain Steve Kirkpatrick) caught a 202-pound tarpon on 20-pound tippet. Tarpon season is here, and I won’t be chasing any records, but I will spend 20 of 30 days on the water, both April and May, just in case one happens to swim by. Even for those who have caught hundreds of tarpon, it never gets old (if it has, it’s probably time to put your 12-weight on eBay). My joy is not rooted in landing a record but rather in seeing these monsters moving naturally, watching the gentle eat, and the initial 30 seconds of chaos that ensues. I break them off after a few jumps, then go find a new one to piss off. It’s even more enjoyable when I put one of my devoted trout friends from Pennsylvania on a tarpon and watching their reaction. As much a I want my son to stay three forever, I can’t wait until he’s old enough for his first poon trip. So, after all this poon-talk, Issue 41 is obviously tarpon-heavy. Michael Larkin continues his series on tarpon science with an informative article on tarpon migration, our Gear Guide is actually a poon guide, our Inside the Box features—you guessed it—tarpon patterns, and we’ve included some classic action photos from Dr. Neal Rogers, author of Saltwater Fly Fishing Magic. Enjoy the issue and thank you for all the wonderful feedback. Keep the emails coming! Sincerely,
Joseph Ballarini Editor-in-Chief
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letters to the editor I recently was at chapters in Ontario, Canada with my three year old daughter picking out a book to take to a birthday party. I usually never pass a magazine rack without a quick glance, but this time my eyes were stopped in there tracks by a magnificent piece of art work; a rooster fish. I purchased your magazine without any prior knowledge of your existence, and I will say without reservation I was thoroughly impressed. I would like to say that what you have produced is not only eye catching and robust in material, but soul soothing to say the least. I live no where near saltwater and much of the fish referenced, I have only seen in pages of books and on the internet. However, I would admit to having a growing passion for such a fantastic and addictive sport. Much like yourself I have dedicated a huge part of my life to helping others, albeit in a more simpler and less complex form as Firefighter/EMT. I can’t help but imagine we both share the same satisfaction of the soul, from death and destruction that holding a fly rod has given us.I have been extremely fortunate to have traveled to the Bahamas on a few DIY fly fishing trips with a friend. This is where the power of the sea and strength of resident bonefish flipped a switch in my brain. Not only do I dream about the beautiful landscape and unspoiled beaches.
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I long to learn every minute detail I can about fishing “the salt”. I work extremely hard all year long to reach my goal of casting my line again to those shimmering tails. I wanted to say a word of support and to say thank you for following your passion and creating such a fantastic product. I get lost in your photos and stories, and look forward to the next issue. all the best and stay safe.
magazine as well, from gear guide to beer reviews. I read your magazine cover to cover and am never disappointed. Thanks for your time and please keep the articles about “the old dudes” coming! Robin Neff Sarasota, Florida
Scott Calder Millbrook, Ontario, Canada
Hi, my name is Robin Neff. I’m 26 and live in Sarasota FL. I really enjoy everything about your magazine. I’m not really the kind of guy to write to a magazine but after reading page 96 out of issue 39 I felt compelled to voice my opinion. I sincerely appreciate and enjoy the stories and articles about “these old dudes.” Maybe it’s just me but that’s the stuff I like, where fly patterns, knots and techniques came from. These were amazing people who paved the way for the sport. I love learning about these guys. It inspires me to go further and explore what hasn’t been explored. I was recently in Titusville and by accident had the opportunity to meet Flip Pallot. To me that was cooler than meeting any overpaid actor or athlete. He’s a living Hemingway, a true legend. I like all the other articles in your
I just wanted to thank you for getting me the missing issues of your magazine. They finally arrived yesterday along with the copy of Strung and the decal stickers. I’ve fly fished my entire life and have become a GT addict along with numerous other game fish. I just returned from Aitutaki and will be going back again to Christmas Island/Kiritibati in April. Your magazine has spurred me on chasing more of these great fish. Thanks again for the help. Tony Buzolich Yuba City, California
A Bonefish Reel Worthy of the Name Mirage Proudly made in the USA There is a symmetrical beauty in the perfect balance of a lightweight bonefish rod and reel. With the same silky smooth, sealed, and maintenance-free drag as the Mirage, the Mirage LT offers zero startup inertia and precise low-end control to protect even the lightest of tippets. Like its burly big-game brother, the Mirage LT is built in New England by American craftsmen, but 30% lighter to dance perfectly with even the lightest 3-weight and give you the edge in those magical moments when light tackle takes on broad-shouldered bruisers.
NEW MADE IN USA
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Dr. James Henshall was catching redfish, snook, jacks, bluefish, ladyfish, and tarpon in southern Florida in 1878. He published an account of his adventures in Camping and Cruising in Florida (1884). His writing appears to be the first successful account of catching tarpon on freshwater fly tackle. Ten years later, Frank S. Pinckney, in The Tarpon or “Silver King,” credited New York physician George Trowbridge with landing juvenile tarpon on a fly. Trowbridge fished both coasts of Florida for a variety of species. A. W. Dimock, a failed American businessman (but a very successful angler in both fresh and salt water) reported seeing Trowbridge catching fish on a fly rod in Sarasota Bay. One hundred and forty years later, the gear and cameras have improved but we’re still chasing poon with twigs.
Earliest Tarpon
Dimock’s tarpon was, at the time, the largest ever taken using a fly and properly casting. His son Julian, however, finished the fight. From A. W. Dimock, The Book of the Tarpon (London: Frank Palmer, Red Lion Court, 1912), 189.
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inside the box tarpon flies Tarpon is one of the few species that offers diversity—sometimes too much diversity. For an angler just entering the game, he or she might not realize that juvenile, adult, backwater, oceanside, and flats tarpon eat different flies. The flies for each stage and location play a huge part in your success. Juvenile tarpon are usually the most aggressive and easiest to feed. Juvenile tarpon will eat baitfish imitations, backcountry flies, and even Gummy Minnows, but these flies might not work as well on oceanside fish or large migrators on the flats. The fly names are often a source of confusion as well. Can you fish a Key-West-style tarpon fly anywhere else…? Well, the answer is yes, but knowing a few basics will help you stack your box with better selections overall and—we hope— better success.
The Bunny Toad has a rabbit strip tail with a marabou collar. It’s a simple tie as well as a lethal choice under the right conditions. We like this one in the backcountry in greens and tans. Some anglers like hints of orange and peach as well. If tied with a red zonker strip and a tan collar, it can mimic a worm, which brings us to the next must-have pattern…. When is the worm hatch? It doesn’t matter, really, because tarpon love worm flies almost anytime. It’s obvious that you wouldn’t throw a worm to juveniles that are feeding on baitfish in the mangroves, but oceanside, the worm is a good choice. As we mentioned, a Bunny Toad in the right colors is a good mimic of a worm. Umpqua makes a Chili Pepper Worm, which is a good choice. We like our foam worms because they don’t foul—ever.
The Stu Apte Tarpon Fly is (also known as the Homer Rhode Jr. Tarpon Streamer or the Key West Tarpon Fly) is simply a splayed hackle tail with a palmered collar that undulates in the water when stripped. Some tiers add flash, but we don’t see the need for it. The classic colors that took countless tarpon and snook in the early 1950s and ‘60s are still a great choices for fishing today. The original was a white tail with a red collar. Other variations work very well, too, like orange/yellow, black/ purple and yellow/chartreuse.
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gear guide: Marshwear
SA Company
Patagonia
Fishing in the spring for migrating tarpon can be some of the most arduous fishing there is. It requires patience, stamina, technical expertise, and some luck. While gear can only marginally improve your casting and overall fishing skills, we wanted to help make your time on and off the skiff a bit more productive this season—or at least more comfortable. As we’ve mentioned in previous Gear Guides, rod and reel preference, while obviously on the checklist, is far too personal to delve into deeply. However, there are so many other items that can make the day go smoothly. Your most formidable enemies on the skiff are wind, sun, and fatigue. We’ve all missed shots because we’ve been slumped over in our seat, snoozing or just spacing out. Either way, we were unable to get our bearings quickly enough to present the fly to the fish. Oceanside and even backcountry fishing often requires you to be at the top of your game. Here are a few things that might help both on and off the water. 22
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S un P rotection Please make sure to protect yourself from the sun. Don’t forget important things like lip balm (SPF 50 or better), sunblock, and a hat. Make sure you protect your hands and feet as well with sunblock. As we all know, the application, or re-application of sunblock on the skiff is always inferior to the initial application before boarding, so a shade hat is a help. They might look stupid, but a big straw sombrero or rice-picker hat cast a really nice shadow over your face and neck and not only protect you from the UV rays, but they keep you really cool as well. You can’t have this style as your only hat, though, as the wind might kick up and take it away from you. Many of our peeps keep it around for when the wind dies down. Another way to beat the sun is by using a face tube or buff after you’ve sweat the initial sun block off. Apply your lip block several times, because it comes off quicker than you think. Keep it in your pocket with an extra in your boat bag. The logic here is that you are more likely to reapply when it’s in your pocket because you won’t have to move
Filson
Orvis
around and disrupt the boat to get to it. Keeping the spare in your bag is smart in case you drop it, or jump in the water for a photo. C lothing The obvious choice is a technical shirt with SPF 30 that has long sleeves to tuck your hand in, a front pocket for your little things, and a hood (if you like wearing them). It’s a preference thing. You might like a button-up or pullover, hooded or not hooded, it really doesn’t matter. While there are some brands we see on the flats more frequently—Simms, Patagonia, and Orvis—this season there are some entries from Filson (Feather Cloth) and AFTCO (Samurai Hoodie) that look interesting. We recommend you check them out. Also a matter of personal preference, but we think fishing clothes should be worn for fishing, and technical clothes have no place at the table. Think about it: You’re wearing a hoodie or a tech shirt from 6 a.m. until 4 or 5 p.m. … why would you put another one on for dinner…? Wear something comfortable and casual.
all about tarpon
Duck Camp
Toddy
On many trips we try to find casual clothing and hats sporting the fish we are stalking. It was done for fun at first, but it’s become a bit of a competition in recent years to see who can find the coolest stuff that’s off the beaten path. Thats how we discovered the straw tarpon hat. The best part about this is it makes the trip more recognizable in photos. We concede that nothing is more identifiable than the obvious local beer in hand, but wearing a tarpon hat and shirt might trigger the memory of the last Puerto Rico tarpon trip. C omfort M easures Make sure you have the things you need to be comfortable on the skiff. Most of us don’t allow shoes on our boats, but we have padded platform and padded casting decks for the angler. If this is not an option and shoes are allowed, get a pair of padded flip flops to cushion your feet—they’ll go a very long way. Foot fatigue is one of the best ways to miss a shot. You’re on your feet for 12 to 16 hours a day, so they should be priority. Think about it: You wear good shoes to work and when you’re exercising—why compromise when you’re fishing…?
Buff
Patagonia
Here’s a common scenario: You’re standing all day when you then start to feel some pain or fatigue in your feet. You decide to sit for a while, and at that moment, a chain of tarpon come through. Just get the boat shoes or flip flops that are padded and won’t mark up the skiff. An added benefit of boat shoes is that they’ll prevent your feet from burning in the sun.
O rgani z ation
Finger guards almost seem silly, but something like this could save your day. Ballarini had a second-degree burn across the fingers on his stripping hand from a marlin, which limited him for the remainder of the trip. Finger buffs are most helpful when using a high-performance textured fly line, but they reduce the friction generated by any line. Some people don’t use them because they don’t want the hassle of putting them on and taking them off wet fingers. Your call—this one isn’t going to break the bank.
Bring the things you need to fish effectively. You really don’t need 10 dozen flies—you can probably fish for five days with a dozen—but you will need leader material and fly lines. We like having options, so we choose several lines to address specific conditions. We like a floating line for most situations in the backcountry and on the oceanside. A clear line is usually best, but many people think it’s hard to fish. We really like the Monic Genesis for a number if reasons, including ease of casting, smoothness, and lack of memory. If you like to see where your line is in the water but with the added stealth of a clear tip, Airflo makes the Ridge Floating Clear Tip Tropical. We recommend having two floating lines and two intermediate lines in reserve so you don’t get caught unprepared.
Keep a clear head free of the doubt that infiltrates everything you do while waiting for fish to arrive. Make sure you’re well prepared with extra lines, leaders, a spare rod and reel, and flies. Most important, make sure everything is organized on the boat in a boat bag or other organizer.
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gear guide: all about tarpon Fishpond
Scientific Angler
Cortland
Airflo
Orvis
We also like to have at least six leaders ready. The thinking here is that if your first day is amazing and you destroy five out of six leaders, you can make more that night. If the first day is not as eventful as you had hoped, you’re ready for day two. There’s no consensus among us about the type of bag we bring on the boat. Some are partial to the Fishpond Cutbank and some of prefer Patagonia Stormfront Bag or the Orvis Boat Bag—but they’re all very similar in size and storage capacity. Many use a narrow rod case and keep everything they need there, including a spare rod and reel. Always check with your captain and make sure there’s room on the boat for whatever you decide to pack. Nothing will throw you into a tailspin quicker than leaving something at the dock. Whatever you left, you will need it by 10 a.m.—that’s just how it goes.
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T ools No one fishes for tarpon without a good set of pliers. A premier set of pliers will cost you about $260 to $300, depending on the brand. Orvis debuted a really solid entry last year. They are made in Vermont, well machined and a good choice if you’re in the market. Hatch, Simms, and Abel also produce quality products in this category. If your tool budget is a bit lower, a pair of $40 Bubba Blades will get you through without difficulty. We always carry antacids, Maalox, Crazy Glue, hydrogen peroxide, bandaids, 4x4 gauze, a cautery tool, and an ace wrap with us to stop bleeding, treat headaches, stomach upset, diarrhea, and gastroesophageal reflux. The cautery tool is in case we need to cauterize a pulsating artery. Pliers work well to remove embedded hooks, which is another reason not to be without them.
Ballarini still uses a leader stretcher box when tarpon fishing—one of the few who still do. Everything is set in the box and ready to go. Bass Pro Shops has one for around $70, if you’re interested, and Abel still makes one as well. Yeah, its old school, but there’s something nostalgic about it that he likes. Have fun and stay safe.
the Demy
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ystification the Demystification of Permit of Permit by Captain Bob Branham
Permit on the fly is widely recognized as one of the greatest accomplishments in angling—and with good reason. Mess up just one aspect of the process—fly selection, stalk, presentation, fly manipulation, or fight—and you come up empty. On the other hand, if you do it right you have a true prize in your hands and valid bragging rights forever. I don’t want to devalue this remarkable feat, but I honestly feel that catching a permit on the fly is not really that hard. Does that sound blasphemous? Here’s another: I think it’s much easier to catch a permit on the fly than it is to catch an oceanside migrating tarpon. Here are some of the things I do to demystify fly fishing for permit for my clients.
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Your first instinct makes you want to cast way, way in front of them so you don’t spook them. This is the wrong approach. I say, be aggressive.
Without question, the more shots you get the better permit angler you will become. Unless you are a DIYer, you’ll need a guide to find and stalk the fish. Learn all you can from him before you strike off on your own. At first it’s almost impossible to control the kneeknocking and heart-pounding you experience when your guide says “Okay, there’s a couple of fish, 2 o’clock, 30 yards, moving left to right…. Get ready!” Your first instinct makes you want to cast way, way in front of them so you don’t spook them. This is the wrong approach. I say, be aggressive. Give it right to him and make sure he sees it. Pull it away from him and see if he follows. If he follows, keep working him. If he acts as if he doesn’t see the fly, quickly strip it in and give it to him again. Be alert—a quick strip will sometimes get their attention. If you pull the fly out of the water before you realize
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what has happened, drop it back to him as quickly and quietly as possible. Often a cast that hits him in the head will be gobbled up immediately. However, I would rather lay off him a little, as it’s the fish’s nature to be cautious. Keep your cast low, keep your leader long, and use the current and wind to help you mask your presentation. (In this sense, the wind is your friend.) Also remember that calm, sunny days, while beautiful to experience, will make fly fishing for permit really difficult. On these days, look for channel edges with lots of current and a bit deeper water—or go tarpon fishing instead. I have my best days around the full and new moons when the tides are the strongest. Remember, these are tropical fish and are best stalked when the water temperatures reach 72 degrees. Extended warm spells allow really good fishing in the
winter, but permit seem to be most active from early spring to late fall. Fly selection is very important for success. All guides believe they have the magic bullet—some do. Let your guide pick the fly for you. It will be smart to match the fly to the conditions. If it is calm and clear and the fish are tailing, you’ll need a soft-landing, slow-sinking offering. Some flies spin when stripped, so either avoid them or make a perfect cast and don’t strip it. Again, be aggressive, but increase your lead a bit. A well-tied crab pattern that doesn’t spin is deadly when slow-walked in front of a tailer. If there’s sufficient current you can use an Epoxy Fly here—my fly of choice for almost all situations. Fish the Epoxy aggressively with quick strips punctuated by hard stops. Don’t let it sink too much or you’ll catch the bottom. Tailing permit, while super exciting, are not the only fish you are likely to see. Often permit pile up in channels with lots of current. Sometimes these fish are not actively feeding but simply holding in the current. You’ll see them flash, fin up, and stick their heads out of the water. Here you’ll need a fly that works well in current. The Epoxy Fly excels at this. Cast in front of them and strip it quickly away from them, stopping between strips. Repeat until one eats.
If you’re really lucky you may find the permit sipping and crashing crabs or shrimp on the surface. Try casting a floating crab fly and drift it to them. A permit strike on the surface is something to behold. Epoxy Flies also work here. If you’re being poled down a channel edge or over a deeper flat, you’ll likely see fish cruising or mudding. Mudders are actively feeding and readily take flies. The deeper water makes them less wary. A fast-sinking crab pattern was made for this. Cast close, let it sink, and wait for him to move on your offering. It will be hard to know if the fish eats, so you must anticipate the bite. If he comes over and stops, assume he’s eaten it and make a long strip to see if he’s there. If you’re using a stripping-type crab or Epoxy Fly, make a good cast and work the fly past him. Don’t be discouraged if you get lots of follows but no bites. Follows mean they’re interested—work on your strip. Once you catch your first permit the second is easier. More about the Epoxy Fly.… I mentioned earlier that I consider catching a permit on the fly easier than catching migrating tarpon. Consider the days on the ocean when the schools of tarpon swim by in droves. It’s not uncommon to get 30 or more shots at these tarpon in a day. It’s also not uncommon to come up empty-handed. If you could get 30 good shots
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at permit in a day, you could reasonable expect to get four or five fish. My confidence in catching these so-called “fork-tailed devils” comes largely from the success I have with my Epoxy Fly. My late friend John Emory showed me this bug 35 years ago. I seldom use anything else. The fly is easier to tie these days, with better weighted eyes and better hooks, but it remains largely the same fly John showed me all those years ago. I think color is important. I like bushy and stiff-quilled cree, ginger grizzly, brown, ginger variant, or badger saddle hackles. Quality hackle is hard to find and somewhat expensive, so I am continually in search of suitable chicken necks. I have no luck with regular grizzly hackle unless it is bleached to a ginger color. Finding permit consistently is always the wildcard. After your
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guide puts one in front of you, a good cast and the strip become the most important steps in the process—and both are up to you. Do your best to get the fly in front of the permit. Once the fish sees the fly and starts to follow, it becomes a game of keep away. But let him win. Let the fish come to the fly and then pull it away from him. Make the hops sharp and quick and stop between strips. Don’t stop too long and don’t stop to let it sink, and never make a slow strip. Sometimes the game gets away from you—strip, stop, he chases. Strip again—he chases faster. Strip again and again and again. Pretty soon your fish is flying toward you and really wants your offering but can’t catch it. Stop or skip-strip…. Now when he gets to the fly he almost always will eat it, so give it a good strip. Don’t wait too long, though; if you do he’ll get bored and sneak away. Think of playing with a cat and a feather
on a string. If you pull it slowly by him, the cat may pounce on the feather occasionally, but he’ll grab it every time if you give a sharp pull. To me, the greatest asset of the Epoxy Fly is the fact that it’s a stripping fly. If the fish eats it you know it. In the old days, too often my crab-fly-throwing clients wouldn’t detect the strike until it was too late. I promise you that your guide hates to miss a permit bite a lot more than you do. Remember: Be aggressive, make good casts, and listen to your guide until you get proficient. Good Luck! Captain Bob Branham has been guiding for permit, bonefish, and tarpon for over 30 years and is considered one of South Florida’s finest guides. You can visit his website at:
southfloridaflatsfishing.com
The Science of Tarpon Migrations Chesapeake Bay
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by Michael Larkin, Ph.D.
It’s no surprise that tarpon
migrate. Some of their migrations are quite predictable, such as the arrival of large tarpon in Florida in late spring and summer. Some of their migrations are a mystery, such as their location in winter. To understand tarpon migrations, scientist have been tagging tarpon over the last 40 years. They first deployed dart tags with individual tag numbers and a phone number so anglers could report when they caught a tarpon bearing a tag. Then, in 2001, satellite tags were deployed on tarpon. These satellite tags were a game-changer, because instead of just getting the tag and recapture location, scientists were able to collect detailed information (location, depth, salinity) for months of the tarpon’s life. I was lucky enough to be the first person to deploy a satellite tag on a tarpon. Since then, 292 satellite tags have been deployed on tarpon, and they have revealed some amazing results. The satellite tagging results found that some tarpon travel over 900 miles. One particular tarpon migrated from the Florida Everglades to the Chesapeake Bay. There was a clear relationship between fish size and distance migrated. The larger the tarpon, the longer the migration distance. Tarpon can also cover some ground (or should we say water) in a day, with one tarpon moving 60 miles in a single day. Tarpon tagged in United States coastal waters and the east coast of Mexico display a snowbird-type behavior by moving north during late summer as the water warms
and then moving back south when the coastal ocean waters cool in the fall. These snowbird movements correlate with a temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) as they move north and south. So find 79-degree water and you’ll find tarpon. Here’s a summary of the overall tarpon movements for United States coastal waters and the east coast of Mexico: Tarpon are located in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche and South Florida in late spring (April to June). The fish then move northward along the coasts as water temperatures rise. Some of the tarpon tagged in the Bay of Campeche crossed the US/Mexico border and went all the way to the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. Some fish tagged in South Florida went as far north as Chesapeake Bay. When the water cooled in the fall, tarpon in the western Gulf of Mexico moved toward West Texas and down south to Mexico, whereas tarpon in the eastern Gulf of Mexico moved south to southern Florida. Tarpon along the Atlantic Coast of the United States also moved south when the water cooled, toward southern Florida.
The satellite tagging results found that some tarpon travel over 900 miles. One particular tarpon migrated from the Florida Everglades to the Chesapeake Bay.
The satellite tag research made other interesting discoveries, one of them being the behavior of tarpon at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The results show two different tarpon populations in the Gulf of Mexico—east and west—that are split at the mouth of the Mississippi. The tarpon tagged west of the mouth stayed west and did not cross over to the east side
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of the river mouth. The tarpon tagged east of the mouth stayed east and did not cross over to the west side of the mouth.
Scuba divers took video of tarpon overwintering about 20 miles south of Louisiana on the oil rigs.
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Tarpon overwintering locations are also interesting. During the winter, tarpon were found greater than 30 miles from shore off the west coast of Florida. Also, scuba divers took video of tarpon overwintering about 20 miles south of Louisiana on the oil rigs. At this writing, there is research exploring water temperatures at the oil rigs to determine if there potentially is a body of warm water at a depth of about 100 feet that could comfortably contain tarpon during the winter.
Tagged tarpon have also revealed information on spawning movements. In Florida, tarpon spawning takes place from April to July, and satellite tagging of tarpon in the Florida Keys during this time showed tarpon making brief trips east to the Gulf Stream. These offshore movements occurred around new and full moons. There was also a plankton study that was able to determine the age, in days, of the tarpon leptocephalus—this is the larval stage of tarpon—in offshore waters. This study revealed that the majority of the leptocephali hatched around the new and full moons. Thus two independent research projects both revealed that tarpon spawn offshore around new and full moons.
The offshore spawning movements from satellite tags recorded tarpon diving to depths greater than 400 feet! The deep tarpon dives started at sunset, continued into the night, and stopped at sunrise. Its unknown exactly why tarpon make these deep dives when they are spawning, but this information could lead to the development of a deep, deep, deepwater tarpon fly line. Just joking! The satellite tagging of tarpon continues with new tarpon tag locations every year. Future research will reveal tarpon behavior in Cuba and other Caribbean island areas. To find future tarpon tagging results, check with the University of Miami’s Tarpon Bonefish Center.
Mike Larkin received his doctorate from the University of Miami’s Bonefish and Tarpon Conservation Program. Highlights of his research include the discovery that bonefish in Florida migrate to the Bahamas, bonefish live to 21 years, and the completion of the world’s first bonefish stock assessment. He currently works as a fisheries biologist in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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CHEATIN’ TRIGGS!
THOSE
BY JOE DOGGETT
A half-empty bottle of 23-year-old Ron Zacapa stood on the patio table of Ikari House. Beyond, the sun was setting with brilliant hues over the huge pass that feeds the emerald lagoon at Christmas Island. I reached for the bottle. RZ 23 is a superior rum and, 10 days into the two-week expedition hosted by Boulder-based Front Range Anglers, our stock was critically low. Triggerfish were mainly to blame—yes, frustrating, fascinating, infuriating triggerfish. Regarding triggers on the flats, the old expression “drive you to drink” is not entirely inappropriate. They are worse than bonefish—maybe even worse than permit. At least permit don’t habitually cheat. I poured a careful two fingers into my glass—survival rations— and passed the bottle. Joe Turano took a short splash. “Joe D.,” he said, “we’ll be dry after tomorrow. Next day, for sure.” The nearest supply of decent rum was approximately 1,200 miles to the north, at one of the ABC convenience stores on Kalakaua Boulevard in Waikiki. Equally alarming, our stash of triggerfish flies was rapidly dwindling. Joe T. had four or five and I was down to zero. The attrition rate was due to the combat conditions amid the edges of coral rubble favored by triggers. They prefer larger, bulkier flies, size 2’s and 4’s with squiggly legs and fuzzy bodies and beady eyestalks. The sparse 6’s and 8’s used for bonefish over white bottom lack substance.
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The islanders have extraordinary “fish eyes” and, equally important, they do a fine job of helping newcomers position for highpercentage casts.
Steve McLaughlin, owner of FRA, sat across the patio table. He shook his head and smiled. “You boys should have been better supplied for a two-week stay. I can’t speak for the rum, but our pre-trip info told you how many flies you were probably going to need.
They speak English and, in my experience, are good-natured and tolerant of inept screwups.
“Joe D., here’s two more trigger patterns; that’s about all I can spare. Seems like several rods are running short this trip—or maybe the fish are just eating really well!” McLaughlin has been coordinating regular trips to the 14-room Ikari House for six years —almost 600 anglers. He knows the drill and the importance of staying power. Living conditions are spartan on CXI, and running short of anything can be a drama. But for a pair of salty sea dogs, killer flies and aged rum are high on the list. FRA’s proven patterns for triggers on the flats are the Itchy Scratchy, the Trigger Digger, and the CXI Worm. The first two usually are tied on size-2 and -4 hooks, and both bead chain and dumbbell eyes are used; the trim worms are smaller (excellent, as well, on bonefish). Patterns such as Spawning Shrimp and Mantis Shrimp can be effective but, as any seasoned angler will agree, confidence counts for a lot—the old “fly of the river” factor. “Whatever the pattern, you’ve got to use a top-quality hook on triggs,” McLaughlin stressed. “They have really powerful jaws and can straighten or break the cheap stuff.”
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My box held several dozen bonefish flies, but I was down to trigger charity from our host —one Itchy Scratchy and one Trigger Digger. Both looked a bit chewed and funky, but I gratefully palmed the prized payload. Joe T., being better prepared, had four or five; I peered over my clicking ice cubes, wondering if he might be foolish enough to leave his box unattended. But such a rookie mistake by a world-travelled angler was highly unlikely. Ikari House, capably managed by Jacob and Lavinia Teem, prides itself on wall air-conditioning units that almost always work and—a big plus—daily laundry service. The daily washing of tropical dress allows guests to pack lightly with more space in the typical duffle for extra items such as … well, never mind. Amenities might be lacking, but the big draw for the “world’s largest coral atoll” is the seemingly endless vistas of hard white flats ideal for wading. I read somewhere that the network of primary and secondary lagoons encompasses more than 150 miles. Whether that robust calculation was fueled by the aforementioned rum, I cannot say—but a hard-charging wader could fish for months and not cover the same water twice. That’s a fact. Bonefish, of course, are the main event. Christmas Island (Kiritimati in the local language of the Republic of Kiribati ) is not as good as when I first fished there during the mid- and late ‘80s, when the old Captain Cook Hotel was the only bivouac and tallies of 30 or 40 fish per rod per day were routine. But it’s still very solid.
A good day might see half that. Most are less than 3 or 4 pounds, but scattered larger fish certainly are available. And, regardless of size, most are caught while wading and sight casting over white bottom in ankle- to knee-deep water. The aesthetics of one-on-one bonefishing do not get any better. And, while stalking the flats, the determined wader gets odd shots at a variety of other inshore species. Years ago, triggerfish were regarded as nothing more than just another weird tropical reef fish. Hardly anyone on the flats took them seriously as A-Team game. But when they are specifically targeted in shallow water (as opposed to over deep structure) the whole concept changes. The challenges and rewards are magnified and the triggerfish is so bizarre it becomes beautiful, if that makes sense. Several dozen trigger species are found in tropical regions around the world, but on Christmas Island the two headliners are the yellow margin and the mustache. Others include the titan (relatively scarce) and the small Picasso. Christmas Island is perhaps the top shallow-water triggerfish destination in the world—at least the top accessible one. Most yellow margins and mustaches are in the 2- to 8-pound class, with the occasional double-digit brawler being an outside chance. This is assuming the brute wants to commit suicide. Many of the white flats are rimmed with dark edges of coral rubble, and
triggers are uncommonly fond of rooting and tailing amid the jagged clutter. Choppy windward sides usually are most productive, and periods of moving tide are best. I’m not sure if the colorful Picasso is the same fish as Hawaii’s queen trigger—the celebrated humuhumunukunukuapua`a Regardless, it’s not much longer than the Hawaiian name and basically meaningless as a gamefish. Presumably, as the famous island song goes, you could sit on the porch of the “little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii, where the humuhumunukunukuapua’s go swimming by.” Or you could sit on the sunset patio of the Ikari House, and maybe take a sip of RZ 23, and rig an 8- or 9-weight with a fresh triggerfish leader for the morning tide. The following day Joe T. and I joined Mike Hennessy of Hawaii on the Fly. Hennessy, a top-tier saltwater angler, coordinates with Front Range Anglers to host several trips a years to Ikari House. They have the program wired, securing an excellent guide corps of villagers. The islanders have extraordinary “fish eyes” and, equally important, they do a fine job of helping newcomers position for high-percentage casts. They speak English and, in my experience, are good-natured and tolerant of inept screwups. The typical drill is to pair two rods with a guide, and two groups per skiff. You pack a lunch and you are wading and grinding all day under equatorial sun—a hardcore program that’s maybe not for everyone.
“Whatever the pattern, you’ve got to use a top-quality hook on triggs,” McLaughlin stressed. “They have really powerful jaws and can straighten or break the cheap stuff.”
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Instinct by design. Days on the flats can be a wild ride of slow hunting punctuated by adrenaline pumping action unfolding at warp speed. When the opportunity comes to intercept prehistoric poons, or to psychoanalyze neurotic permit, your instinct kicks in. And that’s the moment you take your place on the bow and make the improbable possible. Colorado, USA | 970-249-3180 | scottflyrod.com
We designed Meridian fly rods with a similar mindset. At the core of it all is the kind of fine tuned performance that comes with 45 years of innovation and experience. The result? Something akin to effortlessness, something intuitive. Take a Meridian along on your next saltwater journey, and fire on instinct.
The count was zero for two and no more Itchy Scratchy flies. I pawed through a backup box and found a crusty Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp on a size-2 hook.
The hard-charging, jive-talking Hennessy was our swashbuckling guide that morning, which meant he would casually point to a flat and say, “Fish there!” With varying degrees of expertise, we all enjoy wading solo.
The yellow margin spied the kicking fly and rushed, clamping down with a hard grab. The strip strike felt solid and the rod doubled against a tight drag: You don’t want to give cheap rein in the rubble.
The jaunty orange outrigger ran across the main lagoon and dropped each of us at a different site. As I eased over the side, I could see the distant waving tails of three or four triggers working along a coral finger extending into the green channel.
The trigger veered left, away from the treacherous edge, and shot across open sand. I realized too late it was aiming for its hole. Yes, triggers often have nearby hidey-holes, like damned badgers. The line stopped moving and the frayed leader sprang back slack. My windblown curse caused the tiny stick figure of Joe T. to salute with his rod.
I slipped forward, stripping ready coils of shooting line from the 9-weight. The trade winds kicked up small chops that swept across the exposed flat. The upside of wind is that the cover of rolling water allows you to sneak within decent range. Well, sometimes…. The downside is that you might be forced to punch a cast into a honking gust. Also, shallow triggers are skittish, very sensitive to careless footsteps and line slaps. They can make bonefish appear doltish. One false crunch or splash can blow an entire stretch: When one trigger spooks, nearby associates follow, scooting and darting and fluttering to the green edge. If you’re lucky, maybe a clueless pufferfish remains. I moved to within 45 or 50 feet—a bit long, but the good shot was there. A sidearm cast cut under the wind and minimized rod flash against the sky. A tight loop curled above the flat and the 20-pound tippet turned over, dropping the Itchy Scratchy about 3 feet upcurrent of the busy trigger. Not bad!
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During the next 30 minutes I plucked two bonefish from the edge but spooked several more bold triggers, thanks to stumbling and flailing. My second hooked trigger got over the green drop-off. I made the mistake of standing firm rather than sloshing with high rod to the point of the hookup to maintain a straighter angle to the pulling fish. The line curved, creating a big belly and snagging a coral head. The count was zero for two and no more Itchy Scratchy flies. I pawed through a backup box and found a crusty Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp on a size-2 hook. It looked awfully old and tired, like something that might have spilled from Captain James Cook’s tackle chest when the HMS Endeavour sailed through the pass on Christmas Eve, 1777. But it sported proper size and mass. Another saucy tail beckoned. The haggard fly plopped down and the trigger crushed it—literally. The gnarly
buck teeth broke one eye and bent the big hook before the yellow margin scooted to safety. It was a good one, maybe 6 or 7 pounds. Ahead, the outrigger was chugging in my direction. Joe T. sat in the bow. The skiff nosed from the abrupt green onto the flat. I was steaming, running hot, as Joe T. lowered the aluminum step ladder. I shook the rod in anger. Veins were starting out in my neck and my nose was redder than usual. “Lost ‘em all! Those cheatin’ triggs!” “Wow, Joe D., sorry to hear,” he said. “I caught two and lost one.” My nose got even redder. We breezed to Hennessy’s flat. He sprang aboard, pumped. “Great morning! Caught seven!” My nose was as red as it was going to get (along with another portion of my anatomy) and all I could do was shake my head. Hennessy obviously was playing at a higher level. Anyone who thinks a major learning curve is not involved in the stalking and hooking of triggerfish on the flats is woefully misinformed. Here’s an example of Hennessy’s studied approach: The equatorial sun is brutal at Christmas Island, so most waders don long quick-drying pants. But the fabric stirs vibrations by slapping and flapping and popping in the ever-present trades. Hennessy uses wading shorts but wears long tights underneath. Slinking across a flat, he resembles a soggy superhero on a stealth mission.
He wears drab colors and strives to approach as close as possible. When conditions allow, he casts from his knees. I’m not sure, but I think he had knee pads. And he prefers an improved clinch knot in the coral. “I’ll grant you that a loop knot gives the fly more action, but all that play allows the hook to snag coral fingers faster. Besides, if you put the fly where it needs to be, the trigger usually hits quick. “That first shot is the money cast,” Hennessy went on. “You want to place that fly within easy reach and as soft as possible—a 30- or 35-foot cast is lot easier to finesse than a 50-foot cast. And you’ve got to allow for the tidal current. You land too far away and the trigger probably won’t see the fly—or it gets hung in the coral. Or one of those damned little yellowfinned snappers will shoot up and grab it.” Here’s another of Hennesy’s observations: “Triggers usually run for the nearest coral and the first thing to snag is your tippet knot 2 or 3 feet above the fly. Blood knot or surgeon’s knot, no matter. It plucks and catches and you’re gone, guaranteed. I use a knotless tapered leader and as long a leader as I can handle. And if starts getting a bit short I lengthen the butt section, not the tippet.” I was first off during our next wading session. The outrigger nosed against a big pancake flat. Joe T. tossed me an Itchy Scratchy from his meager box. “Go get ‘em!”
my nose was redder than usual. Lost ‘em all! Those cheatin’ triggs!
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The fly dropped with a soft plunk and after two short, stuttered strips the trigger ate it.
The oval pancake was an excellent venue. A narrow crown of brown, gray, and gold rubble rimmed the white dome, an easy setup to cover during a 30- or 40-minute wade. As I shuffled forward, I spied the dark blob of a fine trigger—not amid the coral but rooting in the clean sand. Casting to cruisers in open water usually is a waste of time, but this fish was keenly tipping and fluttering. I crept close, crouched, and put a decent line into the air. The fly dropped with a soft plunk and after two short, stuttered strips the trigger ate it. The rod bent into the handle as I leaned against the 20-pound tippet to snub the run short of the coral. The fish plowed in determined circles, ripping the surface and churning spray, and the Tibor Everglades was able to gain a few cranks. Contain the first run and keep the trigger away from any damned hideyholes and your odds dramatically improve. The fish finally chugged close and turned on its side, whipped. It was a dandy 6-pound mustache, outrageously beautiful with hateful eyes and swelling flanks and stupidlooking fins. I wanted to hug the thing but, between the dorsal “trigger” fin and the powerful teeth, you want to be careful where you grab. Hennessy sports the old scar of a mashed finger tip, the result of a careless grip-and-grin. A pair of pliers snatched the hook and the groggy trigger swam free.
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So, would I spend the time and money and effort to travel to Christmas Island to fish specifically for triggs? Well, no. But the numerous tailers provide a great triple option during a single wade. Summoning the Rule of Three, the triggerfish expands and improves the potential during a given wade. The angler with an 8- or 9-weight setup has legitimate shots at bonefish, trevally, and triggerfish. You’ve got it covered with one rod and one box. The rubble of trigger edges often attracts small, aggressive trevally— bluefins and immature giant trevally, and both will lunge with alarming speed at a trigger fly. And larger bonefish often ease in from the channels to prowl the breaks. Once the rim is covered, the white spine of the great flat provides classic water for stalking the shadows and tails of skinny-water bonefish; a quick change to a smaller pattern (and perhaps a lighter tippet, as the knot is a non-event over clean bottom) covers this situation. This fascinating triple option at Christmas Island stretches for edge after edge, flat after flat, tide after tide, for as long as determined legs can last. Just don’t drink the tap water, and try not to run out of important supplies. Joe Doggett was an outdoor columnist for the Houston Chronicle for 35 years. He also was on the masthead of Field & Stream as a contributing editor. He is retired but writes occasional features for various outdoor magazines. He enjoys traveling to fish, hunt, and surf.
The Change by Brian J. Davis Salt water and sun don’t bounce off of us They get inside and mingle with our blood The change is forever, deep in our guts Like a new white-hulled boat stuck in the mud Rope burns, blistered lips, and hands with cuts Nature’s entry points into our very souls For some reason they never seem to hurt as much As they would’ve away from these fishing holes Can you be too tired for just one more cast? Have you ever said, “this is it, unless…?” It’s truly amazing how long one can last On hopes and tough memories repressed There’s still daylight left which gives us a chance It won’t be dark here for quite a little while Continuing to cast as if in a trance Trailering in the dark is part of the lifestyle So make a few more throws, the power’s there Energized by nature and the promise to come Kiss your fly and say your oft-repeated prayer If I catch just one more, I’ll return to where I’m from But you really can’t go back because you are new This day created change and taught you lessons It’s impossible to recreate the same rendezvous The water’s changed too from your previous sessions Change is a dragon, the old saying is true You can ride it and win or fight it and die The salt water and sun keep making us new Like tides moving bait and drifting clouds in the sky
Sometimes, on a tough day, a solid lunch break, and changing the game plan, can make all the difference. For me, a couple of bites of ceviche is all I need to recharge, regroup, and regain mental focus. It goes without saying—when I’m on the boat, I’m bringing lunch. The night before a fishing trip, I’ll make something easy that tastes just as good the next day. I’m a huge fan of anything I can take a few bites of and put away. Chicken or pasta salad, sandwich wraps, summer sausage, cheese, fruit. Snacking throughout the day is the ticket. Staying energized is necessary to focus on the real goal at hand: getting a bend in our fly rods. This trip I opted for my favorite of all skiff-side lunches: fresh seafood marinated in lime juice. Ceviche!
Ceviche is the ultimate fly angler’s food. No cooking required—only a knife, lime juice, salt, fresh seafood, and time. Ceviche is a staple in many Central and South American countries, but in my opinion, it’s been perfected along my home waters of the Texas Gulf Coast. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate lunch to get the weekend started. Good friends, cold Topo Chicos, and some time on the flats. The only thing missing would be a little bit of sunshine. Of all the days I’ve chosen to break out the long rod, this would be one of the more challenging. Midmorning, running for miles in the fog, waiting on the unforeseeable. Hoping at every turn that your eagerness can coax the sun from behind its cloud-cover.
by Kelli Prescott
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And still, nothing. No feeding schools in sight. No tails. No backs. Thick clouds casting glare over offcolored water. Fishing on the cusp of seasonal change. But there I was, armed with a fly rod, patience, and a quart of ceviche in the cooler waiting for me.
At this point I am recharged with confidence. With my eyes forward and a slight bend in my stance, I began to work. I made long, calculated casts along a bait-ridden shoreline, dropping bead chain Crack Flies onto flats and swimming them enticingly across openings and guts.
Ok, so I couldn’t wait any longer…. I knew it would’t be much longer. You’d be amazed at what fresh ceviche can do for a frustrated angler. Perfectly briny and reminiscent of brighter days—O ceviche! A couple of bites was all I needed to regain mental focus and get confident about a new game plan. I popped the lid back on, and into the cooler it went. One last crunch of a homemade tortilla chip before I hopped back on the platform in search of hungry fish.
Dozens of casts later, I found one… and then found a few more….
Skiff-Side Ceviche and Roasted Shrimp Campechana
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Gulf Shrimp & Scallop Ceviche I especially love scallops in my ceviche. They create a rich, buttery sweetness that you won’t get from using fish alone. Although this ceviche is delicious almost immediately after being prepared, the real magic happens overnight, when the fresh seafood fully cooks and the lime broth takes on a whole new depth of refreshing flavor. Ingredients: 1 lb large Gulf shrimp (12-15 count), peeled, deveined, and sliced in half lengthwise 1 lb large scallops (U10), quartered 1 1/2 cups lime juice (about 16 medium limes) 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tbsp honey 1/2 large red onion, sliced thin 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped 2 fresno chilis, finely chopped 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped 2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp cracked black pepper 1 tsp garlic powder In a large bowl, whisk the lime juice, honey and olive oil. Add salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, and whisk again to combine. Add the shrimp and scallops and
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toss gently. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Pack the ceviche into a Tupperware-type container, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before enjoying with homemade tortilla chips. (For homemade tortilla chips, fry quartered corn tortillas in 375-degree vegetable oil until crisp.) Roasted Shrimp & Heirloom Tomato Campechana Campechana is essentially a zestier version of the classic shrimp cocktail that adds lime juice and omits the horseradish. For extra flavor, I roast the shrimp and add sliced avocado to serve. Ingredients: 2 lbs large Gulf shrimp (12-15 count), peeled and deveined 3/4 cup spicy ketchup 1/2 cup lime juice (about 6 medium limes) 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cups assorted small heirloom tomatoes, halved 1/2 large red onion, sliced thin 1 roasted jalapeño 2 roasted poblanos 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped 1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. On a large sheet tray, place the shrimp, the whole poblano peppers, and the jalapeño. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the shrimp are just done. Let cool, then slice the shrimp in half lengthwise and dice the peppers. Reserve any juices from the sheet tray. In a large bowl, whisk the spicy ketchup, lime juice, olive oil, and remaining juices. Add the shrimp, peppers, and remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Place in a Tupperwaretype container, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour for best flavor. Enjoy immediately or the next day. Serve with homemade tortilla chips and sliced avocado.
FRONT RANGE ANGLERS ADVENTURE TRAVEL PROGRAM
NICK HANNA
FRA specializes in Guided & Hosted trips to select fly fishing destinations in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Hawaii, Alaska, Ikari House on Christmas Island, The Best of Kamchatka, Belize, Mexico the Bahamas & more. Our large fully stocked Fly Shop in Boulder, CO is a destination Shop for all Anglers. FRA has more than 25 Expert Guides on staff, 2000 fly bins loaded for Greenbacks to GT’s, the best equipment brands and technical gear. TU Business Member. Colorado Outfitter Lic #2160.
Front Range Anglers 2344 Pearl Street, Boulder CO 80302 / 303.494.1375 / toll free 877.935.2975
www.frontrangeanglers.com / steve@frontrangeanglers.com / craig@frontrangeanglers.com
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Perfect Imperfection: The Gyotaku Fish Rubbings of Dwight Hwang by Mark White
Gyotaku is the traditional Japanese folk art of fish rubbing (gyo translates to fish and taku means rubbing). Gyotaku began in the mid-1800s—not so much as an art form, but as means of record-keeping. The oldest gyotaku fish prints known to exist (residing in the Honma Museum in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture) date from 1868. These are thought to have been commissioned by a feudal lord to commemorate a single night’s exceptional catch. There are several methods of gyotaku. The original, or direct method, known as chokusetsu-ho, is an adaptation of woodblockprinting technique. A dead fish is cleaned of slime and dried of excess moisture. It is then positioned as it would have been while alive. Next, the fish is brushed with a thin coating of sumi ink, a carbon-based ink made from the soot of pine branches. Finally, a sheet of handmade washi paper is laid over the fish. By careful rubbing and pressing by hand, the fish’s image is transferred to the paper much the same way a fingerprint is created. This method is able to
capture the fine detail of scales and fins and produces crisp images reminiscent of fossil records. The indirect method of gyotaku, kansetsu-ho, is a much more involved process. Washi paper, silk, or other fabric is attached to the prepared fish using rice paste. Various colors of pigment are then applied to the surface of the medium using a tanpo, a soft dabbing tool made from a cotton ball wrapped in silk tissue. The indirect method allows for a softer color image to be produced of the subject. The effect is that of a watercolor painting.
Californian Dwight Hwang is a master of the direct method of gyotaku. In just the past couple of years, his work has gained considerable recognition outside the small community of nature printers. In 2018, his prints were displayed in a solo showcase put on by a member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and The Japan Foundation. Dwight has provided cover art for several magazines, as well as for the cover of the second edition of Patagonia-
founder Yvon Chouinard’s book, Simple Fly Fishing. Most recently, Dwight has received a prestigious commission from a hotel in Hawaii to produce 27 original prints of local Hawaiian fish to decorate their lobby. This recognition is also affording him travel opportunities. In the planning stage is a trip (sponsored by Texas’ San Antonio Zoo) to Iquitos, Peru, a port city that parallels the northern Amazon. There, Dwight will not only print the local fishes; he’ll teach the locals how to print fish as well, which will allow them another source of income to raise money to help preserve their natural resources.
When asked about his interest in fish, Dwight explains: “It was my uncle, who married into our family, who taught me how to fish when I was seven. I was a scrawny and sickly child who had a hard time keeping food down. It wasn’t until I caught my first fish, a bluegill, that I showed any interest in eating anything. After that, my uncle would pick me up every weekend to go fish the coastal piers for croakers and eels—all of which were delicious. It’s often said in my family that it was fishing that saved my health.”
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Dwight’s interest in art reaches back even farther. “According to old photos and what my family tells me, I had a great interest in art since I was a toddler. Always at my table drawing instead of playing sports or reading books. Even my books through high school were covered in drawings wherever there was a blank space in the margins. It was my aunt—coincidentally, the one whose husband introduced me to fishing—who encouraged me to pursue art. My parents, on the other hand, would strongly discourage me from pursuing art, until I decided for myself in my early 20s.” It would be Dwight’s time in Japan, however, working as a storyboard artist in the Tokyo movie and anime industry in the 1990s, that would allow his two passions to meld. One day while visiting a tackle shop, he noticed the walls were covered with fish prints. So began his love affair with gyotaku fish rubbing. Self-taught, Dwight first began creating fish prints on the living room floor of his small Tokyo apartment using inexpensive bottled sumi ink. “In the beginning,” he says, “it was simply an attempt to record memorable fish caught by me, my friends, or family. The prints were crude and rough.” As the quality of his work improved, Dwight rewarded himself with better materials—higher-quality papers and sumi ink in the form of blocks. Still, gyotaku wasn’t much more than a hobby to dabble with outside of work.
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But then, after years of honing his technical skills, came the revelation that would allow him to push the boundaries of the form. “By and large,” Dwight explains, “traditional gyotaku is printing a fish that’s lying flat on its side. It was generally believed that
different perspectives and angles were not possible. But there was a moment when I came to realize that the fish may be my subject, but it can also be used as a tool. The fish itself can be manipulated in order to achieve the result I wish. This is what’s allowed me to depict poses that vary in perspective and to create complex movements within the body of the fish as well as its position within the sheet of paper.”
You can see this in the original print that Dwight created specifically for the cover of TFFM, a mahi mahi leaping from the water to capture flying fish. The three-quarter bottom perspective shows two pelvic fins instead of one; the rear half of the fish is twisted, and the angle on the tail is closed. The mahi appears to be twisting violently out of the water. Dwight’s ability to have included the fish’s far upper jaw conveys a physical depth to his subject not found in traditional gyotaku.
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Beyond its ability to suggest three dimensions and display various perspectives, Dwight’s work possesses an emotional quality not normally seen in nature printing. “As I grew more confident in my technical skillset,” he explains, “I began thinking of staging and layout to convey emotions and subtle moods. As a storyboard artist in film and animation, I understood that any emotion can be conveyed simply but powerfully in any subject, whether it be a character or an inanimate object, using just a few squiggly lines. So in my mind there was
no reason it could not be done with a cold, dead fish. This was an incredibly exciting time for me as a gyotaku artist, as I was finally able to manipulate the fish in order to transfer what was in my head down onto the paper. There are times when I choose to work the fish and paper so that it conveys peace and tranquility. Other times I’ll attempt to create a sense of speed, excitement, or panic. Sadness or confidence.…”
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“An intelligent angler knows that his wife might not be so agreeable to hanging a fiberglass fish on the wall of their living room,” Dwight says. “But an original work of art—that’s something else entirely!”
Once he felt comfortable posing his subjects in perspective, speed, and emotion, Dwight then experimented by adding other aspects such as plants, insects, and ink splatters, to enhance the effects. This has allowed his work to transcend gyotaku’s fishmonger origins and be reminiscent of old Japanese sumi-e paintings. “It was only then,” Dwight notes, “that my Japanese peers began to take notice and compliment me with words such as ‘beautiful,’ ‘wonderful,’ but most meaningful to me, ‘nostalgic.’” Rising to the top of his game has allowed Dwight to pursue gyotaku full-time. A successful store on Etsy sells reproduction prints and limited editions of his work. He is also a much-sought-after presenter, having done printing demonstrations for numerous organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But the bulk of his revenue comes from commissioned work—both from businesses as well as individuals (an original print might fetch several thousand dollars). “An intelligent angler knows that his wife might not be so agreeable to hanging a fiberglass fish on the wall of their living room,” Dwight says. “But an original work of art— that’s something else entirely!”
A lifelong fly angler, Mark White lives on the South Coast of Massachusetts, where he works as a physician assistant in the field of neurosurgery. You can visit his website at southcoastflyfisher.com
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Dwight approaches each piece with the old world Eastern sensibility from which he draws so much of his inspiration. Even before he pulls the fish from the freezer to thaw, he’ll spend a great deal of time thinking about the
layout, the pose, and the emotion he wishes to convey. He’ll then decide how to go about achieving the desired effect. When his subject is ready, he prepares his sumi ink, which must be ground in a pestle. This may involve 20 to 30 minutes of meditative silence. Once the ink is of the correct consistency, he’ll take a moment and have a cup of hot tea. This sets the mood, and once the printing session starts, Dwight will focus without distraction. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who either print their subjects with colored inks or paints, or retouch their prints with paint washes to replicate the colors of the living creature, Dwight remains true to the traditional form. Other than the red signature seal, his prints are black and white. In keeping with tradition, only the eye is painted by hand, and this also with sumi ink. “To some, these results may appear overly simplistic and minimalistic,” he concedes. “Perhaps it’s because my roots are Asian that I find it aesthetically pleasing. This way of thought can be found in other aspects of Japanese culture. For example, sushi in the West has evolved into concoctions involving elaborate, colorful rolls containing mixtures of fish, shrimp, vegetables, etcetera, that are then covered in sauce. Delicious! But these do not exist in Japan, nor would they since it goes against what is considered ideal: a single, perfect piece of nigiri that contains as little as possible while expressing as much as possible. My goal for gyotaku is no different.” fishingforgyotaku.com
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Small Batch Vodka by TFFM Staff
Are you among the many who have had enough of craft beers…? There are so many of them now, and most are regional (that is, unavailable to the majority). And many are so similar in taste that experienced beer drinkers may not even notice a difference among them. We at TFFM feel it’s time to move on to something else: small batch distilled spirits. Small batch distillation is a process of manufacturing liquor outside of the large, mass-produced industry standards. By reducing the amount of materials, it became possible to use higher-quality ingredients as well as more stringent controls throughout the process.
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The small batch concept was popularized about 25 years ago when bourbon manufacturer Jim Beam begin using it to market expensive whiskies produced from a limited number of reserve barrels. It definitely got legs as one of its small batch whiskies, Booker’s, became a very popular and a pricey brand. The term small batch has become synonymous with high quality, and in recent years has been applied to a number of other spirits, including vodka, gin, and whiskey. Needless to say, the most popular small batch booze going these days is vodka. In the 13 years since Austin-based Tito’s unanimously won the Double Gold Medal at the
World Spirits Competition in San Francisco, the number of artisanal vodkas has proliferated beyond anyone’s expectations. There are so many brands available, and the sheer volume of choices may leave you feeling a bit helpless in your decision-making. What craft vodka is the right one for a mingling of tonic, a Moscow Mule, or a Cape Codder…? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered and will make your vodka selection easy this summer with some can’t-miss choices.
Reyka Bogarnes, Iceland $30
Tommyrotter Buffalo, New York $34
Purissima Half Moon Bay, California $26
It’s great basic vodka and exactly what’s to be expected from an Icelandic distillery. It’s clean and remarkably smooth, made with glacial water that provides an impurity-free experience. Very high clarity is most mixable, which is the key attribute of any vodka cocktail. No fanfare, no hints of anything— just good, clean vodka.
Tommyrotter Distillery appeared on the scene in 2015. The distillery is located in Buffalo’s historic Hydraulic Neighborhood in a vintage 100-year-old factory. It’s currently distributed in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. It’s become a local favorite in the Northeast. It’s a very clean and smooth vodka that mixes well, and unlike many other brands, the simple packaging serves as a symbol of the clarity. High on our list when in the North.
Distilled from 100 percent grain, this unusual vodka is crafted from wheat with just a touch of malted barley, which gives it an exceptional mouthfeel and smooth texture. A nice change if you’re interested in something a bit different, but leave your concerns behind: It’s not so different that it will alter the flavor of your favorite mixed drink.
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Distil No. 9 Kyiv, Ukraine $27
Dillon’s Method 95 Ontario, Canada $42
Norseman Minneapolis, Minnesota $25
Distil No. 9 is a wheat vodka made by the Staritsky & Levitsky Distillery in the Ukraine. While not many things come from the Ukraine, we’re glad this did. It’s a buttery-smooth vodka that is enjoyed alone or in cocktails. The name is a result of the testing when they made a small batch of one of their big production vodkas, trimming the ingredients to make 9,999 bottles and the 9th attempt at distillation was the one. If only they sold it for $9! Worthy of a taste, but don’t go crazy trying to find it.
Method 95 is reminiscent of when the French Vodka Ciroc hit the circuit about 25 years ago, but this small batch vodka stands apart. It’s distilled from Niagara wine grapes and has a fruity hint without sweetness. If you’re a fan of really high-quality sipping vodka, this one is worth the extra $10 or so. Mixes well with sweeter drinks and has a hint of banana and lychee. A favorite of one of our contributors is Method 95 with a splash of white grape juice on the rocks. We are not alone in our praise of Dillon’s—it won a Silver Medal in the 2013 San Francisco Spirits Competition.
Minnesota exported a total of $7 billion in agricultural products in 2016 and is the fourth largest agricultural exporting state in the US. It’s no wonder the foundation for this small batch vodka is locally-sourced grains. They harvest that quality and clarity from the beginning of the fermentation process to the very end. Norseman rises above, with a flavor profile that is soft and sweet, with hints of lemon, banana bread, almond, barley, and sugar cookies. Very pleasant to drink straight up, and they have a cool cafe and pairing menu for their vodka and other distilled goodies.
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Hope Cape Town, South Africa $19
Grays Peak is distilled in the USA by the Prestige Beverage Group, along with dozens of other brands. Hardly what you would expect from a small batch vodka; however, it’s not the size of the company that matters, but the size of the batch. Grays Peak is made from corn and distilled five times. Reverse osmosis and charcoal filtering remove any final remnants of impurity. For some reason this particular brand is difficult to locate, but if you can, enjoy it. Superb clarity and smoothness.
Hope on Hopkins Distillery is located in Cape Town, where it is a large part of the community and economy. Family-owned and very much aware of quality, this distillery produces a small batch vodka with exceptional smoothness and clarity. Best served right out of the freezer and without a mixer. We encountered this vodka in Indonesia, Singapore, and— believe it or not—Miami, but it’s exceptionally hard to find. We just wanted to make you aware of it in case you happen to see it. If you can find it, it probably will be in the $35 range (it was only $7 in Indonesia).
Small Batch Vodka
GrAys Peak Princeton, Minnesota $30
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Every coastal state from Maine to Florida has many bridge-fishing opportunities. Some bridges are huge, like the 23-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys. Others are medium-size, like the causeway bridges of the Indian River Lagoon, Barnegat Bay, and Great South Bay. Many are short spans that cross narrow inlets, tidal rivers, and back-bay creeks and are known only to local fly anglers. Long or short, most bridges hold excellent fly fishing opportunities. As a rule of thumb, the closer a bridge is to an inlet, the more likely it will hold good numbers of gamefish. Bridges have all the right stuff—food, structure, and current—and all three are influenced by tide stage and moon phase. You definitely will catch more stripers and snook if you fish the night shift anytime after sunset. The most dedicated fly anglers prefer the few days on either side of the new and full moon phases, and their log books, if they were to show them to you, would prove the importance of tide and moon phases. The full and new moon phases have higher tides and increased current flow that can make it a tough to deliver a manageable presentation. Strong currents may also move
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massive amounts of weed that foul the retrieve. The last of the incoming and the start of the falling tide are often the best times of the tide stage to fish on the full and new moons.
station themselves in front of the bridge, along the sides of abutments or on the down-tide side of the bridge pilings, where diminished currents form eddies.
Light plays a dramatic role in bridge fishing, especially during the transition hour at dusk as the light fades away into darkness, and at dawn from dark to light. These “magic hour” transition periods are always a good time to fish. After the light fades, however, gamefish may temporarily go off the feed for about an hour until they become adjusted to the darkness and will aggressively feed again. Bridges are often adorned with bright lights, and these beacons bring plankton to the surface for baitfish to feed upon, and the striped bass and snook feed upon the baitfish. During the predawn hours, both snook and bass may continue to feed through first light and past sunrise, especially on cloudy, overcast days.
Bridges also have mussel beds, deep holes, and shoals between the shore and the main channel, and these structures provide additional feeding stations and hidey-holes for gamefish to lie in wait for the next meal. If you fish from a boat, it’s worth your time to make an exploratory daytime trip to scope out these holes, bars, high spots, secondary channels, and other structure. If the bridge has a pedestrian walkway, use it at dead low to take pictures of the exposed bottom structure. You can fill a notebook page that will be a valuable reference for the next night’s foray.
Gamefish will take advantage of the shadows cast by bridge lights by suspending just below the surface in the shadows and only show themselves as they dart into the bright water to seize bait—or a fly. The currents swirling around the bridge pilings and abutments are also important. Striped bass and snook
The boat angler enjoys the freedom to move from one bridge piling to another with relative ease, although the movement of the boat and the sound of the outboard engine may spook the fish. An electric trolling motor can be a big help to overcome engine noise, and there is the added advantage of additional mobility to silently approach and maneuver around the bridge to find the best fishing locations.
Linesider Magic: Fly
Fishing the Dark
Side at Coastal Bridges for Striped
Bass and Snook Linesider is a favorite nickname for both striped bass and snook. Though dramatically separated by geography, they both share an affinity for coastal bridges, and many of the techniques to catch them on the fly are the same whether you’re fishing Narragansett Bay or Lake Worth Lagoon. As an added bonus, Yankee fly-rodders have shots at bluefish, weakfish, and hickory shad thrown into the bridge buffet, while southern gentlemen will shake hands with sea trout, redfish, crevalle jacks, and tarpon. By Pete Barrett
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To avoid engine noise, many boat anglers anchor on the up-current side of the bridge and quietly maintain that position for an hour or more while working their flies. Use a spear anchor or rubber-coated mushroom anchor to minimize noise as you get set up in a good spot. If the fish are holding on the down-current side, anchoring beneath the bridge may be the best position. Apart from engine noise, it’s also important to avoid noise from slammed hatches and dropped tackle.
Depending on where you live, North or South, coastal bridges attract striped bass and snook.
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the dead-drift or greased-line presentation. Begin your approach with short casts to retrieve the fly through the water closest to you, making progressively longer casts until you’ve covered all the water completely. If you’re impatient and make the first cast a long throw, you may be disappointed to see shadows of snook or striped bass scoot away in the shadow line because they were spooked by your fly line dropping right over their heads. It’s better to start short and gradually work longer.
Although the shore-bound fly angler lacks the mobility of the boater, wading has the advantage of enhanced stealth. Shore-based anglers may fish from bulkheads, rock piles, or they may get into the water and wade parallel to the shore, casting toward the bridge pilings that are within casting range. Some bridges only have deep water at each end where they meet the shore, but many bridges have sandy shorelines that are easy to wade, and these shallow areas can hold plenty of bait and gamefish.
The swing presentation starts with a cast made parallel with, or at a 45-degree angle to, the bridge. The current pushes or swings the fly and line in an arc toward the bridge, and the strike often occurs just as the line straightens in the current. The fly can be retrieved hand-over-hand or with single strips—whichever you feel keeps you in better touch with the fly. The night is dark, and working the fly effectively requires an almost sixth sense to breathe life into it.
Several cast-and-retrieve techniques work well around bridges, including the swing, the drop-back, and
The speed of the current provides motion to the fly, so with the swing presentation it’s best to retrieve the
fly slowly. Depending on the water depth and casting distance, floating or sink-tip lines are good choices. Good fly choices match the type and size of the local bait. Favorites include Bucktail Deceivers, Clouser Minnows, eel patterns, Rhody Flatwings, shrimp and squid patterns, Surf Candies, and glass minnow patterns. Poppers and Gurglers add visual excitement, but surface flies work best when currents are minimal. At the end of the swing, instead of retrieving the fly all the way back to the boat, you can drop the fly back toward the bridge by paying out more fly line and letting the fly drift with the current. Impart added action by first lifting the rod tip about 30 degrees to elevate the fly higher in the water and then paying out a few more feet of line pulled from the reel or stripping basket. You can retrieve the fly during the swing, at the end of the swing, or after the drop-back, but in current it should usually be worked with short, slow strips. Although conventional wisdom says gamefish do not usually strike at a fly retrieved against the current
because it looks unnatural, my own experience has been quite different, and I’ve caught many striped bass and snook this way if the retrieve is slow. Patterns with inherent action look amazingly lifelike simply hanging in the current. If there’s a lot of weed, a bendback pattern is a good choice for a clean presentation.
parallel with the current flow. This is similar to the swing method, but as the fly drifts with the current, you mend the floating line to eliminate drag on the fly. By continually mending the line with the rod tip, you allow the fly to drift with the current in a nearly motionless state. This technique can be extremely effective.
With strong currents or in waters deeper than 10 feet or so, use a 250to 350-grain sink-tip line to get the fly down to the feeding level of the fish. In shallow water, a sink-tip may be the only way to present a fly near the bottom, because the current will lift an intermediate line to the surface. At dawn, the snook or bass will transition and suspend lower in the water. At first light, just as the fish begin to go deep, a sink-tip line is effective to get that last fish before the sun comes up. A down-current cast with an erratic retrieve, sometimes with a lift of the rod tip and drop-back, can be effective.
Your choice of fly should match the prevalent bait. When small baits are present—spearing, bay anchovies, or grass shrimp—fishing a dropper fly may get a better response because the visual appeal is doubled. Flies to suggest larger baits such as herring and peanut bunker can also be effective when fished as droppers. A longtime favorite for striped bass in the Northeast is a Ray’s Fly fished about 18 inches above a Bondorew Bucktail. A 3-inch chartreuse Lefty’s Deceiver fished above an all-white 5-inch Popovics’ Bucktail Deceiver or a Clouser will also work. Snook often get fooled with a small bright Schminnow dropper fished above a Seaducer.
The dead-drift or greased-line technique is done with a floating line, or sometimes with a short intermediate sink-tip. Make your cast
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Long casts are not usually required for bridge fishing, especially when fishing from a skiff, and many times the strikes will occur just a few feet beyond the rod tip. For this reason, over-lining the rod by one or two line weights can be helpful to make quick, short casts. However, serious bridge fishing is best done with short, aggressive tapers such as Airflo’s Sniper and Tropical Punch, or Cortland’s Compact in floating or intermediate. Monic’s GSP Skyline is rated at 65-pound test at its core and will pull the plug out of the bottom of the ocean—zero stretch! To go deep, integrated sink-tips are easier to handle at night than are shooting heads. When choosing a fly rod and reel for bridge fishing, keep in mind that strong currents and crusty barnacles and mussels on bridge pilings are not the place to play nice. A rod with plenty of oomph for commando tactics is essential, because even a 10-pound striper or snook can take a few feet of line in the blink of an eye, scrape the leader against a concrete piling and cost you a fish, and maybe ruin your fly line to boot. Drag is applied with finger pressure from your retrieve hand on the line, and there will be times when you will literally have to point the rod tip at the fish and lock the line in your retrieve hand to stop the fish from running into the pilings. When this happens you have two options: Turn the fish, or pull the hook—that’s it!
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Large-diameter reels are handy because you can retrieve slack line quickly, but most snook or striped bass will not require much of a drag system. If you couldn’t stop the fish on the initial run you’re probably cut-off already. If by some chance you get a glimpse of the backing, the fish may have blessed you by running clear of the pilings and away from the damaging structure. Use those precious seconds to get off the anchor or use your electric motor to follow the fish. For most hookups, you’ll simply retrieve the line by hand onto the deck or into a stripping basket. If you’re fishing from a skiff, short rods like the Echo Bad Ass Glass, the G. Loomis Pro4X Shortstix, and the Bass Pro Heat are great choices for quick, accurate casts to specific bridge pilings, abutments, or rips. and also to surface-feeding fish that you will often clearly see staging along the shadow line from the bridge lights. If you’re wading, or if you need to frequently mend the line for the best presentation, a 9-foot rod is a better choice. An 8-weight outfit is a fun choice when currents are minimal and around bridges where you’re pretty sure school-size fish are abundant; but a 10-weight is a better weapon when big fish and strong currents team up, especially in tight quarters. Simple leaders are preferable. A 6to 8-foot straight shot of 20-pound mono with a 25- to 40-pound bite
tippet is perfect. You’ll get more bites with a 25-pound bite tippet at the risk of losing a few from chew-offs. At night it’s difficult to see, and bulky knots and fancy leaders have a bad habit of grabbing weed. You may not even know the leader has been fouled. A sleek blood knot between leader and bite tippet sheds weed better. Bridge fishing can be heart-thumping exciting with arm-jolting strikes, short, powerful runs, and head-shaking acrobatics—and it gets even better at night when the fish are usually very aggressive. The opportunity to catch and release dozens of fish is a real possibility, and there’s always the chance to stand toe-to-toe with a trophy. If you can put up with the lack of sleep, fly fishing coastal bridges at night is surely worth the effort. Pete Barrett has been fly fishing in salt water since the 1960s. He was a charter boat skipper for 30 years, and he was on The Fisherman magazine’s editorial staff from 1973 until his retirement. Pete has published over 1100 magazine articles and is the author of five popular books on angling. Pete is a Florida representative for the International Game Fish Association, and he’s currently an active member of the Atlantic Salt Water Flyrodders and the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. Pete lives in Jupiter, Florida.
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Not your typical fly rod quarry, summer flounder can provide action when other species have sought refuge offshore from the summer heat.
Although considered a deepwater fish, these dorsallycompressed predators often prowl flats and estuaries in depths measuring in the single digits. Known colloquially as fluke, these aggressive, relatively abundant flatfish can be found on nearly any beach from Cape Cod to North Carolina, often inches from the water’s edge. They can provide wonderful sport on rods ranging from 6-weight up to 10-weight using intermediate or sink-tip lines. In 1975, charter captain Charles Nappi caught a 22-pound, 7-ounce summer flounder off New York’s Montauk Point, which still stands
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as the IGFA all-tackle world record. This is much larger than the fish you can expect to catch on fly, but that doesn’t mean you won’t tangle with some outsized specimens. At 8 pounds, 4 ounces, the fly rod record is still quite a large fish, stretching the tape to about 27 inches. I landed one of similar size while still in my teens, though the thought of a record never crossed my mind at the time.
Part of the fluke’s popularity is its availability. The flatfish delights party boat anglers with its easyto-catch nature. In the beginning of spring, they come inshore from their wintering grounds along the continental shelf and stay there throughout the dog days of summer, usually heading back offshore in October. Bait is the traditional means of fishing for fluke, but more and more anglers are turning to artificial lures. The most popular of these are bucktail jigs. Many anglers favor a two-hook rig, placing a teaser a couple feet above the bucktail. As is the story with nearly every gamefish species, fluke populations are well below historic
highs. They achieved renown in the culinary world thanks to their flaky, white flesh, which led to years of overfishing. Fishing with my father as a child, I can remember non-stop action. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, but there are plenty of fish to keep a bend in your rod all summer long. And using flies instead of bait means that almost all will be hooked in the corner of the jaw, thus avoiding the mortality that accompanies gut-hooked fish.
such a laterally compressed outline means flounder can hide almost anywhere; underwater footage shows the flatfish shimmying themselves into the muck, literally disappearing in front of your eyes. If you didn’t see it happen, you would easily miss the slight protrusion of their eyes above the sediment. They can also alter their chromatophores, quickly changing color to further blend with the substrate, enhancing their role as ambush predators.
I’ve fished for fluke in less than a foot of water to depths that required over a pound of lead to hold bottom. In both size and numbers, I’ve always been more successful in the shallows. Having
This doesn’t mean fluke spend their entire lives buried in the mud, however. They are so aggressive that surf anglers catch them on outsized swimming plugs intended for striped bass often
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enough that it can’t be dismissed as a freak occurrence. I’ve caught them in the midst of a blitz in the upper water column while fishing for other species. In recent years, several videos of fluke propelling themselves out of the water in pursuit of baitfish have made the rounds on social media, further confirming their aggressive nature. Identifying ideal structure is the key to catching fluke. If you were using conventional tackle to fish the depths, you would look to the contour lines on your plotter for guidance, concentrating your efforts on depth changes of 10 feet or more. But when you’re only fishing 10 or 12 feet of water, a change of only a foot is significant. Because these changes are so subtle, you really need to pay attention. Much of this structure won’t be on a chart; the difference in depth can sometimes be so slight that it may not even appear on a fishfinder. Even the largest fluke is only a few inches thick, so they lie undetected on the down tide side of the smallest of humps, easily holding in the resultant current break and gobbling up any
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morsel unfortunate enough to be swept overhead. Rod selection is primarily determined by the depth of water you’ll be fishing. Fluke can be dogged fighters—large specimens initially are difficult to move— but this is short-lived, and you’ll probably never see your backing. Unless the bottom is covered in snags, there’s little chance you’ll be broken off, though getting the fish a couple of feet off the bottom quickly greatly increases your chances of landing the bigger specimens. As long as the rod has decent backbone, nearly any rod you already have will suffice. While a sealed-drag reel is always a good idea in the salt, it’s not necessary here. I still regularly use a Pflueger Medalist that I’ve had since childhood. For optimum presentation, you want your fly within a couple of feet of the bottom. In shallow water you can accomplish this with a floating line, and you can reliably fish with a sink-tip line in depths to about 6 feet. But to reach deeper water and stay
there, full-sink lines are ideal. To really get down, you want the fastest, heaviest line your rod can handle, and this is the rationale behind choosing a heavier rod weight. If you were fishing only the shallows, a 6-weight would be fine. It’s when you try to probe 20-foot depths that a 10-weight becomes desirable, outfitted with line having a sink rate of even 6 or 7 inches per second. As a healthy compromise, an 8-weight with a few spare spools loaded with intermediate, sink-tip, and fullsinking line (with a sink rate of 4 to 6 inches per second) will cover all the bases. Fluke do have teeth, though they are not as menacing as those of bluefish. That said, they will easily destroy a tippet if it’s too light, so consider 10 pound the minimum. You can get away with less, but that will mean retying the fly after every fish. I prefer fluorocarbon to monofilament, as it offers greater abrasion resistance and disappears under water more readily. Because of its teeth, you certainly don’t want to lip a fluke. Many anglers will grab them under the gill plate,
but this obviously harms the fish. Pinching them, gently, on the outside of the gill plate is the best way to handle them. The traditional method of fluke fishing involves slowly drifting in a boat, dragging weighted baits over structure on the bottom. Most conventional anglers will head out the nearest inlet, opting for the easy fishing provided by the open expanses of water versus the confines of the bay. While covering ground often equates to catching more fish, fly anglers are significantly limited in the depths they can reach, even with the heaviest of sinking lines. To be successful with the long rod means staying in depths of 20 feet or less, with less being preferable, and making shorter, more purposeful drifts to thoroughly cover a piece of structure. Drifts of just under one knot are best when using fly tackle for fluke, as the current will force the thicker fly line upward. While conventional anglers curse days in which the wind and tide go against each other, these can be a blessing for fly fishers. Use a drift sock, or even a 5-gallon bucket tied to a mid-ship cleat to further slow your progress on windy days. You want to cast up current from the direction of your drift, giving the line plenty of time to settle before you reach what you expect to be productive ground. You won’t be actively retrieving the line; instead you will just move the rod tip to impart some action to the fly. Anglers off the coast of Norway use a similar approach when they are pursuing coalfish, a relative of our pollock,
referring to the practice as dredging. Concentrate your efforts over the most productive stretches, even though this means you will be repositioning the boat often. If you have a GPS on board, the Man Overboard button will prove to be exceptionally useful. Each time you hook a fish, mark it so you can quickly return to the same spot to try for others. Even better, make a waypoint so you can keep coming back to it week after week. Don’t worry if your boat doesn’t feature a whole host of modern electronics; the proximity to the shore will certainly allow you to take some land ranges. Break out your logbook and write down “In front of the white house with three windows, about 10 feet off the bulkhead,” and later you’ll be able to return to exactly where you want. Also note the tide; this species tends to be very dependent on water flow and direction. So far I’ve covered approaches for the boating angler, but shore anglers can catch this action as well. Because you’re fishing waters that you can wade, you can leave the heavy lines at home and downsize the rod, though the all-purpose 8-weight with an intermediate or sink-tip line is fine. Using a weighted fly, cast out and hop the fly back toward you, moving it when the puff of mud or sand from touchdown has dissipated. Work in a fan pattern and walk forward only after you have covered the entire area immediately in front of you. Alternately, you can do quite well if you can find a spot with just enough current to gently pull your fly along, as though you were dead-drifting a nymph or swinging for steelhead. As I mentioned earlier, fluke will sometimes abandon
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their usual lie-in-wait tactics in favor of a more active approach. Nowhere is this more likely to happen than on a shallow flat during slack tide. These open expanses likely won’t have water rapidly sweeping over them except at the very peak stages, so fish won’t be as concentrated as they would be near a pinch point that’s dumping concentrated bait. Instead, they’ll likely be spread out over
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the relatively featureless sand or mud bottom. This will be especially true during slack tide, where the flatfish will be actively searching out food. While flounder are far better swimmers than you would expect them to be, they build up lactic acid fairly quickly, which limits their bursts of speed to short distances. With fluke, where you place your fly is more important
than what it looks like, so fly selection is relatively simple. Their favored forage is the sand lance, a 3- to 6- inch long baitfish known locally as the sand eel because of the conspicuous lack of a dorsal fin. The narrow profile is easily matched with a Clouser Minnow or Jiggy in chartreuse and white, though olive/white and yellow/white versions will also produce. When sand eels come inshore during the
spring and fall, squid are right on their heels, gorging on the slender baitfish, so throwing squid patterns at this time can score with larger fluke that have keyed in on the bigger baits. But fluke are voracious, and they will eat larger baits, up to and including juvenile Atlantic menhaden (also called peanut bunker). When larger baits dominate the scene, choose patterns such as Deceivers or Cowen’s Magnum
Baitfish. Next time the sun is high and has driven the other game fish to seek refuge, take advantage of fluke’s aggressive nature and propensity to lie in wait on knee-deep flats. You probably already have everything you need to tangle with the flatfish, and there are probably some holding just off your favorite beach. While my experience is with summer flounder, anglers in the South regularly tangle
with other flatfish, such as the southern flounder, with similar techniques and flies. Recently, some West Coast fly anglers have been scoring with Pacific halibut from the surf and rocks. Wherever you are, there’s probably a flatfish waiting for you to throw it a fly.
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Bill Gallasch’s Skipping Bug by Captain Dave Cornell photos by Captain Bill Hassan
According to Lefty Kreh, the first fly tier ever to produce a really good popping bug for salt water was commercial tier Bill Gallasch of Richmond, Virginia. Among Gallasch’s clients were Joe Brooks, Bing Crosby, and Dr. Web Robinson, a pioneer of fly fishing for billfish. Bill Gallasch passed away in 2012 at age 98, so we asked master carpenter and popping-bug enthusiast Captain Dave Cornell to recreate his most popular pattern, the Gallasch Skipping Bug. —Eds.
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Fishing popping bugs is a lot of fun—and so is making them. There are many kits available that make the process quick and easy, but if you’d like to try recreating a classic balsa wood bug from scratch, here’s how I do it. My instructions call for woodworking machinery, because I’m fortunate enough to have a shop at my disposal. However, you can make popper bodies by hand, too, so a little carving, sanding, and sawing can result in the same beautiful end-product. Balsa wood dowels are readily available online, but you can do an equally fine job with other woods. I usually use western red cedar, but in reality any light-weight wood works fine (even sugar pine would suffice). Whatever construction method you choose, know that this project is fairly time-consuming and falls into that “labor of love” category.
Materials Danville Flat Waxed Nylon. Hook: Long-shank saltwater hook, size 2/0 to 4/0 depending on the hook brand and the size of the body (see directions for details). Body: Balsa wood, turned and sanded to shape. Paint: Rust-Oleum enamel, white or yellow, for the bug’s primary color. Testor’s model paint, blue or red, for the head. Tail: Bucktail to match the bug’s body color. Coating (Optional): Flex Coat Rod Builder’s Epoxy.
Bill Gallasch’s Skipping Bug Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. I begin with 5/8-inch square stock, and I put an 8-inch stick in the lathe. I turn this down to 1/2-inch diameter and lay out as many bodies as will fit—in this case, four at 1 1/8-inches long. The proportions of the body to the hook are
important. You want plenty of gap between the hook point and the body so fish are hooked well when they strike. The longer the hook shank, the longer you can make the popper body.
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Step 2. After laying out the spacing, taper the back end of the popper, starting at about two-thirds of the way from the front. Be sure to leave enough material on your spindle so that the wood doesn’t break in the lathe. This can be somewhat delicate.
Step 3. When the shape is to your liking, sand the bodies while turning using 220-grit sandpaper. Try not to sand off the pencil lines marking the length at the head. If needed, redraw the marks.
Step 4. Take the stick out of the lathe and cut the bodies to rough length. I use a bandsaw, but any small saw will do the job. I cut the tapered end exactly but leave extra at the head, as I will trim it to a 13-degree angle on my table saw. Step 5. To hold the popper body safely, I made two jigs out of 1-inch square stock, about 2 inches long. One jig is used to hold the body while trimming, and the other is for cutting a slot for the hook. Drill a 1/2-inch hole through the 1-inch jig blocks from end to end. The popper bodies should fit nicely into the jig block. If it’s a little loose, put a turn of masking tape around the body to snug it up. If it’s too tight, you
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can use your small saw to make a kerf right down the center of the jig into the 1/2-inch hole, enabling it to spread slightly. You will be making one of these lengthwise kerfs in your slot-cutting jig anyway. It’s conceivable that the same jig could be used for both tasks, but I always use separate ones.
Step 6. I use a small sliding table jig on my table saw, on which I place a 13-degree wedge against the fence. Tape it in place. Pre-cut the 13-degree angle on your jig block, and then place a popper body into the holding jig, pushing the pencil line just inside. With the saw turned off, place the jig onto the sliding table and position it so that the blade will cut right against the face of the jig, cutting the body to the proper length and angle. Make a pencil mark on the wedge indicating where the left side of the jig sits so that you can cut all
the bodies exactly the same. The bottom of the popper body should be facing forward, away from you.
Step 7. Next, place the popper body in the slot-cutting jig. The type of saw you use here is important. The width of the kerf must match the shank of the hook. I have a small “dovetail” backsaw that works perfectly. The kerf is about 3/64 inch. Match the pencil line on the face of your popper to the slot, and place the popper in a vise. Carefully saw down into the popper a little over halfway. Leave the saw in place,
and put masking tape on the blade marking the depth. Now you can duplicate this slot in all your bodies. Check the fit with one of your hooks to make sure the depth is correct. I like the hook to exit the popper at the back dead center. In the front, place the eye of the hook a little below center.
Use a wooden stick to hold the jig on the sliding table. Don’t put your fingers anywhere near the blade. Turn the saw on, and push the sliding table forward to make your cut. Slide it back and turn off the saw. Before you remove the body, make a pencil line on the face of the angle cut indicating the bottom dead center. Do this to all your blanks.
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A word about hooks. I’ve used three different hooks in this project. Pictured on top is a Wapsi 2/0 black steel kink-shank hook. The shank is long, it has a small kink, and it’s very strong. The only disadvantage would be that it will rust quickly in salt water. In the center is an Umpqua U505, also size 2/0, stainless steel with a large kink. The gap is larger than on the Wapsi hook, and I made the bodies 9/16 inch in diameter
to fit this hook. Finally, I used the Daiichi XPoint X472 pictured on the bottom. This is a 2/0 plated hook with a straight long shank. I like the XPoint hooks, but possible disadvantages here are the lack of a kink and an overall shorter shank. There’s a possibility that the hooks will turn in the body after catching several fish.
Step 8. I use 5-minute epoxy to glue in the hooks . Place some glue in the slot using a small screwdriver, a little spatula, or an artist’s palette knife. Put the hook in and align. Place more glue in the slot on top of the hook shank, effectively filling in most of the slot. Wipe off any excess glue (or you’ll be sanding it off later). Step 9. To complete the filling process, I use Bondo auto body filler, but you could use any type of wood putty. Fill the rest of the slot, let it dry, and then sand it to your satisfaction. Bondo is nice in that it remains rubbery when first cured. At this stage, it can be “carved” with
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a sharp blade. When fully set, it sands nicely. Remember that the fish don’t care if the fly is perfect— only you do….
Step 10. To paint the Skipping Bugs, I use white or yellow RustOleum enamel and a 1/4-inch soft brush. Three coats with light sanding between (320-grit sandpaper) will leave it gleaming and smooth.
Step 11. The Gallasch Skipping Bug has a colored head, which Bill Gallasch probably did by dipping. To make small quantities, it’s more practical to simply paint them with a brush. If you’re steady you could freehand it, or you could use thin strips of masking tape, as I did, to
Step 12. The eyes are also painted by hand, although you could conceivably use stick-on eyes. If you want to stay “old school,” use a small nail head dipped in yellow
create a sharp line between the head color and the body. One coat of Testor’s model paint covered it nicely. The three classic color combinations that Gallasch used were red over white, red over yellow, and blue over white.
paint to make the outer circle. After that dries, use a smaller nail dipped in black to make the pupil. Now you’re ready to do some tying.
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Step 13. Match the bucktail to the body color. Bill Gallasch kept it simple and didn’t use any flash. Select some supple bucktail and tie in a tail about twice the length of the body. I like Danville’s Flat Waxed Nylon in white. Use plenty of torque to fasten the bucktail. These flies take a beating from aggressive fish, and
I don’t usually use a final coating on my poppers, but you can if you like. Flex Coat Rod Builder’s Epoxy is a strong, clear, flexible finish that will dry in two hours and give your Skipping Bugs added protection against the likes of toothy gamefish. To fish these poppers, I find a 9-weight rod is just right. I like a short-belly, weight-forward floating line, and I use a short 6-foot leader if I can get away with it. Try 2 feet each of 40-pound, 30-pound, and 20-pound monofilament to create your tapered leaders. When bluefish are around, add 6 inches of wire so you don’t lose the nice fly you spent so much time on!
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the fibers will tend to pull out. You can always replace the tail when this happens. Use head cement while tying, but the final coat can be the same paint you used for the body. That gives the Skipping Bug the final finishing touch.
Longer casts are always the best strategy, as fish will often follow a popper before striking. Place your rod tip right at the water and make crisp strips with no slack in the line to make the bug skip. Experimenting with various retrieves will teach you how to make the bug pop. When a fish starts to follow, just keep it moving and they usually will decide to strike. It’s exciting fishing with great visuals! I hope you have fun making and fishing your own skipping and popping bugs. Remember to stay safe when using sharp tools. Take your time and be careful!
Captain Dave Cornell is a master carpenter as well as a charter guide who fishes the South Coast of Massachusetts, including the Elizabeth Islands and Cuttyhunk. Dave has had a longtime love affair with cedar and balsa popping bugs. He’s also a premier builder of wooden fishing lures. You can visit his website at: davecornellcharters.com.
Chaos—but the Good Kind by Billy Mitchell
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She must have taken the Deceiver as it dropped unattended through the water column—some 30 pounds of Cape Cod springrun striper. In the meantime, a big bass, the kind I was after, had engulfed all three trebles of Captain Bill’s plug. He needed help. “I can’t see the hook points anymore,” he tells me. “I want to get her released.” The Captain’s eyes aren’t what they were when he was painting the corners for the Cardinals. Sure, it was a legitimate request, but an untimely one when you’ve been trying and failing for years to hook a momma bass on the fly and when the school is just over there by the potline under a few scattered birds, looking like they may erupt on the schools of herring and mackerel at any moment. I reluctantly accept and hand my fly rod to Sean, who takes it just as reluctantly. On this particular June day, we were joined by Sean the dentist, who doesn’t often get to fish, let alone throw 9-inch plugs to cow bass. I made it a priority to get him a few shots. So my goal to hook a beast on the fly was shelved. It was very unselfish of me, I’ll admit. No, I’m a damn saint. At the Race, we almost immediately spotted birds and the white streaks of fleeing baitfish and striper belly under them. Boats approached the schools from all
directions. Fingers pointed fore and aft, shouts of “Ten o’clock, 100 yards!” and “Cut it, they’re right there!” were heard over the blare of every outboard and cry of every gull and splash of careening striper. Chaos, but the good kind. Sean stood on the bow, spinning rod in hand, gripping the T-top as Captain Bill flew open-throttle toward the diving terns and gulls. When we were close enough to see their eyes, he cut the engine, ghosted up before the school, and Sean, after nearly getting thrown from the boat, launched a long cast into the frenzy. The plug hung in the air and the bass rolled below; big hollow splashes above the cacophony. Just as the plug landed, it was smashed by a bass that somehow missed the trebles three times before exploding on it with a vengeance. ‘Eat it, you son of a bitch!’ Sean was screaming. And as he fought that fish, if you watched him, you’d be sure that he knew exactly what he was doing. This experience may sound normal and easy. It wasn’t, and it’s not. While we did find the schools of big bass on top, this isn’t the norm. And you never know if, after that school disperses (as they all eventually do), it could be the last time they appear that morning. Or the last time that season. The frenzy continued, and when Sean had had his fill, when he was just staring off into the horizon shaking his head, sufficiently
initiated into the very chaos of striper fishing in June, I kicked him off the bow. My turn. We pulled up to some nervous water and the linesiders erupted. I stripped line in loose coils on the deck, counted my false casts and shot, but the Deceiver snapped short of the school, line tugging in two wraps around my feet. ’Too short!’ Captain Bill called from the stern as he hurled a cast directly into the school. The school stayed up and I had the window to make one more cast, a beauty, the fly falling gently to the outside of the school. I stripped once, long and slow, then quicker, and I watched the biggest bass I’ve ever seen just stare down my fly and turn her head like she wanted some of this. She followed it in slowly, only a few feet, just enough to give me that tiny tinge of discomfort in my gut before she disappeared beneath the boat. Just then, Captain Bill set the hook on a fish that would take him 10 minutes to fight and leave us miles from the closest blitzing school. He finally got it boatside. She was a biggin’, as we say—all of 35 pounds. The Captain is all smiles, but she had swallowed the plug. Sean takes my fly rod.
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Uh, hey, Bill,” Sean says flatly from the bow. I don’t answer. Getting three trebles out of a big striper is meticulous work. “Bill, what do I do?”
“Let it go! Let her run!” I’m screaming at him. He releases the handle and the rod jerks back up, but he’s still tight.
I look up. Sean has two hands on the fly rod, like how a tennis player might grip a racket for a backhanded strike, fighting butt pushed deep into his stomach. The rod bucks and throbs and bends down to the handle and the line disappears from the bow immediately. The fish runs and the spool spins mercilessly. We exchange panicked looks. For once, the boat is silent save for the consistent whine of the drag.
The fish continues to run, and after some inordinate amount of time, I ask him a question I already know the answer to: “On the backing?”
Sean the dentist looks down at the fly reel and goes right to his instinct to the grab the handle. Bad move. It slams into his thumb, but he manages to take it and hold on tight. The rod bends down forever into the water.
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But just as I think this, she makes one last run, and this time she’s means it. Sean goes to grab the handle again. As soon as he does, the rod bends down into the water and snaps back up to a straight line. The backing dangles lifelessly into the water. We stand silent.
“It’s been on the backing.” He keeps pressure on the fish and she moves him toward the stern, and when she slows, he uses the rod to keep pressure and gains back a little line. This time, he’s careful when he goes to grab the handle. She takes off again. We tiptoe around the boat, avoiding Sean as he fights for position against the big girl, fighting butt still glued to his belly. He holds the rod white-knuckled and shaking but somehow gains more line back. I think he might actually land her.
“I think she’s gone,” he says after a while, rubbing his bruised and swelling thumb. “I think you’re right.” Sean stands on the bow, fly rod out, rested on his hip, gazing out over that horizon again with a slight smile on his lips. And if you looked at him, you’d swear he knew exactly what he was doing.
Birds as Scouts by Tom Gilmore
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Having spent almost three decades as the President and CEO of the New Jersey Audubon Society, I’ve always been fascinated by the interconnectedness of species in our natural world. Take the unlikely relationship that fish and birds have developed: Two of my favorite fauna have given me many a rewarding day on the water. TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE
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Many species of seabirds follow
A long, slow, relaxed wingbeat means they are looking for food; a short, excited, erratic pattern means they are onto bait. Even a single circling bird can indicate the presence of gamefish.
the migratory routes of baitfish, and seabirds can be a great help to anglers in locating bait and gamefish. What are seabirds? Peter Harrison, author of Seabirds: An Identification Guide, defines them as “a species whose normal habitat and food source is the sea, whether they are coastal, offshore, or pelagic.” Species like gulls, terns, cormorants, gannets, petrels, and shearwaters would fall under this definition. Like saltwater gamefish, many seabird species are highly migratory, generally moving north and inshore during the spring and south and offshore in the fall. On a clear day you can see with the naked eye flocks of birds at great distances flying over the water. During my tenure with Audubon, you would never find me in the great outdoors without a good pair of binoculars. They really can improve your success when
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scanning the horizon for signs of life. A flock of birds has many more eyes than an angler, and it can quickly cover more area than an angler can—even in a boat. When birds spot predators pushing bait to the surface, they do everything they can to stay with them. Keep in mind, we recreational anglers fish for sport—seabirds fish to survive. It’s important to observe bird behavior, carefully looking for any clues that they are onto something. A bird’s sudden turn, change of direction, or dip toward the water’s surface can be a signal that fish are present. Birds flying low and fast are likely following high-speed fish such as tuna. Birds circling and dropping down over the water are more than likely following slower-moving predators such as bass and bluefish. Watch their flying rhythm. A long, slow, relaxed wingbeat means they are looking for food; a short, excited, erratic
pattern means they are onto bait. Even a single circling bird can indicate the presence of gamefish. Captain Steve Bellefleur, one of the top guides in Rhode Island, was the first to educate me to the fact that birds often shadow tuna, waiting for them to drive bait to the surface for an easy meal. During periods of no visible surface activity, Bellefleur often accurately predicted a false albacore hookup by the movement of a single bird that appeared to be shadowing my fly (it was actually following the albie, waiting for it to drive bait to the surface). I had a similar experience off Cape Cod, chasing bluefin tuna with Captain Jamie Boyle. We had fished for about nine hours that day and had not seen a thing. Most of the other boats had gone back to the harbor, but Boyle knew this was going to be my last tuna trip of the season. He knew I needed
bluefin tuna photos for the book I was working on, Tuna on the Fly: A Comprehensive Guide to Fly Fishing’s Ultimate Trophy Fish. Boyle was intensely scanning the horizon, and in the distance he saw a single seabird. He slowly motored over and got us into position, about 100 yards ahead of the approaching bird. The bird was flying quickly, low over the water, which convinced Boyle the bird was over tuna. Following his instructions, I made a 70-foot cast, which landed about 10 feet in front of the bird. On my second strip, I was tight to what felt like a freight train. Since I had made only two strips, the line cleared in a heartbeat, and instantly the reel started to scream as the fish took off. Then, without warning, the fish turned and shot right back at the boat, blasting straight under the center console. I lunged to get the rod and line
from the starboard side around the bow to the port, trying to follow the path of the tuna. For a split second the fish, fly line, and I were on the same side of the boat. In my haste, I had fallen hard onto the gunwale, but with my adrenaline pumping I didn’t feel the pain from my bruised ribs. Instead, I was focused on the reel’s blazing handle, which was hacking away at the sleeve of my rain gear. As I struggled to free the reel, Boyle screamed, “Watch the motor, watch the [expletive] motor!” The fish had changed direction again, and my backing was melting off the reel just inches under the propellor blades. I thrust my rod as deep into the water as I could and staggered back to the stern. I was relieved to see the line had cleared the engine. My reel was still screaming as backing continued to disappear from the spool off into the distance. At about 250 yards
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Gulls can’t dive or swim underwater; they need predators to drive baitfish to the surface or onto the beach.
from the boat, the fish stopped. Eventually I was able to gain line. Inch by grudging inch, I pumped the tuna back toward the boat. After about 30 minutes of what felt like hand-to-hand combat, Boyle shouted, “We’ve got color!” He grabbed the leader and hosted a beautiful 46-pound bluefin tuna onto the deck. Boyle smiled broadly and proclaimed, “Mission accomplished!” Sometimes observing the little things around you can save the day. In this case, a keen-eyed guide and a single bird gave me my first bluefin tuna, and as they say, “You never forget your first.” What I remember most about my first saltwater blitz was the staggering number of birds. While climbing the path over the dunes, I could hear the raucous cries of screaming herring gulls. As I reached the crest, I could see a tightly-bunched flock of gulls wheeling over the surf, dipping to pick wounded mullet from the shallows. Blues were slashing through the waves, cutting in half anything that moved. The screaming gulls were snatching mullet that had beached themselves to avoid the jaws of bluefish. The slashing attacks by the bluefish and the feeding frenzy of the gulls combined to etch my first blitz into memory. Learning the important seabird species that frequent your favorite fishing areas will help you predict the size (and perhaps even the species) of baitfish present. Let’s take a look at some of the more common seabirds that can serve as scouts.
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Congregations of gulls, gannets, terns, or cormorants in our coastal waters signal the presence of baitfish. Of these, gulls are the only ones that can’t dive into the water and fish for themselves. They must rely on another predator for help. Clouds of tightly-packed screaming seabirds low over the water indicate that bait is being driven to the surface. The size of the birds can help you determine what the bait is. The two most common seabirds along the East Coast are terns and gulls. It’s important for anglers to be able to distinguish between different species of seabirds and to understand their feeding strategy. Terns are sleeker and more streamlined than gulls, and they have forked tails and pointed bills. Terns are relatively small seabirds, so they tend to target smaller baits such silversides, sand eels, and bay anchovies. When terns are actively feeding, it’s a good idea to search the water with smaller flies. Gulls are trash hounds, typically seen rooting around dumpsters. They’ll eat almost anything, and they like their meals big. Despite their junkyard-dog attitude, they are my favorite scouts. Most species of seabirds can catch fish on their own by diving like terns and gannets or swimming underwater like loons or cormorants. Gulls can’t dive or swim underwater; they need predators to drive baitfish to the surface or onto the beach. The presence of feeding terns, gannets, loons, and cormorants indicates the presence of bait—but not necessarily the presence of predators. However, when you find
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clouds of gulls screaming and flying low over the water, you’ve hit pay dirt: Gulls signal the presence of prey and predators alike. Identifying gull species can be extremely difficult due to their vast number of plumages. It is one of birding’s most difficult challenges, and I know several skilled birders who will simply tell you, “I don’t do gulls.” From the angler’s point of view, you need to know only two things: Large gulls feed on large baits, and small gulls feed on small baits. Study how long the cormorant stays under water on each dive. If it’s a short dive, they’ve most likely caught a fish and bait is plentiful. A long dive indicates they are searching for food and bait is likely scarce.
Northern gannets are most easily identified by their large size. In fact, they are the largest indigenous seabird in the North Atlantic, running from 34 to almost 40 inches in length with a wing span of 65 to over 70 inches. Gannets are high-flyers, making them easy to spot at great distances. Immature gannets are slatebrown in color with white spots; adults are all white with black wingtips. In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, the appearance of large flocks of gannets in the fall usually signals that the herring and bunker runs are in full swing. Gannets follow the bigger baits from the New England coastline to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as do large schools of big bass and bluefish. When gannets go on a feeding frenzy, they make spectacular plunge dives from nosebleed heights. Anglers targeting trophy striped bass dream of a day when it is snowing gannets. That will be a fishing day for the record books.
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Cormorants are strong underwater swimmers and efficient fish-eating machines; therefore, they don’t need predators to drive bait to them. Since they fish very well on their own, they aren’t reliable gamefish scouts. What you can learn from cormorants is the type and amount of bait present. Study how long the cormorant stays under on each dive. If it’s a short dive, they’ve most likely caught a fish and bait is plentiful. A long dive indicates they are searching for food and bait is likely scarce. Observe these seabirds carefully when they resurface. You can identify the baitfish they are eating as they throw their heads back to swallow. If you fish shallow back bays and estuaries, wading birds like egrets and herons can be excellent scouts. Their presence in concentrated numbers, while not an indicator of gamefish, point out schools of baitfish for you. One bay I frequent has mile after mile of shallow flats. At low tide, I look to see where the wading birds are concentrated, and I target those areas on an incoming tide, which gives predators access to schools of baitfish. The ocean is so vast, and with the winds, tides, and the migration of prey and predators constantly changing, unraveling its secrets can be a daunting experience. Let the seabirds help you! Tom Gilmore is President Emeritus of the New Jersey Audubon Society. He is a freelance writer and photographer living in Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania.
NAUTILUS PRO GUIDE DATA SHEET
Captain Rob Fordyce BIO: 30 yr veteran offshore/inshore guide, 2015 nominated as top “50” fishing captain in the world, placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in over 100 competitive fishing tournaments, 1st guide in history to win all 4 major fly Tarpon tournaments in the Florida Keys. More than 4000 giant Tarpon on fly GUIDED ANGLERS TO: TARGET SPECIES: Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Snook, Redfish Sailfish, Swordfish, Dolphin, Tuna BOAT: Haverick HPXS / 37 SeaHunter Improved Blood FAVORITE KNOT: Tarpon worm FAVORITE FLY: Florida Keys / Everglades FAVORITE RIVER/WATER: Fly fishing giant Tarpon FAVORITE TYPE OF FISHING: Tarpon FAVORITE FISH: Silver King series, light, powerful, indestructible, FAVORITE NAUTILUS REEL-WHY?: fast retrieve FAVORITE SAYING: “They eat with the other end ” “This is gonna hurt” BEST DAY FISHING: ( NOT BITES) Hooked 47 big Tarpon on fly, getting 27 to the leader Too many BIGGEST FISH EVER LOST: Great Barrier Reef Australia DREAM DESTINATION: Clint Eastwood, again WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO GUIDE ONE DAY?: I ’m hunting , at the gym, or with family WHEN NOT FISHING?: WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT NAUTILUS REELS?: They are lightweight to match modern light rods, but still remain structurally sound with great sealed drags AND ONE TIME A CLIENT: An 86 yr old client hooked a 3 lb. Snook on fly, which was then eaten by a 130 lb. Tarpon, which was then eaten by a 400 lb. Bull Shark. The hook pulled during the shark attack but while reeling in the original Snook that still remained on the end of the line thru the craziness, a 200 lb. Lemon Shark came out of nowhere and bit him off the line. ONE CAST GOT 4 BITES which just kept getting bigger! NAME:
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Hijacked by Scott Sommerlatte
Years ago I had the pleasure of sharing a skiff with one of my heroes, Ted Jurasik. Those two days were nothing short of incredible. One of the mornings we decided to chase tarpon. After playing whack-a-mole with quite a few rolling fish, Mr. J. came tight, and I was able to capture one of my favorite images of all time (shared with you above). Shortly after the fish came unbuttoned and I was back on the platform poling, Mr. J. said, “You really get excited when you see a tarpon.” My reply: “I can’t help it … tarpon make me stupid.” Which is the point of this piece: Tarpon make people stupid. But before I elaborate any further, let me tell you a story. When I was a teenager, living near the Texas Coast, I got involved early on in an organization called the Gulf Coast Conservation Association (GCCA), currently known nationwide as the CCA. It was through this involvement that I got the opportunity to know
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several older gentlemen—or in this case, characters. Their tutelage shaped part of the person that many know in me going damn near into my 50th year. Back in my early twenties I was heading to Houston to get film developed and decided to stop by one of these old dudes’ office to have coffee with him and his best friend. It was 8:00 a.m. when I pulled up to S.T. Ferguson’s shop; like every day, he was sitting there having coffee with his best friend, Jack Garrett. I walked in carrying a binder full of images for a little show-and-tell. After a few pleasantries, I broke out the binder and was showing them some photos of some really good spotted seatrout that we’d caught a couple of weeks earlier. I was like a proud rooster, all puffed up, showing these old salts photos of several 6- to 8-pound trout, when S.T. asked me where I had caught those fine fish. I was more than willing to share
that information with one of my mentors. No sooner had I finished telling him where I had caught the fish, he methodically picked up a magazine off of his desk, rolled it up, and smacked me in the side of the head. “Boy,” he said, “you don’t ever tell people where you catch fish.” Old man Jack laughed and said, “I saw that coming.” It was a hard lesson but one that has stuck with me for nearly 30 years. Now back to the point of this, and time to get serious. As I said above, tarpon make people stupid. And not only that, but landing tarpon on fly tackle creates egos and worse—egos that need to be stroked. Combine that with what we now call the Information Age and it has created a crisis: a fishery that’s been hijacked by the internet and social media.
With that being said, and before I go on my rant, I want to add that I am somewhat guilty of this myself. In other words, I’m the pot calling the kettle black. At the very least, I’m dark gray. Back in the day, 20-plus years ago, I would sell stories and images to magazines not only to make money, but also to showcase my success on the water as a guide. But in most cases, the images I shared (like the one above) were taken months and sometimes years earlier. Today, such images can be shared with the world instantly from the water on our smartphones, thus spreading the word as to when and, in some cases, where the tarpon are biting. What do I mean where the tarpon are biting…? Well, there’s a meme that’s been circulating for a while that depicts the actor Liam Neeson saying, “I have a particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over my career. I will find your fishing spot and I will fish it.” Today this
is true in more ways than you can imagine. I once met a guy who took pride in telling me he would sit in his office watching fishing guides’ social media and figure out where they were fishing. He had even figured out a way to open images to look at the meta data and see where a picture was taken. The real problem with the instant sharing of such information is that it creates issues regarding space on the water. Just last week the tarpon bite was on, and people started sharing images on Instagram, and before you knew it, the boat ramp parking lots were full, as were the majority of good tarpon spots. Many of my guide friends and I made the same two observations: First, the fish that were around quickly developed lockjaw; second, the fish that were plentiful in the shallows just days before quickly retreated to deeper water.
and I do see where social media is beneficial to certain types of businesses. But when all is said and done, social media is little more that egos run amuck. In short, if you truly love tarpon fishing or any other fishery but you need your ego stroked, share your images only with your best friends through texts or email. And if you still feel the need to share them with the world, share images from seasons past, and try to share only images that do not show any horizon or other features that can help identify where you were. Most important, make sure the location services are turned off on your phone. There are some real dirtbags out there who are trying to figure out where you’re fishing.
Some of the younger guides will tell you they post on social media to promote their business,
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After you display a Boen original, go ahead, embellish your fish stories just a tiny bit more.
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