-
Posts
529 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
pittedsopitted reacted to a post in a topic: Cross current dead drift
-
slip n slide reacted to a post in a topic: Cross current dead drift
-
puppet reacted to a post in a topic: Cross current dead drift
-
puppet reacted to a post in a topic: Cross current dead drift
-
What he said! Salmon/steelhead technique.
-
RH37 started following Do I need a fishing knife? , Cross current dead drift , Beach / surf fly fishing - hands on lessons and 1 other
-
When the fish is holding in the current and takes your fly, the fly line immediately begins to bow in the current downstream of the fish. But the bow in the line isn't slack - the current is creating a snug connection to the hook in the fishes mouth - the current's tension along the entire length of the fly line keeps it tight all the way back to the fishes mouth. You need to keep the rod tip low, tip in the water is best, rod tip pointed at the line (not back where the fish is) and strip set or sweep set low and to the bank. Then when fighting the fish keep the rod tip very low or in the water and pointed at the line. Fly line in the air creates slack, fly line in the water keeps it tight. Similar to when you hook an albie and the fish changes direction and runs straight at you. If your rod tip is high the line in the air will be slack and the albie can drop off. When the fish runs right at you stick the rod tip in the water and keep it there, the water clinging to the fly line all along its length will keep the hook tight in the fishes mouth.
-
One more cast - what’s the worst thing that could happen...
RH37 replied to Fergal's topic in Fly Fishing
saying "5 more casts" but then continuing to fish is bad mojo -
southshoreflyguy reacted to a post in a topic: Beach / surf fly fishing - hands on lessons
-
nyc trout reacted to a post in a topic: Beach / surf fly fishing - hands on lessons
-
Mike Oliver reacted to a post in a topic: Beach / surf fly fishing - hands on lessons
-
East Coaster reacted to a post in a topic: Beach / surf fly fishing - hands on lessons
-
With a spinning rod you're casting 2-3x as far so can afford to search for fish with your casts. We don't have that luxury with the fly rod so need to be better at reading the beach to figure out where the fish are (although this skill also pays off for the spin fishermen). Like they say about trout streams in the various Reading the Stream books, 90% of the fish are in 10% of the stream. Similar on the beach. So if you want to greatly increase your success rate, learn to read the beach really well. And reading the beach is very similar to reading the stream. You can pay a guide to show you how to read soft structure on the beach, but there's already dozens of experts showing you how to do it online for free. Here's how to do that. Re-read all the different Fly-fishing the Surf for Stripers books chapters on reading the beach. Then read them a couple more times and study the pictures and drawings. Then go on YouTube and search "Reading the beach". Watch all the videos multiple times. Then on YouTube search "rip currents" and "Identify rip currents" and similar phrases. Watch all those videos multiple times. Then visit the beach you plan to fish either the day before your fishing outing, or earlier in the day for an evening fishing outing. Walk the beach slowly, for a mile or 2 or 3, between about 10:30am and 3:00pm, ideally at mid-tide or lower, on a sunny day, wearing polarized sunglasses. Search for sandbars, cuts in the bar, holes, rip currents, and sideshore currents in the troughs. You can see the soft sand structure (sand bars and cuts) much better when the tide is lower, when the sun is overhead, and with polarized lenses. Even on days when you're not fishing, walk the beach with your polarized lenses and practice reading the beach. Its a gradually learned skill so give it time and be patient. While you are scouting the beach, make notes (mental or otherwise) of where the good structure is, especially cuts in the bar and rip currents. Note landmarks on shore that will help you find those spots when you return in the dark or in low light conditions. If you don't have a good memory, make notes on your phone (notes apps) or put markers on Google Maps or other map apps on your phone. Come back with your fly gear later and fish the current in the troughs and the outflowing rip currents through the cuts in the bar. I like to swing a fly down the last bit of the trough and into the outflowing rip current. If the rip current catches your line, feed slack into it and let the current carry your fly to the fish. Sometimes the fish are so stacked up in these good soft structure spots that you can catch them at mid-day. Sometimes you can wade on the bar close to the end of the bar and just flip your fly into the rip. But be careful out there. If you get too close you can step on some soft sand and find yourself swimming in the rip...not a good place to be. Much safer to cast to the rip from shore. Keep in mind that the current flows in the soft structure will change as the tide rises and falls. Sometimes a nice sideshore current in the trough that heads seaward in a beautiful ripcurrent through a cut in the bar at low-tide or mid-tide will completely disappear at high tide if the tide is high enough to just roll in and out over the sand bars. Anyways, do all that intensely for a couple of years and you will start to get really good at reading the beach. Your fly fishing success will increase accordingly. Also, next winter read the classic "Greased Line Fishing for Salmon (and Steelhead)" by Jock Scott for ideas about how to fish your fly in the beach currents. Good luck and enjoy the ride. RH
-
Fishit 2 reacted to a post in a topic: Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
-
jeffapeikin reacted to a post in a topic: Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
-
I haven't had any problems with tip sections coming loose while fishing since I started waxing my ferrules. I use regular candle wax. The wax is a little grippy, I assume that's why the sections don't get loose. Loose sections were a problem before, especially my first year or two when my casting wasn't as smooth. Dirt and grit in the wax is not a problem. I usually don't take the rod apart til I'm back at the car or home, so I'm not dropping the separated sections into sand/soil/mud. No dirt or grit is going to get in there when the sections are together. You could easily feel if the separated ferrule end was gritty. Just use a soft cloth to wipe off the gritty wax layer then put on some fresh wax. I usually wipe off all the wax at season's end, or if it looks too built up. Also I haven't had a stuck/frozen ferrule since I started waxing. Sometimes I use rubber gloves to get a good grip. Great video above on getting a stuck fly rod unstuck.
-
The most important piece of safety equipment in my opinion is your phone. I always bring it with me. If you don't want it ringing at you, turn it off and leave it in your pocket. If you are injured/sick/immobile you can call for help. If your phone is on you can be located even if you're not responsive.
-
My usual sandy beach fishing, all catch-and-release, hasn't required a real knife in 15 years. Same with small stream trout fishing. I tend to be a risk avoider. But the responses here have opened my eyes to the crazy other stuff that can happen. Thanks for all the feedback!
-
I rewatched Crocodile Dundee last weekend. That guy had a knife.
-
RH37 reacted to a post in a topic: Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
-
RH37 reacted to a post in a topic: Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
-
RH37 reacted to a post in a topic: Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
-
Thanks for all the feedback. I never thought of the potential seagull problem, or the personal safety angle.
-
Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
RH37 replied to Spigola's topic in New Jersey Fishing
This explains a lot. Peace. Out. -
Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
RH37 replied to Spigola's topic in New Jersey Fishing
What's the alternative theory - that the sounding equipment is driving the whales inshore to escape the "noise" and they're getting hit by boats in the shipping channels? Or that the sonar devices are somehow damaging/disorienting the whales? I think 27conch has the right idea - for starters need to see the autopsies, and times and places of the sounding work and the dates and locations when dead whales were found to see if there's any connection. Thats how scientists figure things out, vs amateurs like us speculating on internet forums. -
Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
RH37 replied to Spigola's topic in New Jersey Fishing
What I'm saying is that if there's more whales around the shipping channels, it shouldn't be surprising that there's more boat accidents with whales. And some people are wondering why we've had so many whales in close to shore in recent years, and the obvious answer to that is because they're following the bunker schools. I'm not a whale expert so don't know what whales eat in the winter when there's no bunker around, or where they migrate if they do, or where they were 15 years ago when we didn't have as many bunker, or lots of other things about whales. So what I'm saying is just based on my own unscientific observations. -
Windmill cables routed through lower Island Beach
RH37 replied to Spigola's topic in New Jersey Fishing
In recent years, from eastern Long Island ocean beaches you can see whales and dolphins almost every summer/fall day. And endless pods of bunker. 15 years ago the whales, dolphins and bunker were not there. Same in NY Harbor. It seems obvious to most observers that the whales and dolphin are there to feed on the bunker. The bunker are present in much larger numbers due to the successful management/reduction of the commercial harvest of bunker/menhaden. So there are far greater numbers of whales closer to shore including in the shipping channels. Do more ship propellers hit whales when there is a much larger whale population in the shipping channels and fishing grounds? Whales don't get run over by ships close to shore when there are no whales around. Most of the great NJ striper fall run was a peanut bunker bite. If the bunker population is way up, the peanut bunker population will be way up too. Seems like the most straightforward explanation of the great NJ fall run. -
I usually fish the ocean surf with a fly rod, mostly sand beaches. I have a 2 1/4" mini-Swiss Army knife in my wading jacket pocket, occasionally I use the mini-scissors to trim a fly. I don't fish with bait. All catch-and-release. I have a pair of nippers to clip leader and tippet. I'm not rock hopping so not worried about getting tangled in old mono wrapped around the rocks. Do I need a real knife while fly fishing? When I was fishing as a kid I always had some kind of pocket knife which I used to cut bait, clean fish and play various knife tossing games. RH
-
RH37 reacted to a post in a topic: Boot foot vs stocking foot waders for the salt ?
-
I used the top section of a 6 1/2’ light spinning rod and some string. Good for learning to form loops. Can double haul too with the line through the guides. Do the practice rods have guides or is line tied to the tip? Now with more experience I just hold a sawed off broom handle (no line) and I visualize the rest. Or I do it with nothing in my hand. Visualization reps are almost as good as full gear reps.