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sponsored by...<% Set Ad = Application("Ad") %> <% arrTags = Array("Ad.Size.Banner", "general") %> <% =Ad.GetAd(Response, arrTags, null ) %> GuideLines - The new, Reel-Time
way to have your fishing questions answered by the experts. FishWire
correspondents and GuideLines editors Bob and Sandy Rodgers will
pick questions from Reel-Time readers and post the answers every
two weeks in this new service. Answers will be gathered from current FishWire
correspondents as well as from other full-time guides, whose livelihood depends on their
expertise. While not intended to solve the riddle of what specific fishing spots to
try on a future outing, you will gain the benefit of years of knowledge from professionals
in the saltwater fly fishing field. This can help you overcome obstacles encountered
on such subjects as Boats and how to rig them, Tackle, Flies, or Terminal gear. |
September 24th, 1999 This edition of GuideLines takes a shot at helping a reader sort out:
"I recently retired and had the very good fortune to spend last February and March at Islamorada. I fished mostly solo on my flats boat all but two days and was able to find very effective flies on mangrove snappers, Spanish Mackerel, and night fishing for tarpon to 70 pounds. Almost every day yielded shots at bonefish which, amounted to hundreds over the two months. "I used 8- and 9-weight rods, light blue, coral and mint green WF floating tapers, 10- to 12-foot leaders and 12-pound fluorocarbon tippets. Most presentations were to tailing fish and many were excellent. I lined my share but most fish just would not take after seemingly excellent presentations. Sure, some jumped all over the fly, but usually [they] just went on by or flushed. The strip was varied and also how closely the fly landed to the fish. My strike percentage remained very low, probably a total of 15 bonefish, excluding a number of small pecks which was encouraging. Many flies were tried but no real answer was found. "I have read many of the popular books, tried Lefty's and Bob Clouser's pet patterns and fished with three guides in previous years, and their patterns were not as productive as I expected. The most productive pattern was recommended by a young fellow at HT Chittum's. I am an accomplished fly tyer and fly fisherman and I will be back to Islamorada next February. Most days will again find me from sun up to sun down refining my technique and learning more about when and where to fish. I would love to know some of the local fly patterns that produce. I would deeply appreciate your opinions and guidance." John F. Answer: Well-known fly tyer Capt. Bob LeMay (LeMayMiami@aol.com), who guides out of Miami, replied: "Fly patterns for bonefish can be a complicated business, I tend to think of conditions that they'll be used in first and foremost. Bones tail in calm water along shorelines where there's no current at all, and they tail in current rips that are hard to even pole in - and everything in between. The bottom might vary from hard-cap coral rock to soft mud with thick grass (with a bottom coloration ranging from chalk white to dark green). Let's really complicate it and remember that they'll eat anything small enough that they encounter, from glass minnows to worms (a few years ago a friend of mine caught a large one on a Creek Chub Darter plug) with the accent on "small". "Although I tie more than 30 patterns for bones that go to two different shops and a few other guides, there's only a few that I use regularly for my customers fishing Biscayne Bay and the oceanside of north Key Largo to Key Biscayne. All of them are selected by sink rate. I use a tan and pink #4 Crazy Charlie with a bushy wing along shorelines in shallow water with little or no current. It's not moved hardly at all but just allowed to sit on the bottom, and when the fish gets within 3 to 4 feet, one or two twitches are all that we give it. I believe that most of a bone's prey dives and hides as it sees trouble approaching. You'll know the fish has seen it when it darts over and tails down on it. For cruising fish I either recommend a brown & white Clouser on a #4 hook or a small crab fly. These two patterns cover almost every situation when tied in different sizes, with different size lead eyes. Remember to drop the fly next to the boat and note how fast it sinks. Most guides that I know prefer heavily weighted flies that drop like a stone. Remember that the wing and other materials on the hook only slow the sink rate so keep them sparse if the fly has to get to the bottom quickly. There are times when we'll be casting at fish following rays in 3 to 5 feet of water and the Clouser will be on a #1 hook with quite large lead eyes." "Although everyone concentrates on fly patterns, presentation is probably more important. For tailing fish, if you can wade, your bites will increase noticeably. I believe that a lot of fish that haven't spooked are still quite aware that something large and dangerous (your boat!) is nearby. Fly line can also be important. I use a monocore slow sink line on a 7-weight rod for super spooky fish and a Monic clear floater for my 8-weight rod. For deep fish, a Hi-D 10-weight shooting head on a 9-weight rod will put that weighted fly down even in 5 feet of water. Lastly, fish with every other angler or guide that you can each year (at least once a year fish with the best guide in the area, consider it a refresher and learn how they do it - there's so many different ways to fish a given area). Most of my skills were learned fishing with as many different anglers as possible." Answer: Capt. Lenny Moffo (capt.len@juno.com), who guides out of Big Pine Key and is another well-known fly tyer with several videos to his credit, replied: "I read your question and it sounds to me like you didn’t do too bad as far as Keys bonefish go. Don’t compare Keys bonefishing in any way to the bonefishing in the Bahamas or Mexico. Anyone who has fished in either destination realizes that the Keys bonefish are consistently bigger and that is a direct link to also being smarter. Which bring us to the problem of fish refusing your fly. Tailing fish are the hardest of all to catch. Without being there it is hard to say exactly what went wrong, but some of the things I can tell you about the flies I use on tailing fish are - first you want to use a fly that will land on the water softly. That usually coincides with little to no weight. Next, the bottom you are fishing on makes a difference as to how weedless you’re fly needs to be. Lastly, color, size, and shape of the fly are extremely important. The most common colors used on bonefish flies are white, tan, and pink. You might want to try something with chartreuse in it as well. As far as size, I usually use a size 4 hook on tailing fish, dressed on the long side so the fish sees it. Finally for shape: I sometimes have good luck with crab type flies tied in tan. Bonefish love small crabs. Good luck this coming year."Question: HOW TO TELL THE AGE OF A TARPON "I have been fishing the Keys for tarpon for ten plus years and I have yet to talk to a guide who can answer this question without hesitation: How can I tell the age of the tarpon I just caught? Also, some tarpon have a sword by their dorsal fin and some don't - is this male, or female?" Speycaster Answer: We attempted to contact noted tarpon authority Dr. Roy Crabtree at the Florida Marine Research Institute, and subsequently received the following reply from Scott Willis (scott.willis@dep.state.fl.us), who is Coordinator of the Education and Information Office at the Institute, which is itself a department of the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission: "Sorry for the delay in answering your question, however, Dr. Crabtree no longer works at FMRI. I spoke with him at the National Marine Fisheries Commission where he now is employed. I also consulted with our staff scientist, Dr Luis Barbieri." "There is no way to tell how old a tarpon is unless the otoliths, or earstones, are removed and sectioned (and even that is not easy or entirely accurate in all cases). The growth is so variable that there is no good external cue to correlate with the earstone information. All tarpon have the long fin ray extending from the dorsal fin area. Roy suggested that perhaps it may have broken off on the fish in question (this is unusual but sometimes happens), but both sexes have the fin ray. I hope this helps." (You might also want to take a look at Dr. Crabtree's informative piece on tarpon at www.fmri.usf.edu/fish.htm, or if you don't want to wait for the Acroreader to load on that site, you can find the same material at www.suncoastwaterline.com/tarpon/whatis.htm, for more background on these magnificent fish.) Sometimes it feels as if we are just getting started when we hit the end-wall of column length. Many of the answers we uncover serve to spark even more curiosity on the subject and thereby lead to further investigation, but that is what makes the world of fly fishing so intriguing. Thanks for sending in your questions and giving us the chance to spread this information around. Keep'em coming! Bob and Sandy Rodgers Reel-Time Homepage | Back to Guidelines |
