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Jedster
06-04-2002, 05:20 AM
Problem :
Most times I get out the fly rod it's just on speculation chucking it aimlessly from the shoreline across a sand flat or weedbed. I can see fish rolling, mullet jumping and schools of baitfish moving around yet I still don't catch anything.
Question:
What percentage of your fly fishing is specifically sight fishing to a targetted species?
Would you get the fly rod out if you couldn't see the fish you were trying to catch or a very high percentage chance that the place you were throwing to contained fish (eg-snags)?

Seems to me that unless you can see your target, or are throwing to snags fly fishing is very inefficient and luring would be a better option?

Seeking your comments.
Thanks
J

Luke
06-04-2002, 05:28 AM
I've only just started fly fishing recently and my first up success was better than when I first started fishing with lures. I find it more relaxing and easier on the arms and I have still caught fish. I tend to sightcast a lot more with a fly than lures but most of the fish I have caught being mostly flathead were not seen unless they were following the fly up. I reckon flys look great on the strip and definately entice fish.
Cheers Luke

Wesley_Pang
08-04-2002, 04:54 PM
Jedster,

How the casting going?

Once you get on to a tailing Golden Trevally in knee deep gin clear flats in Hervey Bay or a school of Longtail Tuna in Moreton Bay, you'll be hooked on sightfishing.

Seeing a fish, casting to it, and watch it eat your fly is the ultimate in saltwater flyfishing. It can be very fustrating when you get your fly in front of the fish countless times and they ignore it.

Persist with the fly, leave the baitcaster/spin rod at home.

Wes

Moreton Bay Longtail.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~wpang/longtail.jpg

thunnus
09-04-2002, 06:43 AM
g'day wes,

did you get any last Thursday? me and paul went up to the lagoons, lots of fish, bit fussy though. Managed to hook one but lost it. :-[ What about you?

cheers, Justin

Maxg
10-04-2002, 01:01 PM
It's called blind casting and is usually carried out by casting a fly so as to totally cover an area in front of you. Start left and work your way around to your right. Start at one end of the flat and work your way along it. And you should use the top to bottom fishing style. The idea that SWF is wandering around some fantastic flat populated by the biggest and best of the exotic species alive on the planet is misleading. Some people might be able to do that, but others might not.
My personal opinion is that gurus recommend too many fly patterns, it's like there are millions of the things so that a decision on what to use becomes a major enterprise. In my humble opinion you need a few White Deceivers, 25mm to 50mm and fish them consistently. You will catch fish and fishing is what it is all about.
Another point is that regardless of the idea that casting is totally important, you can get things done lickety split. Like use a line, 30 foot head, 2 weights up, for preference an intermediate full line, and just use one backcast and let it rip on the foward cast. The heavy line will fully load the rod, and if you use a haul will get things going nicely. You save effort, cover a hell of a lot of ground, can get longer casts and let a lot more fish see the fly. Casting flies to moving fish means getting it in front into the binocular vision area and getting the fish to run over it. No god casting to the boil, thats where it's been. Have a fun day Max

Wesley_Pang
10-04-2002, 04:02 PM
g'day wes,

did you get any last Thursday? me and paul went up to the lagoons, lots of fish, bit fussy though. Managed to hook one but lost it. #:-[ What about you?
cheers, Justin

Justin,

We headed pass the lagoons on Thursdays(about 10k from Caloundra). The Longtails were going ballistic just out from the surf. They were not as willing to take the fly as last week.

My brother George and mate Peter both got their 1st longtail on fly. They are both shopping for 11 weights after the tuna turned their 9# into spagetti.

I got a Mac and a Longtail.

Are you fishing the Mooloolaba Comp? I'm not but I hope to get up there this weekend.

Wes

thunnus
10-04-2002, 04:32 PM
cheers wes,

sure am fishing the comp, its only tuesday and im fully amped already!!!!! ;D

guess i might sea you on thursday night.

cheers and good fishing, Justin

Jedster
11-04-2002, 05:25 AM
Hi Wes, thanks for the info. Unfortunitely I'm no longer a boat owner so getting to the fish is a bit of a problem. I really like flyfishing but do not have much success. Where as the spin stick delivers for me on a regular basis, no tangles, easier to cast etc. I'm trying to gauge the general consensus on if I'm wasting my time (and killing the enjoyment) by throwing aimlessly onto weed beds, getting weed all over the fly and that's the end of the usefullness of it. Looks like you're having a good time on the tuna!! See you about one day.

Maxg,
Thanks for the info too, good point about the flies available, I do spend quite some time mulling over which one to use. Question for you and everyone. When you flats fish do you go for weed covered flats or clean sand? I've been going at it on weed covered flats on an intermediate line and have to constantly clean weed off my hook, this annoys me no end and detracts from the enjoyment. It also means as soon as the weed is on the hook fish won't go for it cause it doesn't look right. Suggests or tips Maxg or anyone?
Thanks
J

thunnus
11-04-2002, 01:19 PM
g'day Jedster

try something with a bit of both, a nice sandy (or muddy) flat with some weed in the shallows but in close proxsimity to a gutter or deeper water. Try and make casts right along the drop off, as you would already know from your spinning, this is the place the fish ambush there prey.

hope this helps, Justin

team_mongo
12-04-2002, 03:41 PM
Hi Wes, thanks for the info. Unfortunitely I'm no longer a boat owner so getting to the fish is a bit of a problem. I really like flyfishing but do not have much success. Where as the spin stick delivers for me on a regular basis, no tangles, easier to cast etc. I'm trying to gauge the general consensus on if I'm wasting my time (and killing the enjoyment) by throwing aimlessly onto weed beds, getting weed all over the fly and that's the end of the usefullness of it. Looks like you're having a good time on the tuna!! See you about one day.

Maxg,
Thanks for the info too, good point about the flies available, I do spend quite some time mulling over which one to use. Question for you and everyone. When you flats fish do you go for weed covered flats or clean sand? I've been going at it on weed covered flats on an intermediate line and have to constantly clean weed off my hook, this annoys me no end and detracts from the enjoyment. It also means as soon as the weed is on the hook fish won't go for it cause it doesn't look right. Suggests or tips Maxg or anyone?
Thanks
J

Hi jedster,

I think I'm a bit like you. Fly fishing has its place, just as spinning trolling and even baiting. Sometime I find fly just a frustrating way of delivering an articificial, with knots, tangles, pretty poor casts (ask Wes he'll tell you!). if you're anything like me you'll know that if it can go wrong - it will go wrong when you need it.

Spin seems to deliver the goods. I can cast it, it goes where I want it to go, and I get the fish in with little hassle. I think most times I've been out, spin has out fished fly.

Having said that fishing with Wes has increased my appreciation of fly. He mainly does sight fishing (subsequently so do I), and its pretty hard to beat casting to tailing goldens ;D ;D or tuna bashing up on the surface :D ;D :D.

When we do go blind casting, eg for flatties, we just pick a likely spot, and the right tide and methodically work the bank. They tend to be almost featureless banks with gentle slopes/odd gutters and lots of bait (small whiting). Casting along or around a weedbed is sometime productive too.


Stick with Fly fishing, the frunstation slowly disappears!

Cheers

George

Maxg
15-04-2002, 07:19 PM
Well you could just wander around the local flats at low tide looking for flatty and flounder holes. These point to numbers available and indicate where you should be fishing.,