Saltwater flyfishing basics

Getting Started in Saltwater Flyfishing. Reprinted from Coastal Outdoors Magazine

There's a lot of talk and interest in saltwater flyfishing these days. And for good reason, it is very fun and the most exciting way to catch a solid gamefish that I know. However there are also a lot of people who either have no idea or are very misinformed about what kind of gear they need. I hope to clear that up. I am here to tell you basically two things. The first thing is that if you are already a flyfisherman, most of the gear you now have is unacceptable for saltwater use. If you are like me you don't like the idea of your nice reels getting ruined by corrosion, and your rods just don't have the backbone to deliver big flies into stiff breezes. The other thing I want to tell you is that you will not be happy with a low end rod. It will not be able to get the job done. The good news here is you don't have to spend $500.00 for a rod if you don't want to. High quality low priced rods are available if you can get out and look and you are willing to be patient for the right rod to show up. Temple Forks Outfitters is making high quality rods that are very reasonably priced. I think they cast better than rods costing over $700.00

For a reel you will not have to splurge as much. A decent saltwater fly reel can be had at reasonable prices. I amusing Lamson reels now. They are high quality and have a variety of price points. There are a varriety of fly line choices to consider based on where you will be fishing. First (and the one most people should start with) is the full floating line to use when fishing shallow water or topwater flies. The second is an intermediate line for those windy days or when fishing a little deeper. Third is the Scientific Angler Streamer express with the integrated running line/shooting head forfishing in deep water.

Now I am not telling you that you have to go out an get all these lines right off the bat, just that they are out there. I use a 350 grain, a second spool with a floater and a third spool with an intermediate for my ten weight. For my eight weight I have a 250 grain and a full floating line spool. With these two rods and those combinations of lines I feel confident of my ability to meet almost any situation I find myself in.

To get started I would recommend figuring what kind of fishing you are going to be doing most often and get lines suitable for that purpose. For primary use in shalllow waters going after reds in creeks, an 8 weight rod matched with a Scientific Anglers Saltwater Taper floating line will get you started. If you are a striped bass fisherman and are going for them in swift inlets and steep beaches, a 250 (or heavier) grain SA Streamerr Express will get you more strikes than a floater or an intermediate ever will. False albacore busting on top are best pursued withan intermediate or a floater (when it's not windy or you want to use a topwater fly).

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of understanding the wind and how it affects your casting and fishing. There is a big push towards ultralight fly tackle in the salt. Don't jump on that bandwagon until you are a proficient enough caster with the heavier stuff. If you are already a saltwater fisherman you have an idea about the wind, probably not how it will change your fly casting though. Freshwater trout and bass anglers will have to adjust their casting considerably. You need to be able to double haul and also to roll cast that shooting head out of the water and get it going. A word about casting the integrated running lines, it doesn't take a lot of false casting. One or two to get the head out of the rod and then you let it fly. I also said I would say something about the 250 yards of backing, well here goes: The very first time you hook into something that decides it doesn't want to be around anymore, you will need every bit of that backing. You never know when you are going to stick something that you probably shouldn't have in salt waters. When that time comes you will thank me for telling you about all that backing.

Finally let me just tell that I have two rods that I use for the majority of my flyfishing in salt waters and they suit me fine. I go fishing with other guys and they bring along four rods with three spools for every reel and all kinds of gadgets. My budget does not allow for all that excess, so I limit myself to just what I need, and you know what, I usually catch more fish than those guys. Hey if you get into collecting all that stuff, then by all means go ahead, fishing is about doing it the way you want to and not the way somebody thinks you should do it. That is basically my fishing motto and it usually keeps me pretty happy. I hope you stick a big one. Make sure you check out the rest of my website,Flyfish NC with Capt. Gordon Churchill, and let me know how you do.

If you are thinking about a trip to Cape Lookout for false albacore here are few things for you to think about. First of all if you are primarily a trout fisherman you need to be aware of the fact that we are flycasting out of a boat and that presents problems in and of itself. The wind is a constant factor. Floating lines are not preferred (as I have stated elsewhere),intermediate lines take their place. The best being the Scientific Anglers Intermediate Saltwater Series. Combine this with the Scintific Anglers Streamer Express 350 series of lines forand you will be able to fish in all conditions with a ten weight rod. Sometimes you will be fishing out of the stern end of the boat. I will usually set up the boat so the person in the bow has the wind coming over his non-dominant shoulder and to his back so he will be in the best position. The stern angler will have to catch as catch can. This means back-casting. You actually have to turn your body and face the other direction from where you are casting. Cast as normal and then release on your backcast. This is the ONLY way to do it. You may also find that where a forty foot cast is all you may need to ever throw for trout fishing, an 80 foot cast is sometimes not enough for open water fishing. I try to move the boat in the best position for a shot but the fat alberts do not like engines being run near them. So a long cast is what is needed. Now don't think I am trying to scare you off. Quite the contrary, I want people to get excited about trying something they may not have done before and expand their flyfishing horizons. Just be prepared. Go out and practice on a local pond or in the yard and see what you can do before you come. Then be prepared to have all the flyline and backing disappear off your reel faster than you have ever seen it go!!!!