Salt Water casting

Warm late fall weather is providing lots of redfish in local N. C.. waters

after a successful trip to Harkers Island for False Albacore last week I am
now back in Wilmington fishing daily for reds in creeks flowing into the
inland waterway.Younger fish (puppy drum } and good size seniors are easy to
catch with spinning tackle after you locate them but I am having real
trouble using a fly rod. Casting a nine weight while standing is real work
but as I fish sitting in a kayak my efforts are really sorry.
Yesterday I was trying to cast a crease (?) lure into a good size pod of
fist and caught my hat [twice], and the water behind me on most casts.

Anyone with casting procedure suggestions please offer them---when that
tangle of fly, leader and line come flying by it is really frightening.
them hooks are really BIG and I still have memories of catching my tongue
one day with a size 16 humpy while mountain fishing with Daniel and Jeff
Miller.
Daniel please send me your snail address.
Joseph

Joe: The guys I know that use a fly rod in salt water either learn to
toss a fly about twice as far as I do, or they give it up. If you are
going to try that with a Clouser, buy a good motorcycle helmet to wear
while you are learning.

Big Dale

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:45:58 GMT, "Joe McIntosh"
wrote:

Warm late fall weather is providing lots of redfish in local N. C.. waters

after a successful trip to Harkers Island for False Albacore last week I am
now back in Wilmington fishing daily for reds in creeks flowing into the
inland waterway.Younger fish (puppy drum } and good size seniors are easy to
catch with spinning tackle after you locate them but I am having real
trouble using a fly rod. Casting a nine weight while standing is real work
but as I fish sitting in a kayak my efforts are really sorry.
Yesterday I was trying to cast a crease (?) lure into a good size pod of
fist and caught my hat [twice], and the water behind me on most casts.

Anyone with casting procedure suggestions please offer them---when that
tangle of fly, leader and line come flying by it is really frightening.
them hooks are really BIG and I still have memories of catching my tongue
one day with a size 16 humpy while mountain fishing with Daniel and Jeff
Miller.
Daniel please send me your snail address.
Joseph

Without seeing your casts, it is kinda hard to offer suggestions, but
I'd make a guess based on your comments (making particular mention of
tackle weight and a tangle flying by) that you have one or more of
several issues you are introducing into the mix because of the
perception of the larger tackle: the wrong casting angle, timing, or
power.

Are you able to cast OK from the kayak with lighter tackle? If so, then
your issue(s) are probably a perceived need to "really work" because of
the larger tackle. Perhaps taking out several rods of 4 to 9 wt.,
starting practice with the lighter gear and fairly rapidly working your
way up the weights might impress on your body memory that the mechanics
are the same.

IAC, you might snip a few of the larger flies' hooks off at the
shank/bend junction to make practice whiffs, and then, well, practice
with them.

TC,
R

Joe McIntosh wrote:
Warm late fall weather is providing lots of redfish in local N. C.. waters

....... but I am having real
trouble using a fly rod. Casting a nine weight while standing is real work
but as I fish sitting in a kayak my efforts are really sorry.
...........
Anyone with casting procedure suggestions please offer them......

I won't tempt the gods of irony by giving any casting advice (g).....

Maybe you could try either:

- a seven- or eight-weight with smaller flies (I used to do most of my
redfishing at Cedar FL with #2-#4 deceivers and #4-#6 bonefishy shrimp
and crab patterns).

- if you can't find a boat you can stand up in, just throw in the towel
and fish with spinning gear. Personally, I hate fly fishing from a
seated position. If I can't stand, either wading or in a boat, I'd
rather switch gear. Fishing is more fun when it's fun. :-)

Got any good redfish recipes to share? Excellent eating fish.... I miss
'em a lot.....

JR wrote:
Joe McIntosh wrote:
Warm late fall weather is providing lots of redfish in local N. C.. waters

....... but I am having real
trouble using a fly rod. Casting a nine weight while standing is real work
but as I fish sitting in a kayak my efforts are really sorry.
...........
Anyone with casting procedure suggestions please offer them......

I won't tempt the gods of irony by giving any casting advice (g).....

Maybe you could try either:

- a seven- or eight-weight with smaller flies (I used to do most of my
redfishing at Cedar FL with #2-#4 deceivers and #4-#6 bonefishy shrimp
and crab patterns).

- if you can't find a boat you can stand up in, just throw in the towel
and fish with spinning gear. Personally, I hate fly fishing from a
seated position. If I can't stand, either wading or in a boat, I'd
rather switch gear. Fishing is more fun when it's fun. :-)

Got any good redfish recipes to share? Excellent eating fish.... I miss
'em a lot.....

I have to admit I haven't watched Joe's casting, but usually this kind of stuff
comes when people think "back cast" instaed of "up cast" The backcast motion
is really up, and if you're sitting it's more important to think of it that
way. Stop the rod at vertical, or just a bit back of that. You'll need to
actually watch the rod to believe it's not stopping at the vertical. One
helper for this is putting your thumb forward on the handle, it helps prevent
the rod from wandering back on it's own.

I post this here because fly fishing is not hard from a sitting position, it's
easy. Don't give up on the fly just because you're sitting.

One time in Florida I was out with a guide in the Mangroves and the wind was
fierce. I didn't have a stripping basket, or bucket for the line, so I sat on
the deck with my legs out in a V. The line went into that V and stayed there
while I was stripping, then the casting worked fine. The guide was trying to
put a spining rod in my hand, but gave up when he saw I had a good solution.

Don't give up, practice a bit.

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

Joe McIntosh wrote:
Warm late fall weather is providing lots of redfish in local N. C.. waters

after a successful trip to Harkers Island for False Albacore last week I am
now back in Wilmington fishing daily for reds in creeks flowing into the
inland waterway.Younger fish (puppy drum } and good size seniors are easy to
catch with spinning tackle after you locate them but I am having real
trouble using a fly rod. Casting a nine weight while standing is real work
but as I fish sitting in a kayak my efforts are really sorry.
Yesterday I was trying to cast a crease (?) lure into a good size pod of
fist and caught my hat [twice], and the water behind me on most casts.

Anyone with casting procedure suggestions please offer them---when that
tangle of fly, leader and line come flying by it is really frightening.
them hooks are really BIG and I still have memories of catching my tongue
one day with a size 16 humpy while mountain fishing with Daniel and Jeff
Miller.

Casting a nine-weight and a heavy fly for distance isn't pretty,
especially in the wind, and even more especially in a kayak in the wind.
The kayak puts you lower above the water surface, so you can't get as
much distance as when shallow wading or when casting from a real boat
while standing.

Forget about pretty casts. Try using the water to load the road. Throw
the fly behind you into the water, then use the water loading to send
out more line on the forward cast. You can do this several times,
finally shooting line on a forward cast to your target.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

rw wrote:

Joe McIntosh wrote:

Warm late fall weather is providing lots of redfish in local N. C..
waters

after a successful trip to Harkers Island for False Albacore last week
I am now back in Wilmington fishing daily for reds in creeks flowing
into the inland waterway.Younger fish (puppy drum } and good size
seniors are easy to catch with spinning tackle after you locate them
but I am having real trouble using a fly rod. Casting a nine weight
while standing is real work but as I fish sitting in a kayak my
efforts are really sorry.
Yesterday I was trying to cast a crease (?) lure into a good size pod
of fist and caught my hat [twice], and the water behind me on most
casts.

Anyone with casting procedure suggestions please offer them---when
that tangle of fly, leader and line come flying by it is really
frightening.
them hooks are really BIG and I still have memories of catching my
tongue one day with a size 16 humpy while mountain fishing with Daniel
and Jeff Miller.


Casting a nine-weight and a heavy fly for distance isn't pretty,
especially in the wind, and even more especially in a kayak in the wind.
The kayak puts you lower above the water surface, so you can't get as
much distance as when shallow wading or when casting from a real boat
while standing.

Forget about pretty casts. Try using the water to load the road. Throw
the fly behind you into the water, then use the water loading to send
out more line on the forward cast. You can do this several times,
finally shooting line on a forward cast to your target.


or...get the line moving off the water, and throw the backcast straight
up...or as straight up as possible...it aint pretty, but it seems to
work. of course, i'm partial to light weight spinning gear for such
pursuits. cookin redfish... filet and leave skin & scales on one side
of filet, put skin side down on charcoal grill, dollop the meat with
your favorite seasonings while grilling. it's as good as any fish you'd
care to eat, and better than most...

Jeff Miller wrote:
rw wrote:

Casting a nine-weight and a heavy fly for distance isn't pretty,
especially in the wind, and even more especially in a kayak in the
wind. The kayak puts you lower above the water surface, so you can't
get as much distance as when shallow wading or when casting from a
real boat while standing.

Forget about pretty casts. Try using the water to load the road. Throw
the fly behind you into the water, then use the water loading to send
out more line on the forward cast. You can do this several times,
finally shooting line on a forward cast to your target.


or...get the line moving off the water, and throw the backcast straight
up...or as straight up as possible...it aint pretty, but it seems to
work.

If it's windy and you're throwing a heavy fly, that's likely to lead to
problems, and possibly to piercing of tongues and other fleshy appendages.

The best sal****er casters I've seen use a quite different techniques
from classic light-gear flycasting. They tend to cast more side-arm and
to haul and shoot like crazy. The backcast is nearly always
unobstructed, delicacy of presentation is often not as important as
distance, and the most serious problem is often the wind.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

rw wrote:

Jeff Miller wrote:

rw wrote:


Casting a nine-weight and a heavy fly for distance isn't pretty,
especially in the wind, and even more especially in a kayak in the
wind. The kayak puts you lower above the water surface, so you can't
get as much distance as when shallow wading or when casting from a
real boat while standing.

Forget about pretty casts. Try using the water to load the road.
Throw the fly behind you into the water, then use the water loading
to send out more line on the forward cast. You can do this several
times, finally shooting line on a forward cast to your target.


or...get the line moving off the water, and throw the backcast
straight up...or as straight up as possible...it aint pretty, but it
seems to work.


If it's windy and you're throwing a heavy fly, that's likely to lead to
problems, and possibly to piercing of tongues and other fleshy appendages.

The best sal****er casters I've seen use a quite different techniques
from classic light-gear flycasting. They tend to cast more side-arm and
to haul and shoot like crazy. The backcast is nearly always
unobstructed, delicacy of presentation is often not as important as
distance, and the most serious problem is often the wind.


if you're sitting in a kayak, it shouldn't be a problem. if you're
standing up in a boat, it might be. i've done it in a lot of different
conditions with no problem. but, hell, i admit i know less than
jack**** about casting form.

double hauling is the surest method...but, with my talent, that'd be
sure to get a hook in me.

jeff

"Jeff Miller" wrote

double hauling is the surest method...but, with my talent, that'd be sure
to get a hook in me.

the only time i have ever needed to double haul is when i went to the
liquor store, bought only a fifth of vodka, and then was faced with a visit
from pj roberts.

yfitp
wayno(i bet you know what i mean...)