Inshore fly fishing is steadily improving as general conditions get better. A question I hear a lot is, “Why do I miss so many fish?” The person is either new to fly fishing or has had most of their experience as a freshwater trout fisher. On a trout stream, most fly fishing presentations have the rod tip elevated and use a very thin tippet material attached to the small fly sporting a very sharp hook. 5X tippet material may break at 4 pounds of pressure. A slight lift of the rod when a trout takes the tiny offering is all that is required to get a solid hook set. Fly rod tips used are often softer than in saltwater so the combination requires little effort. In saltwater, the rod tip should be in a straight line with the fly line and kept on the water’s surface. Manipulation of the fly is not with the rod, but with the line hand by using varying stripping techniques to mimic the shrimp, crab or baitfish pattern on a much heavier tippet, often a minimum of 20-pound test. I tell clients to set the hook when anything is felt. This is accomplished by pulling the line with the line hand only and driving the larger hook into a much harder mouth. Once the fish is hooked, the fly rod can be elevated or moved to either side to put pressure on the fish. Trying to set the hook with the rod tip is a prescription for failure.
Fly fisherman and casting instructor Pat Damico charters Fly Guy in lower Tampa Bay and can be reached at captpatdamico.com and (727) 504-8649.
- Capiains Corner. Damico - December 26, 2023
- Pat Damico - December 21, 2023
- CaptainsCorner: Pat Damico - November 27, 2023
