Louisiana redfish fly courtesy Captain John Iverson.

I couldn’t help but feel like a “dude” as I lined up my two rods by the boat, and slipped them into the fly rod holders in the Mitzi. All clean, and pressed in Simms this and Simms that, I tell myself it’s the right gear (like the Mitzi rod holder areas) for the job, no matter what the name is. Still I feel a bit too clean.

We push off, crank up and idle out through the narrow channel lined with piers and boats. It’s not early, but early enough in The Big Easy. I always wonder if the guide wishes we were earlier or later, but the cloud bank covering the sun tells me all I need to know. This is going to be tough without Mr. Sun to light up the redfish TV. Outside the no wake zone, we are on plain in a flash, and running at 30 through the maze of channels, open water and marsh. Obviously, the Captain knows his course, there are no navigational electronics on board, like the back of his hand.

Bundled against the morning wind, up and running.

We finally drop off plane and the Captain cuts the engine. Stealth is the rule, and he hops onto the poling platform and starts moving us down the edge of a grass line. The wind is enough to ripple the water, and as we continue to pole, ripple the Captain’s confidence as well. If I were doing this, I would definitely point out the disadvantages as well, a cloudy day, a windy day, all would be noted disclaimers.

On deck. Looking for signs of famous Louisiana redfish.

I’m up first, and that vision thing just isn’t working yet, as I see a few small fish dart under the boat, and larger mud clouds further away – the telltale signs of spooked reds. Then I see a huge fish pass under the boat like a subsurface smart bomb at least three feet long. Now I am the one who’s spooked. There’s still no “shot” to be had though, so we pole on, and on. The show is awesome from the vantage point of a casting platform two feet above the deck of a Mitzi Skiff in the Louisiana marshes. When the sun peaks, the water TV is on, and it’s the best episode I’ve ever seen. Right off I see a red the size of one of those Baghdad cruise missiles pass under, stabilizer fins out and moving subsonic without apparent propulsion, self correcting and gone. This, I say, is not for the weak hearted.

Captain John describes directing someone where to cast. “like playing a video game with a broken console.” However we eventually tune in.

I give my turn to JG after who knows how much time, and he steps up to the platform like a batter stepping into the box. Time to kick back and enjoy the ride. Shots aren’t coming quick, clean or often. Getting into a groove is impossible.

The sun works its way up, and I am back on the platform, when finally I get a shot, more like a point blank drop on about a 20-inch red. I drop, and it hauls under the boat in a cloud of mud. Another shot a little later, at ten feet, nets a weak set and slight tug followed by a loose fly and rocketing fish. Gone. Now I look inside, and wonder how all this will end. Overreacting to sight casting for redfish is pretty easy for me. Perhaps it’s just too much “See the fish. Be the fish,” for my mind to handle.

The hours drift by, through lunchtime shrimp poor boys, and back onto the platform. It’s amazing how weak my legs feel as I adjust to the rock-and-roll of the Mitzi. Time to get back on the bike, again with the new year resolutions.

We pick up several times and move through the marshes, sliding sideways through turns in the tight channels, out in the open and tight again. We find an unlimited supply of shores to pole and an unlimited supply of wind. The Captain is huffing and puffing a bit between cigarettes. Morale is like a top spinning down and beginning to show some wobble. My “report the story no matter what” is starting to look more like a curse than a blessing.

I take to heart “keep a line in the water” by casting blindly to shorelines and backhanding into channels. Now we are conscious of time, and moving more to find fish of any size, and get on the board. Pick up and move.

Whether because of the level of action, or self centeredness, I find myself on the platform again on the next stop – a fairly wide backwater we enter by poling through another of those narrow channels. We are about to make the turnabout and head out when I feel a stop on one of those blind backhand casts into the channel.

I finally make good. Twenty minutes worth and deep backing.

I set the hook for luck, and the fish heads about fifty feet into the wide backwater in a heartbeat. The bend in my ten weight Z Axis, and the sound of the drag on my Tibor tell us all that this is a fish. Then a change in direction, a 180, and it’s headed into the narrow channel – hoping to get all the way through and out into the open water.

The long run takes all my line, and now we’re into the backing, and into more backing. I have a good bend in the rod, and the boat is starting to move with the fish. Side pressure, side-to-side pressure, all give the same result – a standoff. She’s wanting to make the turn in the narrow channel when the Captain decides it’s time to follow for real. There’s no headshake, no turns, just a tugboat beginning to move us.

All the while, I am getting peppered from the peanut gallery; “It’s probably a big ray. Maybe it’s a black drum. Watch out for those oysters! They’ll cut you off!” All I know is there is one big head shake, and I finally get back all my backing. Finally, a tail swirls below the surface, and leaves a boil the circumference of a five gallon bucket.

After twenty minutes we get the fish down to five feet of line and a fully down leader. I finally muster the courage to put enough on the rod to make her surface, and we all see that it’s what we are after – a 30-inch plus red. She’s beat now, and the Captain reaches out the back of the port side and tails her. “She’ll go forty inches. Looks like twenty-five pounds,” the Captain said.

You try holding 25 pounds of slimy, pissed off redfish – it’s a blast!

The photos are as goofy as anything I have ever been in because this is the biggest fish I’ve ever caught. She’s heavy enough, and my arm is weak enough from the fight, that I can’t even hold her out toward the camera for the distorted porn shot being demanded of me. Of all the luck to have Jerry along to witness and document with great photography skills, what he keeps calling, “The fish of a lifetime.” I don’t disagree as she is released almost exactly where she was caught.

Winded, and overwhelmed, I crash on the ice chest, we pull up and motor out to another spot. The wind is dropping now, but the sun is dropping a bit too. We start to watch the clock more intensely. Jerry is on the platform when the Captain guides his cast right to a waiting eight pound redfish. He’s on the board, and the fight is a good match to his Xi2 nine weight. We land him, and he’s a bright red specimen with beautiful mature coloration. Some more photographs follow, and I hope I can return the favor of good photographs to Jerry and his Louisiana redfish.

A beautiful specimen caught in the Louisiana way – sunlight, sighted, cast, tempted, hooked, set, fought and landed.

Finally, we both are on the board, the winter sun is dropping, and we’ve had enough. It wasn’t a typical quantity day by Louisiana standards, but the quality was outstanding. It’s time. We pull up, grab our seats, and settle in for the hour ride back to the launch. Even the ride back seems fast. Maybe it’s the anticipation of seeing the photographs, or telling the story.

NOTE – I am going to run a post of more photographs from this trip in the next few days. I hope you enjoyed the day in the Louisiana marshes.

Let’s just say Santa has some extra money put back this year, and let’s just say I’ve been a good fisher; practiced catch-and-release (mostly), written about epic exploits (mostly), and cussed less, drank fewer beers and smoked fewer cigars than in past years, and now I find myself at the front of the line. (I reserve the right to edit those last three good things, after Christmas, for accuracy.)

Santa, I definitely want a new camera for 2012, so that I can photograph my fly clients with a camera that carries easily and works well. It also has to shoot video. I think the new Nikon 1 V1 fills the void in my photo equipment shortage perfectly. Look at this camera. The screen is huge and sharp as a tack. Put your eye up to the finder, and the screen automatically shuts off. Now I can see what I am photographing in broad daylight on those hot summer days on the flats. The V1 also has a tough metal frame, and comes with an entirely new line of lenses. Nikon is also coming out with an adapter so I can use my current lineup of lenses on this small, futuristic camera. I’ve been harping on manufacturers for years to feel free to join the 21st. century, and it finally looks like they’re ready. There is no reason why a top of the line camera needs to look like your grandpa’s old 35mm SLR, and I think the Nikon V1 is the first step toward a whole new era in digital cameras.

The Nikon V1 comes in black and it comes in white. If you live in the south, go for the white as it reflects heat. It can be yours for as little as $800. usd, and it even uses the lenses you have now – with an adapter coming out in ’12.

Santa, if there’s anything left over after that, how about a new Sage 1 fly rod because it makes even me look like a decent caster. I am thinking a seven, lucky seven weight perhaps? Casting the 1 didn’t leave me feeling like it was a saltwater rod, but if they make it in a seven, I am willing to add it to my quiver. All I know is, this rod is straight, straight and smooth. I am betting we have not seen the end of this technology, and 2012 will give us at least one and maybe two new lines of Sage fly rods.

Then, since we’re on a roll Santa, I would really like to see what those new Simms airbag material packs are about – especially the 1/2 Day Pack. Look at this thing! It’s the right color for those of us fishing in the heat! The only better color would be silver, but we know that doesn’t work. Realistically, I wouldn’t care what it’s made of if I can get it in this Texas practical color.

A stocking stuffer perhaps? How about a pair of Costa del Mar Sunglasses? Talk about breaking Santa’s bank! I hear nothing but good comments about Costa’s 580 Series (their topline glass) and Costa certainly has some styles that turn my head. Right now, I am looking for the Corbinas, but there are a handfull of styles that fit my oversize mellon.

Just looking at these glasses makes you want them, doesn’t it? Costa not only has good glass, their styles are really hip as well. I think it’s time to look away from the Smith Optics, and through the Costas.

What else is there on my list, besides peace on earth, and goodwill toward man? I’m the guy who usually has to DIY his own Christmas list because it’s so vague and off the elves chart. I have a reputation for buying myself everything on my wish list while I shop for others, and have heard that’s not a good thing. Really, what I want the most is for Texas Fly Caster readers to have a great Christmas, love your family, hold them tight, let them run, stay up late, watch football, watch basketball, drink beer, smoke cigars, sleep hard, fish hard, be careful, take chances, turn the music up, and fasten your seat belts because I can guarantee you – 2012 is going to be a fast and bumpy ride!

Note – Sometimes it’s good to turn full circle, and bring good information to those who are just getting started in fly fishing. I was recently inspired to write a long article on how to select your first fly fishing “outfit” after seeing a popular bulletin board showing another “Which fly rod, reel, outfit …” post that, as usual, quickly devolved into brand name throwing-mine’s better than yours thread. They come along every few months, and I dutifully play along. Now, with all due respect to those posts, posters and bulletin board proprietors, I am offering the “ULTIMATE POST” (note the quotes) on selecting your first fly fishing outfit, post number 695, and since this is textbook stuff, I won’t do readers the disservice of breaking it down into multiple posts. For those of you who are well past this phase in your addiction, fret not, Post Number 695 will move down very soon. For the new addicts, please feel free to think for yourselves – that’s what we do at Texas Fly Caster. Corrections and opinions welcome as always.

How to Get Started in Fly Fishing Gear 2011
Introduction

After years of following countless bulletin boards discussions on fly fishing, one topic raises its head over and over again. That topic begins with “Which …,” and is followed by various words that all fall in the category of fly rods, fly reels and fly lines this person should buy when just starting out in fly fishing. I have finally decided to write the ultimate treatise on your first fly rod, reel and line you should choose for your needs.

How Serious are You?

The first question is; How serious are you about fly fishing, or how serious do you think this disease can get for you? If you donʼt really know much about fly fishing, donʼt have fly fishing dreams when you sleep, or watch/own no fly fishing DVDʼs, then youʼre probably not a 4 on the 1-to-4 scale. Four is for the person who is definitely addicted and is just waiting until someone in their life isnʼt looking to pull the trigger for their first fly rod/reel purchase. At the other end of the spectrum is a one, someone who fly fishes perhaps four times a year, or less, and has trouble remembering which closet their rod is in. A wild card is location. Your location could be more or less conducive to fly fishing.
The more serious you are, the more you want to invest in your initial fly rod/reel/line purchase.

How Serious are The Fish?

Fly rods come in weights. Heavier weight rods require bigger reels to hold bigger lines to throw bigger flies to bigger fish. The ensuing fight is fair when the rod matches up well with the fish – size and species. Matching a fish to a rod is critical because you need to be able to change the fishʼs direction, land and release the fish as quick as possible to help insure the fishʼs survival. (Fly fishing is pretty heavily dominated by the Catch-and-Release philosophy.)
There are other important functions of the fly rod weight as well. Not only are higher weight rods tuned for bigger fish, and bigger flies, they also have an ability to cut through the wind and cast greater distances in all situations.
Rods come in weights from 000 to 14, with those being the extremes. For our practical considerations, we will think in terms of 2 to 10 weight rods. A 2 weight rod is for fighting small fish, typically a pound or less, and these rods come in very practical short lengths to be backpackable into mountain streams. A short 2 can be deadly when stalking cutthroats in streams six feet wide at altitude in Colorado. I consider a 5 weight to be the middle of the road, and a rod to keep in my car at all times.
A 10 weight rod is heavy enough to land tarpon, fight big redfish, and throw the ugliest big flies youʼve ever seen into the wind.
Within the weight categories of rods comes a tricky term “action.” Think of a rodʼs action as a rodʼs stiffness. In general a slow action rod is very flexible throughout, and forces a slower casting motion from you. Most “combos” (rod comes with reel) are a slow to slow medium action. Saltwater rods and big game rods typically have a medium-fast to fast action. More rod backbone translates into easier casting and easier fighting. If you get into large largemouth bass, you will want to consider a saltwater rod as well as heavy bass specific rods.

ROD SUMMARY

• Consider learning to cast before even purchasing a rod. Your casting motion will have a lot to do with your happiness with your first rod choice.
• Rod/reel combos typically offer an average line average reel and average rod. If you know you are going to be serious, consider purchasing each separately – tailoring them to your specific abilities and waters.
• Rod/reel combos are the perfect choice for some people. They make great guest setups, and are perfect for someone unsure as to just how serious they will be in a yearʼs time.
• Donʼt buy a freshwater rod if you live near the salt. If you are in freshwater, consider the species and size fish you will be catching. A freshwater carp gives a fight almost as good as any Gulf Coast redfish.

Reels

Many fly fishers consider reels glorified “line holders.” The fundamental nature of fly fishing and gear history indicates that fly reels are considered significantly less important to fly fishers than their conventional fishing counterparts. That said, reel manufacturers have conceived clever designs and artwork intended to catch fly fishers. Reels get increasingly blingy as time goes by. The truth is, you are looking for a reel that has a good drag system and balances your rod as closely as possible. Most lines of reels come in incremental sizes that cover different line/rod weights. This is a great advantage to you because you will be able to change the line out if you are going up or down in small weight increments. A typical reel can cover three line weights such as 3-5 or 6-8! Save up for extra spools with backing, or simply change out your line to the rod you are taking, and youʼre good to go.

If you are in this sport long enough, your reels will outlive your rods, and you will find the matchups changing to satisfy your changing rod needs. Rods can be heirlooms. Reels will be heirlooms – if you spend a little extra up front. And most fly reels are such simple engineering that all you have to do is rinse them with fresh water, and youʼre done. Saltwater requires a little extra attention, but remember that machined aluminum is for saltwater applications, while cast aluminum will have a hard time surviving the salt exposure. At the “line holder” end of the engineering spectrum is the “click-and-pawl” drag system typically used in lightweight trout setups. Click-and-pawl reels have no real drag system, and rely on hand pressure on the spool to apply specific drag tension when fighting a fish. Thatʼs how real fly fishers do it! Not really, but thereʼs a time and place for click-and-pawl reels, just not for a beginner.

One reason why reels come in weight ranges is because (once they are loaded with line and backing) they need to balance with the rod. What does that mean? A quick way to see if a rod and reel are balanced is to find your thumbʼs natural resting spot on the cork handle. Then, put a finger on the downside of the handle (reel dangles in down position), and see if and where the rod rests in its natural horizontal plane. Tip down means the reel could be too small for the rod, and tip up means the reel could be too heavy. These tolerances are pretty wide, so unless the balance points are way off in one direction or the other (more than say three inches), donʼt worry too much about this early on. In the long run, an unbalanced setup can lead to casting fatigue. The right reel size also insures that you have enough room for both line and backing for the fish you are after.

When fighting bigger fish, or trophy fish, you will be glad you have a good reel to “go to,” and I suggest every beginner get in the habit of being able to “go to the reel” for any fish at any time. This will make it an exercise in muscle memory when thereʼs a big fish that needs to be disadvantaged by your reelʼs smooth and accurate drag! Having to “go to the reel” is one of the best problems to have in fly fishing, that and wondering if you have enough backing.

REEL SUMMARY

• Reels can be high or low tech.
• Reels have specific design and materials for fresh or saltwater use.
• If you care about a reel, pay special attention to the drag system.
• Match the reel to the rod.
• Get in the habit of “going to the reel” to take advantage of the reelʼs drag.

LINES

Fly line selection has exploded in the last few years, as marketers at line manufacturers have figured out that fly fishers would buy lines aimed at specific fish. Thus, thereʼs the carp line, and different bass lines, as well as specific lines for other fish. When starting out in fly fishing, you are better off purchasing a line that is multi-purpose. A freshwater bass line could be good for freshwater use, while a general warm saltwater line could work for most southern saltwater applications. Lines that tout accuracy or distance can be much easier to cast for beginners, as they run a half weight heavier than sold. (A 5 weight line is really a 5.5 weight line.)

Breakage is not a concern for fly lines, overall durability is. More expensive lines are more durable than cheaper lines. Clean and re-coat lines regularly, and they will last exponentially longer. Todayʼs water is extremely hard on lines. The first thing you will probably consider changing is your fly line because itʼs the cheapest and easiest component to change. If you spent the extra money on a reel, you may as well plan to shell out some more – for a spare spool / line and backing. You will be glad you did, and backups to your gear are imperative for the addict.

CONCLUSION

Determine how serious you are. Take a casting lesson, or two, before even purchasing a fly rod and reel. If you donʼt know if fly is for you, spend less for your first outfit. Fly fishing can be frustrating. Once you know youʼre in for the duration, sell off the beginner gear, and upgrade. No matter what, todayʼs fly fishing gear is light years ahead of what passed for beginner fly gear a few short years ago.
Match your rod to your fish, your casting style and your overall fishing locations. You will know pretty quickly that one rod is never enough.

Take care of your gear, and it will always work.