Some of Gavin's most successful saltwater
flies are now available on this website as packs. All
flies are tied by the author to his own exacting standards of quality
and workmanship
If you ever find that you are unable to fish your favourite river because
it is in flood and the water clarity is poor or if you are on a seaside
holiday why not head to the sea with a fly rod. The great appeal of
saltwater fly fishing for me is that you often don't know what
you're going to encounter, it could be a bass, a mackerel, a Pollack or
even a cod. Location, the stage of the tide and the time of day
that you choose to fish will dictate what you catch. Estuaries and
shallow beaches tend to fish best during sunset through to darkness or
just before sunrise into first light for bass (minimum size limit for
bass is 38.5cm's although 45cm is better from a conservation point of
view), flounder and even the odd sea trout (full license required for
sea trout and many estuaries are protected nurseries for bass that
should be returned). Rocky areas and steep beaches can be fished all day
and virtually all stages of the tide because they have deep water with
more structure where game fish feel safer and can ambush their prey.
At
rocky locations it will be necessary to wear a sturdy pair of boots with
a sole that grips well or a pair of wading boots with studded soles.
Rocks can be extremely slippery especially when covered in algae and sea
weed so you should always take care when moving around in these
locations. You can also find yourself being trapped by an incoming tide
flooding in behind you so it is worthwhile studying a tide table for the
location. Taking a look along the shoreline for the contrasting
colouration of the dark rocks above the high water line or the
wrack line that marks the upper limit of the tidal range on a beach will
give you the information that you need so that you are not stranded by
the tide. Regardless of you chosen location it is always good if you can
fish with a friend not only for safety but also because you can cover
more water and get pictures of your catch.
Whilst
there is a huge amount of tackle available designed specifically for use
in saltwater you can get by with reservoir kit or double handed rod rated
#7 to #9 including an intermediate and full sinking line or even a little five
weight and a floating line when fishing for mullet. The important thing
to remember is that saltwater is corrosive and can destroy your rod
rings, reel seats, reels and lines so don't forget to give all of
your equipment a thorough rinse in fresh water. An additional piece of
kit that you will need is a line tray that can be purchased from a good
retailer or you could make your own from a washing up bowl and a length
of bungee cord for a belt. Line trays or stripping baskets as they are
sometimes know stop the line becoming wrapped around rocks, barnacles,
weed and your feet so that your cast is not obstructed.
The
leader should be eight to nine feet of mono-filament or fluorocarbon
with and eight to ten pound tippet (six pound for mullet). Leaders can
be tapered or made up from different strength sections, a 48 inch
butt section of 30lb followed by an 18 inch section of 20lb and finally
18 inches of 10lb at the tip. This may seem a little heavy for
many anglers but it is a combination of the rod rating, the size of the
fly that you are now using and the terrain that you are fishing over.
Many of the flies that we use in the sea represent bait fish and sand
eels measuring between two to four inches in length tied on size 2
through to size 2/0 hooks and if we were to use too light a tippet the
fly would break off.
My
preference for attaching the fly to the leader is a non-slip loop knot
(an illustration for tying this knot can be found at www.carcharodonangling.co.uk/Book%20Excerpts.htm and
at www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/fishing%20knots.htm
as well as some of the flies used) and allows the fly to move freely in
all directions. It is important that the loop in the knot is not too
large because this can cause the fly to foul during the casting
stroke.
Fly
fish the sea as you would a lake or river fishing around likely looking
structure with some saltwater flies and there is a very good chance
that you will have a positive hook-up.
Tight
lines!
Gavin
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