Getting bored and sick to death of some of the trash-talk on the other threads so I thought I would start up one over here where folks are freindly and have a great common interest… I recently upgraded my 4 wt to an Orvis Clearwater and geared up for Steelies with a new 8 wt from the Orvis budget line. I am really getting excited about having more time to fish this year, since being surplused from my company and then brought back as a consultant. Now I will probably only work 50 hours a week and take two days off per week!

For the other fly fisher’s out there, what do you fly fish for? Where do you fish? What tackle and methods do you prefer? What boat do you prefer for casting, or do you use your boat to get to your wading holes?

South Florida yak/fly fishing
I fish (mostly fly) in South Florida. I have an OK Drifter which works pretty well for me. It’s not rigged yet (can’t make up my mind) but I strap a pouch to the hatch and lay my fly rod on it. I have discovered that I need to duct tape the loose ends of the straps to prevent fly line from snagging. Mainly I use a single 9 wt. rod with floating line. I really need to add rod holders because I also want to bring multiple rods? why? because:

• i catch a lot of barracuda but they’re not necessarily my first target. if I 'm rigged for bonefish but they’re not around (which is most of the time) I want to fish for cuda to pass the time. likewise, rigging for cuda isn’t exactly optimum for bones & other species.
  
• i want to bring an intermediate or sink tip line as well.
  
• i want to bring a 6 wt for the smaller fish I run into (small jacks, ladyfish, etc)
  
  
  
  I fish saltwater and freshwater out of my kayak. One of my favorites in freshwater is the butterfly peacock (aka peacock bass). Great fish!
  

flyfishing
I fish a 9 foot 5-weight Orvis rod for trout, bass, and sunfish in the clear streams of the Texas Hill Country. Just started fishing from a kayak, a Tarpon 120 my wife bought me for my last birthday. I don’t have much time on the river since I went back to school, but we’re fixing to move to within 5 minutes of the Pedernales, so I’ll hopefully get out more then.

Fly Fishing

I fish the Texas Hill Country rivers and lakes for bass and bream. For that I use a 5 wt. with floating line. Typical flies are wooly buggers, poppers and clousers. I also like fishing the flats of the Texas coast for redfish and trout. My coastal set up is an 8 wt. with floating line. Poppers, clousers, seaducers and deceivers are the flies I use most often on the salt.

I use an OK Scupper Pro to both fish from and to get to spots where I can wade. I usually have it rigged with a milk crate in the back to hold my fly boxes and a fanny pack for when I get out to wade.

One of my favorite ways to fish is to set myself up on a drift and cast to cover then twitch the fly a couple of times. No hit, recast to a different area around the structure. For coastal fishing nothing beats site casting to reds, which can be easily spooked, in the clear water of the flats. Kind of like bonefish.

The last time I was out fishing the flats I kept casting to this red that wouldn't take my fly. My fishing buddy said "I think you got grass on your fly" I looked down at my shorts and said, "I don't see any." No wonder I never catch any fish.

fly fishing
Just started this year. Got a 9wt Temple Fork that I use for bass. Normally cast poppers, haven’t gained any confidence with clousers or the lead head leeches yet. Got a 7 wt that I use for bluegill and smaller poppers for bass. I fish out of my OK scupper pro. Don’t wade, most ponds/lakes in my area of IA have sticky mud bottoms or uncertain dangerous drop offs.



I agree with fastening down strap ends. I have a tendency to catch on those and the toggle at the bow of the boat. I have scotty style rod holders in flush mount bases for trolling with spinning gear, but haven’t picked up the holder for fly rods yet. Also have a bracket on the rear hatch that will hold 3 rods. Don’t think having extra rods in holders while fly fishing would work too well though. Too many more things to catch on if casting out of the boat.

Tim
I can tell you from expeirence that rods in rocket launchers behind you are a disaster waiting to happen. I not only hung my fly but managed to wrap the leader and fly line aroung my rod in a holder behind me about 6 zillion times. Back to shore to untangle the whole mess, a good half hour of fishing time wasted. I’ve not had any problem with hatch straps or cargo tie downs in the tankwell catching flies yet. Keep those casts high!!!

Fanny pack
Does this carry enough fly boxes? Are you satified so far with this for wading? I am still pretty much a novice fly-fisher and don’t personnaly like vests. Can you give more details like type, name etc.?

Anywhere I can
I have just been getting into fly fishing. I had some excellent and inexpensive instruction through Sasquatch Fly Fishing guide service at the YMCA of the Rockies at Estes Park, CO. I have been using a 5 wt Elkhorn rod for trout. There are a lot of lakes and streams in Rockie Mt National Park. I also got out this fall on a Lake Michigan tributary river in Wisconsin for the salmon/ steelhead run with a 7 wt. I really like that Elkhorn rod. It’s a small line made down in Lakewood, CO that Sasquatch uses.

fanny packs
My wife got me a LL Bean chest pack- the smaller one, with the light wt straps- works great and probably carries everything you should take (we fisherman always take too much)Cabelas has a nice one in their catalog similar to the Bean and cheaper. If you get into deeper water you will want a chest pack, your fanny’s underwater.

A little over two years ago…
I bought my first kayak AND a fly fishing outfit at nearly the same time. Fishing success went through the basement. I put the long rod up for a while. Now that I’ve “mastered(?)” fishing from the kayak I’m starting to drag out the devil stick.



I’m definitely whipping a begining level stick. A Shakespear Saltwater 7/8 combo straight off the shelf at Wally World. 20/20 hind sight says I could have higher quality equipment for the same money if I had shopped wisely. It was an impulse purchase.



Used it at the duck camp several weeks ago to catch several small bass and perch. Lost my cherry on an 11" bass. This was just practice for the redfish I’ll be targetting asap as I primarily fish the marshes along the gulf coast.



I see an upgrade in my future.

DavidH

Yes, my fanny pack will carry 2 large flyboxes and a 1 smaller one as well as spools of tippet and leaders and my forceps and clippers. The model I have is made by Lowe Alpine. I got it 10 years ago so I don't know if they are still in business. Just get the biggest one you can find. Mountain Smith makes some monster size butt packs or look for one that mountain bikers use. It has been excellent for wading, though I rarely go deeper than mid thigh. I can easily pull the pack around to the front of my waist to access whatever I need.

You can still learn to cast
with that Walmart special. I still have mine too. It isn’t high-tech but I can single haul, double haul, forward or loop with it just fine for my novice level.

Good luck!

Stripers from a yak
I use a Necky Santa Cruz to fish for Stripers on Cape Cod. I have mounted two paddle clips on the side of the yak to hold my Sage rod while paddling. The Santa Cruz is fast and has a large cockpit which is useful for saltwater flyfishing.

FishHawk

Canoe fly fishing
I fly fish from my canoe in south Louisiana. Freshwater for bass and bream, use my 4wt., on lakes and rivers. Saltwater for specks and drum, use my 6wt. or 8wt., on marsh ponds and small bays.

flyfishing from yak
I live in southeast Florida and have recently been bitten by the yak bug. I recently purchased a Pungo 140 - awesome!! Very stable for casting (from sitting position – so far!) and quite fast. I have a miniskirt that I use quite a bit to keep the water out from the powerboat wakes. I primarily fish the rivers and backbays for snook, jacks, pompano or whatever else may grab my fly. On occasion I’ve taken the yak out to the rim canal that goes around Lake Okeechobee for bass and panfish. I haven’t drilled any holes in it yet - still in the experimentation stage. I use heavy duty velcro on a couple of fly boxes that are strategically placed inside the cockpit around the thigh area - well out of the way. Lots of room for storage. Quite a rush when you’re sneeking around some of these quiet bays and shallow areas and you spook (or get spooked) by a manatee or a group of dolphin (the Flipper type) - yikes!! Tight lines – Tony

Best brand/MFG Canoe for flyfishing
Howdy- I own property on the South Branch of the AuSable river in Michigan. It is a beautiful run and is protected wilderness from Roscommon North for 13 miles until my property starts.



The stretch of the South Branch AuSable above is inside of the famous Mason Tract which was where Trout Unlimited started and therefore primo blue ribbon water for brookies and browns. The river is very tight with lots of structure so a hyde or clacka drift boat would not work very well.



That’s why I posting this email to ask guidance on a well made Canoe Mfg for flyfishing.



Pls provide best brand names and models.



Thx, Mike

Hi Mike!
All I can share is that I now have an Old Town Penobscot 16 and love it for fishing. Might be too long for some stretches of the au sable though. It is great for standing in and casting. Bought a seat-back rest for it from Old Town as well. The green padded one. It adds a little padding to the seat and supports your back with adjustable straps. Some of the other folks may have more advice about canoes.

By the way, the 16 is 57 pounds. Easy for this 46 year old to portage and put on the truck.

Mike
I had an Old Town Guide which was an excellent canoe to fish out of. I recently sold it as I spend much more time fishing out of my kayak. The Guide is a great tandem boat. A good solo canoe would be the Old Town Pack or the Mohawk Solo 13 or 14.

cheap rod
Yak a lou,



A couple weeks ago I picked up a Scientific Anglers 8.5’ 5/6 wt. fly rod at the Golden Meadow Wal-Mart for my nephew. It only cost $19.99. I strung it up with a $10, 7 wt. SI flyline from the same place. I let some guys cast it at the last fly fishing club meeting. Everyone was surprised how well it cast. It cast better than a lot of premium rods.



Kurt