FLY LIFE March 2010 - Vol. 1, No. 1

SOUTH FLORIDA • FLORIDA KEYS • BAHAMAS

DOUBLE ISSUE

SAILSBEING FLY P.12

DRAGGING THE LINE P.36

SHARKSKIN: BETTER THAN ADVERTISED? P.46

EXCLUSIVE: CHIP GILES’ BEST SELLING BOOK “CONCH KILLERS” - Part 1 Inside P.51 STARTING IN MAY: Great places to toss your bags THE SCIENCE OF FISHING P.70 + Exclusive: specials for IS A FLY ROD REALLY WORTH $800? P.79 Fly Life Subscribers • SIGN UP NOW • THE BEST FLY TYER YOU NEVER HEARD OF P.90 IN MY NATIVE TONGUE EMAIL: What’s Worth Opening?

Skip Clement, Managing Editor “IT CHASES YOU DOWN”

Despite the fact that we can’t do without email, and it’s brought a lot of convenience to the work- place - at some point in time it turned into cigarettes, trans fats and the evening news.

A few weeks ago, Sandy Moret and I were having lunch at the Green Turtle Inn, a landmark restaurant in Islamorada, FL. Sandy and his wife Sue own the world famous Florida Keys Outfitters & Florida Keys Fly Fishing School which is housed in the same building. Islamorada, by the way, christened it- self long ago “The Fishing Capital of the World,” and they’re right-on.

As partners in Fly Life, we were discussing sources of online distribution for this new magazine and the subject of email came up. We both cringed - admitting that just saying “email” conjured up dis- comfort. I told Sandy that a recent study by Harris Interactive (2010) concluded that 50 emails or more a day brings on employee stress, and that business owners lose 28% of their employees work time because of ‘useless’ emails. Sandy said: “It follows you into your house - it chases you down no matter where you go . . . I just hit he delete key when I get frustrated . . . it’s impossible to read everything.”

On my way back to Fort Lauderdale, I thought more about email. Sandy was right, it does chase you down - we’re all bombarded.

When I got home, my inbox had 43 messages including five stupid jokes from a college roommate (and his ditzy wife) whom I don’t have the heart to say enough already, Facebook alerts telling me that 11 people I never heard of want to be my friend, an ad for some pills that claim they can keep me casehardened for hours, and a laundry list of stuff remotely associated with “fishing” that I some- how got targeted for by Wikileaks-like internet wizards that “phish” for a living.

Anyway, we hope you can pick-up some useful info and find real reading pleasure with your copy of FLY LIFE . . . thanks for trying us on for size. We think you’ll like the fit. neXT issue LEARNINg TO SpEAK BONEFISH REELS: THINKINg IN “DRAg” HOw CAN A FLATS BOAT COST $65,000? SpINNERS: MORE pOwERFUL THAN A LOCOMOTIVE, ABLE TO LEAp TALL BUILDINgS . . . gETTINg TO THE BAHAMAS: SHOULD YOU gO COMMERCIAL OR CHARTER? THE COMpLEAT ABACO ANgLER

FIND OUT wHAT HAppENS! pART TwO: CHIp gILES’ THRILLER CONCH KILLERS + Cameras • Flies • Books • Shop Talk wines & Cigars • BTw • Noteworthy • Boats • UNBELIEVABLE Deals

Pat Ford photo BEINg FLy WItH SaILFISH IN tHE BEgINNINg: Part One NUISSaNCE CatCH tO REVERED tO a BIg EaSy ON a FLy ROD . . . tHE SaWLEy SyStEM

­­12 FROM ZANE GREY TO GEORGE SAWLEY fter coming out of the 1890’s depres- sion (Wall Streeter shenanigans and Aeasy credit - nothing changes), Amer- ican ingenuity created unimagineable wealth in the U. S., and it accumulated into the hands of just a few. America’s ‘new world’ had been plutonium enriched by the Industrial Revolution phenomena that mor- phed into the era of the “Robber Barrons.”

By the beginning of the 19th century, the east coast’s newly anointed socially elect began expressing their nouveau riche modele by wintering at Henry Flagler’s Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. They came in droves, each trying to out “Jones” the other and to move up in the ranks of a newly inaugurated Social Register, and to bask in the warm winter sun while nannies attended to full diapers.

While golfing, croqueting and bowling on the manicured lawns of the Breakers were the “outdoor” sports for the light-on-their- feet-boys with rich daddies, fishing was the outlet of choice for hardier lads. However, the sailfish was considered a lowly, nuisance catch and marlin fishing wasn’t on anyone’s Photo courtesy of Capt. John Kipp dance card; the sport fish of the day was king mackerel.

Zane Grey, a dentist from Zanesville, Ohio, and grand-daddy of the western novel would soon change the status of the lowly sailfish, BEINg FLy WItH SaILFISH as well as that of the uneatable tarpon and By Skip Clement bonefish. Grey made these pescados new gamefish targets, and along the way intro- IN tHE BEgINNINg: Part One duced new angling methods, which created professional guiding and chartering; and in- NUISSaNCE CatCH tO REVERED tO a BIg EaSy ON a turn exalted those proficient at catching and finding onto the pages of outdoor journals, FLy ROD . . . tHE SaWLEy SyStEM magazines and newspaper columns.

­­13 FROM EL PILAR

Romancing billfish got its ignition in 1910. And here’s how. The Grey’s (Zane and his brother Roemer) were on their way to Mexico for a fishing trip, but before arriving they learned of an epidemic there and made their way back through Cuba to Florida. On a hunch about great fishing in the Keys, they headed to Long Key, FL, via the still under construc- tion Over-the-Sea RR. The railroad extension (Miami to Key West) had made it to Long Key, which was also home of the just completed Long Key Fishing Club (LKFC). Henry Flagler had built the club hoping to entice his socially-elect rail customers into a stopover for some remark- able fishing. Serendipitously, Zane Grey and his brother vaulted the LKFC into “the” place for sports-minded gentlemen of the day to meet up in the winter months and go fishing. Zane also taught his “tweeters” (actually called the Bonefish Brigade) how to pursue new targets: bone- fish, tarpon, and sailfish, as well as other species. King mackerel was no longer the only trophy fish in town.

Zane Grey served as president of the LKFC for several years (teens and into the early 1920’s) making it and the entire Florida Keys internation- ally famous as sport fishing destination. By introducing light tackle fish- ing to the world, he also ushered in the common man to the sportfishing game.

An unheralded player in all these changes that took place at the LKFC was a guide by the name of W. D. (Bill) Hatch, a New Jersey native. In a 1925, at a LKFC sailfish tournament - the records show that Capt. Photo provided courtesy of the authors of “Fly Fishing The Florida Keys” and Hatch’s boat, Patsy, caught 113 sails while 12 other captained boats the International Game Fish Association. Photo taken in Bimini, circa 1934. caught only 106. Hatch had, by accounts of the day, figured out bait & Left: IGFA founder Michael Lerner with his lifelong friend and IGFA VP Ernest Hemingway. The angler is Helen Lerner - wife of Mike Lerner. Although not well switch - teaser. Catch records (length of sailfish) for that era in the Keys known, she was an accomplished angler and remarkable woman. indicate that the sails were quite a bit larger on average than today’s South Florida, Florida Keys and Bahamas catches. “... Then the fish came alive, with his death in him, and rose high out of the water The Long Key Fishing Club’s members included Presidents Hoover and showing all his great length and width and Franklin Roosevelt, as well as other notables of the day. The club would entertain visitors from 1910 to it’s last season in 1934. It would never all his power and his beauty. He seemed to recover from the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and the Great Depression hang in the air above the old man in the - both fast forwarded the bankruptcy of Over-the-Sea Railroad. Today, skiff. Then he fell into the water with a the track bed of the original RR is now the southbound lane of US 1 in the Keys. Numerical mile markers (MM-82) for addresses in the Keys crash that sent spray over the old man and are a RR hangover. The site of the LKFC is now a park. However, part over all of the skiff. ...” of the original Long Key land mass still lies in its watery grave in the Atlantic Ocean . . . it was the receding water, not the initial flood surge NOTE: The excerpt above is from The Old Man and the Sea. that did the most damage. The passage describes the old, Cuban fisherman Santiago’s thoughts while in the throws of killing a big marlin in Gulf Stream. By the 1930’s, Grey had set the bar so high for accomplishments and The book was written by Ernest Hemingway and published in written or interviewed for so many “how-to” fishing and bill fishing ar- 1952. The novella won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and it ticles that celebrity fisherman of the day measured themselves against likely cinched the Nobel Prize for Hemingway in 1954, as it was his feats, and all copied his innovations and techniques; including Hem- cited for particular recognition by the Nobel Academy. It was the ingway. last novel published in his lifetime. Suffering from bipolar disor- der, and in a state of deep depression, Hemingway ended his own life in ketchum, ID, on 7/2/61 .

­­14 TO STALKER

In less than 20 years, the sport of bill fishing became so popular world- wide that it played significantly into the establishment of the world fa- mous Miami Beach Rod and Reel Club, the internationally acclaimed MET Fishing Tournament (Miami), Mike Lerner’s International Game Fish Association (IGFA), and several more distant big game fishing clubs of distinction. The entire phenomena of big game fishing was an inheritance of Mr. Grey’s enthusiasm, angling skill, writing ability and unwitting promotion.

Grey, some believe, planted the seed for Hemingway’s Key West written story Old Man and the Sea. And Hemingway, in the shadow of Grey’s fishing prowess, but in the sunlight of his many books, including the Old Man and the Sea, as well as his own fishing exploits on El Pilar in Cuba and Key West, became the international poster child for big game fishing popularity among the well-heeled and self proclaimed manly of the day.

Photo provided courtesy of the authors of “Fly Fishing The Florida Keys” and the International Game Fish Association. Photo taken in Bimini, circa 1934. Left: IGFA founder Michael Lerner with his lifelong friend and IGFA VP Ernest Hemingway. The angler is Helen Lerner - wife of Mike Lerner. Although not well known, she was an accomplished angler and remarkable woman. “... Then the fish came alive, with his death in him, and rose high out of the water showing all his great length and width and all his power and his beauty. He seemed to hang in the air above the old man in the skiff. Then he fell into the water with a crash that sent spray over the old man and over all of the skiff. ...”

NOTE: The excerpt above is from The Old Man and the Sea. The passage describes the old, Cuban fisherman Santiago’s thoughts while in the throws of killing a big marlin in Gulf Stream. The book was written by Ernest Hemingway and published in 1952. The novella won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and it likely cinched the Nobel Prize for Hemingway in 1954, as it was cited for particular recognition by the Nobel Academy. It was the last novel published in his lifetime. Suffering from bipolar disor- der, and in a state of deep depression, Hemingway ended his The Stalker, ready to go! own life in ketchum, ID, on 7/2/61 . Photo courtesy of Capt. John Kipp

­­15 FROM MEGA REELS

According to Jack Samson (Billfish on a Fly), the first ever recorded billfish (sailfish) landed with a fly rod is attributed to Lee Cuddy, a for- mer member of the world famous, but now defunct Miami Rod & Reel Club. He caught a 47-pound sailfish offshore Miami in June of 1964. His feat was followed shortly thereafter by Doc Robertson, also of the Miami Rod & Reel Club, Lee Wulff, Stu Apte, Harry Kime, Lefty Kreh, Ted Williams, Billy Pate, Flip Pallot and two women; Dolores Williams and Laura Pate. The former were the respective wives of Williams and Pate. Samson never knew about the 1976 catch of a 119-pound sailfish caught in Panama’s Pinas Bay by Skip Clement.

When I questioned Mark Sosin, Master of Ceremonies at the Billfish Expo (IGFA • 2-12-11) and legendary angler about the history of sails on a fly, he said that Robinson preceeded Cuddy. Sosin said: “It was Doc Robinson aboard Capt. Lefty Reagan’s boat in Key West that caught the very first sail on a fly. Reagan raised 122 sails to just get that first sail. It was Reagan who figured out the bait n’ switch routine.”

Today, Florida waters from Stuart to Key West, and the Bahamas are the best Atlantic sailfish destinations in the world, but Guatemala, Panama, Baja and Costa Rica are still more productive, and the Pacific

model tends to be bigger than the Atlantic version. ABOVE: Zane Grey - 1930’s Bimini. At the time the photo was taken, the reel was the largest ever built, a 20.0. NOTE: The actual reel can be seen at The Zane Grey Bar - second floor of Worldwide Teasing with live or dead (fresh - scales on) balao or larger ballyhoo are Sportsman in Islamorada, FL. the favored arrows in most captains bait quivers that fish offshore using Photo courtesy of the International Game Fish Association. conventional wisdom. A chum line will also work, but like all open water angling with a chum line, as well as live bait trolling, suitors of many descriptions can and do arrive to inspect and dine. BELOW: The third marlin ever caught on a fly in Venezuela. Mate George Sawley is kneeling. Sawley photo Today, some maintain that a fly used to attract sailfish should resemble available bait or preferred bait. They say it must also be the same col- oration, with size being the most important - keeping a hot sail lit up is the idea. All at-bats come while trolling with the exception of a rare boil, which allows an angler to cast into the mix.

Sailfish are prized as a game fish - given their predilection for acrobatic leaps. When caught, sailfish usually stay near or on the surface, which adds to the angling enjoyment. Sailfish do, however, tire relatively quickly and will sound. My Panama captain of a quater century ago al- ways said: “Los primeros 10 minutos pertenecen a la vela y a los 10 minutos próximos al pescador.”(The first 10 minutes belongs to the sail and the next 10 minutes to the angler)

NOTE: Acoustic tagging and tracking experiments by offshore captains cooperating with TBF (The Billfish Foundation) and other scientific study groups suggest that a caught and then released sailfish has an ex-

­­18 TO FLY REELS

cellent survival rate. However, recapture rate is very low. Estimated at .04% worldwide - Dr. Eric Prince, U. of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.

Sailfish have been clocked at 68 MPH, so don’t be too amazed at the speed with which it leaves the scene when hooked. The last stage of the fight is critical. When the sailfish nears the boat it will get re- newed energy and one swipe with its bill and the ball game is over, especially if you’re IGFA rigged. The captain and mate will have been there, done that many times before so pay attention to instructions when it’s time to release. Follow the captains instructions, which could best be summarized as . . . get the f--- out of the way.

For some anglers of the fly fishing persuasion, talking about the re- strictive rigging policy placed on fly fishermen by the IGFA is a prob- lem similar to the elephant in the living room nobody wants to mention. The conundrum arises out of the simple fact that the IGFA is a powerful ally to all sport fishermen, and they’re also the only game in town when it comes to rules and regulations regarding record catches, which keeps the playing field even for all of us and especially those that are record oriented.

ABOVE: Sailfish, all billfish for that matter, regardless of your religious per- Zane Grey - 1930’s Bimini. At the time the photo was taken, the reel was the largest ever built, a suasion towards tackle, are one of the great catches for any fisher- 20.0. NOTE: The actual reel can be seen at The Zane Grey Bar - second floor of Worldwide Sportsman in Islamorada, FL. man with a bit of Santiago in him or her. There are only a few expert Photo courtesy of the International Game Fish Association. offshore fly fishing captains in South Florida, Florida Keys and the Bahamas. Those that are not familiar with the SAWLEY method won’t be taking you to the sailfish-on-a-fly promise land any time BELOW: soon. The sailfish gig itself is one that is made up of lots of details: The third marlin ever caught on a fly in Venezuela. Mate George Sawley is kneeling. Sawley photo along with a knowledgeable captain, you’ll have to have fastball-hit- ting timing, leg strength, ballroom dancing coordination that pairs- up with two mates that know the drill, and all three on deck must “capisca” when the captain gives instructions. The reward to most is that it’s well worth the sum of all its expensive and time consuming parts

Phil Caputo, Pulitzer Prize winner and Key West resident, de- scribed bill fishermen, marlin fishermen in particular, in terms of having a dementia he called “The Ahab Complex” in his 1988 essay by the same name. “ . . . an obsession to pursue and conquer a monster of the depths regardless of the consequences to one’s bank account, ca- reer and family life.”

NOTE: Caputo won his Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting on Chicago’s corrupt political system. He also wrote the definitive book on the Viet Nam War, A Rumor Of War.

­­19 A FASCINATION WITH bOATS, FLY FISHING ANd bILLFISH

LMR/Sawley $1,000 “THINGAMAJIG” fly rod with a TIBOR PACIFIC REEL. Sawley photo

ndy Novak, owner of one of the world’s premier big game tackle shops, LMR Tackle in Ft. Lauderdale, AFL, said: “Capt. George Sawley is one the most knowledgeable, innovative and dedicated billfish on a fly captains in the world. There are individual anglers with lots more catches and releases on a fly, but no captain has a better record of billfish teased up, caught and then released on a fly, nor better all-round tournament records - considering the number of tournaments entered. If you need to know “how-to” catch billfish on a fly, George is your man.”

The Sawley’s are a purebred Ft. Lauderdale - Florida Keys family. His grandfather was a commercial fisherman in Ft. Lauderdale, and his father was a commercial fisherman based out of Key Colony Beach (Marathon) in the Middle Florida Keys from the 1950’s to the early 1990’s. George’s affinity for the brine, diesel and fish began in the Keys in the 1970’s. By middle-school age, George was regularly skipping classes to assist his dad in his commercial fishing a business. George said: “Today, my dad would be in jail for multiple ‘Child Labor Law’ violations, but in those days it was just common place for Keys kids to be yanked out of school by their dads to work on commercial fishing vessels.”

By the age of 12, George could take his dad’s fishing vessel to fuel it up and “ice it” before heading out for a seven to ten day fishing trip. By age 13, George piloted his dad’s boat from Marathon to the Great Bahama Bank fishing grounds in the Bahamas, then back to Marathon. At 13 George was an old hand at commercial fishing, but had firmly decided that commercial fishing wasn’t for him. He wanted to work the cleaner, sleeker boats of the charter fishing fleets. Sawley said: “Folks running charter boats were a cut above the commercial fishing crowd.”

When his dad didn’t need him, George would hang around the Key Colony docks and picked up odd jobs on charter boats; becoming a second and then a first mate along the way. However, his skipping school had gotten George as a mate in the Bahamas in 1981. First white so bad that at age 15 young George had a run-in with authorities and he was sent to live with his mother in Ft. marlin on a fly. Lauderdale so he’d be forced to attend school. For the next few years George complied, but worked the around Sawley photo the docks in Ft. Lauderdale on the weekends and during school breaks in the summers. It wasn’t dating, ball- room dancing classes or Friday night football celebrations that interested George.

­­20 A FASCINATION WITH bOATS, FLY FISHING ANd bILLFISH

At 17 years of age, George graduated from high school at the top of his class, get- ting his degree in just two years. Unceremoniously, he received his equivalency diploma in the morning and was on a bus to Marathon an hour later. He had a job on a charter boat before the sun set. For the next several years, George learned the charter fishing business, and with his own skiff, the backcountry snarl of mangrove lined islands, sand bars, channels, ‘holes’, interior lagoons and er- ratic tidal currents of the Middle and nearby Keys - all the way to Everglades Na- tional Park. He often chartered during the tarpon season - specializing in night fishing.

The wholesale and retail Square Grouper business in the Florida Keys during the 70’s and early 80’s is the funny stuff of many stories. Carl Hiassen, Chip Giles, Dave Barry, James Hall and many others have made Square Groupers a part of their books, articles and columns. By the mid 1970’s, most of the Keys guides and charter captains, as well as mates, and members of the police force were dab- bling in the “square grouper” business (marijuana bundles dropped from low fly- ing planes to coordinates in the mangrove lagoons of the Keys that only a “homey’s” could negotiate into and out of), or simply turning a blind eye. How- ever, all good things come to an end. After the mass exodus of 125,000 Cubans to the U.S. from Cuba, called The Mariel Boat lift (September 21, 1979, through April of 1980), the Coast Guard and the Feds started to concentrate on both the open waters between Cuba and the Keys, and the Keys turf itself, and that im- pacted the free and easy “square grouper” business between the Bahamas (prin- LMR/Sawley $1,000 “THINGAMAJIG” fly rod with a TIBOR PACIFIC REEL. cipally) and the Florida Keys. It was no longer a sure-bet to make a few extra Sawley photo dollars selling the mollifying effects of cannabis.

Sawley’s charter-mate experiences in the Keys were with legends like Dick and Randy Roads, Capt. Bob Lowe, and Huey Hahn (captain of Piqoud). They taught Sawley the rules of the road and tricks of the trade. George said: “It was Capt. Bill Hegland, fishing the Huntress out of Hawk's Cay Marina that started my true professional career - he gave me my first ‘spot’. I worked for Bill from 1984 to 1990.”

By 1990, George knew his stuff cold, he’d proven to be a sober, smart and reliable mate, and that, even today is in great demand from the docks in Key West to Cairns, Australia. The deckhand business tends to recruit those with a penchant for one too many and/or pharmaceutically anesthetizing pills, powders and crys- tals.

Fly fishing wasn’t really on George’s radar screen until he teamed up with Harry Grey in 1990 (Grey still holds an IGFA record sail caught on a fly). Grey had de- cided to make catching billfish on the fly his personal genius. George said that fly fishing had always intrigued him, but he’d never taken the time to learn how to be proficient. With his new gig being all about fly fishing, he called a few of his Keys friends who just happened to be famous Keys fly fishing guides like Capt. George Wood and Capt. John Donnell, as well as others. Donnell said: “He (Sawley) was a natural . . . a real fast learner.”

Sawley started traveling with Grey: Costa Rica, Mexico, St. Thomas and Venezuela. Of those trips George said: “We caught a lot of blue marlin on fly and broke Billy Pate's long standing record of a 176-pound marlin on a fly. George went on to say:

George as a mate in the Bahamas in 1981. First white "We also caught the first blue marlin on fly in St. Thomas, and in marlin on a fly. Venezuela we caught only the third one ever. In Costa Rica we broke the Inter- Sawley photo national Game Fish Association (IGFA) 4-pound and 8-pound sail records. In 1991, I jumped on with Bubba Carter and caught the first Pacific blue marlin on fly out of Guanamar, Costa Rica."

­­21 BEINg FLy WItH SaILFISH: Part two INSIDE tHE CaPtaIN’S HEaD

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines lowing the sail to catch up to the bait while an When the captain spots a sail coming up on the attempt is made to bring taut the slack line. left outrigger (using that as our example), the shorter of the two, he’ll start shouting out in- The clip swings clear and is sent backward to structions that the mates below have heard starboard - out of the way. At that point, the many times before - orchestrated mayhem be- second mate would have cleared the port out- gins, especially for the teaser man and second rigger. The teaser-man, with rod tucked under mate. The Maestro, Mr. Sailfish, conducts and his arm starts what looks like a primal mating no one knows where dance. He moves he’s going or when or back and forth about what he’ll do. The It’s no more than a 20 the deck like a mayhem is an all dancer. His goal, hands on deck rapid second sonata . . . every- bring the bait in at a fire event - from speed that defies the sighting to potential one pays attention. sail’s efforts to catch hook-up takes no it, but keep it inter- more than a 20 sec- ested - close, and on onds. It’s a short, rich sonata that requires a track that’s in-line for an intercept with the everyone pay attention. In those same seconds, port stationed angler. quarts of testosterone get fuel-injected into the bodies of all the players. It’s just the way it is, If the retrieval includes skipping the bait out and it’s just that that brings anglers back to of the water, George says that the sail will think play time, time and again! it’s a flying fish, drop the baton and leave the stage. He also John Kipp photo The angler, not at all passive, stands at the said: ready position to the port with rod in one hand “If the sail loses sight for and fly in the other. He or she will have too long, it’s gone, or if it sees spooled out +/- 40-feet of fly line, which will the boat, it’s gone. Also, with include with a few feet of the running line. The that scenario in play; if there line lay coiled neatly on the deck to the angler’s are multiple baits out, the sail left - out of the way of his or her feet, and out will dart from one to the other of the way of the teaser-man’s pathway along and end up refusing to choose the transom. . . . seen that happen too many times. If you want to catch a Teaser-Man sail, keep it simple, stupid.” In one athletic motion (athleticism is a must for a teaser-man), the teaser-man pops the Captain Sawley says that a good tagline clip loose so that the bait is controlled teaser-man is worth his weight by the rod and reel that was in a holder in the in gold, especially for serious transom on the starboard side - no slack. captains and anglers, and most especially for those predilected NOTE: The tagline setup prevents a “slack” to tournament fishing. Sawley line that is so typical of the conventional out- said: rigger set up - bait sitting idle for a second - al- “The teaser-man we have Elise Johnson, one the best female billfish fly anglers in the world, lands another sail aboard Stalker

­­22 on Stalker has been with me for years . . . he’s fectly timed a Venezuelan that I taught . . . a fast learner, in a two or strong and very athletic. I even let him pre-rig three second leaders - his knot making is excellent. But as a event. The good pilot alway says, In God We Trust, but engine is put everything else we check.” in neutral be- fore the cast Bringing the is made. It Bait to the Fly should be In a normal scenario, if there is such a thing in noted that a bill fishing as normal, the bait is teased to the 36-foot boat angler. For example, and in the example pre- and a 60-foot viously noted for a right-handed angler - fish- boat taken on via the starboard outrigger, the bait is out of gear brought in across the white water backwash will have Tibor’s Pacific Reel in satin gold finish and into blue water to the port side of the tran- greatly dif- som. The captain will maneuver the boat to the fering continuum characteristics. The advan- left to accommodate the teaser-man’s efforts, tage going to the heavier boat. and to enhance his own ability to see the action unfold and direct traffic. The angler must be able to calculate that the arrival of the fly has to be juxtaposed to the NOTE: The bait is not dragged parallel to the materialization of Maestro himself - it has to transom as seen in some boating magazine be complementary. George said: sketches and copy suggest. “The angler has to be practised, able to hit a target ‘zone’ and land the fly in front of On the captain’s command, the bait gets the fish . . . Some folks still think that it’s wise yanked free, but only at a coordinate that is to send the fly passed the sail, then bring it up equal to the angler’s casting distance capabil- alongside the fish - bad idea.” ity. At his juncture, angler, captain and mates George went on to comment: are have to produce a team effort that is per- “The sail, when its eyes clear from the bubbles (pulled bait disturbance) only sees the replacement offering in front of it; the fly. If it eats, it has to be allowed to self-hook. Never strip the food away from a sail, or any billfish for that matter!”

Troll For Atlantic sails George trolls baits at 4 to 6- knots and at 7 to 9-knots for Pacific sails.

Big Boy Rods There are only two scenarios for fly fishing for sails that come up, but one is quite rare. We’ll deal with rare in a bit in Another Scenario.

The fly rods or fly rod blanks that are capable of handling a big sailfish or bill fish in general, according to George and another noteable fly angler, Nick Smith of Palm Beach, FL, are not really available from mainstream rod builders like Loomis, Sage and others. George and Nick Elise Johnson, one the best female billfish fly anglers in the world, lands another sail aboard Stalker

­­23 TAG LINE RETRIEVER: A boat for bill fishing is best when it has an outrigger that utilizes a simple tag line retriever and a breakaway clip. The latter additions costs about $35 to $40 and the combo allows the line to retreat quickly from the upper portion of the outrigger down to the teaser rod tip-top, then breakoff at 8- pound test impact and slip back out of the way. That system eliminates slack time. Conventional rig- ging automatically creates slack time when the line is popped loose. In that scenario the quary can catch the bait - and it’s game over! That slack, created by using conevntional rigging, means that the bait goes dead in the water for a few seconds - time that you can’t afford to lose. A sail can swim at up to 68MPH and it can eat up yards right now. In that lost space and time situation a sail could eat the bait or just a portion of it. It will always, at that point, be satisfied and swim off, or that slack line time simply lets the sail discover the boat. In either scenario, you lose - no hook up. And just think, for a couple of “Jackson’s” for a tag line and clip set up you’d have a shot! George said: “I won’t fish a boat that doesn’t have a tag line set-up, but if I’ve accepted an invitation to fish on a boat, and I’m not sure if the captain uses a tag line, I’ll bring my own.”

Tag line clip Left: Tag Line retiever. Clement photo

Below: Clip and rod tip-top with twine and handcuffs. Clement photos

Tag line retriever on its way down to teaser rod tip-top.

Wax twine loop to main line.

“Handcuff” (Ron Hamlin invention circa 1980), 8-pound test breakaway line. The tagline retriever and tagline clip go back to the boat - out of the way. continued on page 26

­­24 more time than neces- sary to land it, and it had to be a convertible - good for both marlin and sailfish. He and I felt the blanks from traditional sources would not work, but we had to find some- thing that a decent caster could at least lob a fly with and get around 35 or 40-feet out of it. Pro casters like Mike Conner, Steve Kantner, An- drew Derr, David Pat Ford photo Olson or Pat Ford might get 50 or 60- both have fished with fly rods for billfish for feet of line out in perfect conditions, but the over 15 years, accounting collectively for over average ‘Joe’ is probably going to max out at 11,000 billfish fly caught. Nick, as a yacht around 40-feet in good seas owner with a fly fishing for billfish frame of and fair winds, but much less mind, has been in the game since the early than that in rough seas and a 1990’s, but priorly, he’d been catching billfish “ . . . an obsession to sheet-flapping blow.” on conventional tackle for at least four decades. pursue and conquer a Casting the 2 X 4 When an angler becomes the fly NOTE: Nick Smith caught 663 billfish on a fly monster of the depths angler on a Sawley captained in 93 days in 2006. boat, he or she will have mas- regardless of the conse- tered the art of quick calculat- George’s perspective comes from that of a ing, which means having an mate, teaser-man, tournament angler and cap- quences to one’s bank ability to match and time the tain. He’s been in the fly fish for billfish game cast with the appearance of the since 1990 and catching billfish on conven- account, career and Maestro - easier said than done. tional tackle since boyhood days in the Keys. family life.” The first move on the board is George, sometime ago, settled on a Calstar for the angler to feed out about Rods (Leon Todd - Southern CA) #20 casting +/- 20-feet of line, mend it so that if more line rod blank. Nick settled on Biscayne Rods’ 17 were let out, the fly would intersect with the WT (Biscayne Rod, Miami, FL, has been “guessed” at track of the sail’s. owned by the Carman family since 1948). When the captain says to the teaser-man, pull George, after considerable research, frustra- the bait, the boat is put in neutral as per IGFA tion with rod companies and contracting a rules of engagement. The angler uses the ten- mild case of manic decided to go to an old and sion of the line in the water to haul the line in trusted friend, Andy Novak, proprietor of LMR and then double-haul cast. The angler has to Tackle in Fort lauderdale, FL. Andy said: keep the line that’s in the water taught. No “George wanted a fly rod with lift and belly in the line or slack, and that might mean turn power. He didn’t want his anglers burning taking in some line before the cast. If all goes up a fish - have it sound and die because their as planned, it’s like watching a well choreo- stick couldn’t fight the fight, or simply take

­­26 graphed dance scene in a Broadway play, and with billfish in general, you need a really high- it all happens in a second! When the bubbles end reel . . . a drag system that won’t freeze.” clear the sail finds only the fly - the chances of George went on to say: a hook-up are really very good. George’s an- “It’s OK to have a harness - who wants glers (quality anglers) usually bat better than to have the rod butt stabbing them in the gut .750. Interestingly enough, Captain William for a week - it’s not a macho thing, it’s just Hatch’s updated version of his 1920’s bait n’ being smart.” switch discovery gets played out to perfection - some 90 years later. A sail, like all fish, won’t follow roadway signs when they’re hooked, they go where they want The Take to go and that’s never a straight line. Playing The angler wants the sail to eat the fly and the sail is also very much about the captain have the leader and line coming straight back who also does not drive in a straight line ei- to the rod - not looped over its bill or coming ther, more like a NASCAR driver who makes from the far side. The drag on the reel is set at turns for a living . . . it’s the easiest way to stay no more than 2-pounds (usually for a sail at 1- close to the sail. pound), almost in free spool George says. The angler (right-handed for the example we’re When the fish gets tired and the mate makes using) keeps the rod pointed over the port an attempt at a leader grab (after the leader gunnel, parallel to the water and perpendicu- has passed through the tip-top guide - quali- lar to the boat. Sawley said: fies as a legitimate catch in “observed” tourna- “The fish is not going to run ments), the fish will get re-energized because as if it was on an interstate - it will see the boat and the mate’s activity. “ . . . an obsession to it’ll be all over the place. I have Look for the fish to make a rocket-like bound- to see the flyline. If it bellies ing run, or start making close-in, frantic leaps. pursue and conquer a behind the boat because the At this point in the match, the angler has to sail stalled or because it does concentrate on keeping the leader on the near monster of the depths something unusual. I need side and away from contact with the bill. avoid running over it and los- George says a skilled mate and captain team regardless of the conse- ing the fish.” will greatly assist the angler in accomplishing the latter. quences to one’s bank Playing the Fish A good set of gloves - finger The last stop is photo-op and quick release. account, career and gloves at least are a must - The survival rate is measured as excellent by you’re going to have your the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmos- family life.” palm on the reel and fingers pheric Sciences at the University of Miami. on the line during the engage- ment with albicans (Pacific Another Scenario model) or platypterus (Atlantic Occasionally, and mostly in remote model). George, and all the locations of the Pacific and the In- knowledgeably billfish on a dian Ocean, sails will gather to fly captains are not into “hors- herd prey, driving them to the sur- ing” a sail. George said: face and into a tight ball by using “If the sail wants to run, their collective and extended let it, but that doesn’t mean you sails to build a “wall.” The sails can’t be in-charge. When the then take turns rocketing fish begins to yield, you’ve got to through the balled bait. Anglers have a stick that can turn and lift can cast into this “boil” and do a fish - keep the pressure on, and nicely on hook-ups. But in this hopefully the fly and leader in the situation, a good casting rod is right place - on your side. Also, an essential arrow in the quiver. A 4o-foot

­­27 BAITS Baits not properly sewn will break apart being trolled or from the slightest presssure of a bill. Again, even a small portion eaten by a sail will satisfy it as having accomplished intent, and it will swim off. Also, if the bait is in poor condition, no scales for example, it will lessen the in- ducement to bite. By using poor quality baits, you could lose the game before you take the field. Use 20-pound mono to tie baits.

Right: Splittail mullet

Below: Sewing ballyhoo

Below Right: “Almost Real” Joe Kononchik’s Ballyhoo and Baitfish Flies

Clement photos

­­28 lob cast with a 2 X 4 will do nothing more than blow up the fishing - you got too close. In a bait boil, Nick Smith says he uses his SAGE RPLX 14 weight. He said: “I can cast a line with that stick out to where I can feed a willing sail, and not blow- up the boil.”

Leaders and Fly Lines Offshore fly fishing leaders and fly lines, as everyone knows, are always shorter than nearshore, flats and backcountry leaders. There aren’t any scenarios in which a leader of over 7-feet is a good employment prospect in the bill fishing game.

Sawley photo George insists leaders be rigged on Stalker according to the rules set forth by the Inter- national Game Fish Association (IGFA) - no Armed and ready; a Pacific Tibor at rest aboard the Stalker exceptions. George said: “If you’re not abiding by the IGFA rules, hooks, they’ll produce a quicker, deeper hook you’re not even fishing. Does it make sense for ups than larger 6/0 hooks . . . short shank one baseball team to have six strikes and an- hooks are better than long shank.” other three? Are they both playing baseball?”

Connections George went on to comment: A +/- 4-foot long piece of 40-pound test serves “Years ago, I had a chance to fish a a the butt section. A friend’s boat who surgeons loop to the only used Joe fly line nail knot to a “I Don’t fish light flies Kononchik’s flies. 100 turn Bimini I’d never seen them twist using a perfec- that sit on top of the before and he tion loop. Note, wouldn’t tell me midway in the Bi- water.” where he got them, mini, George ties or who tied them. double overhand The flies turned out knot to keep he double line of the Bimini from to be a “Fatal Attraction” for both sailfish and opening up. marlins on that trip. I was impressed. I’d known only Cam Sigler’s innovative popper Both ends of the class tippet are 100 turn Bi- flies and Moldcraft’s lures. George said: mini twists, the shock is connected to the class “Some months later, my “‘don’t tell’” tippet Bimini with a Hufnagel. The two hooks friend came up short - his boat was dry dock in the shock tippet are snelled at 5 1/2-inches and he needed a boat to fish a tournament. I apart (6-inches is allowed by the IGFA). saw my chance and took it. I told him I’d fish him, but he had to reveal where he got the ir- Flies and Hooks refusable flies. A deal was struck, and Joe’s With tournament game face on, George prefers been supplying me with flies ever since and 4/0 X 4/0 hooks with Kononchik tube flies (6” that was a long, long time ago.” George went and 8”), stating: on to reflect: “Although a skilled angler is required to “I stopped using Cam’s (Sigler) lighter have more finess when fishing 4/0 X 4/0 flies because too many times a billfish will lit-

­­29 erally blow it away or it’ll get looped around Reels: the bill - exposing the class tippet - it’s too If you’ve decided to go fly fishing for billfish, light. Billfish, when they open their V shaped and you’re first move was to save money on a mouth, push a huge amount of water in front reel, sorry Charlie, you’re profligacy will cost of it - easily blowing away light, on top of the you, sooner then later. Capt. Sawley has been water flies. Joe’s flies have a lead lip, and they round and round with reels for a few decades stay ‘in’ the water - greatly aiding an angler’s and he’s settled on two favorites; Tibor’s and chance of a hook up. Granted, Joe’s heavy flies Nautilus’ with a couple of others in his “Fab are more difficult to cast, but with sails, we’re Five” list. About reels George said: only talking 30 or 40-feet.” “When it comes to reels, I just can’t tol- erate a breakdown during the ballgame. It’s rough going for reels when you’re concentrat- ing on billfish, especially in the saltier climes of the Pacific, and most espe- cially for drag systems. Although I’m a stickler for details as that relates to gear, I can’t halt the tax that salt and heavy use put on a reel or the banging around and dropsy accidents that hap- pen onboard . . . I’m often a few thousand miles from any reli- able postal service . . . s0 what good does a warranty do me?

Capt. Joe Kononchik, master fly tyer holding a billfish “filet mignon.” Clement photo

Capt. George Sawley holding court after his presentaion at the IGFA BILLFISH EXPO on fly fishing for billfish -February 12, 2011. Capt. Skip Smith, Presenter, is in the immediate background and behind him, the inimitable Mark Sosin, Master of Ceremonies.

Fly Line & Backing George said: George says he stays in constant contact with all of “Contrary to many who fly fish for billfish, I the big game fly fishing-bill fishing captains and an- use a short, heavy RIO dredger fly line of no more glers from around the world. He said: than 30-feet attached to 900 to 1,200-feet of 30- “We pretty much share info about product per- pound test Spectra Power Pro braided line.” George formance . . . we’re willing to test new stuff out when went on to say: that leisure time opportunity presents itself. How- “There are other products out there that would ever, when there’s a tournament or a wee wager work, but I’ve found Power Pro to perform as adver- made at port, the sharing of new and better informa- tised, and RIO lines and leader materials to be quite tion might have to wait a bit.” reliable with regard to consistency, meeting adver- tised break strength and endurance.” “If you’re not abidding by the IGFA rules, then you’re not even fishing.”

­­31 DRAGGING THE LINE FOR SNAPPERS AND GROUPERS

Depth Without Guilt By Steve Kantner

­­36 ’d caught snappers on DRAGGING THE LINE FOR flies before. The same SNAPPERS AND GROUPERS Igoes for groupers and other known bottom feed- Depth Without Guilt ers. Yet while the proverbial By Steve Kantner blind squirrel can find the occasional nut, he’s not likely to do it on a regular basis. Most of the time, I was blind-casting, although I vaguely remember once working the mangroves. What, exactly, was I doing at the time? Why, fly fishing for mangrove snappers.

NOTE: All of the photos in this article are world record catches caught by Marty Arostequi in Marathon, FL. In all instances, Marty used Tibor Reels with Scientific An- glers-Slow Sinking Clear fly line. The fly used in all in- stances were pilchard imitation Clouser’s tied with white and grey buck tail. Also, the guide in all instances was Capt. Chris Morrison, Marathon, FL.

Fly Life staff member Marty Arostequi has the most IGFA world records ever held by one person (over 400).

LEFT: World record red grouper 3LB - 6LB tippet (12/20/2007).

Arostegui Photo

­­37 I’d catch a few bottom dwellers on floating That expert was Miamian, Chico Fernandez. lines and, occasionally, on intermediates. I Despite his love affair with fishing the flats, had nothing against the faster-sinking mod- he and friend, Norman Duncan decided to els. However, I’d never taken time to “drop catch a “true” red snapper – in Chico’s case, the bomb” until several offshore trips really on fly. That was back in the 1970’s, when the opened my eyes. It eventually caused me to two made plans to rendezvous with a Cape change my thinking - after experiencing the Canaveral commercial fisherman in hopes of thrills and aching shoulders that were part outwitting the fish of their dreams. of this shadowy world. I had to admit that a whole new dimension lay hidden beneath The arrangement paid-off. The commercial the waves. And there was only one way to get fisherman guided them to an offshore loca- there. tion where ac- cording to Chico, Most fishermen will they landed sev- agree that, up until eral big reds right recently, snappers off the bat. But and groupers . . . a whole new di- those fish were weren’t main- caught on plug stream fare. Not for tackle. However, anglers who are ad- mension lay hid- Chico remembers dicted to flies. Has drifting in 80 feet it something to do den beneath the of water, and how with the unseen de- the snappers liveries that in- began stacking-up evitably take place waves. under Duncan’s in the ocean’s skiff. That’s when depths? Or the nag- he switched to fly ging suspicion that gear – including a so-called “dredging” violates our sport’s in- reel spooled with an old-style Scientific An- trinsics? glers Hi-Speed Hi-D line – along with a hefty streamer. Doesn’t history remind us that the London Flyfishers tried to blackball G.E.M. Skues for The line made it down, and so did the fly. corrupting the River Test by bribing its trout Not long afterwards, a fish attacked and the with soggy wet flies? Meanwhile, who could battle was joined in earnest. The pay-off resist such forbidden fruit? came some time later when Chico lifted his- tory’s first ever fly-caught red snapper. How- Fishing deep is deliciously heretical. Partly, ever, the catch, which weighed just over12 I suppose, because it’s highly-effective, while pounds, never made it into the record books. it flies in the face of established tradition. Perhaps another reason why purists abhor it Back then, no one kept snapper records – is the simplicity of fishing beneath the bil- not for fish caught on flies. Although Chico’s lows. Or maybe they don’t know how? In the catch was considered a milestone, pundits halcyon days of woven silk lines, we had dismissed it as being unconventional. dress them to make them float. Isn’t that just Meanwhile, a growing chorus of modern fly like today’s slow-sinkers? (Silk lines are still fishers began insisting that conventions be available from a source in England). Even- damned. tually an expert took the plunge (so-to- speak).

­­38 World record gag grouper 5LB - 6LB tippet 12/10/07.

Arostegui Photo

I agree whole-heartedly with the enlightened early 1980’s when we switched to using tung- attitude. There’s more than one dimension sten.” to all types of fishing, and I’m living proof I asked him to elaborate. that when first-timers score – say, with “It started-out with tournament casters. snappers and groupers in fairly-deep water As I recall, (many-times world fly casting – we end-up spreading the resource. Both champion) Steve Rajeff asked us to build an snappers and groupers are a handful, one extremely-thin, high-density line for use in that’s approachable primarily through mod- competition. We did, and since then, we’ve ern technology - one of sinking lines. dominated the distance events.” How far has that plummet progressed? Since both families tend to hug the bottom, “Tungsten gets down fast. We currently your fly has to make it down. So when I orig- manufacture sinking lines in five different inally wrote this article, I spoke with Bruce densities, not counting our intermediate Richards, then-Product Development Engi- model, which is actually a slow-sinker. Our neer at Scientific Anglers, who offered some fastest-sinking model to date has a sink-rate historical perspective. In Richards’ words: of 10 inches per second.” “We’ve made sinking lines since 1961. Now, go hang that on the bottom: But We impregnated the originals with pow- when Bruce continued, he raised a point: dered lead. At the time, we produced several “We’ve had anglers hook tarpon 100 versions - each with different sink-rates. feet down. But when they hook a fish that far However, the renaissance took place in the down, they have a lot of trouble moving it.”

­­39 I understood, while recognizing a familiar lament. In Bruce’s words: “I was fishing out of Key West with Captain Jose Wejebe, when a monster grouper grabbed an amberjack I was fighting. I didn’t want the grouper to get the fish, so I gave it all I had” Something rang a bell. “I ended-up fighting the grouper for 15 minutes before it finally let go. When I landed the jack, which must have weighed 30 pounds, it was pretty beaten-up. I tried to release it, but you can guess what happened.”

­­40 It’s a fact that groupers have attitudes, which I learned first-hand under similar circum- stances. I was explaining to Key West guide, Capt. Ralph Delph that an amberjack I’d hooked must have made it back to the wreck. That’s when Delph said that there was no wreck.

I was rigged with a heavy tippet, but this Go- liath didn’t care. Delph had watched the at- tack on his depth recorder. By the time I broke this monster off, it was halfway to Is- tanbul.

Incidentally, Ralph Delph and certain other Key West captains are among the world’s leading experts, when it comes to catching snapper and grouper on light tackle. Over sev- eral decades, Delph has led his customers to an astonishing number of IGFA World Records. Eclipsing his encyclopedic knowl- edge of light-tackle techniques is a secret log that contains practically every worthwhile Loran and GPS coordinate within striking dis- tance of Key West.

Striking distance is a relative term. One day when Marty Arostegui (who knows a few things about light tackle) and I were fishing with Delph, Ralph made a last-minute deci- sion to go after the IGFA’s newly-opened red and gag grouper categories.

Good call. Marty was rigged with 20-pound class tippet while I, who had never done this type of fishing before, opted for 16-pound class. We endured an hour-and-a half run at full-throttle speed before ever wetting a line. However, when we did, it was worth every bounce.

Arostegui Photo We jumped between locations, while follow- World record grey snapper 2LB, 4OZ - 12LB tippet 11/14/08. ing the tide, and quit each time when the ac- tion slowed. In the end, we landed two species of snapper and three of grouper. Three of these fish later qualified as World Records.

Personally, I’m not an “awards” kind of guy. However, anyone familiar with the process should recognize that the International Game

­­41 Fish Association is paying closer attention to refuse to oblige. It goes without saying that both snappers and groupers. Several cate- a depth recorder is essential, as is the proper gories have opened-up - in both the fly and fly line. general divisions, including red and gag grouper, as well as mangrove and yellowtail As for my choice of fly lines: I’d say a number snapper. 11 or 12 super-fast sinking head (say, 550 grains), matched with an intermediate run- Take heart, you prospective dredgers. I say ning line. It gets the fly down, without snag- that because more of you are turning to ging the running line. For the ultimate Florida’s reefs. We’re literally surrounded by set-up, whip a loop at one end of a 100-foot snappers and groupers, but you have to head spool of running line before repeating the offshore to find the best fishing. The most- process with several different 30-foot sink- effective strategy consists of anchoring over ing shooting heads. This creates an inter- productive bottom before casting up-current changeable system that’s capable of handling and allowing your line and fly to sink. most situations. That’s the way Marty Arostegui does it, and he has more records Part of the drill involves getting down with- than anyone. out hanging-up, which means carefully con- trolling your running line. Reef fish respond Where to pursue snappers with a fly rod? to chum, which brings them closer to the You’ll find mangroves in the shallows, espe- surface. However, an astute fly fisherman cially around patch reefs, wrecks, and other takes the mountain to Mohammet if the fish obstructions. But they stray into deep water,

World record red grouper 1LB, 4OZ - 2LB tippet 1/6/09.

World record red grouper 3LB, 8OZ - 4 lb. tippet 1/6/09.

Arostegui Photo Arostegui Photo

Arostegui Photo World record red grouper 3LB, 8OZ - 4 lb. tippet 1/6/09.

as well. Conversely, yellowtails prefer depths low Gulf wrecks where gags tend to congre- ranging from 30 to 50 feet, although it’s not gate during winter cold snaps. unusual to find them in as little as 20. The massive Goliath is an inshore species ‘Tails are a mid-water species that school in that, after being harvested to the brink of ex- the vicinity of coral heads. They require good tinction, seems to be making a comeback. water quality and are more-common during Even these big boys take a fly, as evinced by the summer months. If you’re interested in Bart Foth’s massive 356 pounder taken in tangling with muttons or true reds, look for Florida Bay back in 1967. Since parts of this them over the outer reefs in depths ranging article were originally published, I hooked from 50 to 100 feet, especially in areas that three Goliaths one day that weighed any- are heavily-fished. where from 60 to around 120 pounds.

Few experts argue that the best grouper fish- I could have dragged the biggest one into the ing takes place between 30 and 60 feet. That boat, which would have been my first on fly. takes into account the limitations of fly We were fishing in 17 feet of water, and all tackle, while disregarding a few geographical three were following others that we’d hooked exceptions. Take for example, certain shal- accidentally. Meanwhile, Goliath fishing is

­­43 catch-and-release, and that’s all I’m going to shallower water, if it’s a viable. say about it. While reef species tend to increase in abun- dance the further you head offshore, there’s Of course, fly-caught groupers are nothing a hypothetical point beyond which fly fishing new. Capt. John Donnell and I hooked our becomes impractical, due to the depth of the share in North Lake Worth more than 20 water. But a run to deep water isn’t always years ago. We’d be drifting the flats near necessary. Munion Island when a “football” would grab our streamers. In those days, we relied on Take the Bahamas, where limited pollution, floating lines. Although we were unable to plenty of fish, and an overall lack of fishing make a positive ID, we decided to release pressure are responsible for an enviable these fish unharmed. Call it Political Cor- shallow water habitat. Before attempting to rectness ahead of its time. fish in Bahamian waters, be sure to check-in with Customs. And purchase a Bahamian I recall certain other catches, like a man- Fishing Permit. I saw another example of a grove snapper at Coral Cove Park, just north pristine environment in the waters around of Jupiter Inlet. I was casting a fly in the surf Key West. for snook. Ralph Delph chums yellowtails to within As far as fly patterns for snapper and inches of the surface. A patch reef was visible grouper, the most-successful imitate bait- when I watched him do it, but you’d need a fish. That’s especially true offshore. Of Coast Guard search plane in order to find it. course, it helps to choose ones that are Or us for that matter. I was rigged with an weighted. Of the various pattern I’m familiar epoxy Surf Dart, but those ‘tails would have with, none is more effective - or easier to tie gobbled a French fry. Like I believed in the - than an ordinary white Clouser Minnow. beginning, you needn’t always go deep.

Whenever I fish with Lefty Kreh, he wants to On a similar note, Marty Arostegui recently add to his “Clouser List.” At the time I orig- started fishing with Capt. Chris Morrison of inally wrote this article, he’d totally nearly Marathon, Florida. Morrison – who’s an ex- 90 species on this popular pattern - one pert at locating shallow water snapper and which he helped Bob Clouser develop. grouper – has already led Arostegui to a Clousers are ideal for snappers and number of fly rod World Records. The pho- groupers. As a footnote to fishing for snap- tos accompanying this article are of fish that pers, Lefty refers to the Nieu Guinea Bass (a were caught while the two fished together. Pacific estuarine snapper) as “the toughest fish that swims.” So are deep lines the wave of the future? It’s a possibility - with limited water to go While a fly’s ability to sink is important, just around – and fly fishermen are bound to ad- how far depends on several factors, includ- dress it. In the meantime, Bruce Richards ing current, water depth, and how deep the referred to these marvels as “fly fishing’s fish are holding. Tide enters into the equa- biggest frontier.” Ask anyone who’s ever tion, and it’s directly related to the phase of tried one, and I think they’ll probably agree. the moon (a full or new moon create stronger “spring” tides).

So learn to rely on your depth recorder, as well as on any applicable tide tables. And don’t forget that too much current can make bottom-fishing with flies impossible. Sug- gested solutions include fishing slack tide, or

­­45 SKINS: FaSter thaN a SpeedINg bullet More powerFul thaN a locoMotIve

By Skip Clement

When I started work- wallets and actually buying something. But in all ing at The Fly Shop of honesty, not too many fly fishermen I talked to Fort Lauderdale, FL, wanted to spend an extra $40 or $50 to “tryout” a Scientific Anglers’ new flyline. Sharkskin Fly Lines had only racked up a Never one to take ‘your’ word for it, I finally (six year of highway miles months of mulling with my female side) set out to on its intro-road tour. assuage seven decades of compulsive curiosity. After The reviews, some- acquiring a 9WT and an 11WT Sharkskin, I set out times sageless opines, on a three month voyage to prove that “Skins” don’t were helter skelter. The tepid-footed trout lads bark- work, or at least have fatal flaws in one circumstance ing loudly about the zinging in and out “noise” being or more. Locally, I plied the surf near Jupiter Inlet, a threat to all things held sacred and scaring the Hell FL, for some snook. I also hit the Tamiami Trail a out of clean shaven trouts. On the pickup truck side, few times, which is Florida’s southernmost state the more hardy and unshaven Billy-Bob saltwater road that connects Miami to the west coast of boys claimed the “Skins” lines were sawing off digits. Florida. It has borders with Everglades National The blogs (a sometimes Park and Big Cypress Pre- ridiculous service to serve. The “Trail,” as it’s mankind) are still pouring in No one could possibly say colloquially called, can at and as you’d expect some are any given time produce 30- good and some bad, but that the Sharkskin fly pound tarpon and 8-pound many are Christine O’Don- lines can’t cast further, snook. I also fished the nell-like ridiculous. How- local canals in Broward and ever, the volume is still more accurately and with Palm Beach counties which turned way up, but so are hold largemouth bass and Scientific’s Sharkskin sales, less physical effort than peacock bass, as well as tar- as well as their introduction pon, snook and unwanted of new generations of sibling any conventional flyline . . exotics. Then it was off- ‘Skins’ - so much for negative shore Montauk, Long Is- bloggery. land, NYE, for stripers, albies and blues with $100 writer, author, musician The $100 a coil, it turns out, initiated the negativity. and fly fishing pro Capt. Andrew Derr, and lastly, an That said, I learned from my mentor-bosses David unexpected chance at a free, short weekend in the Olson and Rick Derrer, respectively Managing Part- Bahamas (fishing in four hours - door to door - from ner and senior partner of The Fly Shop of Fort Laud- Ft. Lauderdale is possible) for some bones. I stayed erdale and The Fly Shop of Miami that the shopper with the Skins all the way - waiting for Sharkskin fly fisherman is prone to call-forth his feminine side ‘tilt’. when it comes price point reactions, taking out their

­­46 played out to perfection by giving me quick pick-ups In My Opinion and the advantage of quick recasts to the always up Here’s my take on the “Skins” lines: No one could and down baits and following stripers, albies and possibly say that the Sharkskin fly lines can’t cast blues. Fast is the name of the game on Montauk! I further, more accurately and with less physical effort was far more productive than Capt. Derr’s other than any conventional flyline - doesn’t matter what client who chose a conventional fly line. All my in- your skill level is. Frankly, it’s the best casting fly line termediate trips to the Tamiami Trail, local canals ever invented - it casts like a dream. In real-time added to my liking of the Sharkskin line. Convinc- conditions I can count on an additional 15-20-feet ingly, it was the don’t poop-out factor, longer casts, with my casts; it’s always windy off Montauk and it’s easy pick-ups and more accurate casts. always blowing 15 or 20 in Florida. But here’s the real joy, especially if your an old bird: pick up off the Incontrovertible: water is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. It’s ef- I guess the real test came with my Bahamas leg fish- fortless with 50 to 60-feet of line out in chop and a ing for bones. Without the stiff breeze; es no problema. That’s because the line slightest hesitation I can say sits much “higher” on the water than any conven- that there’s absolutely no tional line. truth to the “noise” factor being negative with Shark- Stop Whining, sissy! skin lines when bone fish- Will it cut or burn your fin- ing. My one and a half gers? You bet! It will cut the days of Bahamas bone ‘s---’ out of you fingers going fishing was a catch and in or out, more so than any release tally I’ve never conventional line so pay at- before experienced - tention. However, a realty my best ever! How- check is needed. Any line that’s ever, I’d rack that up running through the guides at to a flyline that is wahoo speed will cut or at least easy in and easy burn the Hell out of your fingers. out, increased dis- “Skins” are not as bad as Gel-spun, tance, improved which can get down to the bone in accuracy, light as a nano-second, and you’d never feel a feather pick- it until too late. I saw that happen ups, and my once - not pretty at all - blood every- ameliorated where. It looked liked we’d gaffed a e n d u r a n c e . tuna. Also, “Skins” do whistle through Sharkskin Fly Lines the guides coming and going because also are less line tangling prone, the surface is micro textured - dimpled a great feature when on a flats boat deck. like a golf ball. Tech Speak As “Skins” relate to my fishing the surf, offshore, Del Kaus, New Product Development Department at local canals and waterways, and sight fishing the 3M's Sports and Recreation Division said: flats, the highly audible sound of whistling out “Micro Replication technology, originally de- through the guides is a realty - get used to it. Making veloped for applications on other 3M products, was noise on the retrieve, which I assume is also ‘noisy’, purposely chosen for fly line application. Essentially, did not seem to effect my fish catching equations at microreplication involved copying Mother Nature as all. I had no trouble in the surf, but the ability to cast it relates to lotus leaves and spiders - eliminate sur- further and get easy pick-ups was a feature that was face tension by sitting higher on the water - literally a tremendous advantage as that relates to the num- walk on water. The Sharkskin line was the first ap- ber of effective casts made and my endurance. On plication of microreplication and it took almost three my Long Island trip with Capt. Derr, the Sharkskin years to figure out how to apply it uniformly to such

­­47 a small diameter. The surface of a Sharkskin line uses a diamond pat- If being “. . . able to leap tall buildings in a single tern, which is the reason it can cut you,” Del went on bound” appeals to you, then make the upgrade to to say: ‘Skins’ ASAP; I can promise you that you’ll be glad “Over the last few years, our sales, rep and tech you came up with an extra $40. guys have talked to professional guides from Alaska to Key West and they unanimously agree that their CONTACT: not so qualified fly fishing clients get at least 15-feet Call or visit your local fly shop. or more out their casts with Sharkskin lines com- pared to any conventional fly lines. And that, they say, makes the difference between frustrating and catching.” 3M lab microscopic view of a Sharkskin line’s diamond Micro Replication pattern. When asked why there’s such a lack of surface ten- sion on pickups off the water when using Sharkskin, Del replied: “The diamond pattern on Sharkskin lines, in order to replicate the lotus leaves and spider effect of waking on water, is found in the ‘Angle of Contact.’ The Sharkskin pattern creates an angle measure- ment of 130 (a scale measurement used by 3M labs which is not related to degree of angle). Conven- tional fly lines test at about 90.”

I asked about the new Mastery Flylines that promote Dimpled Texture in their lines. Del explained: “The Mastery series of dimpled lines is a by- product of the diamond pattern technology, but has a less dramatic contact angle, which is 100, but that still produces the signature benefit of casting further, easy pickup, less angler fatigue and less line tangling. And it is much less abrasive than Sharkskin.”

Technically summarizing, Del said: “Both the Skins and Mastery lines have the overall effect of dimpling on a golf ball - a radical modification of typically smooth-surfaced fly lines. The micro textured surface traps air to provide su- perior shootability and floatation while eliminating line flash and greatly reducing line pick up friction.”

Del said that all of this comes with the added benefit of increased durability - my lines are now two years old, fished a lot - no change planned in the near fu- ture.

Sharkskin lines are easier to mend, roll cast, and make effortless line pick-ups with less water spray. The floating lines in this series also feature 3M's pro- prietary AST and Dry Tip technologies.

­­48 How FisH Use sigHt and soUnd

bY AARON ADAMS, PHD

Many anglers make assumptions about what of these colors is red, orange, yellow, green, fish see and hear, and many of these as- blue, indigo, and violet, plus all of the small sumptions are wrong. I’ve been told, for ex- transitions in between. Beyond either end of ample, in no uncertain terms, that fish can’t the visible spectrum are wavelengths of light see color. This is not true. For every species that we are unable to see – infra-red on the of fish tested of which I am aware, each one outer end of the red end of the light spec- can see colors. But different species of fish trum, and ultraviolet past the violet end of often see different portions of the light spec- the spectrum. Each of these colors has dif- trum, and some fish can see portions of the ferent wavelengths, which means they inter- light spectrum that we can not, such as ultra- act differently with the material through violet wavelengths of light. Therefore, know- which they are passing. The color with the ing what colors can be seen by your favorite longest wavelength is red, and wavelengths gamefish is important for designing and se- become shorter toward the violet end of the lecting flies and lures.

Similarly, since fish don’t have external ears, Many anglers make as- many people think they can’t hear. This is also not true. Sound travels very well in sumptions about what water, so hearing is very important for fishes, fish see and hear, and both to find prey and to avoid predators. Understanding how fish detect sound, and many of these asump- how sound travels through water can also be useful in creation and selection of flies, as tions are wrong. well as for strategizing how flies are fished under different conditions. spectrum.

Although there has been no research on vi- Wavelength matters because, in general, the sion and hearing abilities of bonefish, tar- longer the wavelength, the faster the light is pon, or permit, we can use what we know absorbed in water. But what is in the water about fish vision and hearing to help with also influences the behavior of light. how we approach fishing for these rock stars of the flats. In clear, open ocean water, and to a lesser ex- tent on tropical flats, the color red is no Basics of Light in Water longer visible deeper than about 20’. Orange Visible light (the portion of the light spec- and yellow are lost soon after. By the time a trum that we are able to see) is composed of depth of 30 feet is reached, blue and violet many different colors. The general makeup are pretty much the only colors left. In deep

­­70 tHe sCienCe oF angLing water, everything takes on shades of gray bonefish flat. Often, water that seems to be and black. gin clear from the surface is not so when viewed from below. This is because the light The behavior of light differs, however, in that enters the water reflects off suspended coastal and estuarine waters. Many coastal particles, scattering light in all directions. waters contain a lot of plankton, which ab- This results in decreased horizontal visibil- sorbs short wavelength light (such as blue), ity. So although you might be able to see a and longer wavelengths are absorbed by the fish clearly from above, the fish might not water. This leaves green as the dominant have as good a view of your fly as you think. color remaining in coastal waters because it penetrates to the greatest depth. In coastal The scattering of light presents even more of waters with a lot of suspended particles, es- a challenge in murky or muddy water. There tuaries for example, green is also absorbed are so many particles in the water that light and scattered, which leaves red, orange, and is reflected in all directions, making visibility yellow as dominant remaining light wave- very difficult. To get a better grasp of this, lengths, at least as far as they can penetrate think about driving trough a fog bank at into the water. night. You can see more with your low beam headlights on because less light is being scat- These patterns of color attenuation also tered through the fog than when you have occur horizontally. So even if a red fly is the high beams on. within a foot of the surface, where red is still a visible color, a fish that is 20 feet or more Dark objects tend to show up best in murky away from the fly won’t see the color red. water conditions because they provide the This is because light is attenuated when it maximum contrast against the otherwise passes through water whether in a vertical or murky, backlit background against which a horizontal direction. A little further away light colored object won’t stand out. This is and orange won’t show up, and so on. This is a major reason that black flies and lures are a big consideration when choosing colors for productive in murky water. flies – how far away will the fish be when you make your fly presentation? As light hits the water surface, some is re- flected back into the air, and some enters the Light is also lost over distance (attenuated) water. The amount of light that enters the by scattering and absorption by objects. For water tends to be greater on days with waves example, some light is reflected by particles than days that are flat calm. This may seem that are suspended in the water. This re- counterintuitive – after all, days with waves duces the amount of light that continues to or chop can produce a lot of glare that is pass through the water, so reduces the inten- tough for an angler to see through. But the sity of the light at greater depth. Other light glare the angler experiences has more to do is absorbed by objects, such as rocks, and the with the angle at which the light hits the light is converted into heat. Light is also ab- water in relation to the angler than it does sorbed by plankton, which uses it for photo- with how much light is entering the water. synthesis. And still more light is absorbed by the water, which once again is converted to When light enters the water, it is refracted heat. At one extreme, in murky, plankton- (in a sense, it is bent). This is because air and filled coastal waters, light doesn’t penetrate water are different densities, so light travels very far. At the other extreme, in tropical faster in air than in water. When the angle of oceans light penetrates for hundreds of feet. the water surface changes in relation to in- coming light, such as on a wavy water sur- The scattering of light by particles is an im- face, the relative angles that the light are portant concept to understand, even when refracted change, which creates the undulat- fishing apparently crystal clear waters of a ing motion of light and shadow underwater.

­­71 The amount of light play underwater can have an influence on how well objects, such as flies and lures, are seen by fish. In gen- eral, I think that on days with wave action it is harder for fish to see small objects – they can become lost in the mix of light and shadow that results from the refraction of light through the mul- tiple angles of the water surface. So on days with wave action, try using larger flies or lures. In contrast, on calm days when there is less underwater light play because the light is being refracted at mostly the same angle, small flies and lures may be more appro- priate.

Basics of Sound in Water Sound is more important in water than most anglers realize. The densities of water and air are too different for most sound to travel from one to the other, so anglers on a boat or wading are oblivious to most of the noise that exists below the water surface. Similarly, fish are generally unaware of sound traveling through the air above them.

A sound wave is a pressure wave that displaces particles as it trav- els through air, water, or other medium. Sound in water travels about 4.5 times faster (and also travels farther) than in air. Low frequency sounds tend to travel farther than high frequency sounds. This means that the noise made by dropping a reel on the deck of the boat is detected almost immediately by fish within a significant radius of the boat – the boat hull acts as an amplifier, and since it is in the water, the sound of banging against its hull is transmitted through the water.

Pressure waves are also generated by objects moving through the water – whether a swimming fish, a scurrying prey, a moving boat, or wading angler. These waves travel through the water in the same fashion as sound waves. This is why stealthy anglers are more successful than those who move quickly across the flat, pushing a wave of water as they move. This also explains why a fish reacts to a fly or lure that plops loudly into the water.

When sound travels through water, its intensity diminishes with distance. This is because it is weakened by scattering and absorp- tion. Scattering is the reflection of the sound wave in directions other than its original direction of movement. This can be caused by structures such as rocks, and by the bottom or water surface, both of which are different densities than water. This is especially true in shallow water, where the bottom and water surface are close to one another, which greatly limits the distance that a sound wave can travel in these shallow habitats. In deeper waters the bottom and water surface aren’t as influential, and sound can travel farther. Absorption is the conversion of the sound energy to other forms of energy, and doesn’t differ between shallow and deeper water.

­­72 Pat Ford photo

Pat Ford photo Fish Hearing A great compliment to the inner ear system The propagation of sound and other pres- is the lateral line system. The lateral line is a sure waves in water means that detection of series of pores through which specialized these waves is an essential characteristic cells extend. The lateral line extends along possessed by gamefish, their prey, and their the length of the fish, from just behind the predators. Fish have two means for detecting head to the base of the tail. Sticking through these sound and pressure waves – an inner the pores are specialized cells, called neuro- ear and a lateral line. masts, that contain sensory cells embedded in a jelly-filled casing called a capula, which A fish’s inner ear is composed of a series of extends into the pore. As pressure waves fluid filled canals and chambers. The inner pass over the fish, the capula is moved, walls of the chambers are lined by cells with which in turn moves the sensory hairs within cilia – hair-like extensions that protrude into it, which sends a signal to the brain. The lat- the chamber. In these chambers are small eral line is good at detecting pressure waves bones, called otoliths. As an otolith moves from near sources, 30 feet or less. around in a chamber, the cilia detect the movements and send a signal to the brain. A better understanding of how light and sound behave in water, and how fish are able As a sound wave travels from the water to to see and hear, should already have you the otolith, it is moving between substances thinking about new and better approaches to that have different densities (water and presenting flies and lures, and how to ap- bone). This causes the sound wave to change proach fish in different conditions. When shape, and causes the otoliths to vibrate. The we’re out on the water we are in the fishes’ vibration of the otoliths stimulates the cilia, realm, so the more we know about what which sends a message to the brain. The makes them tick the better anglers we will sound waves traveling through the fluid become. within the inner ear can also be detected. The brain then has to determine whether the Aaron Adams is the Director of Oper- sound is of consequence, and whether it is ations for Bonefish & Tarpon Trust from a prey or predator. and a Senior Scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory. Many fish are also able to use their air-filled swim bladders to increase their hearing abil- ity. The air within the swim bladder is com- pressed by the sound waves, so is more sensitive than the inner ear. In many fish the swim bladder is connected to the inner ear, which allows the air bladder to act as an am- plifier of sound. Even in many fish without a direct connection between the swim bladder and inner ear, an extension of the swim blad- der is close enough to the inner ear to at least partially amplify sound. The inner ear sys- tem of fish is good at detecting sounds at both close range (30 feet or so) as well as from distant sources (a mile or more in the open ocean).

­­76 Pat Ford photo what’s In Your Quiver? THE ADVENT OF THE $800 Fly Rod

by Capt. Andrew Derr

Are we paying for a marketing blunder that is now just an outrageous insurance policy? he cost of fly rods from the big hitters business plan, which in turn makes the rods has risen dramatically. The initiate of more expensive for the consumer. Tgetting to the $800 range was spawned many years ago by ORVIS. They offered a 25 year warranty - if the dog eats it we’ll repair it Companies in both the Untied States and Asia or give you a new one. Once that can of worms offer rods that are suitable for a range of cast- was opened, those rod makers that were going ing levels from beginner to professional, sweet to survive had to follow suit, and the smarter water to salt, precision casting to bombing ones did a few things to tilt the field in their sticks. favor - some died trying. One, they started pro- Most manufacturers offer lifetime warranties moting with ever better and slicker advertis- (no questions asked) for their fly rods. ing; two, added technologies and new materials (graphite - *boron) to make fly rods Rods are a bit like boats; where they excel in lighter and stronger with faster actions; three, one area, they are likely to fall short in another. helped create and then get endorsements for Everything is a compromise. It is all about the an increasing population of “celebs”, which balance required for your particular applica- they helped create; four, raised prices; five, im- tion. Just as a boat with a nice deep vee will cut proved customer service; six, started adding through the heavy chop on a rough day, it will ever more costs to their “small” handling and also rock from side to side when not under way replacement fees, and finally, they started call- and, of course, draw more water. Conversely, ing the shots on replacement versus repair. the flatter bottomed boat will loosen some of your fillings running in a chop, but will float in So, what are we getting in an $800 rod that we mere inches of water and not rock as you drift would not get in a $200 rod. Distance? Accu- and fish. A flats fisherman will take his lumps racy? Aesthetics? Lightness? Strength? Crafts- going from flat to flat so that he can be stealthy manship? Warranty? and shallow when he gets to the flat. An angler targeting false albacore tuna would choose the Well, there are rods priced from $200 to $800 deeper vee’d boat necessary to chase and hunt that offer all of those things with varying de- the little torpedoes in rougher waters and grees of success that are not directly hinged higher winds. Similarly, the flats fisherman is upon said price. I cannot look you in the eye wiser to choose a rod with a delicate tip, de- and say that inexpensive rods made carefully signed for presentation rather than the afore- overseas are going to serve you less well in mentioned bombing stick that false albacore technical and demanding fishing situations fisherman may require for long casts and high that you may find in both saltwater and fresh- winds. So where you gain in delicacy and pres- water. Some will and some will not. Neither entation, you will lose in power. Of course, will I say to you that rods manufactured in the finding that perfect blend of functions for each United Sates are all going to perform at the top individual’s needs and skill set is what we are level. There are superb rods offered from both driving at. domestic and foreign manufacturers. And there are rods that cast like shit from both Warranties: sides of the pond. Most rods these days come with a lifetime war- ranty. That is for the lifetime of the rod. But, Certain things are true: what if the company goes away? Well, I guess Historically, US rods are made to higher stan- then the warranty goes with it. That is some dards which translates to better quality: fewer food for thought that you may want to keep in imperfections and defects than rods made mind when making the next choice for your overseas. quiver. Also, some companies replace broken Large US made rod companies that spend a lot rods and some companies repair broken rods. of money to market, advertise and promote While these repairs are generally of excellent their line must build those expenses into their quality (they will build you an entirely new rod

­­80 section), they can be time consuming. Mean- bonefish, you would be well advised to cast all ing, if you break the rod in September, you of the seven or eight weights rods with a softer may not get it back until the end of November. tip (for delicate presentation) that fall within Companies that replace broken rods have a your price range, whatever that may be. No much faster turnaround (some as little as 2 matter your price range, you have options and days). Most companies charge a menial fee for enough money to procure a rod that will per- repair or replacement, which helps them cover form well and still be under warranty against the cost of shipping and handling. breakage.

rise roD level series salTWaTer roDs The highest profile, less expensive fly rods are those touted by Lefty Kreh - Temple Fork. Many folks I know, in- cluding professional guides say that the TFO’s TiCrx Signature Series, 9 weight, 4pc 9-footer is as good as any $600 rod out there. I have owned a couple of them and love them for many applica- tions, (can you say “bomber rod”?). President of TFO, Rick Pope, summa- rizes the company’s mantra; “Our goal is to increase participation in and awareness of fly fishing by offering the best possible combination of price and performance in rods.”

A relative newcomer to the Game, Rise Rods I remember very well the lack of quality in the out of Long Island, NY, is a company that overseas rods when they began to come to prides itself in creating a high performance market in the late 90s. Breakage, sloppy crafts- product made to stringent quality standards manship and inefficient tapers were the norm. overseas. Co-owner and designer, Captain That is no longer the case. Many overseas Amanda Switzer speaks to the merit’s of their manufacturers have very stringent quality con- particular method of production in the current trol and product development ensuring long world climate: lasting rods that perform at the highest level. “Our method of production allows us to These companies save a lot in labor and man- offer a top quality fly rod at a very reasonable ufacturing, and presumably pass that savings and affordable price while contributing 20% of along to the buyer. The addition of a lifetime our profits to environmental and conservation warranty takes the fear out this leap of faith. minded charities.” Now, if they started giving out fly rods for free tomorrow, it is unlikely that I would go first to One such charity is Trout Unlimited’s Head- the bins from China and Korea and pick them waters Youth Education Initiative. This sort of for my arsenal before hitting up the bins from contribution would simply not be possible with Colorado, Washington, and Montana. But, in a domestic made rod and celebrity endorse- the end, my shopping spree would definitely ments with flashy ad campaigns. Co-owner be one of a worldly and international design. and designer Steve Bechard explains, “Rigor- Since rods aren’t free, my current arsenal in- ous testing by pros as well as Joes for over a cludes rods from all over the globe. I fish them year, coupled with instant feedback on a global all with frequency and success. scale allowed us to tweak tapers, components, finishes, and nuances to get the rods where If you are an experienced caster looking for a they needed to be.” Rise sells all rods with two precision casting rod for educated tailing identical tip sections and backs their product

­­81 with a lifetime warranty policy requiring $25 for Loomis’ new NRX rods a new tip or $50 for the replacement of a bro- ken rod.

Other Side of the Pond: One of the newest and most impressive rods in the domestic contin- gency of fly rods is the Sage TCX ($815 for 9’, 4 pc., 9-weight), brain- child of rod designer Jerry Siem. Something of a “bomber rod” built for long casts and a powerful stroke, this rod replaces its ever popular predecessor, the TCR using what Sage terms G5 technol- ogy. Siem speaks to its advantages in design, “With the new TCX, we’ve got a rod that is lighter, narrower in profile, responds quicker, dampens faster, and allows higher line speed than its predecessor.” If the proof is in the pudding, then that bodes well for this bright green casting machine. In my experi- ence, it seemed to have a more delicate tip than the TCR without really sacrificing much of the power. With the TCX, Siem has designed another great casting rod And finally we move onto the inventors of one and Sage is producing them with beauty and of the most convenient warranty options in the consistency out of their Bainbridge, WA facil- game. G. Loomis’ expeditor program requires ity. Sage also takes advantage lower produc- you to call 1-800 G LOOMIS, give them a CC# tion costs by manufacturing many items for a $100 charge. They send you a replace- overseas. Most of their reels, their components ment for your broken stick. When it arrives and their offerings from Redington Tackle are two days later, you replace the new rod in the made overseas. Many of these products offer box with broken rod and apply their post paid quality at an affordable price. mailing label. Done and back to fishing. This

­­82 one time expeditor option is in addition to a regular warranty repair option. Now, Sage’s onto said rods. Utilizing their most cut- Xi3 rods ting edge technologies, Loomis created 690 thru 990 the NRX line of rods ($770 for 9’, 4 pc., and the 590 have “F” 9 weight). Casting and rod design guru, handle Steve Rajeff created their latest using 1090, 1191 “Nano Resin technology to boost the and 1291 strength of the fiber and resin relation- thru 1680 ship”. He adds, “What an angler will feel have the “G” handle is lightness, strength and control.” Like Sage, G Loomis makes their rods in The 1190 and 1290 have Washington State and many of their reels the “H” and accessories overseas. handle w/foregrip The Skinny: Fly rods are like golf clubs, tennis rac- quets, skis and a lot of other things. What was advertised as a breakthrough tech- nology five years ago is probably com- monplace now or perhaps completely gone with the times. New technology re- quires expensive development and test- ing and is only new for a certain period of time but that certainly has value. So if you want the newest, lightest, and most cutting edge domestic rods for today, it comes at a monetary price, currently somewhere in the $800 range. If you are comfortable with something that falls somewhere on the less pioneering side of that, then there are multitudes of choices. The really great thing we have to our advantage when choosing a new stick for the quiver is that great number of op- tions for every wallet. Cast as many as you can and then choose one with an ac- tion, appearance, and a warranty that works for you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TEMPLE FORK RODS, G LOOMIS RODS, RISE FISHING RODS AND SAGE RODS CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FLY SHOP.

­­84 www.longislandonthefly.com

­­85 Choosing A Flyline In The Modern World

By David Olson, Managing Partner The Fly Shop of Miami, and The Fly Shop of Fort Lauderdale

line/s:

1. Which rod/s will the line/s be going on? 2. What situations will you be fishing? 3. And here’s a tough one for all men with a full tank of testosterone. How good a caster are you? Answer the first two clearly, and the third hon- estly, and you’ll be on your way with the right fly line/s.

Not so many years ago when I started in the fly NOTE: David Olson is a Fderation of Fly Fish- shop business, the choices were simple: pick ers Certified Professional Casting Instructor, the weight, choose floating or sinking, and how Designated UMPQUA Commercial Fly Tyer much you wanted to spend. Done. Today how- and tournament level fly casting champion. ever, there are a myriad of choices. If you un- derstand the choices, which have all been You Can’t Be Serious? added over the years to accommodate many, Every so often, someone comes into the store many fishing situations and to make casting a and says: “I need lot easier, you’ll be a a flyline“ - as if better fisherman that statement . . . here’s a tough one for than you would have alone is a qualifier all men with a full tank of been those not so and enough infor- many years ago. mation for me to testosterone. Competent staff at go on. And as your local fly shop soon as I ask for “How good a caster are will be able to help any details, I get a you make good blank stare - you?” choices in fly lines if they’re clueless - you are up to speed no idea as to size or any of the other extremely on what, when, and where. important variables. Florida: Understanding The Process: As most fishing in South Florida is done with Choosing a flyline today is far more compli- a weight forward line (a flyline that has most cated than it was just a dozen or so years ago, of the weight concentrated in the forward part and the same can be said for choosing a fly rod of the line), we will concentrate on these lines - neither should be taken lightly. Here’s three for this session. basic bits of information you’ll need to provide the fly shop salesperson in order for him or her to help you with selecting the right fly

­­86 Pairing: longer overall tapers take longer to get going, The flyline should be the appropriate weight but give the better caster the chance for longer for the chosen rod. Today, all rods are given a casts. A long front taper allows for a delicate number designation from 1WT to 15WT, with presentation, but makes turning over a large, 7WT thru 12WT being the most commonly wind resistant fly challenging. The opposite is used in use in Florida. Most casters should true for shorter front tapers. Longer bellies choose the same size line as the rod, or possi- allow for longer casts, but make short, quick bly one size heavier for certain situations casts difficult, and take more skill to cast . which I’ll explain later. Longer rear tapers tend to smooth out casting yet take a bit more time to shoot additional line Numeric Weight Designations: to a cast. Theoretically, all fly rods are designed to sup- port and propel a certain amount of weight, Temperature: and that designation, expressed numerically, Temperature also plays a part in choosing the is matched with the same numbered line. For best flyline. Today, lines are usually rated for example, an 8WT rod is normally matched different climates, such as coldwater or tropi- with an 8WT line, and so on. However, a cal. A line designed for coldwater stays supple novice fly caster or an older person might ben- is cooler air and water temperatures, but be- efit from a size heavier line than the designated comes very limp and shoots poorly in warmer rod weight. For example an 8WT rod matched temp. A line designed for tropical conditions with a 9WT line. The benefit is that the added stays stiff and shoots well in the heat, but re- weight (9WT) flexes the rod (8WT) more, pro- sembles a Slinky in cold weather , with so viding more feedback and thus better timing. much memory it is a nightmare to fish with . Also, overlining Make sure your line is rated for the conditions is practical for you fish in , or you will be miserable . making short, quick casts. Sight Fishing? Deepwater? However, it is Another factor is how deep you need to fish the very important fly. A sinking line can often save the day , and to know that I usually carry one in situations I in which I am some fly line unsure of what to expect . Lines have different manufacturers sink rates , and the right one makes it easier to already provide fish . The amount of current also influences the heavier than choice , as fast current delays the sink rate of standard fly flylines . A clear intermediate and a medium line (always sink line will cover most situations . They also read the fine cast easier as they are denser and have less air print), so over lining with these fly lines would resistance , but are harder to lift from the not work out well. water .

Taper Length: Color: The length of the taper of a fly line is an Finally, color can make a important factor. The main components difference , if you have a of a flyline’s taper (head): front taper, choice. I prefer a brightly belly, and rear taper. These individual colored line , as it makes parts determine how the line presents the it easier to time your fly, whether the line is best suited to long casts, and easier to see or short casts, and how smooth and quick your fly and know when it makes the cast . Shorter overall tapers to retrieve. I personally make it easier to load the rod quickly don’t believe a bright line ,and are easier for beginners to use. spooks fish, as all line will

­­87 appear as a silhouette to the fish. In the many casting lessons I have done , I have found that students with bright flylines progress faster, period. A line you can see improves your timing, as well as make it easier to see your mistakes and correct them.

When you go to your local fly shop to purchase a fly line, all you need to know to get off on the right foot is what rod you’re going to fish with and where you’ll be fishing. A good fly shop employee will be able to fit you out properly, and the better shops will also rig your reel. You should connect with your local shop often as they’re always up to speed on fishery infor- mation and what’s new in the marketplace.

Pat Ford photo . . . “A Flyline At Work.” Talk to Dave / [email protected]

­­88 Do You KnoW This man? Turn the page and find out

Clement photo THE MOST FAMOUS FLY TYER THAT YOU NEVER HEARD OF . . . MEET JOE KONONCHIK

BY SKIP CLEMENT oe Kononchik is not a laugh a minute Joe is the son of Russian immigrant parents that kind of guy. As a matter of fact he’s a settled in Niantic, CT. Joe grew up on the waters matter of fact kind of guy. There isn’t of Long Island Sound and fished every weekend anything he does that isn’t done with a for food with his dad on a 26-foot Chris Craft game face approach - captaining a boat, woody . fishing, fly fishing or fly tying. He’s al- ways completely absorbed. One day during the summer in 1950, he fished nearby home at Dodge Pond, which was also the entrance to a fenced and guarded military re- search facility. “The MyJ grandfather be- guard,” Joe said, . . . he has always managed lieved that life was “was fly fishing, and made up of details, to stay under the radar. His it intrigued me. He and the better you was catching a lot of were at details, the flies, whether for trout, fish on what looked more successful you like to me to be a were at the whole of tarpon or marlin, are butterfly at the end anything you’ve put about the best I’ve seen! of a line. I was using your mind to. Well, it worms. I asked the must be true because guard what kind of Joe is a detail kind of fishing was he doing guy, and one of the and he said fly fish- best fly tyers in the world. ing. After several days of fishing and through the fence conversations about flies and fly fishing, the Although his “classic” salmon flies are to behold, guard invited me into his guard station. He had a they’re quite fishable, and the same can be said of fly tying vise, lots of hooks, feathers and tools I any fly that he ties. But the big deal is; are they wasn’t familiar with. I watched him intently, and fish catchers? And the answer to that is, you he showed me the basics. I returned each day for betcha’. the entire summer for his counseling and coach- ing. At the end of the summer of my last year in The reason you don’t know Joe is because he has grade school, the guard not commercialized himself, he’s a bit on the shy began to marvel at my or cautious side, and he’s kept busy tying flies for flies - saying that I was the super-well heeled. Those who can afford a 60- better than him. He foot captained fishing yacht, and have a penchant gave me and old for fly fishing for big game - they each go through Herter’s vise, a few hundreds, even a thousand plus flies a year, and feathers, some tools they don’t just cost a few bucks each - more like and told me where to $30 each for billfish flies. buy supplies. I tied flies Joe’s works of Art all winter long by get-

­­90 ting every book about fly fishing that I could from A boat owner that knew Joe from his Montauk the local library. My dad’s friend was a trout fish- days, contacted him and got him to sign on as his erman and I began tying flies for him, then his full-time captain, and the price was right. So after salmon fishing friends. I learned to tie all the clas- more than ten years with General Dynamics, Joe sics: Silver Doc, Jock Scott, Highlander and oth- came to Florida in the winter, met his bride and ers.” has been in Florida ever since. At 70 years of age, Joe is still an active captain of a fishing boat, and When Joe was a freshman in high school, he he’s out fishing often as the boats owner is into signed on as a mate in Montauk, LI, NY, on a offshore game fishing. commercial fishing vessel for the summer. He continued his fly tying, which attracted new cus- At one time or another, Joe has built boats from tomers. By the time he was a senior in high scratch, skippered several fishing boats for school, he was tying almost 400 dozen flies for a wealthy owners and tied flies for just about every CT fly shop: dry flies went for 18 cents each and fly and tackle shop in South Florida. Oddly, he has always managed to stay under the radar. His flies, whether for trout or marlin, are about the best I’ve seen, and the fish catching-est I’ve ever encountered. If it’s tarpon flies you want, you can bet they’ll attract tarpon. But here’s the real unusual part of Joe and his fly tying: He’ll ask you what you Editors’ Stash: Joe K’s fat lip 10” ballyhoo (available 6”, 8” and 10”). Respond in March of 2010, and we’ll ship you a want, and you’d dozen of either size, or any combo for $300.00 (includes shipping - continental US). better know the Below: Joe K’s 6” baitfish (available 6”, 8” and 10”). Respond in March of 2010, and we’ll ship you a answer because dozen of either size, or any combo for $300.00 (includes shipping - continental US). Contact: [email protected] - make subject Joe’s Flies Joe doesn’t tie up imported-store bought flies. streamers for 35 cents. At age 17, with the help of They’re all custom. He might help you along with his dad and his car dealer friend, Joe bought a your answer by asking you: new 1957 Ford Fairlane and paid it off in a year “Are you fishing the Keys? Oceanside? by tying flies and mating in the summer in Mon- Backcountry? Sight? Dredging? What do the tar- tauk, LI, NY. pon eat where your going fishing? What kind of baits? How big are the baits?” After high school, Joe went to work at General Dynamics, became a draftsman, then a Naval Ar- If you can answer some of those kind of questions chitect in the submarine division. All along, fish- before you contact Joe, then you’ll end up with ing everyday after work and tying flies for Calvin some pretty potent, but not cheap flies! Beebe who some might remember as having made the famous “Cedar Jig.” Beebe made the jig and finished it with Joe’s fly portion.

­­91 LISTEN UP

PlaStiC­wateR­bottleS­.­.­. aRe­they­toxiC? Well, yes they are, but only for babies and children. Trace amounts of bisphenol A (PBA), a chemical that gives polycarbonate its hardness, can cause cancer in the breast and in the prostate tissue of rodents. Well, we’re not rodents, but to be totally safe, at least stay away from soft plastic containers which do leach. And, don’t warm food in anything plastic (soft or polycarbonate) as it will leach trace amounts of chemicals into your food. GooD­NewS,­aND­i’M­StiCKiNG­with­it! Danish researchers have ‘Made Your Day.” Consuming beer or any alcohol, it seems, is really good for you and the more frequently you imbibe, the lower your chances of increasing belly girth. You were right, it’s that damn broccoli that’s mak- ing you fat! The researchers studied the drinking habits of 43,543 Danish adult men and measured their girths for five years. Amazingly, frequent drinkers (28 drinks a week = 4 per day) were 17% less likely to have gained inches around the middle than those who had only one drink per week.

Flat-belly­RUleS. Here’s what researcher Suzanne Phelan, PhD, Brown Medical School (psy- chiatry) discovered about men who lose weight and keep it off, and it’s all about behavior. They all averaged around 1,850 calories per day, with 27% coming from fat. They all averaged a burn of about 3,293 calories a week via exercising. And here’s a few interesting correlations: They watched less than 10 hours of TV per week, weighed themselves everyday, ate the same way on weekends and holidays as they did weekdays, ate breakfast everyday, barely varied their diets and rarely or never ate fast-food.

ReaD­thoSe­labelS,­ FooD­PaCKaGeRS­aRe­SNeaKy­baStaRDS! Walter Willet, MD, Harvard School of Public Health says that everyone knows that whole grains in food are good for you. Whole grains and fibers move through the body without raising the hormone levels and inciting fat storage. Some unscrupulous packagers add insulin and maltodextrin to foods to be able to make fiber claims on their labels. This slows absorption and defeats the value of having bought what you thought was “good” whole grain food.

­­92 Cool­New­StUFF

GOAL ZERO Solar Power Plant

Called the Guide 10 Adventure Kit, this foldable solar panels unit is a powering device that lets you store your juice. The Utah-based GOAL ZERO’s Guide 10 Adventure Kit includes foldable solar pan- els and a power pack device to store your solar juice.

It’s made for charging cameras, computers and phones when you’re offshore or camping out. The kit can capture and store enough electricity to run gadgets for hours. The power pack has four rechargeable AA batteries inside and a USB output port.

The solar panels can charge up the battery pack in four hours of full sunlight. It costs $139.95. We think it’s the best compact and lightweight solar en- ergy system ever made. It won’t be available until March, 2010. The website: www.goalzero.com

RAPTOR Emergency Unit:

The Eton Corporation bills itself as the Emergency-preparedness Com- pany. Here’s another solar powered gem that’s also rechargeable (bat- tery-charge indicator) and sports a laundry list of can-do’s: altimeter, barometer, compass, USB port (phones and gadgets), AM/FM digital radio, digital clock with an alarm, bottle opener, L.E.D. flashlight, and preset radio channels for NOAA weather alerts.

It weighs 11 ounces and comes in a tough, rubberized case. The pricing as of publication date, has not been announced. Website: www.etoncorp.com

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