I thought I’d spend yesterday’s sunny afternoon fishing Mullet with my fly rod. I quickly ran into several problems. Of course the casting was one of them but the main problem was I had decided to try bread as the fly. Simple enough you might say. Well the thing was I couldn’t keep the bread on the hook. I could get it into the water ok but as soon as I lifted the line to cast again the bread would simply wash away. My casting was pretty pitiful as well. After an hour of the most frustrating fishing experience ever I heard people speaking English behind me. Two couples who had come down from the cruise ship “Ventura” were watching me, no doubt expecting to see me fish something. I said hello and got into conversation. One of the group was Mick, and Mick was a fly angler who very politely asked if he could give me some pointers. I of course said that I’d be delighted and explained I didn’t really have a clue about what I was doing, not that he needed telling as I think it was quite obvious to him. Mick then proceeded to give me a master class in fly casting and I must say he was a great teacher, patient and very clear in his explaining. It hasn’t made me an expert but I can now get 8 out of 10 casts just right and also manage to cast the whole length of the line straight and with decent accuracy.
I shall be forever grateful to Mick and the hour and the half he dedicated to pointing me in the right direction. I didn’t catch any Mullet but I know it won’t take long. He also told me about some flies designed for Mullet, which I’m searching for, and other baits such as sand fleas that stay on the hook and are easy to get on most beaches here. I can’t wait to post my first Mullet on the fly which will be dedicated to Mick and will be posted as soon as fished.
The Ventura
Not a Mullet in sight!
If the fishing is good I’ll go out and get a salt water fly rod and line as I’m using an 8’ 6’’ #4 rod with a #4 double tapered line. Not the best thing for the sea. I also learnt that a double tapered line is not the best to learn with so I have to buy a forward weight line to make things a little easier.
Shimano Biocraft 3 piece rod and Ultegra reel
I also went out today to practice some more and try some flies that resemble a little the Mullet flies I’ve seen on the web. The strange thing is there wasn’t a Mullet in sight, very unusual as the area is generally teeming with then. Maybe they got word that I was targeting them and decided they really didn’t feel like having their lip pierced. Anyway, I’m sure they’ll be back soon.
Happy Flying
Good luck. I am learning to fly fish also.
ReplyDeleteThanks. and good luck to you too.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you but the most difficult thing for me are the flies themselves. There are hundreds if not thousands of them on the market. Not being too hot on insects I find it impossible to identify the bug they're supposed to imitate.
This added to the fact that the real fly fishing experts make their own so finding the fly they use is out of the question.
But the thrill I believe is second to none.
Happy Fishing