Greetings!

Pro Staff- Foxboro, MA

Saltwater Pro Team

There are several upcoming events on the Skinny Water Charters speaking schedule that may be of interest to you:

- Saturday February 1 - I will be at Bass Pro Shop in Foxboro, MA at Patriot Place (adjacent Gillette Stadium) from 10am to 5pm. During that time I will be demonstrating tying a number of my favorite saltwater fly patterns. The tying table will be set up just outside the White River Fly Shop on the bottom floor. Stop by and say hello and if there are any fly tying puzzles you are struggling with, bring your questions and perhaps I can help.  Also, I will be doing several fly casting demonstrations in the Bass Pro 34,000 gallon fish tank.
There is very little casting room in the tank area but just enough to present the fly and oftentimes get interest by the variety of fish awaiting dinner. The Bass Pro fish tank managers typically turn off the aeration system prior to feeding time. The fish have been conditioned to know that once the tank gets still, it's dinner time! This gets their interest in taking a fly pattern. I will be using both floating and sinking fly patterns to entice the fish and the hooks have been cut off, so fish are not endangered. Although some fish will put a bend in the rod as they take the fly, they quickly come unbuttoned and are no worse for the wear. It's fun- everybody gets a kick out of the demo. Come on down!
 
- Wednesday, February 5 - I will be instructing fly tying at the monthly meeting of United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island. This monthly meeting features four instructors tying a variety of fresh and saltwater fly patterns. I will be tying at an Advanced Intermediate table and the pattern of choice for the night is the "White Death". This is a very effective striped bass floating pattern constructed of mostly bucktail and deer hair. It has a terrific top water "walk the dog" type action. 

White Death

The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and is held at the Knights of Columbus hall located at 475 Sandy Lane in Warwick, RI. Go to the UFTRI website for details and directions. http://www.uftri.org/  This newsletter's  fly pattern of the month is the White Death.

- March 28, 29 and 30 -  I will be at the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) New England Fishing Show held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI. This three-day show is a great way to break up the winter cold and boredom and welcome the advent of what we hope will be an early spring. This is the largest fishing show in the northeast.
There will be a full lineup of speakers covering a wide variety of topics. Features will include: tackle, rods, reels, lures, electronics, charter guides, boats, motors, accessories, clothing and much more. Fly fishing will be included in the show with presentations on False Albacore and Bonito, The Rhode Island Cinder Worm Hatch, and Fly Fishing Greater Newport. There will be a fly casting lane open throughout the show that will feature several expert fly casters and guides demonstrating Beginner and Advanced Fly Casting Techniques, Fly Casting for Stripers, Saltwater Flyfishing 101- (what to buy and how to rig your fly fishing hardware). There will also be limited fly casting lessons offered, as well as a section for kids to try their hand at fly casting under the tutelage of several highly qualified instructors. The following link will take you to the RISAA website. http://www.nesaltwatershow.com/  (The final schedule has not been finalized as yet so keep checking back to see the full lineup of speakers/demonstrators, topics and the schedule for the full three days.) Check my website (www.SkinnyWaterChartersRI.com) as well as my Fly Fishing in Rhode Island Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FlyfishinginRhodeIsland) for the updated schedule of presentations and demonstrations by Skinny Water Charters.

-April 30 - I will be presenting "Fishing the Rhode Island Cinder Worm Hatch" at the monthly meeting of Trout Unlimited 225- Narragansett Chapter. (http://tu225.org/)
This meeting starts at 7pm and my presentation will detail how to fish this wonderful event that takes place daily for nearly five weeks beginning in May.  Bring a notepad as I plan on discussing details that will help the recreational angler be more successful in fishing this unique fishery. The venue is the Elks Lodge, 42 Nooseneck Hill Rd., West Greenwich (Coventry), Rhode Island. Directions: Exit 6 on I-95 south, one-half mile north on Rt 3.
   

Jamie Levitt- Ninigret Pond

Dave Stepper- Ninigret Pond

 

1.      Why isn't the line straightening in front?

• You may have forgotten to start every cast with the line fully extended on the water or ground, straight in front of you with no slack.
• You may be pulling the rod too far back during your back cast. This will cast the line down toward the ground or water behind you and, consequently higher up on the next forward cast. To fix this, attempt to bring your rod to an abrupt stop nearly vertical (near your ear) during the back cast. Your next forward cast will have a much better chance of straightening out.
• You may be pausing too long before you start your forward cast, which allows your back cast to fall near the ground or water. This sends your forward cast up high, and makes it fall in a heap. Open your stance and watch your back cast to understand the timing for bringing the rod forward. 
• You may be accelerating to a stop with too much force, causing the line to bounce back after it has fully extended in the air.
• You may be starting your forward cast with too much speed, which sends the line up high in the air, and then into another heap. Remember to start slowly, then smoothly accelerate to the hard stop. Pretend you are flicking paint off a brush on your forward and backwards stops. 

2.      You hear a noise like a snapping bullwhip during your forward cast.

This happens when you start your forward cast too soon, before the line in your back cast has had time to fully straighten. To correct this, pause a bit longer between the back cast and forward cast.

3.      The line keeps hitting you or the rod.

This usually happens because there is a crosswind blowing the line into you or the rod on either the forward or back cast. To fix this, rotate your body so the rod is on the downwind side of your body (off shoulder cast). Also, be sure to cast with the rod tilted slightly off to the side, away from vertical.

4.      You hear a "whooshing" noise during the back cast.

You are probably beginning the back cast with too much speed. Start slowly. Remember the rod goes fast only at the end of the cast, not at the beginning. You may also be moving the rod through a very wide arc. Keep the casting arc narrow by stopping your back cast just barely beyond vertical. The more line you have aerialized the wider your casting arc needs to be in order to maintain line speed and to prevent the line from dropping. 

5.      Your casting hand is getting tired.

You are working too hard. Take a break. Massage your casting hand with your line hand. This may be a good time to start living dangerously- try casting with your other hand.  

 

Hook Set- Many fly anglers new to the salt environment utilize the same fish striking (hook set) they do when striking a trout taking a dry fly. This is an overhead, high rod tip motion with the butt of the rod somewhere between the angler's waist and shoulder. If you use this technique when striking a saltwater fish (Stripers, Bluefish, Bonito and False Albacore to name a few), you're going to miss a lot of fish. The proper technique in saltwater is to keep your rod tip low to the water during your retrieve, and even putting the tip under the water's surface is perfectly acceptable. The retrieve has the fly line loosely pinched between the the forefinger or middle finger (or both) of the rod-hand and the fly rod grip as the angler strips in line with the line-hand in a fashion that best imitates the swimming motion of the bait you are imitating. As the line is stripped over the fore-fingers of the rod hand the angler applies more pressure to the pinch point so that if the fish strikes the fly as the angler drops the line to pick it up again for the next strip- the line will stay tight helping to hook the fish. As the angler repeatedly strips line imitating the swimming motion of the bait, when the fish strikes the fly, the angler is in a position to "strip-strike" the fish keeping the rod tip low. The strip-strike has the angler pulling the line with force with the line-hand as he releases pressure at what was the pinch point on the rod-hand. The fly line will go tight immediately, and the rod will begin bouncing under the pressure and head-shaking action of the fish. Typically the hook is set in the fish's jaw, however it's perfectly acceptable to strip-strike the fish again with a good degree of force to "seat" the hook. The angler then raises the rod to play the fish.

Rod Positioning While Playing a Fish- After the angler has set the hook and is now playing the fish, care must be taken to land the fish. I see many anglers who engage in hand-to-hand combat, "fighting" the fish as if it's a 200 lb beast. It's unnecessary, and I typically coach new anglers engaged in this life and death struggle, to Relax. Yes, keep pressure on the fish, don't allow a slack line and when the fish wants to run, let it. If the fly reel drag is set properly it will do the work of applying pressure and slowing the fish's run. Typically there is no need (except for the macho photo shot) to rear-back and bend the fly rod in half as you play the fish. The drag and the spring action of the fly rod will do the lion's share of the work. When the fish slows and you can turn it, do so, but keep a tight line and if the fish makes a run back to the boat as Bonito and Albies typically do, reel like a mad person to maintain a tight line/contact with the fish. If the fish pulls to the right, apply pressure to the left, and vice-versa- this will tire the fish more quickly. It's also OK to the turn the fish from side to side to tire it. Remember, for toothy fish, each time you reverse direction the leader is being pulled across the fish's teeth. In the case of Bluefish particularly, a steel leader should prevent being cut off.

Never put your line hand on the rod blank above the fly rod grip to apply additional leverage. A fly rod is meant to flex deep into the handle and putting pressure on the fish with your hand positioned on the blank above the grip may very well cause the rod to break. Additionally, try not to bring the butt of the rod above your waist while fighting a heavy fish. A high rod position exerts significant pressure (bend) on the tip section of the fly rod which may result in breakage.

Go Barefoot in the Boat- If the weather/water is warm, going barefoot in the boat helps the angler to avoid stepping on their fly line. Footwear of any kind provides enough insulation to prevent you from being able to feel that you are stepping on your line. Many a cast has been ruined and a fish lost by a pinched line on deck.  Bare feet can also present a slipping hazard on a wet deck, so you be the judge. Alternatively use a stripping basket to hold your fly line. Also, remember to stretch your fly line, preferably before you board the boat, and if that's not possible or you forget, strip the fly line off the reel into the wake of the boat as you relocate. Water pressure applied to the fly line will stretch the line and remove any twists and coils. If you do not cast in a relatively straight plane, but have a circular or "oval" rod rotation, this will add twists to your line causing it to kink.

Fluorocarbon or Monofilament Leaders- I have a couple of simple rules on this subject.
1. First, I don't spend stupid money on monofilament and fluorocarbon tippet material. For fluorocarbon I buy "Vanish" manufactured by Berkley. https://www.google.com/search?q=berkely+fishing+line&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=berkley+fishing+line&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=shop&spd=7371145439897742818. For monofilament I buy "Berkley Trilene Big Game" in Clear, https://www.google.com/search?q=berkely+trilene+monofilament&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=berkley+trilene+monofilament&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=shop&spd=5079983338702591652.
2. When it comes to what lines to use. My simple rule is if I am using a floating fly line with a floating fly pattern because I want the fly to be on the surface or just below the surface, my leader and tippet system is made entirely of monofilament (nylon) line. On the other hand, if I am fishing deeper waters, particularly around cover such as heavy seaweed, ledge and boulders, the first four feet of my leader is 40lb monofilament, but the balance of the leader system is Fluorocarbon material. Fluorocarbon is nearly invisible under water and it is made of a heavier density copolymer... so it sinks. It's valued for its refractive index which is similar to that of water, making it less visible to fish. Mono floats/Fluro sinks- easy to remember.

Keep Boat Noise to a Minimum- Some years ago I was snorkeling in the Virgin Islands. I was submerged maybe ten feet swimming about the coral reefs checking out the sights. From several hundred yards away I could clearly hear the high pitched noise of the propeller of an approaching boat. As the powerboat throttled down the pitch changed but it was still remarkably loud. I then heard a series of bangs, thumps and then the beat of music. I surfaced and a hundred yards from me was a powerboat playing Reggae music and the skipper was making those banging noises as he deployed a couple of swim ladders.
   On my boat I constantly remind my charter guests to try and keep noise to an absolute minimum. Don't let the hatches slam shut, don't throw their bags around or make noise putting down rods, no music, or excessively loud talking or "yee heeing". I know I must sound like a curmudgeon, but noise and vibration on a boat scares fish, particularly in skinny water environments. The fish and I don't want to hear the radio play-by-play of a Bruin's playoff hockey game on Ninigret Pond while fishing the worm hatch. True stories.

Fresh Water Bath for Flies- If you fish with fly patterns that are not tied on good quality stainless steel hooks, bring on-board a large plastic container (with a screw-on lid) of freshwater and when you change patterns drop the salty fly into the freshwater bath- and leave it there until the end of the trip. Those flies will last much longer if all salt deposits are washed off. You can also use the freshwater bath to dip your sun and street glasses in when they get doused with salt water.

http://triggershims.com/knot_tying_tool.html 

 

 

"The origins of this fly trace back to the South Coast of Massachusetts and Cape Cod and the need for a big wake-producing fly that would attract reluctant stripers. The fly is typically fished on either a floating line or an intermediate sinking line. When retrieved, it is zigzagged across the surface and forms a substantial wake (a walk-the-dog action similar to a Zara Spook or Jumpin' Minnow plastic bait). It is important to vary the retrieve. Although the name denotes the color of the pattern, it is equally effective in yellow, green, red and black."

 

This pattern was developed by Mark Budreski and Chris Regan. It was inspired by Bill Catherwood's "Giants" and Lou Tabory's "Snake Fly". The pattern is depicted in Angelo Peluso's book entitled, "Saltwater Flies of the Northeast", published in 2006 by Frank Amato Publications,Inc.

 

Thread: White, or matched to color of materials, Best to use a strong thread such as Flat Waxed Nylon

Tail: White Bucktail (or your choice of color), Extra long thin premium hackles (color to suit), Pearl or Silver  flash.

Body: Deer Hair (good quality for spinning), your choice of color

Eyes: Hollographic stick-on, or Doll Eyes

Adhesive: Goop or good quality waterproof cement for eyes