Beaufort Fly Fishing Guide Tips.
Today I am going to go over some tips and information on how to make your fishing trip or any saltwater trip a more successful one. First things first saltwater fly fishing is all about communication, patience, being aware of your surroundings, and making affective shots at fish and most importantly having fun. It is our role as guides to pole you on fish and give you a time and distance and to set you up with the most easiest shots possible and then the rest is up to you to get that fly in the zone of that fish and getting it to eat your fly. If you do not know how to double haul, do your self a favor and get good with learning on how to double haul. It doesn’t hurt taking a few casting lessons from your local fly shop or casting instructors or even watching YouTube videos to get the idea, and from there practice as much as possible and get decent at shooting line and somewhat accurate. You don’t need to cast 100 ft or dump the whole thing of fly line but work on making 40-60 ft cast affective. There are days when we get shots at fish almost a rods length away and there are days you're going to need that 60 ft cast. Getting a eat on the fly is where things can get a bit challenging, for some reason it only seems natural for the human brain to trout set/jerking the rod tip when setting on a fish. Almost everyone does it now and then and will do it on their first fish most of the time. Just remember when your guide or me yells out Strip Set! Set! Hit Em! Just remember do not move that rod at all and give it a nice firm strip set and come tight then then come up with the rod keeping decent pressure or bend on the rod and usually your guide or me will coach you threw the rest. Another thing I do see quite a bit is when an angler gets an eat they are more worried about getting the fish on the reel and not keeping steady pressure and staying tight allowing that fly to fall out. If its a big enough fish he eventually will run the other way and then from there get you on the reel. Sometimes they will make a fast run right towards the boat just try to strip as fast as possible and hope for the best in that case of scenario. Just remember, don’t move the rod and hit em with a good strip and stay tight! When we are out poling around and you are up on the bow always remember to stand most center part of the boat any slight lean will make the boat not track right making poling for the guide quite difficult. When fishing from the bow you will be given a time and distance when a fish is spotted, do not start casting right away unless you see the fish and need to make a quick shot but for the most part point and aim your rod in the direction your guide tells you too it is usually the quickest way to get the you to spot the fish. Some given days can be cloudy or overcast and sometimes just a time and distance and your guide telling you when to strip is the most effective way. When making a cast to a fish try your best to not sway or rock the boat while doing so, just get in a good firm stance and let the rod do the work. The less the boat is rocking and not putting out pressure waves in the water the more closer you can get making the shots much easier. When out poling around just remember if you are a right handed caster your guide will will be setting up all the shots from 11 o’clock -9 o’clock direction of the boat please pay close attention and DO NOT cast at twelve unless if its a super close drop shot with the fly or told other wise. Getting hit with the fly is not fun every so often just glance back to make sure your fly isn’t coming to close to your guide. But the most important thing is to get out there and have a good time and don’t over think it or stress that your blowing shots its called fishing not catching! It is my job as a professional fishing guide to get you on fish and your job to seal the deal! Hope this little bit of information helps and I look forward to seeing you on the water!
Tight lines,
Capt. Nicholas Boyd
843-941-3416
Duesouthexpeditions@gmail.com