Tag: onthefly

Day One on the Heron

Salt Marsh Redfish

Elliott stopped poling long enough to get a few of these

Got this guy on the first cast from the Heron!

Day number one on the Salt Marsh Heron was simply epic.  The wind was calm and the water was clear.  Perfect conditions to try out the new skiff.  Right away, the Heron exceeded my expectations.  It was easy to pole, floated shallow and extremely quiet.  Elliott poled me within 30 feet of the first school of Redfish we encountered.  The Reds did not seem to know we were there.  It was cool to watch them track the fly and see the strike.  We caught several fish and watched each one eat the fly.  The longest cast we had to make all day was 30 feet.  Fishing from the Heron will be up close and personal.  Just the way I like it!

The Heron performed well with the Etec 60.  Cruise at 4000 RPMs  was 25 MPH.  The highest RPM I hit today was 4800 and the GPS speed was 30 MPH.  So, the skiff has plenty of speed for my purposes.

It was flat calm today.  So, I did not get a chance to try the skiff in choppy conditions.  However, with winter coming, there will be plenty of time for that.

When the tide got into the marsh, Elliott and I switched our attention to Trout.  We made a quick run to a submerged ledge in about 10 feet of water.  I deployed the Minn Kota 55# thrust trolling motor and it easily pulled the skiff against the tide.  We cast Z-Man Trick ShotZ on NedlockZ 1/5 ounce jigs into the current and bounced them along the ledge.  They never bounced very far.  Trout pounced on the Trick ShotZ soon as it hit the bottom.  Strong Trout bite today.

Day number one is in the books.  It was a day to remember.  Very happy that my son, Elliott, was there to share it with me.

 

Too Hot to Fish

A few years ago, there was a county music song with the lyrics “too hot to fish”. On Saturday, with the optimal tide occurring during the middle of the day, the lyrics to that song kept popping into my head. With the heat index hovering around 110 degrees, fishing was not very much fun. Despite my best efforts to stay hydrated, after a few hours in the intensely hot sun, I started to feel the symptoms of heat exhaustion. It is not fun (or safe) to fish with a pounding headache and being light headed. So, I quit fishing early on Saturday and did not fish at all on Sunday. It was literally, too hot to fish!

Thankfully, an early morning start (on Saturday) got us on to a solid Spanish Mackerel bite in the harbor. The Mackerel were chasing schools of glass minnows. Since a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Blue Back Herring) on a 1/8-ounce Trout Eye Finesse jig looks just like a glass minnow, the Spanish Mackerel readily ate our lures. On our first casts into the feeding school, David (my brother) and I each hooked a fish. Doubles! My son, Elliott, volunteered to take a picture. As he took the shot, my fish started vigorously flipping its tail and slapping David in the face. We all found this to be uproariously funny. Well, at least Elliott and I did.

Fishing in the late summer can be tough. Take it from me. Get out early and get back early (before it gets too hot). Unless of course, you like country music.

After the storm

The storm that rolled through the Lowcountry yesterday afternoon snarled traffic, dropped hail and put on an awesome (and dangerous) electrical show.  Delayed launching the skiff  (I am scared of lightning) until after the storm subsided.  Caught a bunch of Trout and Ladyfish on a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Blue Back Herring) on a 1/8th ounce Eye Strike finesse jig.  Also, got this shot of my son (Captain Elliott) casting to a tailing Redfish.

The storm was bad.  The traffic was awful.  The fishing was pretty darn good!

On The Fly

This week, fishing in the late afternoon and early evening has been outstanding.  Redfish and Trout are chasing shrimp during lower stages of tide.  So, they are easy to find.  Locate jumping shrimp and there is a good chance you have found feeding fish.  A quick cast into the feeding area often produces a solid strike.

A sparsely tied tan Clouser Minnow is an excellent shrimp imitation.  As such, it has been my go to fly this week.  The bite is on.  Tie a few flies and go catch some fish.

Simple But Effective

A lot of fly anglers spend more time at their vise than on their skiffs.  While I enjoy tying flies, I enjoy catching fish more!  As such, my files are all very simple and easy to tie.  They are not very pretty but they do catch fish.  This time of year, Redfish, Trout and Flounder (along with everything else that has fins and teeth) get really focused on eating shrimp. Thankfully, a sparsely tied tan Clouser Minnow looks just like a shrimp.

Recently, I started using Steve Farrar’s Flash Blend for all my shrimp and glass minnow flies (which are sparsely tied Clouser Minnows).   This material is easy to work with and provides a translucent silhouette in the water.  It helps me to quickly tie simple but effective flies (that catch fish).

Step away from that vise and go fishing!

 

 

 

The Essence of Fishing

Captains David and Elliott Peralta Working a Tripletail On the Fly

The essence of fishing is not catching fish. It is about spending time with your friends and family. Some of my more memorable fishing trips are when fishing was hard and catches were few. Saturday was one of them. Given busy schedules, it had been a couple of weeks since Elliott (my son), David (my brother) and I had fished together. For us, this was an unusually long time between fishing trips together. Our plan was to launch an hour before high tide and target Trout then switch to tailing Redfish at the top of the tide. The plan went south almost immediately. A strong breeze made for choppy conditions in the Wando River. This made for poor water clarity and the Trout bite was slow. Dave and Elliott managed to catch a few on Z-Man MinnowZ (Houdini) lures. I caught zero. A fact pointed out (often) by Elliott and David.

At the top of tide, we left the Trout (they were not biting that well anyway) and moved to an area of the marsh that was supposed to be submerged by the high tide. Unfortunately, the tide was not high enough to allow Redfish access to the area. Historically, per the moon phase and tide cycle, this was the ideal location. We checked a few more areas with the same results (not enough of a tide to flood the marsh). With Plan A (Trout) and Plan B (tailing Redfish) a total bust, we drifted along the marsh edge discussing Plan C. About then, I spotted a small Tripletail hanging around a marsh point. Elliott has never caught a Tripletail on the fly, so this became our Plan C. Elliott jumped up on the poling platform, Dave handed him his fly rod and I positioned the skiff for a good downwind fly presentation. With nothing left for me to do, I settled in to watch Elliott and David work the fish. The Tripletail refused the first fly (a Clouser minnow). So, David selected a shrimp pattern for Elliott to try next. We held our breath as the Tripletail slowly tracked the fly. Only to turn away at the last second. Elliott, David and I exchanged “did you see that” looks. We repeated this sequence until the falling tide forced the Tripletail into deeper water. Elliott did not catch his first Tripletail on the fly.

From a fish catching perspective, it was an awful day. From a family experience perspective, it was unforgettable.

When fishing does not go as planned

Sometimes, a fishing trip does not go as planned. This was certainly the case on Friday evening. Elliott and I decided (at the last minute) to target Redfish on the fly. It was breezy but the wind was forecast to subside, making for challenging but fly fishable conditions. The wind did not subside. Elliott thought I was bringing my 8-weight flyrod and I thought he was bringing his. We ended up fishing with an inexpensive 6-weight flyrod that I keep on the skiff (for just such emergencies). It was way under-powered for the size fly (a chartreuse bead chain Clouser Minnow) and wind conditions (15 knots) but it was all we had.

Upon arrival at our designated fishing area (a shallow area with a slight channel), we immediately saw a small school of Redfish chasing shrimp. Elliott volunteered to pole the skiff and I took the bow with 6-weight fly rod in hand. My first, second and third casts were simply awful. The wind kept knocking my presentation off line or short. In such conditions, an 8-weight fly rod would have been a great help. For the next hour, we cast to several fish but it was more of the same. I resolved to buy an 8-weight fly rod and keep it on the skiff.

Just as I was about to give up, Elliott spotted a single Redfish tailing beside an oyster bar. It was a short downwind cast and my first accurate fly presentation of the evening. On the first strip, I felt weight and thought the fly had gotten hung up on the oyster bar. Very frustrated, I began cussing and tried to break the fly off. Then I realized, it was actually a Redfish. Elliott made a comment about “the worst hook up on the fly” he had ever seen. He was laughing so hard, I thought he would fall off the poling platform. I began laughing too.

We eventually caught, photographed and released the fish. Fly fishing can be a challenging endeavor. Especially, when you forget to bring your fly rod.

Longer Days

Longer days bring more opportunities to fish.  Late in the afternoon, the winds tend to diminish.  Creating great conditions for casting flies or top water lures.  Recently, both have been highly successful.  Given warmer water temperatures and the return of baitfish to the creeks, Trout and Redfish are feeding aggressively.  Especially, later in the day.  So, get out catch a few!

My favorite late afternoon lure has been the new Rapala Skitter-V.   It casts well (like into the next county well) and is very easy to walk.  For flies, it is hard to be a Gurgler.

The days are getting longer.  Take advantage of the opportunity and go fishing.