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- Fish where the fish are !!! I know this
sounds a little over simplistic, but coastal waters are big, and fish are far from being
evenly distributed throughout. You must concentrate your efforts in areas where you
are most likely to succeed. Be observant as you wade, if you do not see signs of
baitfish, or perhaps birds showing an interest in the area you are fishing, chances are
you are fishing in the wrong place, or just perhaps the wrong time of day or tide.
- Ask for help. Most coastal fly shops will be
glad to point you in the right direction if you inquire about places to wade. Do not
forget to ask about best time or tide to fish. Bait shops can be a good source for
information (although you might not want to volunteer that you are fly fisherman as soon
as you walk through the front door). Explain that you are looking for a place
to fish along the shore, and that a place that requires a little wading would be just fine
with you. Most bait shop owners are accustomed to dealing with a customer who has
absolutely no interest in getting his shoes wet.
- If left to your own devices to locate a productive
location, look for the deepest water that runs closest to shore. This may or may not
be the best place to fish, but without any other information, this would be the place I
would start.
- Pay attention to the tides. Many
locations will only be productive on one tide or the other. On flood tide look for
places that baitfish are pushed by the current up from the deep and on to shallow bars or
obstructions. On the ebb tide, look for channels that baitfish use when
retreating with the falling water off the flats or out of creeks and side channels.
- Be prepared to present your fly close to the
bottom. Having a fly line of appropriate density for the area you are fishing is key
to success. A striping basket is also essential when wade fishing with fast sinking
lines. I fish dozens of places where you can stand in three foot of water and cast
into a 10 foot deep channel which may have a 3 knot current.
- Choose the best times to fish. Scout locations
so that you can be in position for magical few minutes at sunrise.
Don't be afraid of the
dark. If you find a place that has the good looking structure, with plenty of bait
moving about, yet it does not produce any gamefish during the day. Perhaps you
should consider fishing this location after dark. If you are looking for a big fish
in shallow water, night fishing my just be the ticket.
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He is a good fly angler, he worked for a
major fly
tackle manufacture/distributor, and had ready access
to all types of fly gear. He is fishing in the right spot
with the right fly. He's been here every morning for
4 days. Up until five minuets ago, when I handed him my
fly rod, he had caught a total of 4 fish in 4 days.
In the next ten minuets he caught 4 fish with my rod.
Why ? Because my rod was rigged with a
line that was
heavy enough to present the fly close to the bottom.
I set him up with a extra line from my bag and he continued to
catch fish for another hour. The next morning he caught a
12 pound striper from this same place.
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