Tail Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue #52 Mar/Apr 2021

CELEBRATING 8 YEARS AS THE VOICE OF SALTWATER FLY FISHING

FLY FISHING MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2021

BEHIND the LENS

SILVER BULLETS of the PACIFIC DRESSING UP your DRAG Deep Dive into SPECIES A REDFISH Crouton Pandemic PERMIT The TARPON TREE ONE YEAR Later

Fly Fishing FAQ

52 MARCH/APRIL 2021

Display until May 1, 2021

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 1

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 3

Nario, 58, has guided anglers on the Christmas Island flats for many years, with his wife keeping his fly box filled by tying all of his flies. Photo: Jessica Haydahl Richardson

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the next generation

T&T Ambassadors Jose and Parker Ucan spending time together in their home waters of the Yucatan Peninsula. Legendary guide Jose is patiently imparting his love of fishing to 8 year old son Parker who at such a young age has already landed a Permit on Fly. Handing down our knowledge and passion for the outdoors to the next generation is key to the survival and growth of flyfishing. At T&T we see a world of possibilities out there and believe the next generation should too.

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 7

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On the Cover: Jessica Haydahl Richardson provides a view of the vast Pacific Ocean during the daily commute from Kiritmati to the island’s surrounding

flats, where she spent a week

chasing big fish and a big dream of making a fly fishing

documentary film with an

all-female cast.

Editor-In-Chief: Joseph Ballarini Managing Editor: Trey Reid Acquisitions Editor: George V. Roberts Creative Director: Scott Morrison

Food Editor: Kelli Prescott

Travel Editor: Peter McLeod

West Coast Editor: Al Quattrocchi

Consulting Editor: Chico Fernandez

Contributing Editors: Andy Mill, Nicky Mill

Historians: Pete Barrett, Ed Mitchell

Fly Tying: Nick Davis

Editors-at-Large: Joe Doggett, Mark Hatter, Tom Keer, James P. Spica Jr.

Copy Editor: Leila Beasley

Creative Contributors: Scott Collins Nick Davis Brent Hannafan Chico Fernandez Ben Kurth Nathaniel Linville Peter McLeod

Andy Mill John O’Hearn Jonathan Olch Greg Poland Kelli Prescott Al Quattrocchi Jocelyn Curtis-Quick

Trey Reid Jake Rennert Patrick Rhea Jessica Haydahl Richardson Ian Slater E. Donnall Thomas, Jr. Elizabeth Wallace, Ph.D.

About Tail Fly Fishing Magazine is the voice of saltwater fly fishing in a bimonthly print and digital publication. We focus on delivering high-quality content, the very best photography, destination travel, reputable commentary, and technical features from the saltwater fly fishing culture. Tail Fly Fishing Magazine began as a digital publication in 2012 and debuted as a print magazine in 2016. Combined, the digital and print versions reach readers in over 45 countries.

In many places throughout the world, fly fishing has become important to both people and the environment. As a method of fishing imbued with values of stewardship and conservation, it connects people with the marine world in significant and positive ways. We, the anglers, are the last line of defense for our outdoor spaces.

Tail Fly Fishing Magazine supports the arts and creativity, conservation, and organizations that trumpet this message. We’re grateful for your support and we welcome photographic and written contributions.

TFFM is published six times annually, and your print subscription includes the digital version. Subscriptions are available through our website. International subscriptions are also available for most countries. Please contact our general mailbox, admin@tailflyfishing.com, with any advertising, subscription, or submission questions.

Tail Fly Fishing Magazine 2300 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 305-763-8285 tailflyfishing.com 8 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 9

CONTENTS 14

INSIDE THE BOX: THE BONEFISH SPECIAL

- Chico Fernandez After fly fishing for more than 60 years, Chico Fernandez knows a thing or two about bonefish flies. His quest to create a baitfish imitation for targeting big bonefish resulted in the Bonefish Special. Chico takes us back in time to explain the fly’s origins, and reminds us that it can still be deadly.

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GEAR GUIDE - TFFM Staff The team has put together a collection of products that will make you wish you held on to those holiday gift cards—practical items that will make your day a little easier getting to the water and once you’re on it. Some even help when you’re in the water.

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BEHIND THE LENS

- Jessica Heydahl Richardson You think fly fishing for GTs, bones, and triggerfish is hard? Try capturing the action on camera—in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Filmmaker Jessica Heydahl takes us on a ladies-only fishing adventure to Kiribati in search of elusive fish and the perfect shots for her film, Dropped in the Pacific.

It always pays to approach the last flat right at the Xflats Lodge dock before heading in for the day. You never know what you might find.

Xcalak, Mexico. Photo: John Morrison 10 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

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DEEP DIVE INTO BONEFISH SPECIES - Elizabeth Wallace, Ph.D. A bonefish isn’t just a bonefish. Elizabeth Wallace, a geneticist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, kicks off a three-part scientific series on bonefish, making her first cast into the sometimes turbid waters of how fisheries scientists determine what’s a distinct species.

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DRESSING UP YOUR DRAG - Andy Mill Andy Mill is a champion angler, and it didn’t happen by luck. Learning the limits of your equipment is one way to minimize mishaps like breaking fish off by pulling too hard. Andy shares a training technique that he perfected with Stu Apte in the early days of big tarpon fishing.

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THE TARPON TREE - Brent Hannafan After his first piece, originally titled “Tarpon Are A**holes” (we changed the name before publication), Brent Hannafan follows up in similar fashion with an equally entertaining and informative piece about tarpon fishing—and preparing for it in an unlikely setting. Grab your fly gear and dog leash. And don’t call PETA; no dogs were harmed in the shooting of these photos.

FOOD - Kelli Prescott Springtime means fresh, light flavors, and spending more time enjoying warmer days than toiling in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean your plates have to be boring. Food Editor, Kelli Prescott, shares her latkes fried in duck fat, gravlax, and grilled tiger prawns with springy pea salad.

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VIVA LA PALOMA - Trey Reid Simplicity sometimes spawns perfection, and the simple Paloma, the national cocktail of Mexico, is as bright and fresh as the lengthening days. Managing Editor, Trey Reid, pays homage to the refreshing tequila lowball that has carried him through quarantines and closures.

FLY TYING: REDFISH CROUTON - Nick Davis Redfish aren’t known to be a particularly finicky species, but if you’ve ever fished for them, you know they certainly can be. Nick ties up a beauty called the Redfish Crouton. It looks too tasty to throw into murky waters. Do it anyway.

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FLY FISHING FAQs - Nathaniel Linville Some anglers talk the talk, but this guy walks the walk.

Nathaniel Linville has caught a world-record permit, so we’re all ears when he answers some of fly fishing’s most frequently asked questions. He delves into “crooked math” on the flats, preparing for success, and how IGFA-compliant leaders will make you a better angler.

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SILVER BULLETS OF THE PACIFIC

- Al Quattrocchi Catalina Island is a popular weekend destination off the coast of Southern California, but Al Quattrocchi knows it’s also a hot spot for teasing up Pacific bonito and casting crease flies and poppers into surface frenzies.

Brace yourself, because these fish punch out of their weight class.

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WHERE TO GO NEXT? - Peter McLeod Travel Editor, Peter McLeod, has traveled for a living for the last 30 years, making him possibly the most eager of fly anglers awaiting the pandemic’s end. But travel restrictions pinned down our travel guru long enough for us to pin down his insights on two fairly accessible destinations—Mexico and Belize.

PANDEMIC PERMIT - Jonathan Olch The past year of coronavirus restrictions didn’t allow Jonathan Olch to travel the world in his ongoing search for permit, but that doesn’t man he stopped thinking about them—or sharing valuable insights from a lifetime of chasing the black-tailed devils.

UNDERTOW - E. Donnall Thomas Jr. No offense to our brethren who spend countless hours at the vise, but Don Thomas argues that an ugly fly in the water will catch more fish than a beautiful fly in the box. When it comes to saltwater fly selection, maybe matching the hatch isn’t as important as Darwinism.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 11

— from the editor

pause THE ALLURE OF THE NEW has unlimited persuasive power, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Most are unwilling to forgo comfort and familiarity in exchange for the new, and with excellent reason—status quo has worked for them.

For the angler, the prospect of a new fly, a new rod, a new reel, or even a new destination, creates boundless excitement, but beneath it remains the tempered drag of uncertainty.

AFTER 2020, and even looking forward into the current year, things are no longer routine. This disruption of norms represents an opportunity to cast an entirely different light on our expectations of spring’s renewal. We stand at the proverbial fork in the road, a time to either reassemble the old ways and get back to where we once were, or venture out into the new and unknown to create or discover. Which path to take this spring?

AS A PUBLISHER, I must continue exploring, otherwise TFFM would stagnate and wither. But at the same time, the great pause of 2020 has put in focus the importance or lack of importance of several things. Many traditions and typical ways have been lost, possibly forever, which may not be a bad thing.

GROWING FOOD AND COOKING AT HOME was something I did regularly in my youth. Since the pause, dining in and using foods and herbs from the garden has become our daily routine.

Having ample time to tie flies was another item that had virtually vanished because of life’s time constraints. With our fishery closed for two months, I tied lots of flies. I now remember that having a wide selection of well-tied flies, ready on a moment’s notice, is the only way. The pause also allowed time to reevaluate gear and replace

Photo: Scott Morrison 12 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

line or backing on many out-of-service favorites, some of which were out of service because they needed new line or backing.

THE CONFIDENCE OF BEING PREPARED has resulted in more relaxed time on the water, which has infiltrated my casting, as well. While I haven’t abandoned all of my old practices (only a few actually), my message from the pause is to slow down and enjoy the process—not just in fishing, in everything.

SO WHICH PATH THIS SPRING? My path will be the same one that many will choose, somewhere between the forks in the road, striking a healthy balance between the certainty of the constant and the excitement of change.

IN THAT SPIRIT, we have a terrific mix of past and new contributors for March. We welcome the newest contributors: Elizabeth Wallace, a geneticist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; photographer Jessica Haydahl Richardson, whose film Dropped in the Pacific will be featured in this year’s Fly Fishing Film Tour; SoCal surf-fly guru Al Quattrocchi; and permit world-record holder Nathaniel Linville. Regular contributors Andy Mill, Chico Fernandez, and Jon Olch return, and Trey Reid steps in as the managing editor.

AS WE SAY with each issue, this one is better than the last. I hope you agree.

Sincerely,

Joseph Ballarini, Editor-in-Chief

ALASKA Mossy’s Fly Shop 750 W. Diamond Blvd, Suite 114 Anchorage, AK 99515 907-770-2666 mossysflyshop.com CALIFORNIA Bob Marriott’s Fly Fishing Store 2700 W. Orangethorpe Ave Fullerton, CA 92833 714-525-1827 bobmarriottsflyfishingstore. com

Seven Mile Fly Shop 1638 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 (305) 440-3406 sevenmileflyshop.com The Angling Company 333 Simonton St Key West, FL 33040 305-292-6306 anglingcompany.com The Tide 26 Grouper Hole Drive Boca Grande, FL 33921 941-964-2417

COLORADO

GEORGIA

Front Range Anglers 2344 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 303-494-1375 frontrangeanglers.com

Cohutta Fishing Company 39 S. Public Square Cartersville, GA 30120 770-606-1100 cohuttafishingco.com

CONNECTICUT

ORVIS Atlanta Buckhead Square 3255 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30305 404-841-0093 Orvis.com

The Compleat Angler 541 Boston Post Road Darien, CT 06820 203-655-9400 compleatangleronline.com FLORIDA 239 Flies 3431 Bonito Beach Rd SW Unit #205 Bonito Springs, FL 34134 (239) 908-3513 239flies.com Forgotten Coast Fly Company 123 Commerce Street Apalachicola, FL 32320 850-653-1024 forgottencoastflycompany. com

The Fish Hawk 764 Miami Cir NE #126 Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-3473 thefishhawk.com LOUISIANA Marsh & Bayou Outfitters 2600 Florida St Suite 3 Mandeville, LA 70448 985-869-7335 marshandbayououtfitters.com ORVIS Baton Rouge Perkins Rowe, Bldg. H 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd., Ste. 140 Baton Rouge LA 70810 225-757-7286 Orvis.com

NORTH CAROLINA Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd D5 Cornelius, NC 28031 704-896-3660 carolinaflyfishing.com OBX on the Fly 107 Sir Walter Raleigh St Manteo, NC 27954 obxonthefly.com RHODE ISLAND The Saltwater Edge 1037 Aquidneck Ave Middletown, RI 02842 866-793-6733 saltwateredge.com SOUTH CAROLINA Bay Street Outfitters 825 Bay Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843-524-5250 baystreetoutfitters.com ORVIS Charleston 535 King St, Charleston, SC 29403 (854) 999-4985 Orvis.com Southern Drawl Outfitters 1533 Fording Island Rd Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 843-705-6010 southerndrawloutfitters.com TEXAS Bayou City Angler 3641 Westheimer Rd Suite A Houston, TX 77027 832-831-3104 bayoucityangler.com

MARYLAND

Gordy & Sons Outfitters 22 Waugh Drive Houston, TX 77007 713-333-3474 gordyandsons.com

Mangrove Outfitters 4111 Tamiami Trail E Naples, FL 34112 239-793-3370 mangroveoutfitters.com

Alltackle 2062 Somerville Rd Annapolis, MD 21401 888-810-7283 alltackle.com

ORVIS Austin 10000 Research Blvd - B04B Austin TX 78759 512-795-8004 Orvis.com

Ole Florida Fly Shop 6353 N. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33487 561-995-1929 olefloridaflyshop.com

MASSACHUSETTS

ORVIS Houston 5727 Westheimer - Suite A Houston TX 77057 713-783-2111 Orvis.com

Florida Keys Outfitters 81219 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL 33036 305-664-5432 floridakeysoutfitters.com

Orlando Outfitters 2814 Corrine Dr Orlando, FL 32803 407-896-8220 orlandooutfitters.com ORVIS Ocean Reef 1 Fishing Village Drive Key Largo FL 33037 305-367-2227 Orvis.com ORVIS Sandestin 625 Grand Boulevard Ste 101 Sandestin, FL 32550 850-650-2174 Orvis.com

The Bear’s Den 34 Robert W. Boyden Rd Taunton, MA 02780 508-977-0700 bearsden.com MONTANA Frontier Anglers 680 N. Montana St Dillion, MT 59725 406-683-5276 frontieranglers.com NEW YORK River Bay Outfitters 980 Church St Baldwin, NY 11510 516-415-7748 riverbayoutfitters.com

ORVIS Plano Preston Towne Crossing 2412 Preston Road Suite 200 Plano, TX 75093 972-596-7529 Orvis.com ORVIS San Antonio 7427 San Pedro Ave. Suite 104 San Antonio, TX 78216 210-812-3017 Orvis.com

Swan Point Landing 1723 Cherry Street Suite 4 Rockport, TX 78382 361-729-7926 swanpointlandingflyshop.net Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. 1933 E. Levee St Dallas, TX 75207 888-824-5420 tailwatersflyfishing.com UTAH Fishwest 47 West 10600 South Sandy, UT 84070 fishwest.com 801-617-1225 WASHINGTON Peninsula Outfitters 19740 7th Ave NE, Suite 110 Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-394-1599 peninsulaoutfitters.com The Avid Angler 17171 Bothell Way NE #A272 Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 206-362-4030 avidangler.com WYOMING Lander Fly Shop 305 Main Street Lander, WY 82520 307-438-3439 landerflyshop.com Retail Chains: Barnes & Noble—630 retail locations in the USA Books-A-Million—260 stores in 32 states Bass Pro Shops—95 locations in the USA Dick’s Sporting Goods (select locations)—over 700 stores in the USA Field & Stream Stores—35 locations in the USA

R E T A I L E R S C A R R Y T A I L

Indigo Books—over 200 stores under various banners BAHAMAS Blackfly Lodge Schooner Bay Abaco, Bahamas 904-997-2220 blackflylodge.com CANADA Drift Outfitters & Fly Shop 199 Queen St. East Toronto Ontario M5A-1S2 647-347-7370 Driftoutfitters.com

Sportsman’s Finest 12434 Bee Cave Road Austin, TX 78738 512-263-1888 sportsmansfinest.com

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 13

THE BONEFISH SPECIAL

by Chico Fernandez

I had plenty of bonefishing

I was also motivated by stories from

The same fish could look different in

experience in Cuba, the Bahamas,

several bonefishing guides who had

white sand and dark turtle grass.

and the Florida Keys, but I was always

looked at the stomach contents of

looking for a better fly. So one day in

a few big bonefish, finding small

I decided the fly would be mostly

the summer of 1968 I decided to tie

snapper (mainly schoolmaster

translucent white, with some yellow,

a fly for the big bonefish that were

snapper), a variety of mojarra, small

and showing vertical bands. And it

so plentiful those days, especially

pinfish, and other species. It looked

would be more impressionistic than

in the upper Keys and Biscayne Bay.

like large bonefish were often looking

realistic.

And now, more than 50 years later, I

for a big mouthful. So my new

look back and ask myself, Was the fly

pattern would imitate a juvenile fish.

successful?

I took a No. 2 Mustad 34007 hook and inverted it in the vise, as I did

I wanted to examine, first hand, what

with most bonefish flies (and also

I thought I could tie a different

I was going to imitate. So using my

some redfish flies). I started by

and better bonefish fly. Earlier that

small cast net in the flats during

wrapping yellow thread on the hook

year I discovered a way to tie a new

the higher stages of the tide, I took

shank. After a few tries I settled

body for a glass minnow imitation,

several samples of juvenile fish.

on a gold Mylar under-wrap for the

wrapping quarter-inch Mylar on the

body, and then wrapped that with

hook shank and then wrapping 30- or

I found that most of the fish

30-pound yellow monofilament. Now

40-pound-test monofilament line

were white, silver, and somewhat

the fly would have some yellow and

over the Mylar. The mono allowed

translucent; some had vertical

translucency. For wings, I selected

light to come through, giving a very

bands. The schoolmasters had lots

white kip tail. To add vertical bands,

lifelike look to both shrimp and

of yellow, and some fish had yellow

I tied two thin grizzly saddle hackles

baitfish patterns. As a bonus, the

fins. I knew that coloration changed

on top of the wings.

body was practically indestructible.

a lot depending on the environment.

14 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

In those days most tiers would’ve

species. So this special fly needed a

bottoms like turtle grass. It has

added the grizzly feather on the side

universal name, and I had it within

worked well, but somehow I seldom

of the kip tail wings, arguing it was

minutes: the Bonefish Special.

use it. Maybe I should use it more.

more realistic. But I felt like the fly

It remained to be seen if the bonefish

would swim more naturally with the

liked it as much as I did.

This is one of those old fly patterns

feather on top. And since I designed

I first tested the fly during a low

that has gone out of fashion these

the fly to fish in very shallow water,

incoming tide on one of the many

days. But try one in shallow water

for tailing and cruising fish, the fly

flats south of Miami in Biscayne Bay.

with a light sandy bottom, and

was unweighted. I finished the fly

Bonefish were pushing wakes into

you’ll find it’s still in style with the

with the yellow thread for the head.

the flat, the water only a few inches

bonefish.

deep and rising. Tails were all over I looked at the fly and wasn’t

the place.

impressed. It looked somehow

And because the fly is so light and delicate, it works best when tied

incomplete and bland—just another

The fly was light and easy to cast,

to a light tippet such as 10-pound

streamer. Still, I decided to try it.

and landed delicately on the water.

test. My favorite hook size is a 4, but

Even when it landed only a few inches

occasionally I’ll use a 2.

For the next couple of months I

from a tailing fish, the bonefish were

fished the fly in the Keys, plus a week

unaware of the fly until I started

in the Bahamas. The results were

moving it. Then they would rush to

mixed; I took a few bonefish and had

it and take it. I landed several nice-

Even though I’ve taken several

a few refusals.

sized bonefish before the tide got too

double-digit bonefish, including a

high to see tails. I fell in love with the

12-pounder, it really wasn’t successful

Bonefish Special.

in its original intent of taking big

I looked closely at the fly again, and I couldn’t make up my mind what it

So, was the fly successful?

bonefish. Today there are many large,

needed. So I put it away and forgot

Since then, I’ve taken hundreds of

weighted flies that do much better at

about it.

bonefish with it, not just in Miami

taking big bonefish around the upper

and the Keys, but in most of the

Keys and Miami. But in shallow water

A few days later I envisioned the fly.

Bahamas, Belize, Mexico, and many

on calm days, it can still be deadly.

I sat on the bench again and started

other places. Maybe someday I’ll

another version—this time with

catch one with it in Cuba.

black thread. But before I made the

And my love affair with the Bonefish Special still burns passionately after

body, I had the idea to add an orange

Now let’s talk about the Bonefish

all these years, partly because it’s

marabou tail for more action. Then I

Special today.

a great fly in the right conditions,

tied the body with yellow mono over

but mostly because tying one on

Mylar, and the white kip tail wings

Since the fly is so light and

my tippet reminds me of those

with the grizzly feather on top. I

aerodynamic, usually dressed very

wonderful fishing days so many years

finished it with the black thread. This

sparsely, it is ideal to use with today’s

ago. And what can I tell you? I’m

time, I had a completely different fly,

light 5- or 6-weight outfits. On a

sentimental for good memories.

somehow more attractive. I didn’t

7-weight you wouldn’t even know

make any changes. It looked right,

the fly was there. You can make

TFFM Consulting Editor, Chico

and I loved it from the start.

casts with it in windy conditions that

Fernandez, has been fly fishing for

you couldn’t make with most other

more than 60 years. He’s the author

bonefish flies.

of three books and has made several

I wanted to give it a name right then and there. It didn’t imitate the

instructional videos, including

mostly yellow juvenile schoolmaster

A rarely tied variation of the Bonefish

Fly-Fishing for Bonefish (Stackpole

snapper, or the mostly white and

Special is one tied with brown wings

Books) and The Art of Fly Casting.

silver mojarra. The fly had the

instead of white. I sometimes tie

coloration of several flats fish

them to fish for bones around dark

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 15

GEAR Seventy2 Pro Survival System After the year we just experienced, there’s never been a better time to invest in security.

The Seventy2 Pro Survival System by Uncharted Supply Company is a survival kit that contains food and water plus everything else two adults would need to endure harsh conditions for 72 hours. Given that things are not as they were, we feel being prepared for anything is no longer overdoing it. There is also a one-person Seventy2 Survival system, but if you have the space and the need, we recommend the two-person Pro kit. If nothing more, a solo user gets 144 hours. (unchartedsupplyco.com) $595

RCI Optics 2nd Light Midnight Gunmetal / Copper Sunrise Gold Mirror H780 RCI is a Florida-based company that manufactures quality optics that boast UV protection as well as infrared protection. Their theory is that infrared light can cause the anterior chamber of the eye to heat up, and therefore dry out faster than when wearing other lenses. Without getting into that debate, the color of the Copper Sunrise lens is perfect for tannic water and seeing tarpon lumber about in low morning light in the backcountry this spring. (rcioptics.com) $295 16 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

GUIDE GoPro Large Tube Mount If you have ever struggled with getting the shot and keeping everything organized (and not in the water) amid the chaos that ensues when a big fish is hooked, this is a possible solution. You no longer have to use a zip-tie to secure your floating handle to your poling platform or your craft’s grab rails. The GoPro large tube mount fits most poling platforms and most hand rails. It even fits on the roll bars of a Jeep.

Wherever you put it, count on it helping you capture unique perspectives of your spring fishing adventures. (gopro.com) $39

Simms Dry Creek Simple Pack - 25L Planning on doing some wading, or do you just need a good functional dry bag? Either way, the Dry Creek Pack in 25-liter size is perfect for most situations. Waterproof zipper on the outer pouch gives access to small items like phones, flies, and snacks. The larger storage compartment is surprisingly accommodating for more than you might expect. Nice details, like the padding in the straps, make it a fairly comfortable backpack for a day trip. (simmsfishing.com) $139.95

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 17

GEAR GoPro Zeus Mini Whether stringing up fly rods in predawn darkness, lighting up dark boat hatches, or a late-night tying session, GoPro’s Zeus Mini is as versatile as it is powerful. Waterproof down to 33 feet and mountable with a clip or magnets (it firmly sticks to anything metal in your boat), the Zeus Mini can shed light on any situation. Once in place, a strong 360-degree swivel allows you to choose the angle of illumination. With four brightness settings ranging from 20 to 200 lumens and a rechargeable battery that lasts up to six hours, it can handle anything you throw at it. (gopro.com.) $69.99

Lacrosse Alpha Muddy Mid As anglers we spend a lot of time in wet places—boat launches, riverbanks, marinas, wet grass, rainy days. That’s not going to change. Built with the premium, waterproof rubber and neoprene interior Lacrosse is known for, the Alpha Muddy Mid is perfect for anglers on the go. They slip on and off easily, making them perfect for throwing on while launching the boat and then tossing in a hatch until you get back. They’re also every bit as comfortable as they are durable. After a day of fishing you’ll want to wear them while walking the dog, finishing up the day’s chores, or bellying up to the bar. (lacrossefootwear.com) $110 18 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

GUIDE Garmin inReach Mini The Garmin inReach Mini is a compact satellite communicator that sets the standard for lightweight offshore or backcountry communication. At 3.5 ounces it’s the lightest two-way satellite communicator on the market. Its two-way messaging is very reliable, and the SOS signal is constantly checked by Garmin’s search-and-rescue monitoring center (subscription required). Throw in weather reports, route-tracking, location, and altitude display, and the inReach Mini is a powerful tool whether you’re deep in the Everglades or need a reliable backup for your phone in the boat. (garmin.com) $349.99 + Subscription Plan

Trayvax Original 2.0 Wallet Wallets are highly personalized items. If your concept of a wallet is something simple, durable, protective, and small, the Trayvax Original 2.0 wallet fits the bill.

While its price and size are diminutive, its function is not. It fits just the right amount of cards, has a builtin cash clip, pry bar, and bottle opener, and fits easily into your front pocket. It has built-in RFID protection and will likely outlast you. It’s sourced and built in the US, and patinas with time, making it more of an heirloom with each use. (.trayvax.com) $34.99 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 19

GEAR Sea Frogs Underwater Housing Underwater photography equipment doesn’t have to be the price of a used car. If you’re searching for a solid housing that allows you to use your mirrorless or DSLR kit, provides more protection than the zip-seal bag variety, and doesn’t bankrupt you, check out the Sea Frogs line of underwater housings. They make housings for several brands, ranging from Canon to Olympus to Fujifilm, and average in price from $400-$700.

You’ll pay a bit more for different ports depending on your needs. We’ve found them to be impressively beefy and well manufactured. The set up and trial run took a bit of getting used to, but after a few runs the operation became second nature. The feedback provided by the buttons, dials and shutter release is affirmative and pleasing. If you’re interested in underwater photography, this is a great place to start. (seafrogs.com) $400-$700

20 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

GUIDE Buzbe Colony 28 Modular Tackle Box While storage and organization seem a Sisyphean task, this little gem might help. It’s designed for both traditional lures and fly storage, but what makes this box unique is the ability to adjust its modular units. They’re like Lego blocks on the bottom and snap into place. It feels a bit like Tetris trying to get the configuration right, but once they’re set, you get durable and dry storage both on and off the boat.

It’s a bit heavy, but that’s the tradeoff for heavy-duty construction, industrial-grade plastic, and thick rubber gaskets. Built to last and about the size of a standard laptop at 14 x 9 inches. (buzbe.com) $39.95

AxisGO Waterproof Casing for iPhone The optics improvements in modern smartphones have made them the camera of choice for outings and everyday use on the skiff. After losing phones to salt water for years, we discovered the AxisGO casing for iPhone, which has been a true game changer.

Protects the phone from water damage while allowing full functionality. Has limited accessories but there’s a 6-inch dome available to up your photo game when landing and releasing fish. (aquatech.net) $199

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 21

behind th Story and photos by Jessica Haydahl Richardson I clicked the stainless steel carabiner onto my Fishpond waist strap.

“Bertha,” as I affectionately called my 24-inch inflatable raft, wasn’t about to float off.

She was my water mule, tethered with 4 feet of line. Bertha carried a waterproof backpack with a camera,

22 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

water bottle and granola bars. An underwater camera rested in her bow as she dutifully followed me across Christmas Island’s coral flats. Two additional cameras hung from my

and methodical. High winds made conversation nearly impossible.

Jenny is a fly fishing outfitter and guide from Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. She broke down barriers

chest and hip.

by becoming the Bitterroot’s first female outfitter and guide, proving

I was following Jenny West and our local guide Elu. Every step was slow

herself over the decades as one of the area’s best. She’s athletic—quiet

he lens

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 23

and patient until her competitive

nailing her targets every time Elu

20-foot, V-hulled boat reminded

nature kicks in.

called out directions and distances.

me that we weren’t alone out here,

This was her first saltwater fly

The warm, thigh-deep water

the constant feeling of how small a

fishing adventure, but she had

shimmered yellow in the late-day

person seems in a massive ocean.

already caught lots of different

sun. I looked over my shoulder and

Dark clouds formed behind us in the

Christmas Island species. And she

saw nothing but miles of water. In

distance. Another crazy monsoon

came ready to fish on this windy day,

front of us, the silhouette of our

downpour was about to soak us.

a comforting thought to balance

24 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Strong winds and endless rain had

The continuous storms, churning the

hammered us all week. Anxiety set in.

water and hampering our visibility,

Cameras don’t mix well with rain and

were so fierce the previous day

salt water, and worse yet, with the

that we had to abandon the flats. I

gear stowed for protection, I’d be like

was running out of time to get the

Bertha, just along for the ride.

images I wanted.

Let’s go somewhere warm The idea to fly fish Christmas Island was spawned on a cold winter night in Montana. Over fly tying and beer, four ladies from the Bitterroot Valley decided to go fish somewhere warm.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 25

Our group leader, Peg Miskin, yelled,

massive giant trevally, and colorful

Slice of life

“Christmas Island!”

triggerfish make it a dream fly fishing

I wanted to capture all elements of

destination. We gathered seven

the trip—fish, people, and scenery,

Kiritimati sounds a lot like

women to take on the challenge.

with a sharp focus on the ladies

“Christmas” when the “ti”

Ranging in age from 35 to 68 years,

fly fishing. Every morning, I took

combination is correctly pronounced

we came from different areas,

my cameras outside early to begin

like an “s” sound. It’s the largest

backgrounds, and levels of fly fishing

defogging. The hot, humid air

coral atoll in the South Pacific, part

experience, but our common goal was

engulfed my gear, sending thick

of a chain of islands making up the

to make this adventure our own.

droplets of dew running down the

Republic of Kiribati. Plentiful bonefish,

26 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

sides of my lenses.

One of my favorite parts of the day

my 70-200 mm lens while the truck

chickens scurried around the houses

was the truck ride between the lodge

jolted back and forth over potholes.

looking for food. The evening ride

and the dock. There were wooden

Kids hung out in sandy yards before

back to the lodge revealed a vibrant

benches on both sides of the bed to

school while their parents cooked

community—kids now out of school

hold us and our gear, and a plywood

over open fires or swept sandy floors

swam around the dock or played soccer.

roof with thin cord loops that held fly

with homemade brooms. Christmas

Motorcycles cruised the streets. People

rods. We bounced around in unison as

Island homes are primarily elevated

relaxed in hammocks outside their

the driver navigated rutted streets.

living quarters with thatched roofs,

homes. I feverishly photographed all of

The morning drive allowed me to

surrounded by yards with palm trees

it from the bench seat in the truck bed.

capture island life as it unfolded before

and discarded coconuts. Dogs, pigs, and

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 27

28 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Creeping anxiety Back on the coral flat with Jenny and Elu, the rolling storms seemed unending. I saw lightning hit the treetops on the main island. The shimmering aquamarine water slowly turned dark gray, and a foreboding tension arose at the thought of being left alone out here. Bertha bobbed in the growing waves, her bowline tugging at my hip and reminding me to pay attention. Jenny and Elu had gotten about 30 feet ahead of me.

Feeling a sense of panic, I hustled to catch up.

My anxiety, however, stemmed from more than the billowing dark clouds.

Seven days into our eight-day trip, I was feeling the pressure and stress of what photographers call “bad fish luck.” After multiple days of slow fishing, the exhausting combination of walking through sun, wind, rain, and water while lugging my gear was wearing on me—mentally, physically, and emotionally. Frustration swirled through my mind. I wasn’t capturing the photos and videos that I wanted for a short film featuring women anglers. I also needed photos for a magazine story and sponsors. I pride myself on my commitment to a shoot, but nothing was going according to plan. Each passing day brought the realization that I was running out of time.

Change of luck It was 3:45 p.m., and our boat would soon be back to pick us up. The other ladies had been catching lots of fish of different species, but every time I switched up anglers to follow for half a day, the fishing would shut down, as if the fish knew my cameras were ready. I pleaded internally for one

more fish, although there were signs

But my excitement vanished as

my luck was slowly changing. I had

quickly as it started. So far, I had only

gotten some shots of Jenny with nice

captured images of bonefish. “We

bonefish earlier in the day, as well

need a triggerfish, Jenny,” I said. To

as some good casting and landscape

round out the film and still images,

shots.

we desperately needed a triggerfish.

Giant trevally had been nowhere to

“Thirty feet at 11 o’clock,” Elu suddenly

be seen during our trip, and weird

shouted, pointing a spare rod.

weather patterns and high winds had plagued us daily. Jenny had cast

Jenny picked up her line and cast

to several triggerfish over the past

precisely to the spot. The guide

couple of days but just couldn’t seem

motioned with his hand for Jenny to

to connect. She looked at me and

start stripping the line. I was standing

smiled. “Don’t worry, Jess,” she said.

3 feet behind them and could see the

“We will have another shot at one.”

shadow of the bonefish shifting in the water. The fish homed in on her fly,

We kept walking down the flats,

coming in hot at 20 feet, 15 feet, 10

the wall of rain now engulfing

feet. Looking through the viewfinder, I

us. I stuffed cameras inside my

watched the action and snapped shots,

waterproof pack on Bertha, now

waiting for the strip-set image, which

thrashing up and down in the

is always a dynamic photo.

waves and wind. I thought I saw lightning, but Elu seemed amused

Elu motioned for Jenny to stop.

and unconcerned. I hoped he was

I snapped a couple more images

right. I had gotten accustomed to

through a 16-35 mm wide-angle lens

this routine and expected the storm

before turning the camera into video

to pass as quickly as the previous

mode. Jenny and Elu were focused

squalls during our trip. Photography

on the now motionless fly, waiting to

conditions had been challenging.

see what the fish would do next. The

Water persistently ran down my

bonefish attacked her fly and took

lenses, and I had to constantly

off. The line went tight as Jenny strip

shield my cameras from ocean spray.

set and yelled out in excitement. She

Relentless sun caused my underwater

grinned as she played the fish for

camera to fog up, the humidity

a bit before Elu grabbed the leader

making it impossible to outrun

and motioned for Jenny to grab the

condensation.

bonefish’s tail.

Walking behind anglers all day and Having fished and photographed

watching other people fish isn’t easy.

with me for a couple of years, Jenny

Not having the rod in my own hands

knows the drill to help me capture

was torture. This trip was testing

good photos. I steadily snapped

my patience, and while fixated on

images, repeating the fish-out-of-

storytelling through film and still

the-water, fish-back-in-the-water,

images, I wasn’t taking time to

angle-it-toward-me program, and

appreciate a special trip with a group

then grabbed my Outex underwater

of amazing women.

camera for a release shot. There were high fives all around.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 29

Pulling the triggerfish

saying to Jenny. With the sun now

Elu moved Jenny to a more favorable

in our faces, I could barely make out

casting position and instructed her

The boat would be coming for us any

the shape of a triggerfish. My heart

to cast again. The golden hour had

minute now. I pleaded for one more

began to race.

arrived, light illuminating Jenny

fish and wished I had a sacrificial

from the front. Rich tones lit up

beer to pour into the ocean and

The fish didn’t seem to notice us.

the shimmering blue water. Water

appease the fish gods. Elu motioned

Steadying my camera against my

droplets danced off the line with

us forward as the sun slowly

pounding chest, with a 70-200 mm

Jenny’s false cast before she sent the

cracked the clouds. The light was

zoom lens and the camera set to

fly 35 feet and precisely dropped it in

spectacular. I unpacked my cameras

video, I pressed record and looked

front of the triggerfish. She twitched

and reattached them to my Cotton

down anxiously at the flip screen.

the crab fly with a short strip. The

Carrier chest harness.

Elu motioned for Jenny to cast. The

fish turned and ate it.

line whizzed past my head, and with The boat was swinging toward us in

a quick double haul and tight loop,

The fish took off to the right, then

the distance. Time was running out,

Jenny propelled the fly toward the

turned back to the left. Elu was

but we were ready when Elu suddenly

fish. It was a difficult cast, with the

casually lighting a cigar, smiling and

motioned for us to stop. A shadow

wind blowing straight into our faces,

laughing. I was hoping for a quick

floated on the surface about 35 feet

and the fly landed 10 feet short.

fight and an end to the agonizing

ahead of us, almost basking in the

Moving a couple of steps to the right,

uncertainty of her landing it. Jenny

warm sunlight. The wind was blowing

we watched the triggerfish lounging in

got the fish in close, but he made

and I couldn’t hear what Elu was

the late-day sun, still unaware of us.

another run, fast and powerful,

30 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

the line peeling off the reel. The

as the fish casually swam away.

dance continued for 10 excruciating

Jessica Haydahl Richardson has worked for companies such as the

minutes. Jenny finally brought the

A wave of euphoria washed over us,

Vancouver Canucks and Getty Images,

fish close, and Elu, with his cigar in

the combination of elation and relief

and her photographs have been

one hand and pliers in the other,

as stress and anxiety evaporated in

published in several sportfishing

casually reached for the leader and

the fading light. Jenny jumped up

magazines over the past decade.

then grabbed the tail.

and screamed at the top of her lungs

The Christmas Island trip chronicled

while I pumped my fist in the air.

in this article resulted in the film

The triggerfish sported a stunning

We hugged, both of us holding back

Dropped in the Pacific, which is

mix of pink and baby blue skin, wide

tears. She caught the triggerfish, I

featured in the 2021 Fly Fishing Film

smoky-blue zebra-striped eyes, and a

got the shot, and our group of lady

Tour and will be the first F3T film

mouth full of remarkably humanlike

fly anglers capped off an incredible

directed by a female filmmaker and

teeth. It made a grunting noise from

adventure from the Bitterroot Valley

the tour’s first film with an all-female

deep in its gut. Jenny pointed the

to Christmas Island.

cast. This is Jessica’s first appearance

fish at my lens and water shot out

in TFFM.

of its mouth with a big grunt. The evening sun provided perfect lighting.

The triggerfish’s scales glistened with water droplets. Elu removed the fly and Jenny released the fish. I vigorously snapped the shutter button

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 31

A Deep Dive into Species:

Concept and Application Elizabeth Wallace, Ph.D.

32 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a three-part series that will examine the currently recognized 11 bonefish species. Liz Wallace, a geneticist and prominent scientific authority on bonefish, will highlight research to explore differences in bonefish populations, species origin stories, and hybridization.

It’s funny how seemingly simple things can have an outsized impact on one’s life.

For me, entry into the realm of bonefish biology started simply enough when I was handed a new research project: Evaluate the genetic population structure of bonefish in Florida waters. Thus began a line of research

expanding to include the identification of a novel species, as well as redefining relationships within the bonefish genus and broader superorder to which they belong (Elopomorpha, which includes eels, tarpon, and ladyfishes).

Along the way, my research interests allowed me to earn a doctoral degree and afforded many fantastic opportunities to travel and explore. Of course, I am grateful that bonefish live in some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 33

What is a species?

This question remains one of the most challenging yet vital questions in biology. Much more than a mere philosophical argument, the concept and application of species status has far-reaching implications for management and conservation.

Species is the fundamental unit of biodiversity. And yet agreement on a universal definition is lacking: More than 25 species definitions have been proposed. Modern definitions of a species, however, are lineagebased.

Another interesting aspect requires us to possess some humility. As it turns out, we have a long history of doing a rather bad job of recognizing and naming species. A few highlights—or perhaps more appropriately, lowlights: • Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, were described 20 separate times.

• Manatees were believed by the ancient Greeks to be mermaids.

• Bonefishes were once considered a single, globally occurring species (Albula vulpes).

One fascinating aspect of the notion of a species is that we all understand what is meant by it. It transcends cultures and languages: Different local names may be used for an organism, yet we all know what it means to be a species. This quote from Darwin’s On the Origin of Species remains true today: “No one definition has as yet satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species.”

My take on possible causes for this tendency: Humans are very visual, and we like to think that we have correctly interpreted what we observe. Yet organisms use a wide variety of non visual cues to recognize one another.

Many fish are adept at this, using chemical, electrical, tactile, and auditory cues—in addition to or instead of vision—to recognize prey, predators, and others of their own kind. This makes sense

34 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

in aquatic environments—which may be turbid—where prey hide, predators lurk out of sight, and individuals of a species may be spread out over large areas.

When and how does the species designation occur?

No trivial matter, this is the territory of systematics, the field that focuses on understanding and describing species and higher-level evolutionary relationships (genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom). From the outside, the discipline may seem murky and daunting, with its own esoteric vocabulary (consider terms like clade, holotype, monophyletic, and synapomorphy). The process of diagnosing (species delimitation) and naming a species (alpha taxonomy) is rigorous and data-driven.

Modern species delimitation uses an integrated approach, incorporating genetic, ecological, and behavioral evidence. In

addition to understanding the organism being described, you also must dig into historical literature to see if any names are available. (These must be used before creating a new one.) Type specimens need to be identified—either archival specimens in museum collections or newly preserved ones. Most folks consider recognition of a species a simple issue: Yes, this is a species, or No, it isn’t. In reality, it’s complicated; researchers like me who explore this topic operate in a gray zone. The boundary between where a population ends and a species begins is best viewed as a continuum rather than a hard line. Some might find this nuance annoying. Personally, I find the questions of how, why, and when a species exists even more fascinating than just if it does. I consider my work evolutionary treasure-hunting, and these gems of knowledge and understanding are the treasure. If you have an explorer’s spirit and drive to solve puzzles, this is a great field.

a result of dropping sea levels.

From that point forward, the two populations are on separate evolutionary paths. Eventually, they will become genetically different—so much so that they are now two functionally separate species. This process is active and continuous, rather than a single discrete event. We observe the outcome from speciation, but we can’t predict what may happen in the future under alternate conditions. Environmental and geographic changes, as well as human-induced ones, can change evolutionary trajectories.

What are the implications of species status?

On the one hand, it doesn’t particularly matter to the existence of an organism if we describe it incorrectly. It can just go about life. On the other

hand, things can go badly awry if it’s a species we meddle with.

The presence of unrecognized species may lead to overharvest.

Geneticists devote a lot of research effort to limiting the negative impacts of intentional and unintentional relocations and hatchery releases; these can pollute unique genetic stocks through unintended hybridization, which can lead to lower overall species fitness. This may be especially problematic for small, isolated species.

If you fish for black bass in the American South or salmon in the Pacific Northwest, you’re likely already familiar with this issue.

For these fisheries, genetic stocks are now carefully monitored, hatchery releases geographically restricted, and translocations prohibited. Official recognition of species status can help

The process of speciation can occur in several ways. For bonefishes, as for many marine species groups, the process of speciation likely occurred predominantly through allopatry.

Over evolutionary time frames (millions of years), allopatry goes something like this: A species evolves in one location.

If it survives and thrives, the population increases, and its range expands. Later, something happens to separate part of the species’ range; for example, a historical waterway closes as

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 35

safeguard it from the negative consequences of translocations.

Here in Florida, the long-term, red drum stock-enhancement project (operated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and partners) includes an explicit genetic-monitoring component to avoid potential negative genetic impacts to wild red drum by hatchery stock.

Getting species designations correct is important for other reasons. It affords the possibility of protections, if needed, under the Endangered Species Act and the Convention

36 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Species status has social, legal, and political implications that directly influence conservation.

Practically speaking, species status is the level at which most scientific research occurs. Gaining species recognition also increases research attention and general awareness, which can lead to further discoveries.

How is diversity a product of speciation?

The oldest and most numerous vertebrates on the planet, fish are amazingly diverse. They

are found from the poles to the tropics, in saltwater and freshwater habitats, in alpine streams and caves, and at the greatest depths on Earth.

Speciation in bonefishes (Albula spp.) is perhaps one of the more intriguing and enduring examples of why taxonomic revision is important and consequential work. Eleven species are currently recognized—and one is in the process of description—within the genus Albula, distributed across the global tropics and subtropics.

Two (A. koreana and A. goreensis) have been described in the last 10 years. The flats-angling and

bonefish taxonomy and global distributions (Pickett et al. 2020, available open-access: https:// afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/full/10.1002/fsh.10438).

The numerous scientists who have contributed to this body of knowledge are cited there.

Upcoming in this series, I’ll cover topics including hybrids, cryptics, and origin stories. research communities have focused particular interest on the recent additions. It seems surprising to many that such popular targets for a sport fishery could include species not yet known to science. How could these unknown species be secretly swimming around your feet on the flats? The honest answer has three components: 1) bonefishes are very similar in appearance, making diagnosis difficult; 2) until recently, scientists hadn’t looked very closely; and 3) recent advances in the molecular-systematics field have allowed us to evaluate and diagnose biodiversity with greater accuracy.

Although these newest members of Albula have generated considerable excitement, they aren’t a particularly diverse group as far as fish go. Within Elopomorpha, to which bonefishes belong, that prize goes to eels; Anguilliformes contains 1,842 species. And discoveries continue:

A new eel family, Protanguillidae from Palau, was identified in 2011.

A classic example of explosive diversity is found in the East African freshwater cichlids, estimated at about 1,600 species occurring in lakes Victoria, Malawi, and Tanganyika.

Even those numbers pale in comparison to freshwater cyprinids (carp, minnow, and loach); the order contains an estimated 4,250 species. In total, Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes currently contains 35,704 valid species. I am often asked if it’s possible there are additional undiscovered species of bonefish.

Sure it is. Is it likely? Probably not, at this point, but it would be exciting.

I haven’t included an exhaustive discussion of species here, which is likely beyond the interest of casual readers. Co-authors and I recently published a thorough review paper discussing

Liz Wallace is a geneticist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, based at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her research applies genetic/genomic approaches to conservation and management of recreational and commercial fisheries.

Her current projects deal with identifying population structure, cryptic species, hybridization, parentage, and recruitment dynamics that span freshwater and marine fisheries. With expertise in bonefish genetics, fisheries movement, and reproductive ecology, she’s a team member of the Flats Ecology Program spawning and migration research in the Bahamas.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 37

YOUR DRAG

by Andy Mill

One of the most exhilarating things

fishing, I was like most anglers—I

to do as a fly fisher is to hook into a

tightened the drag until I felt some

fish so large you’re stunned beyond

resistance and that was it. I was

words. It’s mind-boggling to feel the

taught to fight fish by pinching the

surge and power of an extremely

fly line with my fingers, to pull on

large beast that you’re attached to

the fish until it surged and then to

with a string, and when you realize

let go quickly, reapplying pressure

there’s a good chance of subduing it,

when the fish stopped. Looking at

it’s beyond comprehension. How was

old photographs of Stu Apte, Billy

it possible for Tom Evans to wrestle a

Pate, and others, they all wore gloves,

273-pound blue marlin to the boat on

which they used to keep the fly line’s

16-pound-test monofilament?

friction from burning or cutting into

When I first began saltwater fly

their hands when big fish surged.

38 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 39

Letting go of the line too late is how

repetition. Many of our pioneers

many fish break off. The anglers I

chased the 12-pound world-record fish.

mentioned held onto the fly line, but did they know how many pounds of

I was at Apte’s home to interview him

pressure they were applying to the

for my book, A Passion for Tarpon.

fish? Some yes, others no. The ones

After the interview we went into his

who didn’t became famous—maybe

backyard to gauge his precision with

infamous—for epic eight-hour battles.

the weight and pressure he applied to

The ones who did caught massive

fish. He told me he sought to apply

fish and did it quickly. The truly great

12 pounds of pressure when pulling

anglers paid very close attention to

on fish. So he broke out his rod and I

the moments of disaster when the

attached his leader to my Boga grip

fish broke off. Back then, there were

scale. As he walked back and started

so many fish available, and they

to pull, my scale went to 12 pounds,

broke off so many, that they learned

perfectly on target. When I asked him

their tackle’s breaking point through

how he knew, he said, “I just know.”

40 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Experience was Apte’s teacher, but

To learn this without relying on

my hands how to apply 12 pounds of

today, we don’t have the luxury of

someone else holding a scale, I went

pressure to a fish, and that’s how I’ve

the endless schools of innocent fish

to a marine store and purchased

fought tarpon over the past three

that he and others often found.

a simple pulley used by sailors and

decades.

Hooking or catching one tarpon a

attached it to the underside of

day is a successful day for many. So

my work bench. I took a piece of

Even though I’ve never used my reel’s

we need to be able to learn more at

monofilament, strung it through the

drag to fight fish, last year I started

home now, so that when we get on

pulley, and attached it to

to focus on drag settings and how

the water and hook the fish of our

a 12-pound dumbbell. I tied a

to quickly know my drag’s actual

dreams, we have a better chance of

perfection loop to the other end of

resistance. But how would I approach

catching it.

the mono, attached a Boga grip to

this technique? I’ve never tested my

the loop, and pulled back until the

drag setting with a scale; I’ve just

dumbbell came off the floor. With no

pulled the line off of the reel until it

Let’s talk about reel drag, resistance in pounds, and how to set it. I became aware of resistance in pounds when I started tournament fishing.

I was catching fish fairly quickly, but I knew I was only guessing about how hard I was pulling. I was pulling hard, but I couldn’t quantify it. And if I could pull harder without breaking off fish, I’d catch fish quicker, giving me additional time to catch more. Because winning tournaments is a numbers game, it was time to dive into the details.

I started by having someone

We can all become much more efficient at catching fish if we learn how to fish with real numbers.

hold a scale attached to

“felt right,” which typically was as simple as when it was fairly tight. Then I’d leave it there for the entire season.

I used to think my drag was about 5 pounds, but I recently measured my drag with a scale, and it was 3 pounds. I was intrigued.

If I knew the exact spot on my reel where the drag was set to 5 and 10 pounds, I could quickly and effectively use drag while fighting fish. For example, if I have a heavy drag setting of 10 pounds or more on a fish next to the boat, and he

my leader while I pulled, emulating

friction from the pulley, the Boga grip

quickly goes under the boat and I’m

a fish fight. When I thought I was

read 12 pounds. I cut that loose and

not quick enough to walk my rod

really pulling, the numbers were

strung my leader through the pulley,

around the bow to get to the other

around 9 to 10 pounds. I wanted to

tied it to the dumbbell, stepped back,

side, my rod could be leveraged

pull 12 pounds consistently and be

hung onto my fly line, and started

against the gunnel and break. I could

automatic in reaching that rate of

to bend my rod until the dumbbell

avoid that scenario by quickly taking

pull when I hooked a fish. It would

lifted off the floor. The system

all the drag off my reel and walking

give me a window of 4 pounds before

worked exactly as I had envisioned,

my rod around the bow or stern. Once

I’d break off a fish with 16-pound-

and now I could learn to pull on fish

the fish is clear, I can then turn the

test tournament tippets.

in my garage. Over time, it taught

drag knob back up to the 10-pound

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 41

mark. But if I don’t have a mark on

end of your leader and attach a scale

It’s important to pull hard, but it’s

my reel indicating 10 pounds, I’m just

to it. With the reel in your hand, have

just as important to know truly how

guessing how far to rotate the knob.

someone hold the scale and read the

much you’re pulling. It’s a proven way

We can all become much more

pounds while you rotate the drag

to help you catch some of those big

efficient at catching fish if we learn

knob to increase resistance. When

fish that have gotten away in the

how to fish with real numbers.

the scale hits 5 pounds, mark the top

past.

Furthermore, big fish have a far

of the drag knob or regulator and

better chance of survival if they’re

the back wall of the reel so the two

TFFM Consulting Editor, Andy

caught and released in 15 to 20

marks align. Then increase the drag

Mill, is one of fly fishing’s leading

minutes. If you can’t catch a fish in

again until the scale hits 10 pounds.

authorities. Andy has won more

30 minutes or less, you should break

Mark the back of the reel wall again,

invitational fly tarpon tournaments

it off. When I hear of these hour and

and you now have exact reference

than any other angler, including

longer battles with fish, I know I’ve

points and no more guesswork. (If

five Gold Cups. He’s the author of A

just heard a dead tarpon tale.

you fish light tippets, the marks may

Passion for Tarpon (Wild River Press).

be at 2, 4, or 6 pounds, or whatever

You can listen to the fly fishing

So how do we mark our reels to know

resistance you want; it works the

podcasts produced by him and his

by a quick glance where we are in

same with any tippet size.)

son Nicky at millhousepodcast.com.

actual pounds? Make a loop on the

42 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHY: MATT HARRIS

“DROP IN ON MILL HOUSE PODCAST AND CATCH HISTORY IN THE MAKING.” - FLIP PALLOT -

WATCH LISTEN AND LEARN AT MILLHOUSEPODCAST.COM / @MILLHOUSEPODCAST TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 43

tarpon

tree 44 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

by Brent Hannafan Every day I fly fish for tarpon is

tarpon that doesn’t know I see her

When last I wrote about fly fishing

Christmas morning.

and a few pals cruising toward me

for tarpon in this publication, I

in the vodka-clear water. Or maybe

warned anyone considering taking

I fall asleep the night before my trip

it will be an ugly sweater: rough

up the sport that tarpon can be real

with visions of tarpon dancing in my

seas with no chance of spotting any

assholes. Their unpredictability is

head. I wake up giddy, eager to get

tarpon. The possibilities are endless.

maddening. Nevertheless, watching

out on the water to see what’s under

I once found a tarpon under the

a tarpon eat your fly and then blow

my tarpon tree. Maybe it will be the

tarpon tree that leapt into a tree.

out of the water like a detonating

perfect gift: a courtesy roll by a smug

More on that later.

bomb is exhilarating and addictive.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 45

I make an annual pilgrimage to the

shot at if you haven’t cast to one in

Everglades in June to get my fix.

a year? And unlike a yearly round of

even possible?” Yes, and I’ll explain.)

golf, during which you can work off

During Steve Kerr’s NBA playing

During my four days of Christmas

some rust in your swing by the tenth

career, he would often come off the

each June, I desperately want to

hole, you might only get a handful of

bench to try to hit a three-point shot

make the most of any shiny gifts I

legitimate shots at tarpon during an

at the end of a quarter. To replicate

find under the tarpon tree. But if you

entire trip. Your first shot might be

that situation, he and his shooting

only get to fish a few days each year,

your only shot.

coach devised a drill: Kerr would sit

as I do, it is difficult to maintain—

on the bench after practice and

much less improve—your tarpon

If you want to catch more tarpon

cool down. He and his coach would

game from year to year. Think about

on a fly, you have to improve your

chitchat until his coach randomly

it: If you didn’t pick up a golf club

tarpon game in the offseason. In

yelled at him to check into the game.

for a year, would you expect to walk

order to do so, you need to replicate

Kerr would jump up, pretend to check

to the first tee and maul your drive

casting to—and hooking—tarpon

in at the scorer’s table, hustle onto

down the middle of the fairway? Of

when you practice. “Um, wait,” you

the court, and take a single three-

course not. So why would you expect

might be saying. “You can practice

point shot. He’d take just seven shots

to hook the first tarpon you get a

hooking a tarpon on a fly rod? Is that

over 30 minutes.

Photo: Greg Poland 46 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

If you want to be the Steve Kerr of

rig, treat yourself to a used one. You

where the tarpon is; pros cast to

tarpon fishing, you’ll need to practice

don’t need to acquire a top-of-the-

where the tarpon will be. As far as

casting for tarpon and not for any

line outfit, but you do need a rod the

practicing that concept goes, I found

other species. As I have learned

size of the one you’ll use for tarpon.

my toddler son made a great mock

painfully, tarpon often don’t show

The cost will be a fraction of what

tarpon as he wandered about our

themselves until they are seemingly

you’ll spend on future trips, and the

local park. If you happen to have a

on top of the boat and moving

value of hooking a tarpon versus

toddler at your disposal, take him

quickly (just one reason they are

blowing a shot because you weren’t

or her out with you for a practice

such assholes). That requires getting

prepared is immeasurable.

session. Think to yourself, “Don’t cast

your fly line out and on the water

to the toddler, lead the toddler.”

very quickly. Like Kerr, you should

To make “practicasting” for tarpon

practice taking that specific shot.

as realistic as possible, tie a piece

Next, don’t pick up your line when

And spending half an hour casting

of ribbon to your leader so you can

your cast hits the ground. Instead,

your favorite 5-weight in a straight

see where your fly—and not just the

pretend you are out on the salt. Bend

line the night before your tarpon

end of the fly line—lands. Pile up

your knees, get the rod tip down

trip won’t condition you to make

20 yards of excess line at your feet.

to the grass, put your hands out in

that shot when it counts. The simple

Then imagine your guide shouting, “I

front of you, and retrieve in the same

reason is because the physics of false

got color at 10 o’clock. Moving fast!”

tick-tick-tick fashion you would if you

casting with a big rod are different

Quickly pump your big-boy rod a few

were on the bow. Finish the retrieve

than with a small rod.

times to get enough line out to load

with a full-on yank with your line

If you want to be the Steve Kerr of tarpon fishing, you’ll need to practice casting for tarpon and not for any other species. it, slow your casting stroke as you

hand and a punch back with your rod

Ten feet of 5-weight fly line is heavy

double-haul once or twice, and then

hand to set the hook. Do it all over

enough to load a 5-weight rod, but

cast to a spot in front of where an

again as you cast at different angles

10 feet of 10-weight line won’t load

imaginary tarpon will grab your fly.

and distances. If you are as obsessed

a 10-weight rod. So, if you haven’t

as I am, make a point to practice

spent some time in the offseason

But don’t just cast the same distance

when it’s windy (as it is sure to be out

practicing getting line out quickly

in the same direction 50 times and

on the salt).

with a big rod, standing on the bow

pat yourself on the back when you

false casting with your ingrained

really bomb one out there. Unless you

Now let’s turn to how to practice

5-weight stroke won’t get enough

are casting to a laid-up tarpon, those

what happens when a tarpon eats

line out to take your shot in time.

assholes are moving—and rarely in

your fly. When tarpon get hooked,

Returning to the golf analogy, you

a straight line. In order to maximize

they tear off in the water like a

wouldn’t practice hitting your 6-iron

the benefit of this drill, your target—

spooked deer. (If you find a deer

if you knew you were only going to

and thus the direction of your cast—

to run this drill with you, I’ll pay

hit your driver during an annual

has to be moving.

handsomely for that video.) The

round. If you haven’t practiced with a

sound and feel of a reel screaming as

big rod, you’ll still be false casting as

Wayne Gretzky’s father’s advice to

a tarpon races off tops the list of why

opportunity literally passes.

skate to where the puck will be, not

I am obsessed with them. And I’m

where it is, applies equally well to

here to tell you how you can replicate

tarpon. Amateurs cast their fly to

that sensation in your off season.

If you don’t already have a 10-weight

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 47

If you don’t own a dog who retrieves,

then put the collar on the dog. Stand

practice this phenomenon by stripping

find someone who does. My preferred

back about 10 yards, throw a tennis

in line as the dog barrels back toward

breed for this drill is a Labrador

ball, and release the hound. As the

you. Rinse and repeat.

retriever. Labs are obsessive

dog races away, you’ll get to practice

retrievers and couldn’t care less if you

funneling excess line shooting up

My final piece of advice for making

tie your fly line to their collar before

from an imaginary deck through an

the most of your offseason tarpon

they race off to get their precious

“O” you make with your forefinger

training is comparatively simple: Talk

ball or Frisbee.

and thumb.

to a fly fishing guide. If you truly want to up your tarpon game, take a

Regardless of the breed, tie the end

Just as a retrieving dog runs back to

video of yourself “practicasting” to an

of your leader to the collar of a dog

you, tarpon will often race back to

imaginary tarpon and send it to your

that tips the scales in the 50- to

the boat. That forces the suddenly

favorite guide. Or stop by your local fly

100-pound range. I have found it

surprised angler to begin furiously

shop and hire a guide for an hour-long

helps to tie the line to the collar and

stripping in line to avoid slack. You can

casting lesson. Just as taking a lesson

48 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

from a golf pro will fix flaws in your

wrong but how to fix it.

swing, having a true pro watch your cast will help you fix flaws.

As for the tarpon I found under the tarpon tree that leapt into a tree—

Like buying a used 10-weight, the

well, it’s a short, sad tale. He ate the

cost of a casting lesson will be a

fly, I set the hook, and he leapt five

Andy Lee has guided me for tarpon

fraction of the cost of your next

feet into a mangrove tree. Buh-bye.

over the past dozen years. During

tarpon trip. I also expect the guide

Though I haven’t yet figured out how

my last Christmas-in-June trip to the

will give you advice that’s more

to practice landing a tarpon that leaps

Everglades, Andy watched me make

helpful than someone telling you to

into a tree, I’ll still do everything else I

a single backward cast and caught

go out and tie your line to a retriever.

can in the off-season to get better at

a subtle flaw in my stroke. Listening

Seriously, who would do that? (I did.) I

catching the assholes I find under my

to him describe the flaw, and then

promise you’ll be glad you got advice

own tarpon tree during Christmas in

watching him throw a few casts the

from a pro the next time you peek

June. I hope you’ll do the same.

way it’s supposed to be done, drove

under your own tarpon tree.

home not only what I was doing

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 49

ON THE PLATE:

by Kelli Prescott

50 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Springtime Eats Spring gives me a sense of whimsy

amount of time possible in the

synonymous with boring: I developed

and lightheartedness. When warm

kitchen to deliver satisfying meals

these recipes specifically to bring an

sunshine returns and some of the

that don’t feel too heavy. I love to

exciting flair that transforms simple

most perfect weather of the year

eat light, fresh flavors with simple

ingredients into extraordinary plates.

awaits, I aim to spend the least

ingredients. And simple is not

CRISPY DUCK FAT LATKES WITH 36-HOUR GRAVLAX LATKES

GRAVLAX

Traditional latkes use matzo meal

3 medium-large russet potatoes

Skin-on salmon fillet, the fresher the

as a binder and are fried in schmaltz

1 medium yellow onion

better

(rendered chicken fat). I stick to the

3 cloves garlic, grated

cling wrap

matzo meal as a binder but prefer

1/3 cup matzo meal or crushed

pie weights (or any canned goods)

duck fat for a more robust, decadent

matzo crackers (substitute cracker

1½ cups kosher salt

flavor that pairs perfectly with my

meal)

2 cups granulated sugar

36-hour gravlax.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup fresh cracked black pepper

1½ tsp baking powder

1 lemon, zested

1 egg + 2 egg yolks, whisked to blend

1 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

3 tbsp melted butter 2 tsp kosher salt

TOPPINGS

2 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped

crème fraîche (or sour cream)

1 tsp onion powder

salmon roe (or any caviar)

1 tsp dried parsley

fresh cracked black pepper

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

fresh herbs (or microgreens) lemon zest or juice

36-HOUR GRAVLAX Although very simple to prepare,

the majority of that time is idle.

Next, lay down three sheets of cling

curing gravlax at home takes time.

You’ll only need about 20 minutes of

wrap on the counter. The sheets

For this particular method, you’ll

hands-on prep time.

should be quite a bit longer than the length of your fillet. Overlap the

need 36 to 40 hours from start to finish. It may sound overwhelming

First, mix together the curing blend.

sheets of cling wrap so that you end

and like more time than you’re

Combine kosher salt, sugar, and

up with a square area on which to

willing to spend for one dish, but

cracked black pepper in a bowl.

place your salmon.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 51

CRISPY DUCK FAT LATKES WITH 36-HOUR GRAVLAX Spoon about half of the salt mixture

frequently the door is opened the

Once grated, strain any excess

into the middle of the cling wrap,

better.

liquid from the potato and onion by pressing them down in a fine mesh

spreading it out in the shape of the fillet in an even layer. Evenly sprinkle

After about 12 hours, flip the salmon

sieve. Then wrap the potato and

half of the chopped dill and lemon

and return the weights. Continue to

onion in a kitchen towel or strong

zest on top.

flip the salmon every 12 hours until

paper towels and ring out until they

you reach the 36-hour mark on the

are completely dry.

Place your salmon fillet skin-side

cure. Keep in mind that this isn’t

down on top of the curing mixture.

precise: You could flip your salmon

Return the grated potato and onion

Then add remaining dill and lemon

every 8 hours or just flip it twice

to a large bowl. Mix in grated garlic,

zest on top of the salmon. Spoon

during the cure.

whisked eggs, melted butter, and chives. Then use clean hands to mix

more curing mixture over the top of the salmon until it is covered in

After 36 hours, rinse the salmon

in dry ingredients and seasoning until

about a quarter-inch layer. (You may

thoroughly with cold water and pat

well incorporated.

have some curing mixture left over.)

dry with paper towels. Return to the

Wrap up the salmon tightly. I like to

refrigerator on a rack to air-dry for at

Form 4-inch latke patties that are

least 1 hour and up to 6.

a quarter-inch thick and shallow fry in a cast-iron skillet with a quarter-

add one more piece of cling wrap to really lock in the cure. Place wrapped

Thinly slice. Serve with cracked black

inch of duck fat at 350° F. Flip once

salmon skin-side down in a large

pepper, dill, and a drizzle of olive oil

or twice until both sides are golden

baking dish and put pie weights on

and lemon juice.

brown. If you can’t find duck fat,

top of the fillet. (Anything that helps weigh it down works: cans, etc.)

Crispy Duck Fat Latkes

which I highly recommend, vegetable oil can be substituted.

Peel russet potatoes, onions, and Refrigerate the salmon in the back

garlic. Grate potatoes and onion in a

Drain on a cooling rack. Assemble

of your refrigerator or in an extra

large bowl with a box grater or food

with gravlax, crème fraîche, and

refrigerator if you have one. The less

processor.

desired toppings.

52 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 53

54 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

CHARGRILLED BBQ TIGER PRAWNS WITH SPRINGY PEA SALAD PRAWNS: Tiger prawns are a large variety of

1 pound tiger prawns or Gulf shrimp

reserved bacon grease

shrimp that typically yield about

(head and shell on)

1 bunch chives, roughly chopped

four per pound. Unlike their sweet

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup dill, picked

and delicate cousins (white, brown,

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup microgreens (optional)

and Gulf shrimp), tiger prawns have

1 tbsp lemon juice

a slightly firmer texture and aren’t

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

sweet at all. They most closely

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

resemble spiny or rock lobsters

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp chives, finely chopped

in flavor. Although tiger prawns

1/4 tsp ground mustard

2 tbsp dill, chopped

are native to the Indo-Pacific

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup Dukes mayonnaise

region, they have small invasive populations ranging from Texas to North Carolina.

PEA SALAD:

DRESSING: 1/4 cup fresh tarragon, leaves picked

2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

4 cups frozen English peas, thawed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 watermelon radish, sliced thin

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

So if you prefer Gulf shrimp over

3 breakfast radishes, sliced thin

warmwater lobster, or you can’t find

4 slices bacon, chopped,

tiger prawns, this recipe is just as

cooked until crispy

delicious with any variety of large shrimp.

PRAWNS: To prepare the prawns, you’ll want to

Get a small pile of charcoal white-hot.

handheld immersion blender, but you

take a sharp heavy-duty kitchen knife

Then spread it out and add chunks

can put items in a stand blender as well.

and carefully split them in half, from

of oak.

Once blended smooth, add chopped

the head down to the tail. Be sure not to cut all the way through; your goal

Grill the shrimp shell-side down with

dill, chives, salt, and pepper, and

is to butterfly them with the shell on.

the lid closed for 5 to 7 minutes.

whisk to combine. Set aside while you

Once butterflied and deveined, take

Then move to indirect heat and

assemble the salad.

your thumb and separate the meat

close the lid. Cook for an additional 5

from the bottom shell. This allows

minutes until the juices in the head

In a large bowl combine English peas,

the meat to cook free from the shell

of the prawn start to sizzle and the

sliced radishes, chives, dill, half of

without sticking.

meat becomes opaque and springs

the cooked bacon, and the bacon

back at a touch.

grease. (If you aren’t a big fan of radishes, you can omit them. Lots of

I use this method with standard Gulf shrimp as well. Separating the meat

Serve with grilled lemon, melted

fresh veggies pair well in this salad:

from the shell makes all the difference

butter, and springy pea salad.

asparagus, fennel, red onion, and

when it comes to ease of eating.

SALAD:

more.)

Prepare barbecue glaze by mixing all

To make my springy pea salad, start

Sprinkle lightly with salt and cracked

ingredients in a small bowl. Baste the

with the dressing. Add chopped

pepper and stir. Add dressing to taste

shrimp—both underneath the meat

tarragon, mayo, mustard, and white

and stir to combine once more. Top

where you separated it from the

wine vinegar to a small bowl and

with microgreens and remaining bacon.

shell, and on top.

blend until smooth. I like to use a TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 55

V

oma

a L Pol a vi

by Trey Reid

56 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

I have nothing against the margarita,

faster; most recipes also call for

Coming home to quarantines and

but it’s no longer my No. 1 tequila

salt, either rimmed on the glass

closures, my affair with the Paloma

cocktail, supplanted over the past

or sprinkled into it, but I’ve found

escalated as rapidly as the pandemic.

surreal year by La Paloma.

the faint saltiness from the soda

It was a bridge between happy

suffices.) Simplicity, in this case,

memories of fly-fishing travel and

spawns perfection.

the new reality of a more sedentary

The unofficial national drink of Mexico is simple and refreshing,

existence, one with daily reminders of

bright like the coming spring. They’re

Like its country of origin, tequila

sadness and despair. But springtime

easy to make for a band of thirsty fly

boasts a bright spiciness that shines

in my home state of Arkansas is

fishers or for a warm, sunny day at

through better in a Paloma than

sublime, and a Paloma or three on

home.

in the heavier margarita and other

the backyard deck in the season’s

fruit-enhanced tequila drinks. The

lengthening days became a near-daily

My relationship with the Paloma is

sour notes from lime are familiar, but

bright spot in an otherwise dispiriting

still young, but it’s passionate and

not as overpowering. The sweet and

time. For people working from home

intense, and I think it’s gonna last. It

mildly bitter grapefruit soda provides

with school-aged kids simultaneously

started a year ago, on the Caribbean

balance.

attempting a sudden pivot to virtual

coast of Mexico. Fishing for a week

learning, day-drinking came out in

out of a small fishing-focused inn on

The Paloma is an ideal refresher for

the open, and my flings with the

the southern Yucatan shoreline, we

spring, summer, or tropical weather.

Paloma became more frequent.

needed a solid aprés-fishing cocktail,

On the Costa Maya last year, they

and Palomas checked all the boxes.

were almost restorative after eight

I tried new things, wanting to explore

hours in the sun, and broke up the

the depths of our relationship.

You need just four ingredients—

monotony of Mexican lagers. We

The cocktail should always start

tequila, lime, grapefruit soda, and

made them until we ran out of

with good 100 percent blue agave

ice. (They’re easy to make in batches,

grapefruit soda.

tequila. I quickly settled on Hornitos

too, but you’ll lose the soda’s fizz

Plata, an unrested young tequila

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 57

that keeps the cocktail livelier and

likely existed since at least the 1950s,

margarita.” Although we can’t trace

brighter than reposado tequilas.

and Squirt’s mid-century introduction

the precise provenance of the Paloma,

At first, I was a purist, stocking up

to Mexico probably played a part in

evidence suggests it originated

on 12.5-ounce bottles of Jarritos

its birth. The website alcademics.

south of the border. It’s ubiquitous

grapefruit soda with pure cane sugar

com, a terrific source for all kinds of

in Mexico, and it didn’t become the

at a small Mexican grocery near my

cocktail information, debunks some

country’s national cocktail overnight.

home. It’s still my preferred finisher,

Wikipedia myths about the cocktail

With Squirt’s introduction to Mexico

but when a woman at the bodega

and delves into its origins. Few

in the 1950s, it’s probable that the

suggested Squirt grapefruit soda as

references to the drink exist prior to

first Paloma was consumed within

her preferred Paloma mixer, it opened

the turn of the 21st century, when it

hours of the initial truckload’s arrival.

new possibilities.

started showing up in cocktail books

Plus, it’s called La Paloma, not The

and bar manuals. In A Cook’s Tour

Dove.

Digging deeper into the Paloma’s

of Mexico, published in 1997, Nancy

past, I discovered the cocktail has

Zaslavsky called it a “lazy man’s

58 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

You’ll find different versions in

cocktail books and internet sites,

core allure is its simplicity, a classic

TFFM’s Managing Editor, Trey Reid,

including recipes with fresh

example of the sum being greater

has written for numerous

grapefruit juice, grapefruit bitters,

than the parts.

newspapers, magazines, and

and sweeteners like agave syrup.

websites, and is a former field

With craft cocktail trends continuing,

I’m still a purist—tequila, lime, and

reporter for ESPN. He works in media

you’ll also likely encounter gussied-

grapefruit soda over ice in a lowball

and public relations for the Arkansas

up derivatives that share little

glass. It’s the way the drink started,

Game and Fish Commission, and

in common with the original.

quick and easy to make, and even

hosts The Wild Side on 103.7 FM The

I don’t begrudge anybody for

easier to enjoy. Throw in a warm,

Buzz in Little Rock, which can be

experimentation behind the bar; I’ve

sunny spring day, or friends gathered

heard as a podcast. His exhaustive

made more than my share of complex

under palms talking permit fishing,

research for this spirits column

cocktails, infusing spirits with fruit

and you have Paloma perfection.

required him to consume more

and chiles and making flavored

tequila than he’s willing to admit.

simple syrups. But the Paloma’s

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 59

The Redfish Crouton

by Nick Davis

The Redfish Crouton is a pattern I developed long ago when I first started this tax-evasion scheme called fly tying and fishing. Back in the pre-Instagram days, redfish flies were nothing more than a wad of buck tail and a half-assed palmered piece of cactus chenille. That’s not completely accurate, but it’s not far off. Redfish probably aren’t the scholars of the sea, and many times they barely require more than a cigarette butt to be fooled into a close-quarters game of tug-of-war on a 6-weight.

I designed this fly to keep myself occupied and bring an otherwise minimally required pattern into fly tying’s opulent age of like, comment, and share. But it’s fun and looks cool, borrowing some old-school deer hair Muddler vibes and merging them with new-age techno eyes and a crustacean feel. It’s a timeless, classic black tuxedo in front, and an EDM rave party in the back.

Is it more than you need to catch redfish? Absolutely. Is it more than you want to show off in your fly box? Hell no.

60 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Materials • • • • • • • • • • •

#2 Daiichi 2546 or #2 Umpqua XS410 Danville 210 Denier Thread Cactus Chenille (Medium) - Orange Arctic Fox Hair or Coyote Barred Strung Neck Hackles - Tan or Grizzly Palmer Chenille (Medium) - Root Beer Deer Belly Hair - Chartreuse Deer Belly Hair - Ginger Danville 210 Thread - Chartreuse Bead Chain (Large) - Gold Crustacean Eyes

Step 1 Start by laying a base of Danville 210 from the eye of the hook to the bend of the shank. Go just past the spot directly above the barb. Tie in your orange cactus chenille, then move the thread back to line up with the barb. Palmer the chenille back to the thread and tie it in, using no more than 5 wraps. Make sure you didn’t eat up too much hook shank. Your thread should be hanging no farther forward than the barb—between the hook point and barb is ideal. Trim off the excess.

Step 2 Grab a pair of EP crustacean eyes, or if you’re feeling fancy, make your own. Just make sure when you tie them in, they’re not too far forward—about 1/2 inch or a little less of the mono stem is good. If you tie them in too long, they’ll foul around the hook shank easily. Flush cutters are especially handy here to trim that little wedge into the mono for a nice bulk-free taper. Trim off the ends of the eye stems.

Step 3 Tie in a little coyote or tan arctic fox. When condensed, the fur should be about the diameter of a toothpick. Tie in to your desired length; mine is usually 1 1/2 inches. You want the hackles we’ll tie in later to stick out a little past these ends. Notice that I’m working on top of the eyes.

Everything is high, tight, and compact. The thread is still between the hook point and barb.

Step 4 Measure some hackles of your choosing.

I like the Metz capes or Hareline half capes. No need to blow $120 on feathers for salt water.

(Remember the cigarette butt we mentioned?) A strung neck hackle will suffice. Hold the hackles tip to tip and split over the coyote. Tightly hold them so they don’t rotate. Trim the excess.

Step 5 It’s important to keep your thread wraps to a minimum while working on top of other materials. You’ll make a blob if you wrap everything 18 times. With that in mind, start tying in your palmer chenille right next to your farthestback thread wraps. Bring your thread back behind the bulge of all your previous materials, and begin to palmer back toward the eye of the hook. You’re going to cover up all the previous threads with the palmer chenille—about six wraps. Secure the palmer chenille and trim off the excess.

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Step 6 Grab another hackle and tie it in perpendicular to the hook shank.

We’re palmering this, too. I like to use one that’s a little bigger than the ones we used for the claws. Use your hackle pliers and wrap 8-10 times very tightly, wrap to wrap, and palmer forward while wrapping back toward the eye of the hook. Put a wrap or three of thread over the hackles and just give them a little nudge forward. Then move your thread back to the tie-in point for the bead chain.

Step 7 Figure-eight the bead chain and secure it. A little dab of Zap Gel or Loctite underneath a bounty of wraps will help to keep them from sliding.

Step 8 Get a pinch of chartreuse deer hair (and say a quick prayer). The total amount should be about three pencil diameters. Lay the hair on top of the hook shank and put two loose wraps around it. The thread should cinch between the palmered hackle and bead chain. Pull the thread, and hold the stack loosely in your fingers until the deer hair starts to spin and puff. (If you’re not a proficient deer hair spinner, there are countless YouTube videos that may help. I suggest the deer hair Megalollipop video from 239 Flies.)

Step 9 Now it’s time for the much easier “stacking” method. Using your vise’s rotary function, flip the fly over.

Take a small clump of ginger deer belly hair, about a pencil diameter’s worth, and hold it directly on top of the chartreuse deer hair. Pinch it and hold tightly while putting two tight wraps over all of them and cinching them down. Use your fingers to prevent the hair from spinning.

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Step 10 Wiggle some thread wraps between the deer hair and bring your thread up to the eye of the hook. Put in a couple of half hitches and cut off your thread. We’ll attach it later to finish.

Step 11 Double-edged razors are so damn sharp, if you look at them wrong, you’re bleeding. Be careful! I like to start on the bottom of the fly (bead chain side) and shave it tight to the bead chain. Hit the sides before flipping the fly over.

Remember, work slowly. You can always take a little more off, but if you take too much, you’re starting over. Flip it over and trim at an upward angle.

Step 12 Give it a shave parallel to the hook shank on top to round it out. Then work your way around the bottom and sides, leaving that top flair. Use your scissors to make it perfect. (Redfish don’t care, but you should.)

Step 13 Reattach your thread and make 10-15 wraps on top of your half hitches.

Whip finish and hit it with some head cement or Loon UV Thin.

Step 14 Admire your work of art. You can put a heavy amount of Loon Flow on the deer hair to bulletproof this thing. It photographs like hell, which its why we didn’t do it here. All the materials to tie the Redfish Crouton, including a handy DIY kit, are available at 239flies.com.

Nick Davis is the co-owner of 239 Flies & Outfitter in Bonito Beach, Florida, which began as an online retailer selling oneoff fly patterns and now occupies 2,600 square feet of retail space. You can learn more about Nick and 239 Flies by visiting 239flies.com or following his Instagram page (#BuildingFuzzyEmpires).

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 63

Silver Bullets of the Pacific

By Al Quattrocchi

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It was dark-thirty as we taxied through the low morning light toward the brightly lit bait receiver. As we slid alongside the floating platform, anxious pelicans looking for handouts greeted us immediately as scoops of cured sardines were deposited in our baitwell.

With a happy tank of bait, we were ready to make the 21-mile trip across the channel. I was

spending the day with my old friend, Capt. Vaughn Podmore (saltyflyfishing.com), to catch up on old times, have a few laughs, and pull on some hard-fighting island bonito.

The sun was slowly rising and illuminating the distant horizon with brilliant shades of red and orange. We slowly eased our way out of San Pedro Harbor toward the breakwall and found calm

seas and light winds, excellent conditions for running across the channel. We pointed the bow westward, hit the gas, and skipped like a stone across the blue Pacific toward Long Point on Santa Catalina.

As Catalina Island became visible on the horizon, a distant whale greeted us with spray, and playful dolphins skimmed the surface.

The island was alive with life.

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THE SURFACE TAKES ARE IMMEDIATE AND EXPLOSIVE, WITH BONITO OFTEN GOING AIRBORNE LIKE MINI WAHOO.

Now we needed to find some schools of bonito that inhabited Catalina’s jagged coastline.

It takes 45 minutes to an hour to cross the channel from Southern California to Catalina, but it feels like you’re a million miles from the mainland. Catalina is a popular weekend destination, so we run the channel midweek when boat traffic is usually lighter.

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We planned to hit a bunch of points where Vaughn had previously found fish. When he marked them with his electronics, he turned on his trolling motor’s auto-lock, which held us perfectly in the current, and threw out a few baits. We checked to see if anybody was home by blind casting and sinking our flies deep before quickly double-hand stripping them back to the boat.

It wasn’t long before the lines came tight and the reels began to scream, a harbinger of a morning to remember with nonstop action, bleeding fingers, and sore forearms.

Bonito are one of my favorite species to target on the fly. They never disappoint. After crushing the fly they display supercharged speed. Their forked tails enable them to engage warp drive, quickly emptying a reel’s backing.

There’s no better introduction for new saltwater fly anglers than bonito. Even a small bonito will fight like a fish three times its size.

Bonito are always on the move, and half the fun is finding them.

They follow the schools of bait that are at the mercy of the tide. They also live in rough neighborhoods and developed their sprinting abilities by evading predators such as seals, marlin, dolphin, and the shortfin makos that all inhabit these fabled island waters.

Bonito can be caught inshore year-round along the California coastline, thriving in water temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. They spawn from January through early summer and are a migratory species that feed on large schools of anchovies, sardines, and squid.

The larger-class fish typically show up in late summer through November. We normally find fish that school in certain weight classes like 2- to 4-pounders or 5- to 8-pounders. Larger pelagic bonito can reach the 10-pound class, and some have been known to reach 25 pounds, which I can’t even imagine catching on an 8-weight rod.

When fishing inshore off the California mainland or offshore around the local islands, bonito are typically found in waters from 30 to 80 feet near kelp lines, points, and dropoffs. Once you locate fish on the meter or on the surface, you can keep them around the boat by throwing out live baits like anchovies or sardines. Sink your flies and hold on. Another common method of locating fish is by slow-trolling a lure or fly behind the boat in areas you mark fish. When they surface and hit the lure, you can keep them around by tossing a few baits while casting your flies.

My favorite way to target bonito is to slow-troll a bubble and hookless-fly teaser with a spinning outfit. Once the fish hear the splash of the bubble in the wake of the boat and see the fly teaser moving through the foam, they come to the surface and go ballistic. The teaser creates competition

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AS THE TEASER GETS WITHIN CASTING RANGE, A FLY ANGLER CAN CAST A CREASE FLY OR SURFACE POPPER TOWARD THE BUBBLE AND IMMEDIATELY STRIP THE FLY.

Bonita Bonito Fly Fly Teaser Teaser

(I like this rig on a spinning rod so you can cast long and bring fish to the boat) plastic bead

30# braid to spinning reel

2-3 ft - 20# flourocarbon

stopper water

barrel swivel bubble

within the school and doesn’t hook them. They will slash and boil at it. You can raise the entire school, then slowly wind back the teaser. As the teaser gets within casting range, a fly angler can cast a crease fly or surface popper toward the bubble and immediately strip the fly. The surface takes are immediate and explosive, with bonito often going airborne like mini wahoo. The visual aspect of sight casting to rising fish makes this method my favorite way to entice bonito.

When bonito show up in large numbers, so do pesky seals.

The bubble-teaser and trolling technique will help to keep educated seals away from the boat. When you’re slow-trolling and not throwing baits, the seals usually won’t be interested in pestering you. They seem to key on boats that are stationary with fish swarming around them.

If you find seals on the bonito schools, stick your rod in the water and fight the fish from the reel when you hook up; it’s

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your only chance of landing the fish. Seals will descend upon bent rods like guided missiles, so this may be the rare moment in fly fishing when the bend is not your friend. You can’t win against a 600-pound, knot-headed sea lion, but that’s all part of the excitement.

Bonito tackle isn’t complicated.

A medium-fast to fast-action 8-weight fly rod with a 27-foot, sinking T-14 shooting head works well. Add a straight 20-poundtest fluorocarbon leader and a sardine pattern, and you’re ready. Don’t forget to take a clear intermediate- or floating-line setup as well. When schooling fish are busting the surface, these lines with a surface popper or crease fly are great fun.

Bonito have been given a bad rap as poor table fare because of their soft flesh and fishy taste, but if they are bled immediately and iced, they make good table fare. They can be eaten fresh as sashimi or seasoned, brined, and

loop knot to fly

hookless fly teaser tied on long shank

slow-smoked. If you want to eat one, there’s a limit of five per angler in California, with no size restrictions.

Al Quattrocchi was born in Brooklyn, New York, spending his formative saltwater fishing years around Sheepshead Bay and other nearby waters. He moved to the West Coast in the late 1970s to attend college and soon developed a saltwater fly fishing habit. “Q” has written for numerous publications over the years, and he often lectures at Southern California fly fishing clubs, seminars, and other events. He’s on the pro tying staff of Hatch Outdoors, Tuffleye, and Enrico Puglisi. One of his most popular flies, Q’s Beach Bug, was one of the top-selling surf flies in Umpqua’s Surf Fly Series.

He’s creative director/partner at Tornado Creative in the historic Helms Bakery in Culver City, California. His website is alquattrocchi.com.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 69

FLY FISHING

by Nathaniel Linville

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I get asked a lot of questions.

Perhaps it’s because of the amount of fishing I do, perhaps it’s because I own a fly shop. Folks want to know what the difference is between this rod and that, which sunglasses they should buy, and what kind of leader material they should use. Questions about fishing are more interesting— but in many ways harder to answer.

What fly should I use? Where should I throw it? How can I get the fish to bite it? These are much more complicated questions, though they all come from the same place: People want to catch fish. As much as we throw around the platitudes—that’s why they call it fishing and not catching, it’s just nice to be out there, etc.—there’s a reason we have a rod in our hands. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to catch a fish, and although at times I have been told I take this whole fly fishing thing too seriously, I feel no remorse for working hard and trying to improve as an angler.

You’ll find countless answers to these and more questions on the internet, most written by people who want to sell you something or generate content for a website. That means that they’re not necessarily qualified to answer in the first place. I always chuckle when I read an article from the resident “permit freak”—who works for a travel booking agency-— about where to throw the fly when you’re fishing for permit. In reality, there’s no firm answer to this

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 71

question. Life has taught me to be

just value standing on top of the

that it’s hard. The fish are smart,

wary of people who try to simplify

mountain. We want to get there in a

having learned what tricks not to

something complicated with a

way that we feel comfortable with.

fall for, and the number of shots in

single solution. If nuance isn’t part

a day might be fewer than a person

of someone’s opinion when they’re

There is no getting around the fact

traveling down here to fish would

advising how to feed feathered pieces

that we like to fly fish because

prefer. Our permit ignore the fly; our

of metal to wild underwater animals,

it’s hard—and that we enjoy the

tarpon jump as soon as they bite and

I’m willing to bet that that someone

difficulty. We are also constantly

do their best to throw the fly. It’s a

is missing a lot more of the picture.

looking for ways to make it easier,

challenge, and that’s what gets our

which is part of our hunter’s nature

attention. Nevertheless, over the

As fly anglers, we are clearly thrilled

installed long ago when catching

years I’ve learned a few things I can

by difficulty. If the end goal were

fish meant more of our DNA in

do to lean into the difficulty of the

simply a fish in the hand, we wouldn’t

the future gene pool. So we are

sport while developing the skills I

ever pick up a fly rod. Bait would be

pulled in opposing directions as fly

need to improve as an angler.

a better choice, if we even used a

anglers: Our fascination with limits

rod—though in short order we would

is in competition with our phobia of

find a way to send an electrical

failure.

current through the water and collect

FISH WITH IGFACOMPLIANT LEADERS

our stunned prizes as they floated

What I hear most frequently from

There’s a reason this topic comes up

belly-up. Like rock climbers, we don’t

anglers who come to the Keys is

while fishing for tarpon more often

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IF NUANCE ISN’T PART OF SOMEONE’S OPINION WHEN THEY’RE ADVISING HOW TO FEED FEATHERED PIECES OF METAL TO WILD UNDERWATER ANIMALS, I’M WILLING TO BET THAT THAT SOMEONE IS MISSING A LOT MORE OF THE PICTURE.

we see a fish that we want to

argue that fishing with a leader that

HAVE A PLAN AND EXECUTE IT

has a heavy class will allow the angler

There are two parts to making a shot

we want to do rather than what we

than it does for permit: Tarpon are large fish that fight hard. Some will

to pull harder on the fish, shortening the fight. In my experience this is only true in theory rather than practice.

When I began fishing with an IGFAcompliant leader, I learned to keep maximum pressure on the fish at all times. Larger-than-necessary tippet had compensated for my mistakes, so I was forced to learn from my errors when I broke off a fish. This taught me what I couldn’t get away with as much as what I could; the consequence of a hard limit was that it made me a better angler. I catch fish faster now on 16 than I ever did when I was fishing a heavier class, because I’m more aware of what I’m doing; when I do err I simply break a fish off instead of staying attached through a mistake. If you’re fly fishing and you want to improve, this limit will give you a repeatable reference point to consult as you develop your abilities.

at any fish with a fly rod—and the first is actually the one that anglers struggle with the most: Where do I put the fly? Take a fish swimming at you slowly: Sure, you want to get the fly out in front of it so it can swim into it. The same fish swimming faster might mean you make one less false cast and throw the fly even farther in front of it. A slight current might mean a bit of a lead in the upcurrent direction; more current will mean more. In places where the water is off-color, you might want to throw the fly close to a fish so it sees it. In clear water, success is likely to follow a fly placed away from the fish.

These things are obvious to most fly anglers, and the internet is full of similar pieces of advice, but it’s worth remembering that, in the moment of a shot, our ability to assess these elements deteriorates.

We are reactive—especially when

catch—and we are all susceptible to crooked math that favors what should. Make sure you constantly run the plays in your head. The current speed and water clarity might change in a few yards; staying aware of the implications of a dynamic environment is a good goal.

Thinking critically about everything I’m about to do, rifling through the implications of each shot—these mean I’m better prepared to make things work on each opportunity.

If I look for generic answers to questions like How far in front of the fish should I put the fly? without considering that the best place might move around depending on each situation, I’m mentally taking myself out of the game.

The fish help with this, often annoyingly: A good cast, a truly good presentation, will likely result in either a bite or something close to it.

Remember that fishing is relatively merit-based: If you hook a fish, you

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 73

did everything right. If you didn’t,

but waking up early, getting your

your odds of success, both on and off

focus on what you could do better

leaders tied up, stretching a bit, and

the water.

next time. Think about exactly where

thinking about what you’re trying

the fly landed and if you would have

to do is an approach that can yield

I haven’t given you a set of rules

changed it at all. The very next shot,

big differences at the end of a trip.

to follow, but rather a way to think

try to fix this mistake and do it

People don’t go to Everest to get lit

about what you’re doing on the

right. Having a plan and executing it

with their pals and hang out at base

water. In truth, there are no set

is what separates the anglers who

camp; they go because they want to

answers to the questions we ask

consistently catch fish from those

climb the damn mountain. Whether

ourselves when a fish shows up.

who don’t.

you’re out for a day near where you

Nevertheless, each opportunity has

live or for two weeks at a lodge,

a small chance of success buried

consider taking things seriously and

within it. Being present and thinking

TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

trying to improve. If you took a shot

critically about each and every shot

Remember: What you’re doing is

that didn’t work that day, spend 20

can provide answers that lead to

hard. It’s a fantastic idea to think

minutes casting after you get back

more fun on the water, because

you might go on a fishing trip, get

and try to work through it. If your fly

catching fish is fun, and that’s kind

hammered, and catch the fish of

was getting stuck on the bottom, ask

of the point.

a lifetime. Getting bent may be

around and find some lighter ones.

part of the culture of the sport,

Do everything you can to increase

Nathaniel Linville lives in Key West, Florida. For over a decade he has owned and operated The Angling Company, a full-service fly shop in Key West. His world-record catches include a 16-pound permit on 2-pound tippet and a 140.3-pound tarpon on 6-pound tippet. His tournament record includes three wins in the March Merkin Permit Tournament and one in the Del Brown Invitational. His frank discussion of addiction and recovery, as well as his thoughts on worldrecord immortality, were featured on the MillHouse podcast in 2020. It has been downloaded by 10,000 people in over 30 countries.

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 75

ONE YEAR LATER Where To Go Next?

by Peter McLeod

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A year is a long time. It’s an especially long time to wait for a fishing trip.

For many of us, that date in the diary keeps us going through the rest of the year. We spend hours researching the right spots or new tackle that’s going to make all the difference, and feverishly buying or tying a load of flies we probably don’t need.

Some would view these actions as mildly insane, but they just don’t understand the addiction of saltwater fly fishing.

Not to ignore the shocking reality of what our fellow man has endured, but this pandemic has been particularly cruel to our peculiar breed of traveling fly angler. We’ve foregone annual trips because travel has been impossible or impeded, which means it could be two years before we finally get back on the flats, a harsh withdrawal for those avidly addicted to saltwater fishing.

It looks like things may be changing for the better, and to that end we can dare to start planning where to go when it becomes practical. If you are desperate to get onto the flats and feel comfortable to travel, Mexico and Belize are reachable destinations. Both countries have reopened their borders, and many of their fly fishing operations are open for business. They’re also both serviced by regular flights

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from the US, with airlines adding additional flights as demand slowly increases.

One thing to keep in mind is that many fly fishing operations had to roll over clients from 2020, so availability isn’t automatically guaranteed. That said, there’s still availability at many operations, and they are just as keen to get anglers back on the water as we are to be there.

There has been a substantial positive side effect of COVID-19 and a global pandemic on international fisheries—lack of pressure. With limited travel, many flats and atolls have had zero pressure. This has given fish

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populations a massive respite.

Local guides are seeing larger numbers of fish on the flats, and they’re perhaps a little easier to catch than years gone by.

(That clearly does not apply to permit, as they still continue to drive anglers mad. There might be a few more of them about, though, to help push us over the edge.)

I’ve had the pleasure of helping many embark on their saltwater careers, and the flats of Mexico and Belize have always been my first recommendations.

Mexico boasts fantastic saltwater fly fishing, from the tarpon-rich waters around the Gulf of Mexico

coastline to the permit-filled bays of Chetumal and Xcalak.

In between lie the expansive Ascension Bay and Sian Ka’an Biosphere, the destination for anglers in search of grand slams and super grand slams—bonefish, tarpon, permit and snook. The prolific nature of these flats and the volume of fishable water means a variety of lodges operate in the area, each offering a unique experience in this saltwater fly fisher’s paradise. I spent much of my early years in the salt in Mexico and loved the easy-going culture and friendly people.

After flats fishing slowly gained momentum in the Florida Keys, Mexico became one of the first “destinations” to be explored. The earliest fly fishing operations in the Riviera Maya opened in the 1970s, with many of the guides gaining experience and passing it on to future generations. Many guides are now second or third

generation and have a wealth of knowledge. The Yucatan flats harbor a wide variety of species.

The many mangrove lagoons in the northern Yucatan at Isla Holbox, as well as those farther south in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, are perfect nurseries for all the grand-slam species.

If you seek tarpon, head north for Isla Holbox, a wonderful yearround juvenile tarpon fishery.

During summer months huge migratory fish congregate in open water just off the island. It’s these large migratory tarpon that make Holbox a unique fly-fishing destination. Migrating fish begin arriving in May to feed in the clear water of the shallows. During June, July, and August, there’s great fishing for tarpon in the 75- to 180-pound range, as they attack schools of baitfish just offshore. Each morning at sunrise, your guide will be waiting to take you on the short panga ride to the

WITH LIMITED TRAVEL, MANY FLATS AND ATOLLS HAVE HAD ZERO PRESSURE. THIS HAS GIVEN FISH POPULATIONS A MASSIVE RESPITE.

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THERE IS SOMETHING TRULY EXHILARATING ABOUT TOSSING BAITFISH PATTERNS UNDER MANGROVE BRANCHES INTO SMALL CHANNELS TO TEMPT THE SILVER KINGLETS LIVING IN THE PROTECTIVE LATTICEWORK OF MANGROVE ROOT STRUCTURES.

most productive waters, where you will search the calm surface for rolling schools of tarpon.

As you move south along the coast past Tulum and into the Sian Ka’an, the focus changes to bonefish and permit. The Boca Paila lagoon system contains large numbers of bonefish, and when conditions are right, permit venture in to feed in the relative safety of its mangrove areas. Most of the bones are by no means massive, but it’s a fabulous place for new saltwater anglers to cut their teeth. The oceanside flats that run all the way down to Punta Allen contain fabulous permit areas, where it’s possible to wade and also to fish from the front of a panga. Being close to the ocean means the permit tend to be a little larger.

Pushing farther south from Punta Allen, the coastline carves inland into the magnificent Ascension Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay. Again, the focus here tends to be permit, but there are big bonefish schools

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to chase across the white sand flats. The backcountry lagoon systems also have juvenile tarpon and snook. There is something truly exhilarating about tossing baitfish patterns under mangrove branches into small channels to tempt the silver kinglets living in the protective latticework of mangrove root structures. From the moment they smash the fly, it’s a challenge to prevent them from rushing back through the mangrove network and tearing your fly line to pieces on barnacle-covered roots. Farther south, the coastal areas around Majahual and toward Xcalak and Chetumal Bay are peppered with permit flats and brackish lagoons inhabited by tarpon.

Mexico is a short hop from numerous major hubs in the US straight into Cancun. From there, the whole Yucatan is your oyster, close enough for a long weekend break or a two-week adventure.

There’s currently no need for a COVID-19 test to enter the country by air, although driving south across the border is not permitted

unless it’s for essential work.

Belize butts up against Mexico’s southern border. The border twists through mangroves along a narrow waterway called Rio Bacalar Chico. Immediately south lies Ambergris Caye, which has long been a fly-fishing hotspot with numerous opportunities. The bustling town of San Pedro is an added diversion for those who might not be quite as interested in stalking permit on the flats.

Ambergris Caye is also one of Belize’s best spots for migratory tarpon, and anglers regularly find themselves among 100-poundplus fish there from July through September.

Belize will always be one of my favorite destinations. It’s where I first came into contact with saltwater fishing—bonefish, tarpon and permit—in the 1990s.

It instilled a passion in me that has grown into an obsession. My first trip was on Turneffe Atoll, a pristine saltwater wilderness with miles of hard-coral flats covered in turtle grass, where I learned to

stalk bonefish as their tails jogged in the sunlight on the open flats.

Turneffe is located two and a half hours by boat off the coast of the Belize mainland. The atoll sits outside the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef, the world’s second-largest barrier reef.

you’re looking for an intact party on the water, this can be huge fun.

The joys of motherships are that you are on the water 24-7, so you can maximize fishing time and dictate the structure of your day.

Punta Gorda is another major area, way down south, not far

Turneffe Atoll is pretty much the epitome of a tropical desert island; palm trees give way to white-sand beaches that move to easily wadable open flats. I caught my first permit in the lagoon system there, which educated me in the power of saltwater species by nearly spooling my old System 2 10/11 on its first run. Some of the best permit guides in Belize are based here, and they should be reserved in advance.

The barrier reef itself is littered with small islands, cayes and flats, and although some of the areas are accessed from Placencia and a few small fishing operations, another way to fish these areas is by mothership. There are a couple that operate in the area, and if

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 81

from the Guatemalan border.

Reached by a short flight from Belize City, this area was a commercial fishery until the early 2000s, when it was designated a marine park. Over the years the area gained a big reputation as a permit fishery. Permit were one of the first species to return in numbers, and Punta Gorda is now regarded as one of the most prolific permit areas in the country.

Belize is ideal for a number of trips—those looking for their first saltwater experience and the opportunity of bumping into all the major saltwater species, those wishing to specifically target permit, and those seeking combination trips with nonfishing

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spouses or families. It is also one of the few destinations where it’s possible to combine flats fishing with a jungle experience. Belize has been exceptionally effective at controlling COVID-19, and the country has adopted testing 72 hours before arrival, along with a tracking app.

If you, like me, have been climbing up the walls, buying more tackle than you should, reading everything you can get your hands on, and taking a premium membership for YouTube, then perhaps it’s time to get back on the flats.

Editor’s note: For the most upto-date and accurate COVID-19 restrictions, consult the US

State Department, the UK Foreign Office, or your country’s equivalent. Information is also available from consular offices for your destination country.

Note that the US implemented a rule Jan. 26 requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test for all air travelers entering the country; the rule applies to US citizens returning from abroad.

TFFM’s Travel Editor, Peter McLeod, is the founder of Aardvark McLeod, international fly fishing specialists. For more information on international fly fishing travel, contact Peter at peter@aardvarkmcleod.com, or visit his website at www. aardvarkmcleod.com.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 83

Involuntary Inertia Sparks Recollection of Lifetime Lessons

by Jonathan Olch There are other gamefish—but not

Some of us, myself included, are high-

tempered when I consider those who

really. For many permit aficionados,

risk candidates to contract COVID-19,

have not survived the pandemic, the

sizable chunks of our repertoire have

requiring remarkable restraint.

economic stress on so many, and

calved like icebergs adrift in Arctic

Reluctantly, my no-boundaries

the amazing doctors and nurses—

seas. Unable to travel abroad, or gain

quest to dance with the myriad

many of them fly fishers—who have

vehicular entry into our own Florida

Trachinotus-related species that

subjugated their own agenda and

Keys for months, our laser focus

swim in the warmer sectors of the

tackled this menace.

and patiently honed skills may have

Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans

inexorably eroded through inactivity.

has been temporarily throttled.

Still, despite dulled and dormant instincts from forced inertia, latent

Air travel ground to a halt; many

Wanderlust burns, ready to erupt at

thoughts about permit have flooded

countries went into lockdown mode.

any moment. But these feelings are

my mind, bubbling over in the form

84 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 85

of lessons gleaned from a lifetime

Unforced errors are avoidable. I

the bottom of my stripping bucket,

of permit fishing. In light of our

stretch my fly line by letting out 60

20 strips equal 60 feet of line plus

collective angling inactivity, they are

feet behind a slowly moving skiff for

my leader length. Your strip length

worth revisiting and sharing.

several minutes first thing in the

may be different, or you may want

morning. Either clip off your fly or

to make fewer strips relative to your

hold it while you feed out the rest of

casting ability.

Lay it on the line Line management seems mundane

the line. If any curls remain, spin the

and remedial, but it is the foundation

rod (holding the butt section with

When you hold the rod upright at the

for success. You get a limited number

both hands) in the direction that

ready position, you want enough line

of shots at permit in a given day,

removes the curls. Keep your line slick

and leader outside of the tip guide

so focus on applying a consistent

by applying a silicone-based lubricant

that it resembles a sail on a mast or

regimen for small tasks to avoid

when needed.

a mayfly dun wing. When using very

mistakes such as stepping on the

long leaders, let the butt section drop

line, having it blow off the skiff, or

For me, each strip from the reel is 3

into the security of your stripping

snagging yourself.

feet of line. Strategically placed at

bucket. Control the protruding line

86 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Although each permit venue is unique, it is surprising how many locales share similarities. Panama, Belize, Honduras, Antigua, and the Dry Tortugas host permit that feed in the breaking surf, sometimes literally riding the waves.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 87

by securing it with the index finger

tight line, which is critical for strike

the most successful permit anglers.

of your rod hand. Hold the fly loosely

detection.

Opening your stance to sneak a quick

just above the hook eye with the tips

glance at your back cast can be

of your thumb and forefinger on your

Experiment with retrieves that feed

useful for diagnostic purposes. Try

line hand.

the fish or bring out the jack. You

affixing a mono nail knot “bump” at

can vertically elevate the fly off the

40 feet. Less distraction for you and

Most permit are caught with

bottom with a couple of short strips

less spooky to the fish. (Nathaniel

accurate casts between 40 and 60

before letting the fly settle on the

Linville of The Angling Company in

feet. So why strip more line off your

bottom again, effectively imitating

Key West says that a side benefit

reel? You can easily make three quick

a number of shrimp species. Observe

of using such long leaders is that

strips off your reel (landing outside

your fly in the water. Does it roll over

heavier flies turn over better. He

your bucket) and have nearly 10

unnaturally while sinking or during

often uses 50-pound fluorocarbon in

extra feet to cast when necessary.

the retrieve? If so, consider the quick

constructing his leader butt section

The rest of the time you have raised

fix of wrapping several turns of fuse

to create better turnover. Linville

the odds of a line-management

wire to the hook bend to establish a

says shorter leaders straighten

snafu. (I rarely strip out more than

reliable keel.

out sooner, causing the fly to recoil

40 feet while wading.)

How far is that?

backwards and creating undesirable slack in the leader. Eds.)

I am a strong advocate of clear fly

Pick a target and cast to it to gauge

lines for permit because they spook

distance. Quantify that distance

fewer fish. Various sinking fly lines

and share it with your guide or

should be part of your sight-fishing

partner for feedback. It is important

Practice, practice, practice

arsenal when fishing deeper flats or

you agree on a precise distance;

Sound casting mechanics are also

those with a lot of current in concert

otherwise, more unforced errors are

essential to enduring success as a

with a weighted fly. Sink-tip and

in store.

permit angler, but mechanics do not

intermediate lines can help keep your

automatically ensure accuracy. You

fly from tumbling around or riding

Judging distance becomes a bit more

achieve precision through focused

up in the current, anchoring your fly

challenging when fishing clear fly

repetition of the same movements,

near or on the bottom of a channel

lines, particularly in concert with

with your eyes serving as the

or flat and helping to maintain a

the 14- to 18-foot leaders used by

rangefinder. Practice with the same

88 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

rod, reel, fly line, leader length, and

heavy flies that could otherwise

permit. This will help you track the

fly weight that you plan to use on

bonk you in the head or shatter your

direction of your fly line in shifting

the flats next time. Imagine moving

beloved fly rod on contact.

wind and provide a gauge of the

targets. Cast on windy days. Always

precise additional distance needed to

watch the fly as it contacts the

Practice dropping the rod tip to

water, and maintain focus.

the water immediately after the

drop the fly in front of the target.

cast release, so you can crawl the

Slowing down also means imparting

Practice with the wind blowing

slack out of the line sooner. It helps

less—and certainly smoother—

toward your casting shoulder.

maintain visual contact with the

motion with your double-haul arm

Canting the rod inward from vertical

fly and feel a bump that otherwise

and casting arm. Invariably, hurried

is an important technique when a

might go undetected.

motion translates into frantic

crosswind blows at your casting arm,

movement that frequently alerts and

so that the fly line passes by your

Take it easy

off-shoulder, out of harm’s way.

The casting sequence often becomes

and balance between rod and fly line,

accelerated through excitement. Slow

then let the rod power the cast.

spooks permit. Seek the right feel

Practice backhand deliveries,

down and make the cast count. Our

curve and sidearm casts, and even

focus should myopically shrink and

If I am confronted with an

underhand casts that keep the fly

fixate on a target, rather than the

unfavorable angle to cast at a

as low as possible. Someday you

bedazzlement of gaping at a cruising

cruising sickletail, I will wait to avoid

will need to deliver your fly under

fish or the cadence of a fanning

lining the fish. When the permit is

overhanging mangroves or within

tail. As an aid to distance accuracy,

headed away, land the fly along the

the dark confines of a shoreline cliff

guide Will Benson suggests making

permit’s rear flank, where its superior

shelf. Oval casts are the preferred

one extra false cast that straightens

eyesight is slightly compromised.

presentation when you are casting

out the leader’s length short of the

Sensing the fly with its lateral line,

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 89

the permit often turns to investigate.

open, only to miss the fly completely.

mending. It takes a totally tight connection from rod tip to fly to feel

Surf’s up

The shoreline cliffs of southern

There is one type of permit habitat

Oman have drawn me to pursue the

that adds an element of complexity

Southern pompano (T. africanus),

Although each permit venue is

to fly presentation that’s often

a close Trachinotus cousin of the

unique, it is surprising how many

beyond our control. Permit that surf

Atlantic permit. The area features

locales share similarities. Panama,

the waves of a backreef, or feed

sandy shorelines interspersed with

Belize, Honduras, Antigua, and the

under jagged overhanging rocks on a

jagged cliffs and caves where the

Dry Tortugas host permit that feed in

wave-pounding shoreline, represent

africanus tuck under ledges to feed

the breaking surf, sometimes literally

the highest degree of difficulty.

in breaking waves on black rocks

riding the waves.

any tap or bump.

teeming with mussels. Oceanic swells The cast can be perfect, and yet the

can materialize from nowhere and

One afternoon in southern Panama,

current, breaking waves, or swells

create the toughest presentation

we were fishing the backreef,

can instantly pull your fly out of the

issues imaginable. The chaotic

flooded by the incoming tide. Singles,

strike zone. Permit are hard enough

hydrology ensures the strike zone

doubles, and threesomes of permit

to entice without incredulously

is a moving target even when the

were tailing in the surf, running back

watching one chase your fly through

fish remain stationary. Sometimes

and forth. As soon as I spotted a tail

the crashing spray with its mouth

it requires a curve cast—and even

and made a cast, the fish would be

90 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

20 feet away chasing something else.

groups and occasional singles that

indelible moments serve as rocket

I was forced to make long casts and

hung out over a 100-yard area.

fuel to permit fanatics. We are never measured by the mundane

hope for the best. The mantis shrimp was a good choice in the mixed coral

I found a deeper trough just

proclamation of success or failure,

because I could keep it moving,

inside the actual barrier reef that

because it’s all about the journey.

line tight and off of the bottom,

somewhat concealed my presence.

essential with breaking waves. I

I tried everything—mantis shrimp,

Jonathan Olch has traveled the globe

finally connected, only to have the fly

urchins, brittlestars, hermit crabs,

for four decades in search of the

come out, revealing an absence of its

small weedless green reef crabs, and

elusive permit. He’s the author of A

orange mono eyes that the fish had

more—at least six different flies

Passion for Permit (Wild River Press),

picked off.

and three different presentations.

which chronicles his quest to capture

But nothing worked. I made at least

permit and related species in waters

On another occasion, I had many

100 casts over a three-hour period.

spanning our planet. He’s a frequent

fine shots at permit in the surf. I

Despite my inevitable meltdown, I

TFFM contributor. His website is

lengthened my leader to 16 feet and

still want to go back and try again.

jonolch.com.

tapered down to 12-pound tippet.

With a strong incoming tide, the

Surfing-permit visuals are

permit appeared between the first

breathtaking, but the results

and second breaking waves, various

are mostly deflating. Yet these

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 91

92 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 93

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Ask for Jim Negen TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 97

THE UNDERTOW

by E. Donnall Thomas Jr.

AN UGLY FLY IN THE WATER CATCHES MORE FISH THAN A BEAUTIFUL FLY IN A BOX.

Drifting down the shoreline on

tuna, trevally, mackerel, and Pacific

feathers into drop-dead imitations of

Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria, we

barracuda that looked even scarier

shrimp, crabs, baitfish, or whatever.

spotted the bait ball from over a mile

than the sharks. When I missed

My own goal is simply to create flies

away, thanks to the birds circling

several strikes in a row, I decided

that catch fish.

above it. As we cut the motor and

to check my fly. Not only had the

drifted downwind toward the chaos,

hook been straightened out—the fly

Over the years I have introduced a

we could spot individual tails, fins,

itself had been reduced to nothing

number of seasoned freshwater fly

and dark backs slashing through the

more than a couple of bedraggled

rod anglers to the salt. Accustomed

huge dark stain in the water. But

saddle hackles. What started out as a

to matching hatches on delicate

what were they?

reasonable imitation of the sardines

spring creeks, their initial questions

at the base of the food chain no

are usually some version of What

There was only one way to find out.

longer looked like anything that

are they eating? What fly imitates

When I dropped my Deceiver into the

swims. The fish didn’t care. They kept

it best? At the risk of offending

churning froth, something smacked it

hitting it anyway.

some of those masters of the

and tore off toward parts unknown.

tying bench (which is certainly

Soon a 15-pound longtail tuna lay

The purpose of this essay is not to

not my intention), experience has

beside the skiff, only to be torn in

denigrate the value of what goes on

taught me that in many saltwater

two by a shark that looked like an

at the tying bench. I have tied my

situations the answer, more often

extra from Jaws.

own flies for more than 60 years

than not, is that it doesn’t much

now and enjoy the process. Although

matter.

Over the next several hours, we

my goals are more practical than

proved that the answer to the

aesthetic, I have great respect for

Look at it from the fishes’

original question was everything:

the artists who can turn fur and

perspective, with a dash of

98 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Darwinism thrown in. Most pelagic

imitation of whatever the targeted

Those who have the talent to do

gamefish are apex predators with a

quarry is eating.

it should, by all means, keep tying

daily goal of catching and devouring

beautiful flies that resemble what the

as much nutrition as possible. In

The ocean, of course, is a big place,

fish like to eat. My own admittedly

competitive situations, that means

and these principles don’t apply to

unsophisticated approach is usually to

getting to the table first. Designed

all species in all places. In general,

spend less time dithering over my fly

for speed and predatory efficiency,

the shallower the water, the more

box, and more time keeping some kind

these fish don’t have time for a close

selective the gamefish become,

of fly in the water—fishing.

study of whatever they are about

with this generalization’s expression

to catch and eat. Furthermore, few

peaking on wading flats. Small,

Although he worked for years as

of these fish have ever seen an

schooling bonefish in the Caribbean

a physician, E. Donnall Thomas Jr.

artificial fly. If it flashes and moves,

may hit almost anything, but large,

has also worked as a bush pilot,

it’s perfectly reasonable to react as if

solitary bones in the Keys or the

commercial fisherman, and guide.

it’s something to eat, with the focus

Pacific are another matter. Since

Now he’s a full-time writer with 20

upon getting there first. He who

I think finding fish and presenting

books on subjects like fly fishing,

hesitates is lost.

to them properly generally trumps

wingshooting, and bowhunting, and

details of the pattern, I don’t spend

he contributes regularly to numerous

In situations such as the bait

a lot of time switching flies back and

sporting journals. His website is

ball encounter described earlier,

forth in salt water. However, if I get

donthomasbooks.com.

impressionism rules. A fly that draws

two refusals in a row from bonefish,

more attention to itself by flashing

I switch to something as dissimilar

brighter or moving more erratically

from the original fly as possible.

may draw more strikes than a spot-on

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 99

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100 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE