Tail Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue 47 May/Jun 2020

THE VOICE OF SALTWATER FLY FISHING

THE MIGRATION ISSUE FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TARPON: A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT Brent Hannafan

THE VISION THING James R. Babb

HOW STRIPED BASS SAVED FLY FISHING Pete Barrett

ANCHORMAN:

THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE MADDEN Mark Hatter

DISTANCE CASTING: PART THREE George V. Roberts

TOAD RULES

with Gary Merriman

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FLAT-WING SAND EEL

Barry Ord Clarke

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

MAY/JUNE 2020

MAY/JUNE 2020 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 1

A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF HIGH 2 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

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PERFORMANCE HANDCRAFTED FLY RODS.

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Stripers doing their thing in Montauk. Photo: David Blinken TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 5

Bahia Honda Bridge at twilight.

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TM

GUIDE TESTED.

GUIDE TRUSTED. On the Cover: Chas Madden captures the moment of maximum stoke

as the poon moves toward the fly, positioning itself for the

eventful gulp.

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

Food Editor: Kelli Prescott

Travel Editor: Peter McLeod

Historians: Pete Barrett & Ed Mitchell Editors-at-Large: Joe Doggett

Mark Hatter Ryan Sparks James P. Spica Jr.

Creative Contributors: James R. Babb Pete Barrett David Blinken Brent Hannafan Mark Hatter Michael Larkin, PhD Gary Merriman Chas Madden

Brian O’Keefe Barry Ord Clarke Kelli Prescott Greg Poland George Roberts Neal Rogers Jamil Siddiqui James P. Spica Jr.

Umpqua Feather Merchants Mark White Captain Kai Williams

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.

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INSIDE THE BOX

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GEAR GUIDE

No matter where you fish in salt water this season, this selection of baitfish and streamer patterns will get the job done. While selected for striped bass and tarpon, they’ll also tempt snook, mahi, and many other species in countless destinations.

THE ANCHOR MAN

No, this article has nothing to do with the legend of Ron Burgundy, but if you’ve ever wondered who the first person was to anchor a boat and wait for the tarpon to come to him, author Mark Hatter will introduce you to Mr. Charlie Madden.

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WHEN THE SCHOOLIES SHOW UP

Despite the travel issues presently faced by the entire world, here’s a selection of travel and storage items we think will help make your next trip go smoothly—whenever that may be.

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TARPON: A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The title of this piece originally contained an expletive, but we’re committed to keeping titles and cover lines profanity-free. Not saying that author Brent Hannafan was wrong—as you’ll see.

Your most memorable fish aren’t likely to be your largest. Springtime is for romance, and here author James P. Spica Jr. waxes romantic about his first love in salt water..

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DISTANCE CASTING: PART THREE

Installment three of this five-part series shows you how to add distance by lengthening your casting stroke.

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HOW THE STRIPED BASS SAVED SALTWATER FLY FISHING

Tarpon and bonefish may be the glamour species, but TFFM historian Pete Barrett shows shows us that it was the blue-collar striper that made the game accessible to the masses.

CONTENTS

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78

TOAD RULES!

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STRIPED BASS: PISCES IN PERIL

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90

LOWCOUNTRY: PART THREE

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THE UNDERTOW: THE VISION THING

FLAT-WING SAND EEL

The late Bill Peabody of Rhode Island was instrumental in popularizing the flat-wing tying style. Master fly tier Barry Ord Clarke of Norway keeps Bill Peabody’s most famous rendition alive for the times with this nostalgic yet cuttingedge sand eel imitation that’s guaranteed to produce for a multitude of gamefish wherever the naturals are found.

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SCIENCE OF TARPON

Everything you need to know about tarpon and their perplexing behavior from a man who knows: Michael Larkin, PhD.

ON THE PLATE: SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

Kelli Prescott shows you the ins and outs of making the best environmental choices when selecting your seafood and offers two delicious and sustainable recipes.

PAIRING WHITES

There are literally hundreds of white wine varieties available. We focus on three that are perfect to pair with this issue’s “On the Plate” recipes as well as hundreds of other seafood selections.

If you’ve ever landed a tarpon on a Toad, then you owe this man a beer. Well, he doesn’t drink much, but you can shake his hand anyway.

Editor-in-Chief Joseph Ballarini met up with Gary Merriman, the inventor of the Tarpon Toad, and asked him to fill us in on its backstory.

From its heyday in the mid-1990s, the striped bass population on the East Coast has dwindled drastically. Author Mark White explores the complex issue of why the numbers might have fallen and what we can do to turn things around.

You can’t speak of redfish without mentioning South Carolina—but springtime in the Lowcountry is all about the “other” species.

Check out the other exciting Lowcountry games you can play with Captain Kai Williams.

Angling essayist James R. Babb recounts the electroconvulsive exhilaration of presenting to stripers in skinny water.... But first you have to see them.

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— LETTER FROM THE EDITOR — LAST DECEMBER FOUND ME sitting at my

United States. I won’t bore you with the recap,

desk in a wide-eyed, blank stare. Numerous

but this virus, which is self-limiting, non-fatal to

Post-it Notes littered my workspace. Scrawled on

most, has literally shut down the world.

them were various contacts I needed to call for one reason or another—follow-ups for articles,

EVERYONE’S PLANS FOR SPRING air travel

invoice reminders, sales calls, and a vast array of

are now on hold indefinitely, but rather than wait

other things that do not interest me in the least.

for updates about the virus, we’ve decided to

My role with TFFM has gone from bon vivant fly

become proactive, and you might consider the

fishing publisher to office lackey. More than 90

same. There are no restrictions on driving (at least

percent of my job has become administrative—the

not yet), so perhaps planning some road trips

thing I loathe the most. I entertained thoughts

this spring might help to mitigate the air-travel

of resigning, but unfortunately there’s no one to

freeze. Florida is a year-round fishery, and given

assume the various roles I fill at the publication. So

the numerous cancellations by distant travelers,

checking out isn’t an option.

many of Florida’s top guides are surprisingly available. Take advantage of this opportunity to

AFTER SOME CONSIDERATION, I devised a plan

fish with these notable local guides—it’s a gift.

to get myself out of my predicament. I would take

Florida, the Gulf Coast, Maryland, New Jersey,

a series of trips in 2020 with the goal of visiting

and Delaware all remain great options for fishing

two locations per month to gather content, meet

and can be reached without air travel. We’ve

people face-to-face, and to make magazine work

planned domestic trips for redfish, tuna, tarpon,

fun again. I began with a trip to Pennsylvania in

and striped bass for the next few months.

January. After a dry run for pheasants, freezing my ass off in a central Pennsylvania stream, and two

A PILE OF POST-IT NOTES can’t stop us from

days in a tree stand (which made my right hip feel

getting out, so why should we let a self-limiting

like that of an 80-year-old), I was back in the game.

virus block our path to water…? This doctor recommends that you take some extra vitamin C

I FOLLOWED THAT TRIP with a visit to Turneffe

and that you go fishing. That’s what we’re doing.

Flats in February and spent a few days with Craig and his superb team fishing for permit and

THIS ISSUE IS A GREAT COLLECTION of

triggerfish. Despite splitting my toe open and

features and photos, and as we say with each

developing an aquatic infection, it was a very

issue, we think it’s better than the last. We hope

rewarding trip (story to follow).

you think so, too.

NEXT STOP was Everglades City, where, despite

Enjoy.

the cold front that tainted the tarpon fishing, we capitalized on the resident snook population, which was more than eager to eat our flies.

UPON MY RETURN from the Everglades, it happened. The corona virus had reached the

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Joseph Ballarini

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

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 COLORADO Front Range Anglers 2344 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 303-494-1375 frontrangeanglers.com CONNECTICUT The Compleat Angler 541 Boston Post Road Darien, CT 06820 203-655-9400 compleatangleronline.com FLORIDA 239 Flies 3431 Bonita Beach Rd SW Unit #205 Bonita Springs, FL 34134 (239) 908-3513 239flies.com Black Fly Outfitters 11702 Beach Blvd, #109 Jacksonville, FL 32246 904-997-2220 blackflyoutfitters.com Forgotten Coast Fly Company 123 Commerce Street Apalachicola, FL 32320 850-653-1024 forgottencoastflycompany.com Florida Keys Outfitters 81219 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL 33036 305-664-5432 floridakeysoutfitters.com Flounder Creek Outfitters 515 Garden Street Titusville, FL 32796 321-567-2931 facebook.com/ floundercreekoutfitters/ Mangrove Outfitters 4111 Tamiami Trail E Naples, FL 34112 239-793-3370 mangroveoutfitters.com Ole Florida Fly Shop 6353 N. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33487 561-995-1929 olefloridaflyshop.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 Angling Company 333 Simonton St Key West, FL 33040 305-292-6306 anglingcompany.com GEORGIA Cohutta Fishing Company 39 S. Public Square Cartersville, GA 30120 770-606-1100 cohuttafishingco.com ORVIS Atlanta Buckhead Square 3255 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30305 404-841-0093 Orvis.com The Fish Hawk 764 Miami Cir NE #126 Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-3473 thefishhawk.com LOUISIANA ORVIS Baton Rouge Perkins Rowe, Bldg. H 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd., Ste. 140 Baton Rouge LA 70810 225-757-7286 Orvis.com MARYLAND Alltackle 2062 Somerville Rd Annapolis, MD 21401 888-810-7283 alltackle.com MASSACHUSETTS 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

NORTH CAROLINA Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd D5 Cornelius, NC 28031 704-896-3660 carolinaflyfishing.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 Gordy & Sons Outfitters 22 Waugh Drive Houston, TX 77007 713-333-3474 gordyandsons.com ORVIS Austin 10000 Research Blvd - B04B Austin TX 78759 512-795-8004 Orvis.com ORVIS Houston 5727 Westheimer - Suite A Houston TX 77057 713-783-2111 Orvis.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 Sportsman’s Finest 12434 Bee Cave Road Austin, TX 78738 512-263-1888 sportsmansfinest.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 Emerald Water Anglers 4502 42nd Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116 206-708-7250 emeraldwateranglers.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 CANADA Fish Tales Fly Shop Ltd. #626, 12100 Macleod Trail SE Calgary AB T2J 7G9 Canada 866-640-1273 fishtalesflyshop.com Drift Outfitters & Fly Shop 199 Queen St. East Toronto Ontario M5A-1S2 647-347-7370 Driftoutfitters.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 Indigo Books—over 200 stores under various banners

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 13

the next generation

T&T Ambassador, visionary Flyfishing guide and Permit aficionado Justin Rea likes nothing more than spending time on the water with his son Ryan. 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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whatever your saltwater endeavor, we have you covered.

Exocett Series - 7 models, 9’ 6-12 weight

Exocett SS Series - 5 models, 8 ‘ 8 ‘’ 160 -450 grain

Exocett Surf Series - 2 models, 11’2’’ 10 & 12 weight

Exocett Bluewater Series - 2 models, 8’6’’ 13 & 14/16 weight

ZONE Series - 9 models, 7’6’’-10’ 3-10 weight

Sextant Series - 7 models, 8’2’’ 6-12 weight

est

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TH E RO D YO U WI LL E VENTUALLY OWN

www.thomasandthomas.com HANDMADE IN AMERICA TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 15

Home Slice

Megalopsicle

Laid-Up Tarpon

Flashtail Whistler

Sea Habit Bucktail Anchovy

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Supreme Hair Rattle Shrimp

Hud’s Bushwacker

Chili-Pepper Worm

Cowen’s Silverside

When the migration is on, the right fly should be as well. When selecting a fly for the situation, there are many factors that come into consideration. Size, color, shape, weight are always considerations, but things like castability and range come into play, depending on the fishery. This selection of flies is geared toward striped bass and tarpon, but it also excels with other species. The Flashtail Whistler is a very productive backcountry snook fly. You’d be hard-pressed to find a mahi-mahi or a false albacore that won’t eat a Sea Habit. Same goes for Cowen’s Silverside and Hud’s Bushwhacker. If you like to tie, there’s a range of complexity here that will test your skill. These are a few of the flies that will be in our boxes this spring.

FOR STRIPED BASS

Remember that you can find many of these Umpqua signature patterns at your local fly shop, and many retailers would be happy to ship them to you as well.

Home Slice https://www.umpqua.com/homeslice/

Fly provisions by our friends at:

Flashtail Whistler red/white 3/0 https://www.umpqua.com/flashtail-whistler/ Sea Habit Bucktail anchovy 2/0 https://www.umpqua.com/sea-habit/ Hud’s Bushwacker chartreuse/white 2/0 https://www.umpqua.com/huds-bushwacker/ Cowen’s Silverside 2 https://www.umpqua.com/cowens-silverside/

FOR TARPON

Megalopsicle yellow/chartreuse https://www.umpqua.com/megalopsicle/ Laid-Up Tarpon (barred & plain) https://www.umpqua.com/laid-up-tarpon/ Chili-Pepper Worm https://www.umpqua.com/chili-pepper-worm/ Supreme Hair Rattle Shrimp https://www.umpqua.com/supreme-hair-rattle-shrimp/

If you have a box of flies you’re particularly proud of, send it to us (or a few high-resolution photos) with a description of each fly and we’ll consider it for the Inside the Box feature.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 17

Peak Design Tech Pouch In the past, the term “tech pouch” meant a small bag bursting with tangled cords, chargers, and accessories. However, Peak Design, known for their smart and innovative products, has come up with something extraordinary. The Peak Design Tech Pouch does an excellent job of keeping all of your tech accessories organized, protected, and easily accessible. Its origami-style pockets and elastic accessory loops allow you to fit a ton of items into a small space without the pouch becoming cluttered. Throw in cable pass-throughs for charging devices, an external passport and document pocket, and the Tech Pouch’s rugged weatherproof shell and you have a tech pouch made for the traveling saltwater angler. (peakdesign.com) $59.95

GEAR Opinel Oyster Knife For most of us, the thought of a saltwater trip without enjoying the local seafood is downright insane. Go prepared, as we do, with Opinel’s folding oyster knife. Opinel needs no introduction: They’re a global standard of simple, reliable French craftsmanship. But while your typical fly shop or outdoor store will carry the single-blade pocketknives, Opinel’s specialty knives fly under the radar. This lightweight seafood tool is a nonnegotiable fixture of a saltwater bug-out bag—right next to the 7-piece 8-weight and the sun gloves. Should you find yourself surrounded by safe, edible oysters (this is our idea of heaven, by the way), you’ll want a compact, travel-ready oyster knife. Just remember to pack this one in the checked baggage. (opinel-usa.com) $20

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Filson Dry Backpack A dry pack’s most important feature is keeping your things dry. Filson’s fully submergible Dry Backpack does that job well while offering features other bags don’t. For one, its timeless styling looks good whether you’re jumping out of a float plane in Alaska or trudging to work in the rain.

And unlike other waterproof backpacks, it’s comfortable to wear thanks to its high-density foam back panel and padded shoulder straps. An additional sternum strap helps stabilize the load. The roll top is exactly as it should be with a wide mouth for easy loading and side buckles that cinch down to keep your gear from shifting. A front pocket secured with a waterproof zipper allows you to stash small items you need to keep available. (filson.com) $175

GUIDE Barbour Leather Briefcase The sad truth is, on your next extended fishing trip you may have to take some of the office with you. So you may as well do it in style. This traditional briefcase is constructed with a leather outer and is lined with lightweight cotton in Barbour’s signature Classic Tartan. The briefcase features antique brass fittings, a leather carry handle, and a detachable, adjustable shoulder strap. It comes complete with a Barbour-branded calico dust bag. Available in black and dark brown. This briefcase is so handsome that Sam Heughan would own one even if Barbour didn’t pay him. (barbour.com) $450

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Xikar 5 Cigar Travel Humidor Made from super-strong ABS molded plastic, the Xikar 5 Cigar Travel Humidor gives you an airtight, watertight, crushproof container that allows you to take 5 of your favorite Churchills on the road. This humidor is lined with high-density urethane foam and includes 1 mini humidifier to keep your sticks fresh. It can be personalized with custom labels. (xikar.com) $29.99

GEAR SiliPint 1.5 Oz Silishot Tasting the day’s successes—or for that matter, drowning the day’s sorrows—is a part of many an angler’s daily rounds. If your daily rounds involve hard liquor, the type to be thrown back, consider a shot glass that’s bendable, bounceable, and all things unbreakable. The SiliPint Pint Glass has been a fixture for some time, but the lil’ shot glass version is a travel-ready and adorable addition to the line. Toss it in any pack or bag wherever there’s room.

It practically begs to be filled with dark, molasses-y rum. Plus, since it can actually be heated, it fills a unique niche for broth cocktails. Drink responsibly, then slam the empty “glass” down on the bar irresponsibly. (silipint.com) $3.95

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Pelican Air 1615 Case The Pelican Air 1615 Case is the largest in Pelican’s Air Case series that most airlines will allow as a carry-on. It combines the waterproof toughness Pelican is known for with the realities of air travel. Being 40 percent lighter than similar-sized cases, it keeps your equipment safe without straining your back. Its quiet stainlesssteel bearing wheels and retractable extension handle make the case portable and agile. Available with three interior options—foam, padded dividers, or TrekPac dividers—the Pelican Air 1615 is a remarkable union of light and tough. If that isn’t enough, like all Pelican products, it’s guaranteed for life. (pelican.com) $321.95

GUIDE Snow Peak Collapsible Coffee Drip Coffee fuels us. It’s the drug that addicts the most US residents, according to a variety of nebulous sources. While that is somewhat dramatic, we do need our coffee here, and if you’re a true coffee lover, instant won’t do. Snow Peak, the absurdly innovative outdoor tech company based in Japan, has a great option for those of us who like to enjoy coffee in the field. It’s called the Collapsible Coffee Drip, and it is a foldable pour-over coffee solution that should find a place nestled next to your camp stove.

Just behind a dog and a fly rod, it’s a road-tripper’s third-best friend. Just heat water, set the unfolded Coffee Drip on top of your mug, load it with a filter and some grounds, and pour over. (snowpeak.com) $29.95

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Luggage: Wandrd HEXAD Access Duffel Backpack We’ve really been loving this carry-on piece. With airline checked-bag fees increasing, packing light is often the best option, and this duffle/ backpack hybrid from Wandrd makes that abundantly easy. The interior is highly organized and was clearly designed by people who actually travel and use the bag. Wandrd’s primary focus in much of their luggage is the traveling photographer, and the Hexad is replete with features with this in mind. But its versatility goes well beyond that. It has side entry to small compartments for frequently accessed items, RFID secure passport pocket, beefy zippers, and it’s made of water-shedding ballistic nylon. (wandrd.com) $259

GEAR Rig & Run Rod Sling

Whether surf fishing the Northeast, stalking Florida Keys flats, or wading for Indian River seatrout, the Rig & Run Rod Sling is a safe way to transport your favorite fly rod and reel without worrying about crushing it in a tailgate, door, or window. Made of 1000-denier durable nylon, the upper section is securely captured by rolling up your truck’s window. The rod butt and reel are securely held in a padded lower section with three commercial-grade hook-and-loop straps. The Rod Sling holds the rod at eye level with the tip pointing aft for easy line rigging, and you don’t have to stand the rod vertically, which scratches the reel on gravel or sand. It’s not meant for whizzing around on the Interstate, but it’s perfect for short runs between favorite fly fishing spots. It folds to easily stow in a tackle bag. Two Rig & Run Rod Slings can be attached to one window, and they’re made in right- and left-hand versions. A special magnetic accessory strap keeps the rod tip from bouncing around. The Rod Sling adapts to kayaks and small boats. A great idea made in America. (rigandrun.sweetcanoestuff.com) $39.95 (includes magnetic strap) 22 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Garmin inReach Mini Lightweight and Compact Satellite Communicator New to the GPS scene is the Garmin inReach Mini, which is a scaled-down companion for any outdoor adventure. The unit connects to the Iridium satellite network, and no matter where in the world you are, as long as you have a clear view of the sky you can send text messages to your contacts, send an SOS signal to scramble rescue services, and track and share your coordinates, regardless of cell service. While the screen is too small for mapping, it pairs with any device that can run the Earthmate app. It’s not inexpensive and it requires a subscription in addition to the purchase price, but as you can sync it with your phone and iPad for a wealth of mapping and travel features, it’s a worthwhile investment. Also, you have the option to purchase subscription plans month-to-month to fit your travel schedule. (garmin.com) $349.99 (plus subscription)

GUIDE TFFM Grand Slam Boat Box

The TFFM Grand Slam Boat Box provides the perfect level of storage. Whether you are packing for a longer trip or you simply want to bring enough selection to have all of your bases covered, this box offers enough storage capacity to get the job done. Perfect for bigger tarpon and striped bass flies. Also your best option on the flats for all the bonefish and permit flies you’ll need. Outside dimensions 10 1/2” x 8 1/2” x 3 1/4” fits easily in any carry-on. (www.tailflyfishing.com) $39.99

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 23

TARPON CONSIDER THIS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING THE FOLLY OF FLY FISHING FOR TARPON. I AM HERE TO TRY TO SAVE YOU TIME, MONEY, AND, QUITE POSSIBLY, YOUR SANITY.

I had just returned from a three-day

“None? Really? That’s too bad.” There

“No,” I said. “I don’t want to go back for

trip fly fishing for tarpon in Florida

was a hint of judgment in his voice.

three days in June next year.” Pause of

when my old man called. A seasoned

my own. “I want to go back for seven

fisherman, he cut right to the chase:

In years past I had fished for tarpon

“How many did you catch?” he asked.

in April, but I’d gone in June this year.

days in June next year.”

He asked if I would go in June again. I

“Son,” he said wearily, “I think you need

immediately said I would.

to get your head examined.”

frequently spoken in the greater

There was a brief silence on the other

My father does not stand alone in his

Florida Keys region. I told him that I’d

end of the line before the former

assessment of my obsession. My wife,

had half a dozen “shots,” two “eats,”

trial lawyer started in with his cross-

friends, and colleagues all think I’m

and one “jump.”

examination. “Let me get this straight.”

absolutely nuts—just flat out, bat-shit

I responded in tarpon-speak, a language that originated and is most

Pause. “You fished for three days.”

crazy. They share the same look of

“Okay,” he said. “But how many did you

Pause. “You didn’t catch a single fish.”

disbelief when in one breath I recount

catch?”

Pause. “But you want to go back for

how I spent three days not actually

“Well, I didn’t actually catch any.”

three more days in June next year?”

catching a single fish— and then in

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[ A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ]

by Brent Hannafan Photos by Zane Taylor

the next gleefully say I can’t wait to go

Colorado years earlier. He had moved

Andy slowed his boat as we eased

back next year to do it all over again.

to South Florida to guide in the salt,

into a back bay. Surrounded by

and I lucked out when he had a free

mangroves, I stood up to take my

If I could, I would fly fish for tarpon

day while I was visiting my retired

post on the bow’s casting platform.

every day. But that would leave me

parents several years ago. I had been

Andy had been rattling off a litany

broke and divorced, neither of which I

fascinated by videos of the Silver

of pointers and differences between

want to be. Sadly, unlike your average

King’s jumps and wanted to try my

fly fishing for trout versus tarpon as

fly fishing trip for trout, my recent

hand at catching one on a fly rod.

we motored to this spot. It sounded

“zero-for-three-day” trip is not an

As Andy and I raced out into the Gulf

different, but as I stood staring out

anomaly. Tarpon are really, really hard

that fateful morning, tarpon were still

at the calm surface, I thought, “How

to hook—much less land—on a fly

a mere concept to me. Nonetheless,

different can it really be?”

rod. There are many reasons why this

I was confident I’d catch at least

is true, which I will share below. But

one tarpon that day. My confidence

Fair reader, with a dozen tarpon trips

one of the reasons is because, quite

stemmed in small part from my

now under my belt, I can assure you

frankly, tarpon can be real assholes.

experience fly fishing for trout, and

that the difference is immense. Like,

in large part from the fact that I

night-and-day different. Casting an Elk

The first time I fished for tarpon was

had zero clue what it took to fly fish

Hair Caddis with a 5-weight to a rising

off the Everglades with my friend,

in salt water, much less fly fish for

rainbow as you stand in a serene

guide Andy Lee. I had met Andy while

tarpon.

mountain stream is one thing. Casting

he was guiding in the mountains of

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 25

an 11-weight to a seafaring prehistoric

Now, the problems the f-ing wind!

I have fly fished for a variety of

monster whose mouth is the size of

causes the fly angler are intuitively

species of fish that move to the fly.

a gallon of milk while you try not to

obvious. But the real problem that

I have seen northern pike create a

get pitched off the deck of a small

arises with the f-ing wind! out on

wake as they race the length of a

boat in a large ocean is, as they say,

the salt is, literally, the waves. There

free throw with felonious intent to

a different kettle of fish. They are, in

simply aren’t waves to contend with

crush a topwater fly. I have seen

fact, different sports. To quote Andy

when trout fishing. When fly fishing

thick-shouldered browns glide several

Lee, “If everyone could catch tarpon

for trout, you are either standing on

times the length of their body to grab

on a fly, they’d call it trout fishing.”

terra firma or safely ensconced in a

a streamer. Not so with tarpon. If you

drift boat. Either way, your torso is

don’t put your fly into a beachball-

Before I sink into the depths of why

stationary when you cast. You may

sized area in front of and slightly

they are different sports, let’s first get

have to navigate slippery rocks or

above their face, you ain’t getting an

the difference in size of the respective

adjust to varying degrees of pressure

“eat.”

quarries out of the way. Your average

as water rushes by your legs while

tarpon would inhale your average

wading, but your torso nonetheless

I’ve watched laid-up tarpon rudely

trout as easily as you’d inhale a pig

remains stationary. Out on the salt,

give me the middle fin as they refuse

in a blanket at a cocktail party. Adult

simply keeping your balance with the

to move for a fly that lands 4 feet—

tarpon are 4 to 8 feet long and weigh

roll, pitch, and yaw that comes with

instead of 3 feet—in front of their

60 to 280 pounds. Yep, there are

standing on the bow of a small boat in

smug faces. (They are smug. Like

tarpon cruising the oceans blue that

the ocean is tough. As the f-ing wind!

a rich, elderly Brit with a monocle.)

are the size of Shaquille O’Neal (before

and corresponding waves increase—

Then, when you overcompensate on

he got really fat). Bigger quarry

which always seems to occur exactly

your next cast because of the f-ing

require bigger weapons. That’s why fly

when you see the day’s first tarpon

wind! and your leader barely lands on

rods used for tarpon are commonly

gliding toward you—it gets tougher.

top of their back, they spook and jet

11-weights. If you want to catch a

On top of trying not to get pitched

away. That’s right, a big, bad, 6-foot-

tarpon on a fly, you will first need to

ass-over-tea-kettle into waves now

long tarpon will spook when a little

learn how to handle a bigger rod—

cresting over the side of the boat,

bit of fluorocarbon lands on his back.

and by “handle,” I mean learn how to

you have to double haul a big boy

All that will remain is a cloud of mud

double haul.

and shoot 50 feet of line to a moving

and a pile of frustration. When you

target.

experience that moment firsthand, you can’t help but call that fish an

Fly fishing for trout rarely requires Different skill set. Different sports.

asshole.

11-weight with intermediate sinking

Still unconvinced? Take a folding chair

Another issue you never have to deal

line directly into a 15-mile-per-hour

out to your nearest park. Get up on

with when trout fishing is the tide.

wind. If you cannot competently

it and begin spinning a hula hoop

The tide can affect when, in which

double haul, you cannot fly fish for

around your waist. Now have the

direction, and at what speed tarpon

tarpon. Trust me, double hauling is

biggest fella on your block randomly

may (or may not) swim. Tides are

not a skill that you can just pick up

give the chair a few swift kicks. Tell

the worst. Or the best. Depends on

one afternoon like a six-pack on your

him to really whale on it a few times.

the moment. But they will affect

way home from work. And the reason

Simultaneously try to cast a fly into

when and where you can catch these

you have to double haul in order to

the wind and have it land in another

magnificent creatures.

catch tarpon on the fly is the wind—

hula hoop you’ve placed on the ground

commonly known in tarpon-speak as

20 yards away. Are you with me? If

And what goes hand in hand with

the “f-ing wind!”

you can’t land your fly in that hula

the effect the tides are having on

hoop under those conditions, then

your tarpon fishing? Wrong. The

don’t expect to catch many tarpon.

answer is not the moon. It’s the sun.

a double haul. And it most certainly does not require double hauling an

26 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Should we all roll up our sleeves and dig into how the angle or amount of sun makes it easier—or harder—to see tarpon? Frankly, I don’t have the space here to get into even the basics of light refraction, and no one really understands that shit anyway. Just know that if you aren’t seeing tarpon, your guide will blame the sun, the tide, and/or the f-ing wind!—and could actually be correct! As an aside, has anyone in the history of fishing ever been on a trip when the guide didn’t say at some point when the fishing was slow, “I’m tellin’ ya, we killed it here yesterday”? Asking for a friend.

Unlike tarpon, you don’t have to see trout to catch them. You can run subsurface flies through a fishylooking riffle or deep into a pool and, if you have the right fly tied on, you’ll eventually catch a trout sight unseen.

Once you find the right fly and depth, you can often catch one trout after another. But if you can’t see a tarpon, then you can’t put the fly into the beachball and, therefore, you can’t catch one. Blind casting into the ocean will get you as many tarpon as casting into your front yard.

When hunting for tarpon in back bays or out on the ocean on those rare calm days, you will occasionally find a group of tarpon rolling as they mill about like teenagers at a dance. To “roll” in tarpon-speak doesn’t mean they roll on their sides like you have never been able to train your dog to do. “Rolling” means they surface, oftentimes gulping air, such that you can see their back, dorsal fin, and massive eyes. It resembles a dolphin breaching to breathe, only it’s more subtle because tarpon are gulping air in rather than blowing it out. I

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 27

witnessed this phenomenon my first

get close enough to get a cast into

game of whack-a-mole for hours on

day out with Andy when a 6-footer

the beachball without spooking them.

end without ever getting even a shot

rolled no more than 15 feet from

That these massive, ocean-going

to land one of these assholes.

the boat. It genuinely startled me. I

predators can also get spooked by a

thought, “That’s what we are trying to

measly 2-inch wake is near the top

It is said that muskies are the fish

catch? Holy shit.”

of my list of how they can be real

of 10,000 casts because that is how

assholes.

many casts it allegedly takes to catch

If you see tarpon roll in calm enough

one. Similarly, tarpon are referred

water, your guide will attempt to go

The wake from the boat, vibrations

to as a $10,000 fish—that being the

all ninja on their asses and slowly

from anyone moving around in the

amount of money people have to

push-pole you up to cast into the

boat, and certainly the sound of your

spend to catch one tarpon on a fly

area you just saw one. You have to

bored father slamming down the lid

rod. This is why I am here to beg all

of a cooler after you have already

of you trout fishermen contemplating

asked him six times in the name of

a tarpon trip: Don’t do it. Save your

everything that is holy not to slam

money and your sanity and go instead

it—these can all cause tarpon to bolt.

to a new spot in Colorado to hunt

In order not to make a wake, the boat

for hook-jawed browns. Or break

has to move very slowly. Just as you

out of your comfort zone and head

are at the point where you think you

to Canada to try your hand at pike.

can cast to where you last saw your

But whatever you do, don’t head to

tarpon roll, that tarpon (or its twin)

southern waters in pursuit of tarpon.

will inevitably appear again as it rolls

Leave those assholes to me and Andy,

10 yards off the back of the boat.

and I promise to write all about how

Which starts the process all over

awful they were after my next trip.

YOU CAN PLAY THIS MADDENING GAME OF WHACK-A-MOLE FOR HOURS ON END WITHOUT EVER GETTING EVEN A SHOT TO LAND ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES.

again. You can play this maddening

28 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

WADING SYSTEM

PRO WADERS

PRO WADING JACKETS

PRO WADING BOOTS

PRO INSULATION

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 29

Anchor Man

by Mark B. Hatter It’s a few minutes past 7p.m.; the light is low and filtered. Thin clouds veil a golden sun at annoyingly long, random intervals, further cutting visibility. There is little daylight left. The fishing is over and everyone has run to the marina or boat ramp. No one can possibly sight fish tarpon at this time of day. Yet one lone angler remains on the water.

30 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

The angler is posted up, anchor flukes gripping the sand against a falling tide. The angler is perched on the poling platform, facing off the stern, a 12-weight at the ready, a casting bucket tucked between his legs. He stares intently into the stained water. His torso swivels, stabilizing his upper body against the southwest chop punching the hull of his skiff.

Suddenly, he senses something. A change in the fabric of the water, far enough up the run to allow him to prepare. He can’t see the fish … yet. But that nuanced difference in the way the water is moving is all he needs. It’s a push of fish, and in an instant he has the fly in the water, in line with the approaching forms.

The fish are closing fast with the moving tide. His cast to lead the fish is short. With only 5 feet of fly line extending from his rod tip, there’s no line or time to strip.

So he sweeps his rod tip broadly, dragging the bushy bug across the nose of the lead fish. It reacts.

Pectoral fins snap 90 degrees, braking the fish for an instant. It’s maw opens into a black hole that sucks the bug down a dark tunnel of throat before closing. His line comes tight when the fish, bug in mouth, reaches the skiff. But the 90-degree angle of rod tip to fish creates too much give, and the chemically sharpened hook cannot find purchase. Still, the fish feels the prick of steel and launches itself vertically. With a robust head rattle, it throws the fly and a spray of water into the skiff.

The angler smiles.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 31

I know this angler. I’ve fished with him for the better part of four decades. He is more than an angler—he’s an innovator, a provocateur. He is Charlie Madden, aka Anchor Man.

TODAY, THE BOAT TRAFFIC IS ALMOST ALWAYS TOO HEAVY TO FIND POONS ALWAYS ON THE SURFACE, BUT THE FISH ARE STILL THERE, RUNNING DEEP.

32 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

THE SKILLED ANGLER About three decades ago, Charlie and I decided to up our angling game by learning to fly fish. A natural athlete, Charlie quickly built a powerful cast that, combined with his hand-eye coordination, made for a long and accurate throw. Within a year of learning the sport, we booked a guided trip to the once-storied Homosassa Springs to hunt for giant tarpon.

Our guide was cold and reticent; we were rubes and he was the pro.

It wasn’t until he pulled the skiff off plane outside of Black Rock that he spoke his first words. “Here, cast this,” he said dryly while handing Charlie a 12-weight rod and a deck full of stripped line. In two back casts Charlie unfurled the fly the length of the stripped line.

With that, the guide’s interview was over. Charlie got an A on the exam and extra credit when he landed a 125-pound poon (his first) late in the afternoon.

THE INNOVATOR The same year we fished Homosassa, I went on a family

trip to Boca Grande. I found the numbers of tarpon along the beach astonishing—dozens of daisy-chaining pods meandered with the tide. The only boats on fish were the classic wooden diesel inboards—tower boats had not yet been invented—their first mates chucking live crabs to the many pods of happy fish. No one was putting fish down by running them over. The poons were calm and approachable with electric motors.

Charlie fished his brand new Hewes Bonefisher with lifelong buddy Cliff Parsons while I fished my Maverick with my son. We employed electric motors to approach fish, but not over the deeper waters of the beach; rather, over the shallow expanses of Johnson Shoals.

I called Charlie. ”We need to fish Boca Grande,” I said.

The following day, while my son and I moved from pod to pod with my electric motor, Charlie did something innovative. He posted up on Johnson Shoals, a decision

The following year found us at Boca Grande for a week’s vacation.

Always observant, Charlie saw a pattern. “These fish are holding a line,” he told us over dinner. Then he added, “I have a plan.”

that would prove to be prophetic.

That evening we compared stats: The number of shots Charlie and Cliff had were double that had by me and my son.

A technique was born.

ANCHOR MAN ASCENDING Based on Charlie’s original insight, for the next few years our core group—Charlie, Cliff, my son, and I—defined more and more ambush points around Boca Grande. We cross-referenced the tide against the numbers of fish we observed in a push. Patterns were established, locations were named, and we pitched the hook as we pleased, staking out with impunity.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 33

Ours were the only skiffs on anchor. But sooner or later, if a gig is good, the word gets out. How many times can you enjoy success before someone notices…?

THE PROVOCATEUR And the local guys were starting to take notice. It was hard to hide the conspicuously bobbing buoy marking a ditched anchor near one of our skiffs as we were hooked up on a poon.

It was rumored that the old-timers were against the practice of staking out—especially with so many fish on the surface in happy daisy chains. Why change the proven approach of sneaking up on pods with electric motors…?

The effectiveness of Charlie’s innovation earned him a reputation—and a name. “That damn Anchor Man was on the shoal again!” they’d say.

Charlie found the murmurs at the fueling dock entertaining. “Like we’re jumping poons, and they’re not,” he’d chuckle.

The fishing was so good, Charlie bought a place in Boca Grande, allowing him more time on the water during the season. His posting-up results skyrocketed.

Then one day Charlie headed out to his go-to spot on a weekday and saw something unsettling: Another boat was anchored, smack dab on the spot where he’d posted on the day before. It was a local guide.

Times were about to change.

Rapidly.

34 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

SHARING THE WATER Change can occur for a single reason or a litany of reasons. In the case of Boca Grande’s tarpon fishery, the change from chasing poons with electrics to staking out on anchor has occurred for two main reasons: increased general boating traffic along with the influx of more anglers fly fishing for tarpon. Sadly, both of these issues have pushed the fish deep, ending the era of the wooden low-riders throwing to happy daisy chains on the surface.

Today, the boat traffic in Boca Grande is almost always too heavy to find poons on the surface, but the fish are still there, running deep. Thus, ambushing fish on shallow shoals while on anchor remains as effective today as it was three decades ago.

We’ve been fortunate to have experience a wonderful fly fishery over the last 30 years at Boca Grande. And we’re fortunate to be able to pass the torch to the next generation of fly anglers: Charlie’s son, Chas, and my son, Jeremy. And despite the presentday pressures on the Boca Grand tarpon fishery, we still have a productive, effective method of sight fishing poon—thanks to Anchor Man.

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 35

s e i l o o h c S e h t n W he Sho w Up

by Jame s P. Sp ica Jr.

36 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

THE ADULT STRIPERS ARE A CHALLENGE AND A BLESSING—A BLESSING WE AS A SPECIES ARE SQUANDERING AND STAMPING OUT—BUT THE SCRAPPINESS, WILLINGNESS, AND AVAILABILITY OF SCHOOLIE BASS IN THE 14- TO 30-INCH RANGE KEEPS ME HAPPY IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

It’s the time of morning when you

you.” I’d say the same thing about

again when the sun comes up. At

see nothing but a red band on the

pre-morning: Pre-morning colonizes

least not that I know of—and there’s

eastern horizon and the blue above it

the striper angler.

a lot I don’t know.

of moon is still high, the stars stand

This is the time when I confidently

I am a heretic in the fly fishing

watch impassively, and the waves lap

switch to a natural-colored Clouser

culture: I prefer blind-casting. Sight

rather than crash. Everything seems

Minnow—olive over white, usually—

fishing is engaging and consuming, to

sort of purple-blue. Jeff VanderMeer

from the purple and black “night

be sure—I’ve sight-nymphed to trout

wrote, “Desolation tries to colonize

colors.” It seems just a little too

sitting on inside bends and dropped

early for this change; how on earth

crabs in front of happily tailing reds

could a fish see a sparse white fly?

enough to deserve the modicum

Well, baitfish don’t turn black and

of success I garner—but as a

purple at dusk and change back

Michigander, I suppose my freshwater

becomes just a little lighter. The sliver

upbringing has colored my psyche a bit. The excitement of seeing a musky materialize out of nowhere after you thought the cast was done is much like the unexpected grab when a striper takes a fly and tries to wrench your arm off. It’s always when your mind has slipped out back for a smoke break—bam!

My freshwater upbringing has also bred my love of thick-shouldered fish that bulldog you and change direction constantly, rather than putting on one screaming run. Happily, the star gamefish of the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to the Carolinas—the striped bass, the redfish, and the false albacore—all fight like more desperate, more frantic versions of my native smallmouth, brook trout, and freshwater drum. (A side note: Those of you born-and-raised saltwater guys ought to bring your

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 37

Deceivers and Clousers and chase

were normal and be forced to wait

pods of smallies around Lake St. Clair

until April.

under diving birds in April.)

There are two things that mark a On the second cast, I hook up. The fly

good schoolie day: an abraded thumb

stops, followed by a pleasant but not

and several Clouser Minnows in

absurd bend in my 6-weight rod and

tatters. I like bass fishing because it

a frantic but not violent tug tug tug.

literally requires you to have some

A schoolie.

skin in the game. Your thumb stinks, too, and no amount of lemon juice

When the schoolies show up is when

or Dawn can remove it. When you’re

I’m happiest. The adult stripers are a

sitting in the greasy-spoon diner and

challenge and a blessing—a blessing

shoveling hash browns into your face,

we as a species are squandering and

you can still smell it ever so slightly.

stamping out—but the scrappiness,

I always wonder if just a little bit of

willingness, and availability of

fish bacteria is getting into my food.

schoolie bass in the 14- to 30-inch

Since the smell won’t go away, I must

range keeps me happy in a different

assume that the microbiota doesn’t

way. I liken it to food (what a

either. It’s never made me sick but I

surprise, since the only thing I think

think about it just the same.

about more than fishing is eating).

THEY SAY THERE’S A PROGRESSION IN FISHING: FIRST YOU JUST WANT TO CATCH ONE LITTLE FISH, THEN YOU WANT TO CATCH LOTS OF LITTLE FISH. SOON ALL YOU WANT IS TO CATCH ONE BIG FISH, AND AFTER

While a 40-inch striped bass is like a

Schoolie bass from the parks and

perfectly cooked filet mignon—costly

estuaries around Boston Harbor

and once-in-a-while—a schoolie is

were a saving grace for me, a

like a hamburger: satisfying and

Michigander moving out to a truly

familiar, homey and ubiquitous.

big city. Moving out for school was

Colin and I have stalked the flats for

the main impetus, but I gave up a

the big shadows, the immense gray

spot at the University of Montana in

shapes that scoot by in pairs and

Missoula, surrounded by what may

quartets looking for mole crabs, only

be most fly anglers’ wet dream of

to be frustrated by wind and picky

the trout-filled Blackfoot, Bitterroot,

fish and to have our egos soothed

and Rock Creek, in favor of Emerson,

by the cuts and bays and inlets

a college smack dab in the heart

filled with little 18-inch linesiders

of a big East Coast city surrounded

jockeying at close range to eat a fly.

by, instead of trout, an unforgiving

I feel no shame in this.

ocean of ghostly saltwater bass. I knew a bit about trout but nothing

THAT YOU WANT TO

Schoolies used to show up in March

about stripers. I took a gamble. And

CATCH LOTS OF BIG FISH.

and April; now they’re around most

from the first line-sided silver bullet

of the time in rivers and estuaries.

that materialized from the depths

The culprit is obvious; as our planet

to inhale a red and yellow Clouser, I

warms, as we effectively Dutch-oven

knew I had made the right decision.

ourselves as a species, fish have no

38 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

impetus to vacate the previously icy

They say there’s a progression in

waters of New England. I like that the

fishing: First you just want to catch

fish stick around, but I don’t like the

one little fish, then you want to catch

reason. I’d rather know that things

lots of little fish. Soon all you want is

to catch one big fish, and after that

of chasing big carp and musky, find

a standard direction in saltwater

you want to catch lots of big fish.

themselves dragging an aluminum

fishing: the incoming bringing the

The nirvana at the end of all this is

rowboat to a pond, stringing up a

good fishing. Low light helps but

that eventually you’re just happy to

3-weight fiberglass rod, catching a

if the food is there, schoolie bass

be out there, fish or no fish. We’ve all

mess of bluegill, and wondering why

will eat just about any time. As the

heard the adage. Well, I’ve got a step

they’d ever left. I suppose in some

morning wears on, as I’m bathed

to add: After we’ve passed through all

cases anglers will claim it’s all about

in my embarrassment of nostalgic

the stages, after the supposed peak

the difficulty and refinement of

riches, my stomach starts to gurgle,

of “just glad being out there,” a lot

finesse fly delivery, but I’m skeptical.

and we start to consider leaving this

of anglers regress spectacularly. We

We all return to our roots. When I

place in search of breakfast. But we’ll

once again discover our love of small

chase after schoolies on the beach, I’m

be back tomorrow. Because it doesn’t

fish. In fact, we go to great lengths

back to where I started in salt water,

get old. It doesn’t get boring. It’s a

to get at them. I know many a trout

and that first day of fishing together,

school of stripers, after all.

angler who, tired of hatch-matching

when Colin and I got double after

and staying out late for large brown

double on little 15-inch bass, is relived.

trout, has consecrated himself to

Bio: James P. Spica Jr. is an Editorat-Large and regular contributor to

plying small streams for little, wild,

I always hope for an incoming in the

Tail Fly Fishing Magazine. He lives in

par-marked gems. I know many

morning, bringing the fish and their

Michigan.

warmwater gurus who, after years

food onto the beach as it floods. It’s

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 39

ORGE ROBERTS

by GE

THE ESSENTIALS OF DISTANCE FLY CASTING: PART THREE photos by JAMIL SIDDIQUI

IN PART ONE OF THIS SERIES WE SAW THAT THE POTENTIAL POWER OF A CAST DEPENDS ON HOW DEEPLY YOU BEND OR LOAD THE ROD. A VERY SHORT CASTING STROKE MIGHT LOAD THE ROD SUFFICIENTLY TO DELIVER A FLY 30 OR 40 FEET, BUT TO DELIVER A FLY A LONGER DISTANCE YOU MUST PULL THE ROD INTO A DEEPER BEND. ONE OF THE MAIN PROBLEMS I SEE WITH LONGTIME FRESHWATER ANGLERS MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SALT WATER IS THAT THEY TEND TO MAKE ALL OF THEIR CASTS WITH A SINGLE STROKE LENGTH. THAT IS, THEIR ROD HAND MOVES THE SAME DISTANCE DURING THE STROKE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY’RE MAKING A 30-FOOT CAST OR THEY’RE TRYING TO DELIVER A FLY 70 OR MORE FEET.

40 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

1

When we try to load the rod deeply using a very

over a longer distance; that is, you need to use a

short casting stroke, troubles arise. A forceful

longer forward casting stroke (which gives you a

load combined with a very short casting stroke

wider casting arc).

often results in your overpowering the rod and destroying the cast. Remember that a good

There’s a school of thought in fly casting that says

casting stroke is a smooth, gradual acceleration.

if you need to make a longer forward stroke, you

Overpower the rod and you’ll destroy the cast

should set yourself up for this by simply making

every time. Often a short,

a longer back cast stroke. In

jerky casting stroke produces

truth, more fly anglers cast

what’s known as a tailing

this way than not. There

loop (also known as a cross

are some excellent casters

loop). A tailing loop forms

who cast this way, but I

when the rod unloads above,

don’t cast this way myself.

rather than below, the path

Nor do I teach this method,

of the following fly line; the

as I’m convinced it’s a less

loop is crossed rather than

efficient set of mechanics.

open-ended. Tailing loops can

I won’t detail the reasons

tie knots in your leader (fly anglers refer to these

for this here, as they are outside the scope of

as “wind knots,” although they have nothing to

the fundamental. However, simply note that

do with the wind), and in severe instances tailing

whatever “style” of casting you use, to make a

loops can even tie knots in your fly line. Tailing

longer delivery you must execute a longer forward

loops may also be caused by using too short of a

casting stroke.

stroke for the amount of bend in the rod, or by using too short of a stroke for the amount of line

To lengthen the forward casting stroke to make

you have outside the rod tip.

my long delivery I use drift. Drift is a repositioning of the rod after the conclusion of the back cast

To load the rod deeply for a long delivery without

stroke. After you stop the rod on the back cast

overpowering it, you must accelerate the rod

(your rod hand will be about even with your

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 41

2

shoulder) and the loop of line is unrolling behind you, your elbow leaves your side and you reach upward and backward with your rod hand, allowing the tip of the rod to move behind you.

This repositioning of the rod sets you up to bring

3

the rod through a longer forward stroke—that is, a wider casting arc. You are able to load the rod more deeply over a longer distance without shocking the rod, and you can make a long delivery with a very modest effort. (Drift in the forward direction—that is, after the rod unloads

4

on the forward cast—is called follow-through.) t

5

6

7

This sequence begins at the end of the back cast stroke. Note where the rod hand is when the rod unloads on the back cast (Figure 2). As the loop of fly line unrolls during the back cast, the caster’s elbow leaves his side to allow his rod hand to extend behind his body (Figures 3 through 5). This drift move repositions the rod hand to make a longer forward casting stroke— that is, a wider casting arc (note where the rod tip is in Figure 5 relative to where it is in Figure 2). At the beginning of the forward stroke, the caster’s elbow begins to move back in toward his side (Figure 6). Accelerating the fly rod through a longer stroke (wider arc) allows you to load it more deeply to make a longer, more powerful delivery (Figure 9).

Drift is virtually impossible to see until you understand the mechanics. To the untrained eye, drift is inseparable from the the casting stroke itself; the back cast stroke and the drift appear as if they’re a single motion. But they’re not—they’re two separate entities. First, the rod

8

hand stops to unload the rod on the back cast; then, while the back cast is unrolling, the rod hand reaches upward and backward. The drift move exists outside the back cast stroke and arc and is enacted without power. I think of drift

9

and follow-through as a relaxing in the direction of the unrolling cast.

How long you need to make your drift in order to deliver the fly a given distance depends on

42 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

a number of factors; there are no concrete

that contrasts well against a solid background.

answers. For example, the length of our arms

I like the Wulff Triangle Taper in bright orange

is in direct proportion to our height. Therefore,

(royalwulff.com), but any fly line that is orange,

at 6 feet tall, my arms are longer than those of

chartreuse, bright yellow, or ivory in color will

a caster who is, say, 5 feet, 7 inches tall. With

suffice. Also, a fly rod built on a light-colored

equal equipment, this caster would have to

blank will be more visible on video than one with

bring her rod hand through a longer distance,

a black or gray blank. The Diamondback Rod

in proportion to her body, to achieve a stroke

Company (diamondbackfishingrods.com) provided

length equal to mine—so she’ll probably have to

me with the white-blanked instructor’s rod used

drift a bit farther back than I will to make the

in this series.

same cast. (For the purpose of illustration, I’ve made a very long drift in the sequence photos— much longer than I would need to deliver a fly 70 feet.) As you progress as a fly caster you’ll come to know, by feel and experience more

In the next installment in this series,

than anything else, what will be required of

we’ll look at how you can put the three

you physically, in terms of stroke length and

essentials together to add distance and

the application of power, in order to deliver a

power to your cast.

fly to a distant target. The more you refine the three fundamentals we’ve discussed—loading and unloading the rod, forming tight loops, and lengthening the casting stroke—the easier everything will become.

SMARTPHONES, SLOW-MOTION VIDEO, AND VIDEO ANALYSIS Drift and follow-through are among the “invisibles” of fly casting—that is, you won’t see them in real time unless you know what to look for and you have an experienced eye. This is where slow-motion video can be invaluable. The

Before he became TFFM’s managing

smartphones of today shoot better-quality video

editor, George Roberts taught fly casting

than the $50,000 video cameras of 20 years ago.

for more than 25 years to fly anglers

My iPhone XR shoots video at 240 frames per

of all levels of experience. George

second. When you combine this technology with

produced the first instructional video

a video analysis app such as the Hudl Technique (hudl.com), you will have what I’m convinced is the best fly casting learning and teaching tool available today.

casting program aimed at the saltwater fly angler: Saltwater Fly Casting: 10 Steps to Distance and Power, which is available through a number of retailers

When recording your own cast on video,

as well as the TFFM shop.

you should give yourself every advantage to produce quality footage. First, select a fly line

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 43

44 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

HOW THE STRIPED BASS SAVED SALTWATER FLY FISHING

by Pete Barrett

Were it not for the striped bass, saltwater fly-rodding might never have grown to become so popular as it is today.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 45

Bonefish and tarpon of the Florida Keys were more glamorous, but the striped bass brought saltwater fly fishing within reach of America’s Average Joe.

Saltwater fly fishing got a big boost after World War II when tales of Florida Keys bonefish and tarpon catches by pioneers of the sport like Jimmy Albright, Stu Apte, Joe Brooks, J. Lee Cuddy, Bill Curtis, George Hommell, and Ted Williams captured a lot of attention in sports magazines.

Sure, the silver king and silver ghost had the glamour that editors loved. At the same time, however, saltwater fly fishing was stuck in a rut because access to these sensational gamefish was limited to Florida locals or well-heeled sportsmen with big bucks and the time to get there. If you didn’t live near Miami, these great gamefish were pretty much out of reach.

It was the striped bass, the prince of tides, that brought salty fly fishing within casting range of the Average Joe. In 1950, Miami had just 860,000 residents; the Baltimore-to-Boston corridor had over eight million! There were a lot more guys ready to throw flies at stripers than at bonefish and tarpon.

Seventy years ago travel was primitive compared with the speedy air travel and severallane interstate highways we enjoy today. Getting your butt to the Florida Keys was a multiday travel event by plane or train, and driving on single-lane US highways could take days depending on your point of origin.

As the 1950s slid off the calendar, saltwater fly fishing received another much-needed boost when the 1960s ushered in an epic striped bass population boom in

46 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Early fly clubs devoted to saltwater fly fishing attracted a wide membership that was eager to develop new tackle, fly patterns and new techniques to help newcomers become successful. A trademark of the early clubs was the gatherings that emphasized fishing as much as learning casting skills. The foundation of sharing information continues to this day.

the Chesapeake, Barnegat, and Narragansett Bays. This striped bass explosion supercharged the rapid expansion of saltwater fly fishing.

By 1963 Harold Gibbs, Al Brewster, J. Edson Leonard, Howard Laws, Herb Chase, and a cadre of others were making the transition from fishing freshwater brooks and streams to catching striped bass along Rhode Island’s coastal waters. They teamed up to form what is arguably the first strictly saltwater fly fishing club, calling themselves the Rhody Fly Rodders.

Gibbs began his own salty fly experiences on Rhode Island’s Barrington River in the mid 1930s and developed the Gibbs Striper Fly, one of the earliest patterns specifically tied for striped bass.

He also helped Orvis create one of the first bamboo rods specifically designed for striped bass and saltwater fly fishing.

Meanwhile, in the suburbs of New York City, another group was making the same choice, trading their Catskill trout stream 5-weights for 9-weights that could do battle with striped bass. The striped bass fishing was exceptionally good in the fertile waters of Long Island Sound and the South Shore, and good fishing spots were just a short drive from the many communities surrounding the Big Apple. The striped bass fishing encouraged Neil Druger to enroll Lou Rossi, Dom DeSalvo, Erwin Zobel, and Hammond Fox to create the Salty Flyrodders of New York.

The club quickly expanded as these founders were soon followed by fly fishing notables like Don Avondolio, Ken Bay, Joe Falke, and others.

In Cape May, another group began meeting informally to enjoy New Jersey’s salt marshes, bays, and thoroughfares—and excellent fly fishing for striped bass. Lou Rodia, George Cornish, and Dick Wood were among these South Jersey

pioneers. Significantly, Wood’s ad agency was instrumental in designing the Fenwick advertising campaign that made the iconic company synonymous with saltwater fly fishing. This group in turn began swapping ideas and fly designs with fellow fly anglers from the Seaside Heights area, fishing the flats of Barnegat Bay. Up until the end of the 1960s there were relatively few fly patterns designed specifically for tarpon and bonefish; by contrast, dozens of patterns were already in common use for striped bass. Ken Bay’s Salt Water Flies, published in 1972, illustrates the comparison well: Bay lists 38 patterns tied for striped bass, just six for bonefish and tarpon, and another six for other species like sea trout and bonito. The Tom Loving Bass Fly had been in use since the 1920s.

Lefty Kreh’s Deceiver, just starting its career as a catch-anything fly, was originally conceived

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 47

in the 1950s to hoodwink Chesapeake Bay striped bass.

Other patterns of that period like Al Brewster’s Rhody Three-Wing, Bub Church’s Sand Eel, Cap Colvin’s KaBoomBoom popper, George Cornish’s Orange Blossom Marabou, Harold Law’s NoName, J. Edson Leonard’s GalliNipper, Hal Lyman’s Terror, Fred Schrier’s Mai Tai, and Mark Sosin’s Blockbuster were all created to catch striped bass.

In the early 1960s Barnegat Bay seemed to explode with stripers.

As the bay’s waters warmed from March through May, thousands upon thousands of 16- to 20inch juvenile bass provided an amazing opportunity for saltwater fly fishing. The late Pete McLain, former Deputy Director of New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, credited Howie Hollenback, a former Florida Keys guide who travelled north in 1958 to work as a Toms River dock master, with showing local fishermen how to fly cast and how to catch fish on the broad expanses of Barnegat Bay’s grass flats.

According to McLain, Elwood “Cap” Colvin, owner of Colvin’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park near the

48 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

entrance to Island Beach State Park, caught his first fly rod striped bass in the spring of 1960—and by 1962 the striped bass explosion was at its peak. The big bay was bursting with 3- to 9-pound fish, and Colvin, McLain, and other local fly anglers like Fred Schrier, Ed Morrison, and Mark Sosin joined in on the fun. Eventually about 20 or so fly-rodders were meeting informally at Colvin’s tackle shop for coffee and to swap ideas about tackle, rigging, knots, techniques, and how to develop their casting skills.

Turns out that these informal gabfests were essential to the early development of saltwater fly fishing: By 1965, under the guidance of Fred Schrier, the informal gatherings officially became incorporated as the Salt Water Fly Rodders of America.

Appropriately, Cap Colvin was elected as the first president.

From the beginning, sharing information, developing casting skills, and swapping fly fishing techniques was the cornerstone of the fledgling organization. In the spring of 1965 the SWFROA (pronounced Swafra by members) held its first annual Get Together and attracted many enthusiastic

local fly anglers as well as notable fly fishermen like Al Brewster and Harold Gibbs of the Rhody Flyrodders.

The 2nd and 3rd annual Get Togethers were held at Nansen’s Restaurant in Toms River at the foot of the Mathis Bridge Causeway that spans Barnegat Bay and leads anglers into Seaside Park and Island Beach State Park. The 1967 Get Together featured educational panels with celebrities like Stu Apte, Hal Lyman, Harold Gibbs, Joe Bates, Charles Waterman, Lee Wulff, Gene Anderegg, ladies’ casting champion Kay Brodney, A.J. McClane, Leon Chandler of Cortland Lines, Dick Wolf of the Garcia Tackle Company, and Mark Sosin as moderator. About 200 fly anglers worked over the waters of Barnegat Bay. By the mid ‘60s the bass population in Barnegat Bay began to dramatically decline, and the Get Togethers shifted to the Chesapeake Bay. In 1968 the Wye Institute, an elite boys’ camp near St. Michaels, Maryland, played host; the 1969 event took place at Tilghman Island. I was a young guy recently employed by the Garcia Fishing Tackle Company

and lucky enough to attend both Chesapeake Bay events. Meeting and learning from the saltwater fly-rodding pioneers of the day and catching striped bass and sea trout in new waters were extraordinary experiences that have influenced my fly fishing to this day.

Other SWFROA events took place in Key West and Nags Head.

Local chapters also held their own events—like the Rhody Flyrodders in Newport, where I met and fished with a unique band of fly anglers including Al Brewster, Ron Montecalvo, and Armand Courchaine, who became a lifelong friend. Standing on the big boulders in the Newport surf was exhilarating, as was the chance to learn some fly tying and saltwater fly fishing techniques from the best fly anglers ever to walk the planet. The Salty Flyrodders of New York held events at Shelter Island and the east end of Long Island, where notables like Lou Tabory and Lee and Joan Wulff attended.

For saltwater fly anglers this was a time of boundless enthusiasm, and many were eager to join the new group—not just for striped bass fishing but for all species of salty gamefish. Anglers formed chapters of the national organization: The first chapter was based, of course, in Seaside Park, where the SWFROA was first started; the second chapter was based in Avalon, New Jersey, under the guidance of noted fly tier and pioneer fly angler George

Cornish. After visiting the first Get Together in 1965, Harold Gibbs and Al Brewster returned home to Rhode Island and spoke so highly of their experiences that the Rhody Flyrodders became affiliated as the third chapter.

Groups of fly-rodders from Philadelphia, Norfolk, Plainfield, Plum Island, and Southern California formed chapters, and so did Aussie pioneer Maxwell Garth.

Individual fly anglers could also join as Associate Members, which qualified them for all benefits, an invitation to the annual Get Togethers, guest attendance at chapter meetings, and a subscription to the organization’s magazine The Double Haul, which was the first-ever saltwater fly fishing magazine.

The very first issue of The Double Haul appeared in the spring of 1967, with Lou Rodia at the helm as managing editor, Fred Schrier as advertising director, and Dick Wood as art director. Advertisers included Fenwick, featuring the innovative Feralite all-glass ferrule; Cortland Line Company; Scientific Anglers; South Bend/Gladding fly rods and reels; Garcia fly rods and lines; George Cornish flies (Driftwood Marina); Shakespeare rods and fly reels; Fin-Nor fly reels; Orvis, advertising a Powerflex rod at $32.50; Pflueger Supreme fly reels; Rainbow Bend Resort in the Florida Keys; Bill Gallasch Flies; Gra-Lite waders; Berkley Fishing Tackle, with their Parametric action rods; and the innovative Keel Flies.

Above: Joan and Lee Wulff were among the well-known celebrities that helped the early days of saltwater fly fishing and attended several annual Get Togethers. Here Joan is helping a fly caster develop his skills by practicing with the Fly-O that she and Lee developed.

Top Left: Popular fly patterns of the early days for striped bass fly fishing included (L-R) the Tom Loving Bass Fly from the 1920s, and newer patterns created in the 1950s and 1960s like the Brooks Blonde, Lefty’s Deceiver (this one circa 1961), Al Brewster’s Rhody ThreeWing, George Cornish’s Orange Blossom Marabou, Fred Schrier’s Mai Tai, Mark Sosin’s Block Buster, and “Cap” Colvin’s KaBoomBoom popper.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 49

Members of Salt Water Fly Rodders of America Chapter 1 often gathered to fish Barnegat Bay and included up-and-coming outdoor journalist Mark Sosin (back row, third from left), Fred Schrier (back row, fourth from right) and the group’s first president, “Cap” Colvin (Center).

By the mid-1970s the Northeast striped bass population began a severe nosedive that continued through the 1980s. Fortunately, southern fly fishing entered a boom period: Travel became easier, and the region saw more guides, better tackle, more shops and marinas, and the debut of boats designed for flats fishing.

The Keys, the Carolinas, and both Florida coasts were flourishing.

Redfish, snook, weakfish, and false albacore began to fill in the gap left by the dwindling striped bass stocks, but for SWFROA it simply wasn’t enough to keep the fire going. By 1977 the group had disbanded after a wonderful, exciting run of 12 years.

Three of the original chapters still survive. The Rhody Fly Rodders celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2013. Club member Peter Nilsen wrote Rhody Fly Rodders: Fifty Years, Fifty Members, Fifty

50 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Flies to commemorate the event.

(Contact Nilsen at 75 Massasoit Ave., Barrington, RI 02806 for a copy of this great little book.) The Salty Flyrodders of New York also persevered and grew, celebrating their 50th Conclave gathering in 2017. And a new saltwater fly fishing club emerged from the cinders of the original first chapter of SWFROA: A group that had gathered for about five years at Bob Popovics’ house for informal fly tying and casting sessions eventually spawned the Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders in 1992.

Over the past 70 years, through rough waters and smooth, saltwater fly fishing has continued to evolve. Bonefish and tarpon still make fly-rodders very happy, but the list of exciting gamefish now includes redfish, snook, bluefish, little tunny, cobia, crevalle jacks, weakfish, sea trout, and dozens of others, including offshore

big-game sailfish, marlin, and tuna. Yes, saltwater fly fishing has had a wonderful journey, and its future looks bright—but to fully appreciate the development of the sport, we must not overlook the influence of the striped bass.

Pete Barrett has been fly fishing in salt water since the 1960s. He was a charter boat skipper for 30 years, and he was on The Fisherman magazine’s editorial staff from 1973 until his retirement. Pete has published over 1100 magazine articles and is the author of five popular books on angling. Pete is a Florida representative for the International Game Fish Association, and he’s currently an active member of the Atlantic Salt Water Flyrodders and the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. Pete lives in Jupiter, Florida.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 51

52 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

FLAT-WING

SAND EEL Text and Photos: Barry Ord Clarke The late Bill Peabody credited Rhode Island fly anger Ken Abrames with developing the tying style whose variations are known collectively as Flat-Wings.

However, Bill probably did as much as anyone to popularize the style. Also, Bill’s signature rendition, the Rhody Flat-Wing, is distinct in that it uses only a single saddle hackle for the tail rather than the multiple hackles found in Abrames’ variations.

In his lifetime, Bill Peabody’s work did not get the accolades that were given to some of his contemporaries. Part of the reason for this, I believe, can be attributed to Bill’s character. He was soft-spoken and unassuming, not one to call attention to himself. However, the best saltwater fly tiers of that era all knew Bill’s work and had the utmost respect for him—as did I. I can think of no more fitting tribute to Bill Peabody than to demonstrate how his influence in the world of saltwater fly tying remains strong—internationally— more than 20 years after his death. So let us introduce master fly tier Barry Ord Clarke, born and raised in the United Kingdom and now living in Norway, who is keeping Bill Peabody’s work alive for the times. I think Bill would be humbled.

—George Roberts

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 53

Drawing inspiration from the late Bill

are as complicated and decorative as

important trigger and attack point.

Peabody’s original Rhody Flat-Wing,

classic salmon flies. Although they’re

Albeit totally unscientific, I have tied

this sand eel imitation has proven to

light and easy to cast, even when

the Flat-Wing Sand Eel both with and

be a very effective pattern from early

wet, Flat-Wings give the impression

without jungle cock, and I’m under no

summer, when sea trout begin feeding

of volume—not to mention the

illusion as to which takes more fish!

on the large shoals of sand eels that

movement these patterns have….

arrive along the coast of Norway.

The long, slender sand lance, more

Although these native sea-run brown

One of the most common questions

commonly known as the sand eel

trout (or sea trout, as they are more

I get asked concerns the size of the

(family Ammodytidae), spends much

commonly called) generally feed à la

hook in relation to the overall length

of its time burrowed in the sand,

carte, there are a few occasions during

of the fly: “Won’t the fish just bite

especially at night and on overcast

the season when they become more

at the tail?” You may occasionally

days. This indicates that it relies on

selective with their feeding.

encounter small fish that, simply

good light in order to find food. Like

because of their size, are eager but

many other bottom-dwelling fish, the

One of the things I love about Flat-

incapable. But generally speaking,

sand eel has no swim bladder. It must

Wings is that they fulfill a basic set

most fish attack the Flat-Wing Sand

therefore be constantly on the move—

of requirements of tying and fishing

Eel with great enthusiasm, ensuring

otherwise it will sink to the bottom.

larger patterns. They require only

solid hookups.

The first year after hatching, the

a few basic materials, which the

sand eel is about 10 cm long (nearly

majority of fly tiers most certainly

On examining the stomach contents

4 inches) and is almost transparent.

have to hand. You can make them

of many sea trout over the years,

Adult fish are a flashy silver-gold with

as simple or as complex as you wish.

I’ve yet to find a sand eel that wasn’t

a greenish back. Adults range from 15

I’ve even tied some variations that

swallowed head-first. This tells me

cm to a huge 30 cm (6 to nearly 12

I’ve named Saltwater Classics, which

that the eyes on baitfish are an

inches) in length.

r, and photographer of Barry Ord Clark is an angler, fly tie r of several books on tho au the is He n. ow ren al on ati intern is The Feather Bender’s fly fishing, the most recent of which ing, 2019). Barry grew sh bli Pu se or yh (Sk s ue niq ch Te ng Flytyi ay. Be sure to visit his up in England but now lives in Norw om). fly tying website (thefeatherbender.c

54 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

MATERIALS

1.

2.

3.

Hook: Mustad C70S, sizes 4 and 2.

Thread: Dyneema 55 or GSP 50 (gel spun polyethylene), colored with a black felt pen at the head.

Tail: White bucktail and a single golden badger saddle hackle.

Body: Bill’s Bodi-Braid, gold or copper.

Throat: White bucktail.

Wing: Yellow bucktail, blue bucktail, and blue Veniard Fringe Wing.

Topping: Six strands of peacock herl.

Cheeks: Jungle cock, natural or imitation.

Step 1. Secure your saltwater hook in the vice as shown with the hook shank horizontal. Attach your tying thread just behind the hook eye and run a foundation over the hook shank until your thread hangs between the hook point and barb.

Step 2. Cut a small bunch of hair from the base of a white bucktail. Clean the bunch by removing any underfur or short hairs. Tie this in as shown so that it flares a little. Secure over the entire length of the shank.

Step 3. Now make another, tighter run over the whole hook shank with tying thread to tighten the whole body, then trim away the flared surplus hair over the hook eye.

4.

5.

Step 4. Select a single golden badger saddle hackle for the tail. Without removing any of the downy fibers, tie in the hackle over the bucktail and directly on top of the shank. The hackle should be approximately twice the length of the bucktail.

Step 5. Cut a length of your chosen Bodi-Braid and tie this in over the full length of the hook shank, finishing as shown at the tail base.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 55

Step 6. Wrap the Bodi-Braid forward over the hook shank so that you build up a short cigar taper, finishing a short distance behind the hook eye.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Step 7. Cut another small bunch of white bucktail, this time from the tip of the tail (the hair from the tip doesn’t flare as much as the hair from the base). Clean the bunch by removing any shorter hairs. Turn the hook upside down in the vise or rotate your vise and tie in the bucktail as a throat. This should be approximately as long as the tail hair.

Step 8. Return your hook to its original position and tie down the trimmed ends of the throat.

Next, cut a length of long straight yellow bucktail from the tip of a tail and tie this in as shown for the underwing. Take care that you don’t use too much hair; it should be just a little larger the the bunch you used for the throat.

Step 9. Veniard Fringe Wing is an excellent flash material for winging medium-size saltwater patterns and is available in many colors. You’ll see the sheet of Fringe Wing is “welded” at one end. This makes it very easy to handle. Just cut a thin strip through the weld and tear off exactly the amount you need. The weld will hold all the strands in position when you’re tying it in. Lay the Fringe Wing flat on top of the yellow bucktail and secure behind the hook eye.

Step 10. You will now need a small bunch of blue bucktail for the overwing. Clean and tie in as with the previous yellow bunch.

10.

56 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Step 11. The topping for the wing is best when you use the fibers from just under the eye of a peacock tail feather. These are a little stiffer and considerably stronger than the herl that is found lower down on the quill. Select five or six strands of herl that are a little longer than the hair wing. Tie these in directly on top of the hook shank. Once secure, trim away the surplus and tidy up the head with a few wraps of tying thread.

Step 12. If you are using Dyneema or GSP tying thread, use a waterproof black felt pen to color the thread black. Make a few wraps of black thread close into the wing base as shown.

Step 13. Select two jungle cock hackles of the same size for the cheeks and tie one in at each side of the head as shown. (If you don’t have natural jungle cock, there are a number of artificial substitutes available, such as the ones manufactured by Pro. Sportfisher.)

Step 14. Once the jungle cock cheeks are secure, color a little more of your thread black and cover the head with a few wraps. Whip finish and remove your tying thread. Now you can finish off the fly by giving the head two or three coats of head cement.

Step 15. Once the head cement has dried, remove the fly from the vise. Soak the fly in warm water and stroke the wing back and together. Then place the fly in a warm area to dry. Once dry, the wing and throat will be positioned correctly. All you need to do now is add water….

o of Here’s the YouTube link to my vide

11.

12.

13.

14.

tying the pattern:

Y_kPxPFQ7LE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

15.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 57

SCIENCE OF TARPON

by Michael Larkin, PhD. Photos by Neal Rogers, Brian O’keefe, Greg Poland

58 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

A tarpon’s forked tail permits fast, sustained swimming speeds and allows it to propel itself out of the water.

MORPHOLOGY AND COLORATION The first tarpon ancestors arrived on this planet 160 million years ago. The tarpon we fish for today (Megalops atlanticus) arrived 23 million years ago. That’s 137 million years of evolution to make the perfect gamefish! The form and function of the fish was tinkered with and modified until evolution settled on today’s Silver King. Here are evolution’s results: The body structure of the tarpon helps it to both capture prey and to avoid becoming prey. Its forked tail permits fast, sustained swimming speeds and allows it to propel itself out of the water.

Tarpon scales are thick and act as a

the top of the fish helps them blend

protective suit of armor. However, the

in with the dark waters below them.

scales also protect them by making it

This allows tarpon to hide from either

difficult for visual predators to focus

predators attacking from above or prey

on them. The scales along their sides

looking downward. The light coloration

are overlapping and have mirror-like

on the underside of the fish helps them

reflective properties. These scales

blend in with the light streaming down

flash sunlight, making it difficult for

from above. So when a predator or prey

predators to focus on a specific part

look up at tarpon swimming above,

of the tarpon. This is especially helpful

the tarpon will blend in with the light

when tarpon school, because light

shining at the water’s surface.

flashing from the scales makes it difficult for predators to single out a

Tarpon are dark along their backs to

specific tarpon.

help them blend in with the bottom or deeper waters below when a predator

Tarpon scales also have coloration

or prey views them from above. Tarpon

to camouflage them. Tarpon are

have light coloration on their undersides

dark along their backs and light

to help them blend in with light from

on their undersides. This is called

above when viewed from below.

countershading. The dark coloration on

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 59

Plates on the roof of the mouth.

Stiff Tongue

HOW TARPON FEED

for years to come, please follow the

circle hooks have been shown to reduce

Tarpon have an upturned mouth with a

advice below, which was determined

gut-hooking, so use them when you

massive gape. They flare out their gills

from research projects that explored

can. (Using flies tied on circle hooks is

to suck in water and inhale prey. The

tarpon release mortality.

also a good idea, not to mention a very

large “bucket mouth” has plates on the

effective way to hook tarpon.)

roof, which work in tandem with a stiff

AVOID GUT-HOOKING THE FISH

tongue to crush prey. This results in the

As expected, gut-hooking a tarpon

AVOID THE GILLS

tarpon’s mouth acting as if it were lined

will increase its chances of mortality.

The tarpon’s gills are vital to its

with concrete and makes it difficult to

I understand this is a fly fishing

survival. Even though tarpon can

set a hook on them.

magazine and this action primarily

breathe air, their gills are still the

relates to using live bait. Just keep

primary mechanism they use to

CATCH AND RELEASE

in mind that fishing with live bait

obtain oxygen. The gills are sensitive

Tarpon are long-lived fish (greater than

increases the chance of gut-hooking

to physical damage and should be

50 years), and their longevity makes

a tarpon. Limit the amount of time

left alone at all times. If a hook gets

them sensitive to population decline

you let the tarpon eat the bait before

lodged in the gills, then carefully

from fishing mortality. To ensure we

setting the hook to reduce the

remove it. Keep in mind that the

have abundant tarpon populations

probability of gut-hooking the fish. Also,

best option may be to cut the line

60 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Tarpon gills have exntensive surface areas. Never touch!

and gently pull the hook out though

flow over the its gills. Don’t let go until

the gill cover. Never reach your hand

the fish is responding and swimming

through the gill cover to subdue

on its own.

a tarpon, as your hand likely will

WEIGHT = (GIRTH SQUARED * FORK LENGTH)/800

damage the gills.

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TARPON WEIGH?

Weight is in pounds and both girth

Never touch the gills of a tarpon. The

Catching a large tarpon and only

gills are sensitive and this can kill the

knowing its length is like ordering

formula is an easy way to provide a

fish. If you need to control the fish,

chicken at a steakhouse: It will get

focus on holding the mouth with one

the job done but you will have missed

hand and supporting the fish’s body

out. This is because length only

with the other hand.

captures one dimension of the three-

REVIVE THE FISH

dimensional fish, whereas weight captures the complete size of the

Don’t just pitch the tarpon off the

fish. However, lifting a large tarpon

side of the boat to release it. Instead,

out of the water to get the weight is

keep the fish in the water and allow

a risky exercise for both you and the

water to pass over the gills. If you’re in

fish. The tarpon can flop around and

an area with no current, then motor

hurt itself, and you could get smacked

the boat slowly to force water to pass

or knocked overboard if the fish is

over the gills. This will give the fish

not under control. A safer way to

a chance to recover from the fight.

determine a tarpon’s weight is to keep

Ensure the fish is swimming on its

the fish in the water and measure its

own before you let it go, and keep

length and girth. In the 1920s William

in mind this may take at least 20

W. Wood developed an equation for

minutes.

predicting a fish’s weight from length and girth measurements. Wood’s

Always take the time to revive the fish

formula is simple enough that it can

before releasing it. Keep the tarpon’s

be easily calculated on piece of scrap

head in the water and allow water to

paper. The equation is:

and fork length are in inches. Wood’s ballpark estimate of your fish’s weight.

Wood’s equation was developed by assuming a fish’s body shape is similar to two cones placed together.

The closer the fish’s body resembles two cones placed together the more accurate the equation is at predicting the weight. The shape of the body of some fish, like bonefish, are similar to two cones placed together, which makes the equation very accurate for bonefish.

A problem with Wood’s equation is that the bodies of some fish deviate from the shape of two cones. If you apply the Wood’s equation to tarpon, it results in a weight that can be underestimated by as much as 15 percent. So a tarpon that weighs 180 pounds could be predicted by Wood’s equation to be only 153 pounds.

That’s a big difference! To fix this

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 61

problem, scientists at the University

for predicting a tarpon’s weight:

their gut is connected to their swim

of Miami developed a new equation

Weight = 2.828 + 0.0000296*(Girth

bladder, allowing them to swallow air

specifically for predicting tarpon

squared)*(Fork Length) +

from the water’s surface. Once the

weight called the Ault-Luo tarpon

0.006123*(Girth*Fork Length)

air reaches the swim bladder, oxygen

equation. Instead of using Wood’s

+ -0.008284(Girth squared) +

is removed by “lung-like” tissue. This

assumption of the body shape of two

0.1845(Girth) + -0.1943(Fork Length)

unique swim bladder gives tarpon two

cones, the Ault-Luo tarpon equation

Weight is in kilograms, and both girth

methods to obtain oxygen.They have

assumes a tarpon’s body represents

and fork length are in centimeters.

the capability to switch between the

an ellipsoid. The downside of the Ault-

two methods, but it depends on the conditions. For example, the primary organ for obtaining oxygen in water with normal oxygen levels is the gills; however, in water with low oxygen levels the primary breathing organ is the swim bladder.

There are advantages to having such a swim bladder. It allows tarpon to live in water with low oxygen levels where there is food (such as other fish

Luo equation is you probably won’t

WHY DO TARPON ROLL?

be calculating it on a piece of scrap

Tarpon have extensive gill surfaces

killifish, and juvenile mullet) and very

paper: A calculator is needed.

to obtain large amounts of oxygen to

few predators (e.g., sharks). Tarpon

maintain their large bodies and active

can enter and survive in oxygen-poor

lifestyle. In addition to these gills,

stagnant pools and mangrove-lined

Here is the Ault-Luo tarpon equation

62 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

tolerant of low oxygen levels: guppies,

estuaries. This advantage is especially important for juvenile tarpon, because

Experienced tarpon anglers will target

Water temperature also plays a part

it allows them to thrive in a protected

tarpon at sunrise. At sunrise there is

in the frequency that tarpon roll. If

habitat during this critical life stage.

enough light to see around you, and

the water temperature exceeds 79

Anglers can use the behavior to

tarpon often show themselves by

degrees F, a tarpon will increase its

their advantage. If you are fishing in

frequently rolling at this time. The

rolling frequency to adjust for its

tropical waters of the West Atlantic,

tarpon are rolling because dissolved

elevated metabolism and the lower

keep an eye out for stagnant waters

oxygen levels are lowest at sunrise

oxygen concentration of the water

because you might find tarpon there.

because photosynthesis (the chemical

(the higher the water temperature,

process that requires light to produce

the lower the water’s oxygen level).

Another advantage to the the tarpon’s

carbohydrates and oxygen) has ceased

This increased rolling behavior

air-breathing behavior is rapid recovery

during the night. The low oxygen

can be used as an indicator of the

of oxygen debt, because the air contains

levels force tarpon to roll frequently to

presence or absence of tarpon in

considerably more oxygen than water.

meet their oxygen demand. Thus, the

an area. If you’re fishing in waters

Air contains about 21 percent oxygen,

early-bird angler has the advantage of

above 79 degrees F and you don’t

whereas water has less than 1 percent

knowing where the tarpon are located.

see any tarpon rolling, then it’s a safe

oxygen. This is why tarpon will roll at

assumption they’re not in the area.

the surface during an extended fight;

Tarpon also roll frequently at night.

also, this is why tarpon are able to fight

Tags with depth sensors deployed

Move on.

for such long periods of time. This also

on tarpon found that rolling activity

There’s more to a tarpon’s rolling

explains why experienced tarpon anglers

peaked at night. Again, this is because

than simply breathing. Tarpon also

will attempt to prevent the tarpon from

of the low oxygen levels due to the

roll to adjust their buoyancy. When

gulping air by using the “down and dirty”

disruption of photosynthesis. Keep this

a tarpon approaches the surface to

technique. By doing this, the angler is

activity in mind when tarpon fishing

roll, it will first exhale air to empty

essentially keeping the tarpon from

at night because on calm nights you

its swim bladder. Then it gulps air

catching its breath.

can hear rolling tarpon.

from the surface to refill the swim

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 63

rolls there is a 70 percent chance bladder and adjust its buoyancy. If it

that a nearby tarpon will roll also.

to get each item to imitate rolling

gulps too much air, the fish will expel

The scientists placed glass dividers in

tarpon, and again they were able

bubbles on the way down. This leaves

the tank to see if the behavior was

to get the tarpon to roll with these

behind a type of “bread crumb” trail

determined from visual observations,

objects. The scientists found that the

revealing the tarpon’s direction of

or if the tarpon detect others rolling

key to getting a tarpon to imitate

movement. By relating the tarpon’s

using their lateral lines. The tarpon

these crude objects was the way

roll location to the expelled bubbles,

separated by the glass dividers still

the object approached the surface

it’s possible to determine the fish’s

imitated each other, revealing that

of the tank. If the object was raised

direction of movement. Cast ahead of

their behavior depends on sight.

too slowly, or raised with the object

the bubble trail!

What’s really interesting is that the

parallel (instead of at an angle) to the

scientists took this experiment even

surface, the tarpon ignored it.

COPY CAT

further by placing a painted wooden

As already discussed, a tarpon’s rolling

tarpon in a tank with a school of

WHY DO TARPON JUMP?

allows for breathing and to make

tarpon and engaged the wooden

When a fish is confronted by a

buoyancy adjustments. There is also a

tarpon in rolling behavior. Sure

predator it has limited choices. It can

behavior component to rolling. Tarpon

enough, they were able to get the

aggressively defend itself, engage in

will roll to imitate one another. In a

other tarpon in the tank to imitate

evasive behavior, or flee. A tarpon

school of tarpon, if one tarpon rolls

the rolling of the wooden tarpon. Then

jumping out of water is a combination

then most likely another tarpon will

the scientists attached some string to

of the latter two choices. Jumping

also roll within one second of the

three separate items: a white spatula,

out of the water allows the tarpon

first. In fact, scientists explored this

a piece of red rubber tubing, and a

to elude the predator, and then the

and determined that if one tarpon

solid glass rod. They moved the string

tarpon may separate itself from

64 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 65

the predator enough to allow it to flee. There is a physical advantage to jumping out of the water. Water is 800 times more dense then air.

Therefore, jumping out of the water affords the tarpon significantly more maneuverability.

There have been many observations of tarpon jumping out of the water when a large shark, such as a hammerhead, is chasing them. Why tarpon jump when hooked is still not clear. There must be some stress response caused by the pulling of the line that triggers the jumping behavior. The tarpon may be jumping to take advantage of the additional maneuverability from being airborne that assists with dislodging the hook.

WHY DO TARPON FORM A DAISY CHAIN? Tarpon are certainly not the only fish to daisy chain. Jacks and koi also daisy chain, and other species daisy chain as well. It’s still unclear why tarpon engage in this behavior. One hypothesis was that the behavior was related to spawning, such as courtship or pre-spawning behavior. However, this hypothesis was disproved because tarpon spawning occurs offshore, and the majority of observed tarpon daisy chains occur in nearshore waters. Also, in the late 1930s, scientist deployed plankton nets around daisy-chaining tarpon with the hope of capturing fertilized tarpon eggs. They were unsuccessful. To further debunk this hypothesis, juvenile tarpon have been observed forming daisy chains.

Another possibility is that the daisy

66 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

chain is a defensive behavior. It allows the tarpon to form a wall of flashing silvery scales, which makes it difficult for predators to single out a specific tarpon. Additionally, the circle allows tarpon to use their excellent eyesight along with their lateral line to continuously scan for predators in every direction. Predators will be quickly detected, and the predator’s element of surprise will be eliminated.

There is anecdotal evidence to support this hypothesis. Captain Will Benson of Key West, Florida, has observed a string of migrating tarpon stop about 100 feet from his boat and start daisy chaining. The tarpon act as if they sense danger ahead, and they form a daisy chain for protection. In these cases, the tarpon frequently turn off the fly and refuse to eat. Will has also seen spooked tarpon swim over to join a daisy chain.

NAUTILUS PRO GUIDE DATA SHEET

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T arpon, Snook, Redfish Many priceless smiles.

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North end of the Everglades National Park and 10,000 I slands Sight fishing in the skinny T arpon NV Monster G 10/11 Fastest retrieve on the market. Fish can no longer out run you.

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Bowed so far for a tarpon he fell out of the boat.

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 67

68 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

ON THE PLATE:

SUSTAINABLE REDFISH AND SCALLOPS Text and photos by Kelli Prescott

NOW MORE THAN EVER OUR CHOICES MATTER. OUR CONSERVATION PRACTICES ON AND OFF THE WATER DIRECTLY AFFECT THE MILLIONS OF SPECIES THAT MAKE UP OUR FISHERIES. WHETHER IT’S CATCH AND RELEASE, LIMITING SINGLE USE PLASTICS AND RECYCLING, OR CHOOSING SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AT THE GROCERY STORE, OUR ACTIONS HAVE GREAT IMPACT.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 69

I ALSO RECOMMEND GETTING TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL FISH MONGERS AND SEAFOOD MARKETS. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR SEAFOOD COMES FROM.

It can seem overwhelming. How do

species can have all color icons next to

learn the kind of relationship they

we know precisely where our seafood

their name. This means that although

have with commercial fisherman and

comes from, how does farming or

some of the options are good, other

their stance on sustainability. Once

harvesting affect the environment,

options, depending on harvest

you establish a relationship, market

and how can we do our part…?

location and/or method can be very

managers often will let you know

harmful. For example, endangered

exactly when fresh shipments arrive,

Luckily for the conscientious angler,

sea turtles can get stuck in trawls of

where they come from, and they may

there are plenty of resources online

shrimp boats in the Gulf of Mexico,

even let you have (for free or at a

that lay out sustainability plainly. We

sea birds get can caught in lines when

greatly reduced rate) some items that

recommend Monterrey Bay Aquarium

commercial fishermen are fishing for

aren’t in demand—items such fish

Seafood Watch (seafoodwatch.org).

mahi mahi in the South Atlantic, and

heads (which can be used in soups),

They’ve put together a comprehensive

many species are simply overfished.

collars (which are delicious grilled),

guide, available online and in app

and by-catch that might otherwise be

form, thats lays out what seafood is

I found that only a few seafood

most sustainable and why. They also

options had exclusively green or yellow

explain what methods of harvesting

icons. This means that regardless of

I chose to highlight red drum and

can harm fish or other marine life

where or how they are farmed, all

scallops for my sustainable seafood

and what species and regions to

options are rated best choice or good

recipes in this issue. All scallops fall

avoid altogether. Many top retailers

alternative. While almost every kind of

under best choice or good alternative,

such as Whole Foods Market use the

seafood has at least one or two good

and drum is one of the best options

Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood

alternative options, many of them also

out there; farming is managed

Watch as their guide for purchasing

have red icons next to their name.

effectively and no outside factors

and offering consumers smart

Just to name a few, salmon, halibut,

come into play to harm other species.

choices. Seafood markets in turn are

trout, shrimp, and lobster all have a

expected to know and comply with

potentially negative impact on the

At first I was skeptical. Could farm-

this guide.

environment, depending upon where

raised redfish taste half as good as

they are caught or raised. This is why

wild-caught? I’ve grown to know

Simply by downloading the app, you

it’s so important to know where your

and love the rich flavor of marsh

can scroll through species of fish and

seafood comes from. With the help of

redfish, the sweet, flakey meat that is

shellfish to see their sustainability

the Seafood Watch app, you can know

reminiscent of the blue crab they feed

ratings and the implications of their

exactly which fish or shellfish to avoid.

heavily on. To my surprise, fresh farm-

harvesting or farming. Green and

thrown away.

raised redfish tastes just as good.

yellow icons indicate your best choices

I also recommend getting to know

and good alternatives for consuming

your local fish mongers and seafood

Enjoy these easy recipes that are two

seafood, while red is an indication to

markets. This is one of the best

of my all-time favorites.

avoid completely. While the color of

ways to find out where your seafood

the icons are a quick way to see what

comes from. Simply by spending a

seafood is the best choice, often the

bit of time talking to them, you can

70 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

LL**** HE HALF SHE T N O H IS F D E O T L E L IM E R * * * * * * C H IP : INGREDIENTS f shell flied on the hal er tt bu , sh fi d re 1 whole rilling charcoal, for g DRY RUB: lt 2 tsp kosher sa der GL AZE: 2 tsp garlic pow obo ad in s er le ot ip from ch ked black pepp 1/3 cup liquid 2 tsp fresh crac per 1/4 cup honey p cayenne pep ts 1 ed p op o, finely ch 1/3 cup cilantr 1 tbsp paprika e 2 tbsp lime juic 1 tsp cumin per ep p k ac bl der ed k 1 tsp crac 1 tsp onion pow

I especially love to grill redfish on the

Mix all ingredients for glaze and spice

generously and cook with the

half shell. Grilling the fish scale-side

rub.

lid down a final 5 to 10 minutes,

down for its entire cooking time

depending on how hot your fire is.

protects the meat from getting

Sprinkle dry rub on the redfish, flesh-

When ready, the fish will have a slight

charred and keeps all of the fat and

side only. Transfer seasoned filet to

spring back when you touch it and

juices intact. Try this glaze on any

the grill, placing the scale side down.

will begin to flake easily.

other sustainable fish or shellfish.

Cook with lid down for about 3 to 5 minutes then add 2 tbsp of cubed

Serve with more fresh cilantro, limes,

Get the coals white hot and spread

butter on top of the fish. Close lid

corn tortillas, and avocado.

into a single layer. You’ll want the

and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or

grilling surface to be about 8” to 10”

until the butter melts.

away from the coals.

Brush the glaze on the fish

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 71

** ** ** BA CO N -W R A PP ED

SC A LL OP S W IT H M A N GO PI CO ** **

INGREDIENTS: 1 lb large scallops, u1 0 5 pieces softened ba con, cut in

half

1/2 cup mango, finel y diced 1 tbsp cilantro, 1/2 cup cherry tomat finely chopped oes, finely diced 1 1/3 cup red onion, fin tbsp lime juice ely diced 1/2 tsp kosher 1 tbsp serrano pepper salt , deseeded 1/4 tsp garlic p 1 tbsp chives, finely ow chopped der 1/4 tsp cracked bl ac k pepper Mix all ingredients fo r mango pico and set as ide.

Drain before serving.

The trick to these bacon-wrapped scallops is placing your package of bacon in warm water for 10 minutes before wrapping the scallops. This allows the bacon to become much softer and easier to stretch thinly. Thinner bacon means it will get crispier in less time, ensuring the perfect quick cook on your scallops. Mix all ingredients for mango pico and set aside. Drain before serving.

Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel until they stop releasing moisture. To wrap, stretch the

72 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

softened bacon as thinly as possible around each scallop and secure with a toothpick.

Pat the scallops dry again before cooking.

Very lightly salt scallops on both sides.

Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet to medium-high. When the pan is hot, start by cooking the scallops bacon-side down by standing them on edge. Rotate the scallops on their sides until the bacon ring

is completely cooked and crisp.

Remove the scallops from pan and set aside. Next, wipe out your skillet so that its entirely clean and get it very hot again.

Return scallops to the hot pan and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side. Each side should be golden brown and the scallops should still feel soft to the touch.

Place finished scallops on a paper towel before plating.

Serve with mango pico.

M

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EVERY DAY YOU SPEND ON YOUR SKIFF should end with a great story. And like every grand tale, yours should be filled with highs and lows, joy and tension. However, since our memory- and texture-free line is silky smooth, it dramatically reduces friction between the line and the rod guides, allowing you to throw flies with incredible distance and control; and our line coating is tough enough for even the most grueling saltwater and jagged coral, the only tension in your story, will come from your line. Right after the hookset.

Visit monic.com and enter “TFFM” at checkout for a 25% discount the first time you try us out.

The best casting fly fishing line in the world.™ TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 73

©2020 Monic Fly Lines. All rights reserved.

photo: Brian OʼKeefe

BE MORE SOCIAL

This

Tail Admin

tailflyfishing.com 74 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

by TFFM Staff

IF YOU’RE SOMEONE WHO ENJOYS WHITE WINE, YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHITE WINES THAT ARE READILY AVAILABLE IN RETAIL STORES AND ON MENUS THROUGHOUT THE US. THE BREADTH OF SELECTIONS CAN BE OVERWHELMING AND OFTENTIMES CAN BECOME A DETERRENT TO DRINKING WINE AT ALL. WE CAN NAME QUITE A FEW OF THEM, BUT TO LIST THEM ALL WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE, EVEN AS A GROUP OF WINE ENTHUSIASTS. THERE ARE 356 GRAPE VARIETIES USED TO MAKE WHITE WINES WORLDWIDE AND EACH ONE IS UNIQUE AND SPECIFIC. WHILE MOST OF THESE GRAPES ARE QUITE DELICIOUS AND WORTHY OF PAIRINGS, ONLY A FEW OF THEM HAVE ACHIEVED GLOBAL RECOGNITION AND ARE EASILY FOUND IN RETAIL LOCATIONS. OUR SELECTION OF WHITES CONSISTS OF THE THREE ALL-STARS: CHARDONNAY, SAUVIGNON BLANC, AND RIESLING. ARMED WITH THE PROVIDED INFORMATION, WINE SELECTION SHOULD BECOME A CAN’T-MISS DECISION FOR YOUR NEXT DINNER. THESE ALSO HAPPEN TO BE EXCELLENT SELECTIONS TO PAIR WITH THE REDFISH AND SCALLOP DISHES IN OUR “ON THE PLATE” FEATURE.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 75

The Sauvignon blanc grape is grown in two very relevant wine regions in France: Loire Valley and Bordeaux. It is also grown in Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. It produces a bold, crisp, dry wine with floral and citrus overtones.

While usually not as expensive as Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc is a nice alternative and our favorite pairing for most seafood. Because it is crisp and lighter in body than Chardonnay, it provides more pairing options—including smoked fish and burgers.

The general rule of thumb with wine is that the older it is, the better it is, but with Sauvignon Blanc the opposite is true. Choose wines that are less than two years old enjoy them soon after buying. Price range for a good bottle of Sauvignon Blanc should be between $18 and $30.

Chardonnay is grown all over the world, but the majority of the production now comes from the United States, Australia, and South America. It’s very popular with winemakers because of the subtle favor of the natural elements of the soil that permeate the grape. Chardonnay can take on a variety of flavors like apple, peach, honey, vanilla, and nuts. The best Chardonnays are aged in oak barrels, which lend hints of oak to the wine. Some of the lower-quality (hence lower-priced) Chardonnays, produced mostly in Australia, add oak chips that soak in the wine to add flavor and complexity.

Chardonnays pair best with subtly flavored poultry and pork but they’re also perfect with creamy, buttery seafood dishes like lobster, shellfish, and especially with flakey white-meat fishes. Price range for a good chardonnay should be somewhere between $20 and $40.

76 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Riesling might be the second most popular white wine grape after Chardonnay.

Riesling grapes are grown all over the world, including upstate New York and Canada, which are not typically thought of as wine-growing regions.

Rieslings usually come in tall, slender brown bottles and are enjoyed chilled. They have a very distinctive flavor that is rich in citrus, honey, and apple. While many consider riesling a dessert wine, it’s a flexible wine that pairs well with many foods, including boldly flavored foods, heavily salted foods, sweet or spicy foods. We like pairing a riesling with this issue’s glazed redfish because the wine’s delicate sweetness brings out the citrus and spice of the dish. Riesling also makes a great pairing for Vietnamese food, poke bowls, sushi, and charcuterie. Rich meal or scant, a riesling can easily take the cuisine from great to extraordinary. Like Sauvignon blancs, rieslings should be consumed fresh. Price range for a good riesling should be around $14 to $28.

ARMED WITH THIS INFORMATION, WHITE WINE PAIRINGS SHOULD BECOME EASIER— AND JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER OUTINGS AND VACATIONS.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 77

Toad

Rules!

78 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

by Joseph Ballarini Jin Chan is translated literally from

than the man who created it, Gary

Chinese as the Golden Toad.

Merriman…?

It is commonly translated as the Money Toad because it represents

Asking what year the Tarpon Toad was

a popular Feng Shui charm used to

created should have been a soft lob

encourage prosperity in many Chinese

to break the ice with the creator, but

homes and businesses. This mythical

Merriman responded with, “I can tell

creature is said to appear during the

you where, how, and why it was made,

full moon, near houses (or businesses)

but I just don’t remember what year it

that will soon receive good news. The

was—not with certainty, anyway.”

nature of this good news is universally understood to be wealth. In the Florida

Merriman punted on the very first

Keys, wealth is measured in silver.

question, indicating this was going to be a long day. But after a quick call to

I’m quite sure that an avid angler

his friend Ron Winters, he confirmed

from Georgia didn’t realize a

that the Tarpon Toad was created in

connection to this ancient Chinese

Loggerhead Basin in the Florida Keys

folklore, but his Golden Toad has

during the spring of 1993.

many similarities. It, too, brings great prosperity around the full moons

It’s well-known that Loggerhead Basin

of spring in the Florida Keys. One of

tarpon can be fickle. I believe he called

the beneficiaries of the Toad was his

them assholes, but after fishing them

friend and fellow fly angler Andy Mill,

for over 30 years, he knows them well

who used it as his secret weapon,

and is entitled to do so.

winning at least five tournaments with it in the mid-1990s.

Merriman and Winters were trying some new patterns to entice this

How and when did this lucky charm

particularly difficult assembly to eat.

come to be? Who would know better

One of the things that Merriman

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 79

noticed was that patterns of the day would sometimes spin or rise and fall with a strip and stop. While the rise and fall can be very productive, with these tarpon it simply wasn’t.

Merriman was trying to make a fly that would have neutral buoyancy and would hover below the water’s surface and move in a straight line when stripped. After studying a few patterns, he noticed what he called “wings” on a Harry Spears bonefish pattern called the Tasty Toad. This pattern had splayed hackle and a bushy, rounded body.

Merriman adopted this concept for his “wings” and created a flatheaded pattern with a bunny tail and marabou collar. He and Winters tested it the next day.

Despite Merriman’s blowing his first presentation by about 10 feet, he did get the eat. The tarpon raced to this fly as he had never seen before. Not just this fish, but nearly every fish he presented to ate this fly. It wasn’t just a magical moment or a magical day, either. This anomaly went on for days, weeks, and months and became typical behavior in lieu of their former asshole status. Merriman’s Tarpon Toad was surely destined for greatness.

After being successful with the Toad in Loggerhead Basin during that week in 1993, Merriman attempted to share the fly with guide Tim Hoover, who said, “I don’t know what that is but you’re not fishing it on my boat.”

It would be years before Hoover tried the fly, and only then because he heard an over-zealous Winters screaming “Toad rules!” every time he hooked up.

80 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

“What does that mean?” he asked

are key to the pattern’s success. In

Winters, who eventually shared

some commercial ties, the head is

that this pattern, which Hoover had

too thick and bushy, which minimizes

rejected years before, was the secret

functionality. The foam-headed

sauce for both backcountry and

versions have never been productive

oceanside tarpon in the Keys.

for Merriman and he does not recommend them.

There are two basic variations of the

IT WOULD BE YEARS

Toad—one with a marabou tail and

The original Tarpon Toad was 2.25 to

one with a bunny tail—in many color

2.5 inches in length total.

variations. The original was tied with

The head portion is roughly one third

a chartreuse bunny tail upside down

of the total length and usually consists

THE FLY, AND ONLY THEN

on the hook. It had a chartreuse

of five poly yarn sections and includes

marabou collar and a yellow/cream

the plastic eyes.

BECAUSE HE HEARD AN

head made from floating poly yarn.

BEFORE HOOVER TRIED

OVER-ZEALOUS WINTERS

He tied it with plastic eyes and also

The tail section is about 1.25 to 1.5

SCREAMING “TOAD RULES!”

weighted eyes, both of which worked

inches from the base of the head and

depending on the water depth. All

includes the collar and tail. The tail is

EVERY TIME HE HOOKED UP.

color combinations are commercially

measured from the extension of the

available today, the most popular

rabbit fur and not where the cut is on

being chartreuse/yellow/cream, black/

the actual strip.

purple, and black/red. Merriman also speaks fondly of a peach version: a

No foul guard is necessary if you

peach bunny tail with a lighter peach

follow the recipe because the

collar and a yellow/cream head.

dimensions used in this original recipe will not foul as much (this also

The marabou version was first tied by

depends on the quality of the cast).

Tim Hoover; Merriman confesses this is his go-to fly for oceanside tarpon.

Despite Merriman’s not remembering

Because of the natural undulation

the actual year the Tarpon Toad

of the marabou, this version works

was created, he seems to have

better, he says, with less movement

remembered everything else and

than you would impart to the fly when

was kind enough to share his original

fishing it in the backcountry. This one

recipe with us—something Colonel

has the same marabou collar and

Sanders has yet to do.

floating poly yarn head.

Gary Merriman has been a committed Merriman states that the marabou

fly anlger for most of his life. He owns

version was an experiment by Hoover

the Fish Hawk, Atlanta’s premier fly

after he had run out of rabbit strips

shop, where he still provides expert

and didn’t want to drive to the fly

advice to his customers. When he’s not

shop. Fortunately, it was equally as

fishing for tarpon, you can find him

productive as the bunny strip version.

trout fishing on local streams or at the vise in his office tying up a Toad

According to Merriman, the

or two.

commercially available versions are usually tied correctly; however, he notes that the original proportions

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 81

Striped Bass: Pisces in Peril

by Mark White

THE ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS, BELOVED BY RECREATIONAL ANGLERS AND VALUABLE TO COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN, PATROLS THE EAST COAST FROM THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER IN CANADA TO THE ST. JOHNS RIVER IN FLORIDA. INCREASED FISHING PRESSURE AND DEGRADATION AND LOSS OF HABITAT IN THE 1970S RESULTED IN A COLLAPSE OF STRIPED BASS STOCK IN THE 1980S, BUT A MORATORIUM ON STRIPER FISHING, NEW LEGISLATION, AND A NEW MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ALL CONTRIBUTED TO AN APPARENT STRIPER REBOUND BY THE LATE 1990S.

Striped bass thrived for nearly a decade—but once again, the population is in serious decline. Eager

AMERICA’S SALTWATER SWEETHEART

that 3.4 million did not survive.” Yes, you read that correctly: The ASMFC

For better or worse, the humble

estimates that in 2017, the number of

to offset the decline, East Coast

striper remains a favorite of the

fish that died after being handled by

states have stepped in with various

hook-and-line recreational angler.

recreational anglers and then returned

proposals aimed at reducing striper

According to an article in the

to the water exceeded the number

mortality—particularly the mortality

February 2019 issue of On the Water

that anglers took home with them.

of the “spawning stock biomass”: the

magazine, reporting on a meeting of

weight of females ages four years and

the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries

Could training enable recreational

older in the striper population. Despite

Commission’s (ASMFC) Striped Bass

anglers to reduce catch-and-

these efforts, the Atlantic striped bass

Management Board, recreational

release mortality? Yes, says Captain

population appears to be in continued

anglers were responsible for 90

Dave Cornell, who guides along

decline.

percent of the coastal removal of

Massachusetts’ South Coast: “Landing

striped bass in 2017: In real numbers,

a fish quickly, with a minimum

How did we get here? What can we do

“recreational fishermen are estimated

of handling at the boat, is very

to save the beloved striper?

to have caught 41.2 million striped

important.” Pinch down those barbs,

bass in 2017. They kept 2.9 million

says Cornell, and have pliers at the

and released 38.2 million. Of those

ready. “Fish that have hooks in their

38.2 million released, it is estimated

gills and may be bleeding are best

82 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 83

unhooked by opening the gill and

circle hooks, which don’t have to

byproduct of vigorous exercise, builds

going in from behind, where the hook

be set like J hooks. Anglers enjoy

to toxic levels in the exhausted fish.

is often easier to access. Many anglers

“the thrill of setting a hook,” Nelson

To improve your quarry’s chances of

don’t know this. Cutting off the fly

continues. The MDMF “has been

survival, Nelson continues, “reel in the

after freeing it from the gill plates can

promoting the use of circle hooks

fish as quickly as possible.”

minimize damage to the gill.”

to reduce hooking mortality since I started back in 2001. As of 2020, use

COMMERCIAL FISHING

Dr. Gary Nelson of the Massachusetts

of in-line circle hooks when fishing for

Striped bass are also caught

Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF)

striped bass using natural baits is a

commercially with gill nets, pound

offers a qualified agreement that

requirement.”

nets, haul seines, and hook and line. In

changing recreational anglers’

2017 the commercial fishing industry

behavior could greatly affect rates

What one thing should recreational

harvested nearly five million pounds of

of fish mortality: “Yes and no. I

anglers know about fish mortality?

striped bass; more than 60 percent of

think many recreational anglers are

Although Nelson’s views do not

that haul came out of the Chesapeake

aware that circle hooks are a good

represent those of the MDMF, he

Bay. Already this is a heavily regulated

alternative to J hooks for decreasing

himself insists, “Playing time after

fishery; nevertheless, at an October

hooking mortality.” But many anglers

hooking a fish contributes significantly

2019 meeting the ASMFC’s Atlantic

Nelson knows don’t like fishing with

to hooking mortality.” Lactic acid, a

Striped Bass Management Board

84 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

approved an 18 percent cut in commercial and recreational striper harvests for 2020.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE Striped bass spend most of their adult lives in coastal estuaries or the ocean, migrating south in the winter and returning to rivers to spawn in the spring. Although the Hudson and Delaware Rivers remain important spawning grounds, the truth is that most of the striper spawning stock comes out of the venerable Chesapeake Bay. And striper stakeholders fear that the Bay is seriously threatened: Both urban development and farming endanger the seagrasses that act

as striper nurseries; the forage fish

the summer as a result of high water

(like anchovies and menhaden)

temperatures and “agricultural runoff

that striped bass depend upon for

that promotes growth of bacteria that

sustenance appear themselves to

use oxygen.” Striped bass do what they

be in decline; and poor water quality

can to avoid low-oxygen habitats. They

and warmer water (with lower

are therefore “squeezed into habitats

oxygen levels) have led to a higher

that are sub-optimal for their survival.”

incidence of hypoxia and diseases

From 2004 to 2010, the Chesapeake

like mycobacteriosis, which is

Bay produced fewer young striped

currently leaving external lesions on

bass—likely, says Nelson, as a result of

Chesapeake Bay striped bass.

climate change: “Good survival occurs when spring weather is wet and cool.

Is the decline in fish habitat a reflection

We are now observing northward

of climate change or of pollution of

shifts in fish distribution along the

local waterways? Very probably both,

Atlantic Coast as water temperatures

argues Nelson. In the all-important

increase. In the Gulf of Maine, water

Chesapeake Bay, he says, low-oxygen

temperature is rising faster than

(anoxic) conditions develop during

any water body in the world, and it

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 85

is believed that the collapse of Gulf

How significant a factor is striper

of Maine northern shrimp is due to

The seal question “can only be

predation by white and thresher

increasing temperatures.” And again,

answered by amending the Marine

sharks? Nelson does not dismiss the

where prey species go, predator species

Mammal Protection Act,” says Dean

possibility, noting that juvenile sharks

soon follow.

Clark of the nonprofit conservation

are indeed fish-eaters. Guide, fly

group Stripers Forever Massachusetts.

angler, and marine researcher Zachary

“Without ecosystem-based

Whitener says, “I’m sure that seals eat

When Cape Cod’s striped bass fans

management and the studies to

a large amount of striped bass. But

look for the culprits responsible for

support the same,” it is difficult to

I’m also sure that humans kill many,

the striper decline, their eyes turn

determine the full effect of the seal

many more fish and have had—and

in an unexpected direction: “Along

population on the wild striped bass

are having—a much greater effect

with climate change, overfishing,

population. Fisheries biologist Nelson

on the Atlantic ecosystem as a whole

and habitat loss,” says guide Dave

concurs: Yes, striped bass are “found

than seals. We have more control over

Cornell, “seals are a huge factor in

occasionally in seals’ stomachs, but

how we manage fish than how seals

striper mortality. Buzzards Bay isn’t as

there is no estimate of numbers

manage fish.” In the final analysis,

affected as Cape Cod, but we have a

consumed,” and “the impact of seal

Dean Clark reminds us, an emotional

growing seal population near Penikese

predation is likely not as great” as

reaction to striper decline “serves no

Island.” And many residents fear that

many assume.

one well.”

STRIPER TO SEAL TO SHARK

right behind seals come sharks.

86 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

POACHING

of the species and their disregard for

Chesapeake Bay region, aquaculture

Just how big a role does poaching play

the rules creates an ethos that makes

supplies readily available seafood

in striper decline? The reality is that,

it difficult for the general public to

at the same time that it reduces

despite uniformed and plainclothes

understand and support regulations

pressure on wild striped bass stock

policing by environmental officers,

designed to protect the integrity of

and the species on which they prey.

striped bass poaching is, in Nelson’s

striped bass.” Dave Cornell insists that

words, “ubiquitous.” In Massachusetts,

publicized poaching arrests may be

Should aquaculture be the sole source

he says, poaching “occurs frequently

common but unfortunately represent

of commercially sold bass? Dean Clark

near urban areas like Lynn and

just “the tip of the iceberg.”

answers, “Yes—but not for the reasons

Lawrence on the Merrimack River.”

that you might think. Historically

Recently the Cape Cod Canal has

AQUACULTURE

seen an uptick in poaching, which is

So do we throw in the towel and

commercial food fish. Their value to

unfortunately as difficult to curb as it

accept the inevitable decline of the

society was initially established on a

is to quantify.

Atlantic striped bass? Not so fast, say

dollars-per-pound-at-market basis.

stakeholders. Consider, for example,

Only recently have stripers become a

Poaching, says Stripers Forever’s Clark,

aquaculture: In 2005, almost 60

significant player in the recreational

“has more of a sociological effect

percent of all striped bass sold in

market economy, and this has created

than a species population effect. The

the United States were grown in

a conflict between opposing sectors.”

poachers’ disrespect for the welfare

an aquaculture operation. In the

Commercial interests maximize the

striped bass were sought only as a

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 87

value of striped bass when they

commercial and recreational interests.

inches and mostly male. If Maryland

maximize the harvest. For recreational

Is this the best way to turn around

and Virginia set the same minimum

anglers, the opposite is true: “The

striper population decline? Should the

size requirement as Massachusetts,

more and higher quality fish that are

Eastern Seaboard set a one-size-fits-

recreational anglers could keep very

alive and thus potentially catchable,

all limit to promote public awareness

few fish.” He suggests that perhaps

the more valuable the striper

and avoid confusion?

states with reciprocity agreements—

fishery is,” explains Clark. Fisheries

that is, states in which anglers

management plans have so far striven

Dean Clark suggests that size limits

with valid saltwater fishing licenses

to satisfy both constituent groups—

obscure the real issue, which should

may cross state lines while fishing,

although “a voting majority of the

be “management philosophy and

as in Connecticut, Rhode Island,

regulators are commercially biased. It

which interest group is driving the

Massachusetts, and New Hampshire—

is a lot like having the foxes in charge

bus. Under the guidance of the

should consider coordinating their

of the welfare of the chickens.”

commercially biased ASMFC,” Clark

regulations to avoid angler confusion.

argues, “the quality and size of the Designating striped bass as a

fishery has continued to shrink over

Slot limits protect larger bass because

recreation-only species “like

the past ten-plus years. We should be

most striped bass over 30 pounds

trout, deer, and waterfowl” would

asking why. We shouldn’t be debating

are breeding females. (According to

alleviate the pressure that fisheries

how big a striper should be to keep.

the Massachusetts Division of Marine

management officials get from

We should be asking why the ASMFC

Fisheries, a 12-pound female can

commercial harvesting interests, says

produce about 850,000 eggs, and a

Clark, enabling regulators to “put the

55-pound female can produce more

welfare of the stripers ahead of those

than 4,000,000 eggs.) In addition to

wishing to exploit them. Conservation

slot limits, current regulations target

will replace exploitation, so yes—wild

recreational discard behavior: how to

striped bass should not be harvested

properly catch, handle, and release

for commercial purposes.”

striped bass. So circle hooks and nonlethal handling devices like BogaGrips

Given the strength of the commercial

and landing nets are in—and gaffing is

fishing lobby in many East Coast

essentially out.

states, regulators are unlikely to outlaw traditional rod-and-

has allowed commercial by-catch to

Setting aside “who is most to blame,”

reel commercial striper fishing.

go unreported, not prioritized the

the expert stakeholders appear to

Aquaculture may be able to put a

welfare of the fish, and catered to a

agree that the threats to the Eastern

striper/white bass hybrid on the

relatively small group of commercial

Seaboard’s striped bass fishery are

market, but the public will still

fishermen while ignoring the

real and many—and resuscitating

demand wild fish. Many stakeholders

conservation demands of the many

the fishery therefore requires a

agree with Dave Cornell that

millions of recreational fishermen.

multifaceted approach. For example,

commercial fishing interests and

Getting answers to these questions is

climate change is one serious

recreational anglers can and should

far more important than arguing over

threat, resulting in significant loss

co-exist—and that fishery regulations

harvesting equivalencies.”

of habitat and adversely affecting

need to strive for a balance between competing interests.

WHITHER GO BASS

fish distribution. But “thanks to the Nelson believes that standardizing

Clean Water Act and other national

regulations across all concerned

legislation as well as a decline in

states would help the Atlantic striper

industry,” remarks Zachary Whitener,

Regulators have put in place an

fishery. “Once spawning adults leave

“our local waters in Maine are many

Atlantic striped bass management

the Chesapeake Bay in the spring,”

times cleaner than they were 50

plan that reduces harvest quotas

he explains, “the only fish remaining

years ago.” So we can indeed have

and establishes size limits for both

are small fish—smaller than 25

a positive and lasting impact on the

88 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

environment. But Clean Water Act gains in Maine and across the country are threatened every four years, when conservation becomes a political football.

“I think that there are many, many ways that climate change can manifest itself regarding habitat and striped bass,” says Whitener, “but as a species stripers exhibit a wide variety of life history and behaviors, inhabiting a wide variety of habitats, hedging the species as a whole from losing its ecological niches.” That’s the good news. But unfortunately, “we don’t know how prey relationships or migrations will change,” and those unknowns are “the most unsettling aspect of climate change.”

We have examined recreational discard mortality rates for Atlantic striped bass; the saltwater fly angler quite naturally wonders what these rates might mean for tarpon, marlin, bonefish, and steelhead. Is the gamefish dragged over the gunwale for a selfie being faithfully released back into the water only to die a couple of days later?

The truth is that we have more questions than answers. But all those who care about saltwater gamefish— and in particular the Atlantic striped bass—should be engaged in finding longterm solutions that result in healthy, sustainable fisheries for the next generation of commercial and recreational anglers.

Bio: A lifelong fly angler, Mark White lives on the South Coast of Massachusetts, where he works as a physician assistant in the field of neurosurgery. You can visit his website at southcoastflyfisher.com.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 89

MIGRATORY SPECIES OF THE LOWCOUNTRY

mean. If the redfish you were fishing

bend and use the long exposed shank

for last winter were like Kenny G, then

as a bite guard. I try to avoid hair and

these bluefish are more like Ozzy

feathers because they only last a fish

Osbourne. They don’t care what you

or two. Instead, I have better luck with

feed them as long as they have a

white, red, and pink craft fur and EP

The Lowcountry means something

chance to bite the head off of your fly

or SF fiber. When fishing for bluefish,

different to everyone. Whether it’s

and spit it onto the deck. Bluefish are

flash and epoxy are your friends. Don’t

live oaks draped in Spanish moss, big

fun to chase around nearshore reefs,

forget to pack some poppers when the

sandy beaches, winding salt marsh

but they can also be found in tidal

bite is hot!

mazes, or fine art—everyone from the

rips. White birds are a sure sign that

southeastern United States knows

there are bluefish in the area. Some

Another high-intensity spring target

something about the Lowcountry. To

of the most entertaining fly fishing

is the Spanish mackerel. They, too,

us, it’s a place to throw flies to five-

in springtime is running and gunning

are vicious, blood-splattering, toothy

star gamefish 12 months a year.

around the beaches, following the

critters that will readily take a fly.

terns and gulls with hungry fish just

Spanish mackerel are a lot like bluefish

In the springtime, when we’ve had

below the surface. The bluefish in this

and can often be found around

about enough of fishing the marshes

area typically range between 1 and 5

the same rips, reefs, and beaches.

for juvenile redfish, we’re excited for

pounds and can be taken on lighter

Running and gunning the beaches for

new targets to migrate our way. The

tackle. My go-to is a 6- or 7-weight rod

Spanish mackerel is a blast on 7- and

first species I usually come across

with a floating or intermediate line.

8-weight rods. The larger spawning

is bluefish. Bluefish are fun on fly

Long-shank hooks are great in sizes

mackerel weigh almost into the double

rods because they’re aggressive and

2 to 3/0. I tie my flies just above the

digits and can easily get you into

by Captain Kai Williams

THE LOWC 90 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

your backing. The bigger fish are not

mackerel attack from all angles, I use

kamikaze pilots. Inshore cobia have

quite as reckless as the schoolies, so

a 6-inch section of stranded 30-pound

taken quite a hit from meat fishermen

more realistic baitfish patterns are

wire as a bite guard. Avoid using

in the last decade, but we’re still

the norm. Chum will greatly increase

small swivels or larger profile knots

seeing fish in the 10- to 40-pound-plus

your odds of hooking large mackerel

to attach the bite guard because

range daily during the spawn. Slick

on the fly. Targeting big Spanish

mackerel like to eat knots when

calm, slack tide, and sunshine are ideal

mackerel without fresh chum is like

small baits are around. If the Spanish

for fly fishing for cobia. I typically ride

throwing a college party without beer.

mackerel’s big brother, the king

in the tower of my Jones Brothers with

Your party will last only a few minutes

mackerel, shows up in the process, a

my angler on the bow, fly rod in hand,

before all the hot girls leave. Floating

reel with 200 yards of backing should

in search of wakes and Vs on the

and intermediate lines do the trick

buy you some time while your guide

surface. Once I find one, I’ll parallel the

in most cases. I also pack a reel with

or buddy initiates the chase!

fish about 50 feet away and intercept

a 250- to 300-grain sinking line for

the fish from a 90-degree angle with

when I am marking the fish on sonar

One of my favorite migratory fish,

the fly. So long as you can drop the fly

but can’t seem to raise them. Baitfish

which shows up shortly after the

where it needs to be, a bite typically

patterns tied in green, white, pink, red,

bluefish and Spanish mackerel, is the

follows. Baitfish patterns like the EP

and most combinations thereof, will

cobia. Cobia look like a shark mixed

Peanut Butter Baitfish, Whistlers, and

do the trick on 1/0 to 4/0 hooks. I like

with a catfish, and they’re known for

zonker-strip flies make for good cobia

the more durable synthetic flies over

being curious to a fault. These fish

food. Cobia have strange bottom lips

hair for them as well. Since Spanish

literally swim straight to the boat like

that require sharp, wide-gap hooks.

COUNTRY TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 91

Hooks 5/0 and larger dressed with

present a small 1/0 to 3/0 baitfish or

to large schools of jacks rather than

orange, white, red, green, or pink

shrimp pattern just right to get the

solitary predators. This can work to

patterns will please old brownie. With

bite. Just right, to me, is a fly passing

our advantage with the element of

such a wide size range of cobia, I stick

slowly by the fish as if it doesn’t

competition, or it can work against us

with a 10-weight rod with weight-

recognize the threat at all. Go to your

like a stampede of antelope evading

forward floating line. A 10-weight is

local bait shop and watch shrimp

a big cat. As with most close-quarter

not too heavy for the little guys and

crawl around in the tank. That’s how

predators, the first cast is crucial.

not too light for the big ones.

I like my fly to float by a tripletail. In

If the first presentation is botched,

the Lowcountry, tripletail can weigh

odds are our prized “yeller tails” are

Often while I’m idling down tidelines

anywhere from a couple of pounds

going to sound and come back up with

in search of cobia I run across another

to 30 pounds. So long as you have a

a completely different attitude—a

favorite, the tripletail. Tripletail look

30-pound leader, even an 8-weight rod

bad one. The ultimate jack fly is a

a lot like something you’d catch in

can get the job done.

big popper on a 5/0 or larger hook.

Miami while fishing for peacock bass.

Watching big jacks climb over each

The dorsal, tail, and anal fins all sweep

When I think of migratory species,

other to crush a popper never gets

back to look as if the fish has three

ones that can make an angler cry

old. Considering the length of the fight

tails. Tripletail, or T3s as the guides

uncle, I think of jack crevalle. We’re

and how hot it is here June through

call them, are not particularly easy

not talking about the 5- to 10-pound

September, losing a fish after the

to please, like cobia, but they’re very

jacks you caught on your last trip

first blistering run is no big deal. If

predictable. T3s often seek refuge

to Tampa. We’re talking about the

you’re married to the idea of landing a

under anything and everything. One

vicious 30-pound ass-whoopers that

giant jack on the fly, I’d suggest going

of the best T3s I ever caught was

sound to 50 feet and admire every

with a 6-inch streamer in green and

hiding underneath an empty bottle of

clamshell on the bottom while your

white to match the menhaden that

rubbing alcohol that was floating in

muscles tremble. Early June marks

jack crevalle follow into our waters.

a weed line. These targets look like a

the beginning of giant jack season.

Deceivers, Whistlers, EP Baitfish,

giant bluegill on their sides, bobbing

Similar to cobia, calm conditions are

and anything in between will get the

in the current like a sunken paper

necessary as we scan the sounds

bite so long as it acts right under

bag. You know the fast-swimming,

and beachfronts for large wakes or

the surface. Acting right is open to

aggressive, apex predator types, right?

yellow sickle tails cutting the surface.

interpretation, of course, but I like

Well, this isn’t one of them. I like to

More often than not, we’re fishing

short, fast strips. Long, slow strips do

92 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

not create a sense of urgency. Urgency

Let me state for the record that I

with a straight 60-pound fluorocarbon

creates chaos, and both of these are

am not the authority when it comes

leader, about 8 feet or so. Otherwise,

great for fly fishing. Rods 10- through

to tarpon on the fly, but I sure have

I like a 10-foot tapered leader with a

12-weight do a great job of pulling on

put in my time and have some good

60-pound bite tippet. I don’t waste my

jack crevalle. Weight-forward floating

material for the highlight reel. Tarpon

time with the 20-pound class leaders

and intermediate lines are great for

can be found swimming lazily around

because I like either to put the fish in

presenting jack food. Don’t be afraid

the marshes, feeding primarily on

the air or to land them quickly to fight

to throw your tarpon outfit at that

mullet, or on the beachside blasting

another day. I prefer larger baitfish

giant jack. It may be the difference

through giant schools of menhaden.

patterns around these parts. I’m a big

between catching one that morning

I prefer the latter because of the

fan of black/purple and green/white

or catching three.

visuals. Whether or not I think I can

flies on 3/0 or larger hooks. If I’m

connect with Mr. T, I find it very

fishing around baitfish schools, I like

If you’ve ever fished with me you know

entertaining to watch these beasts

my fly to stand out in color or size. A

what I love most: tarpon! Why wouldn’t

breaching through baitfish pods like

fly as long, or longer, than a beer can

you love tarpon? They’re huge, shiny

Free Willy. I like to throw heavier fly

should do it. Flies that are shaped like

fish that eat flies and do flips! I could

rods for tarpon. A 10-weight is a great

mullet or menhaden should work if

float around in a school of tarpon for

choice when the water is 4-feet deep,

the fly is in the right place at the right

hours without a bite, knowing that at

but around here you can find yourself

time.

any minute they could turn on. The

in 50 feet of water in no time. Not

Lowcountry is an interesting place

to mention, an average Lowcountry

Captain Kai Williams has lived in Hilton

to fly fish for tarpon. There is just

tarpon is 80-plus pounds. I prefer

Head for 28 years and has guided

something special about putting a

an 11-weight or 12-weight with an

anglers for 16 years on kayaks, flats

hook in a Lowcountry tarpon, whether

intermediate line and 300 yards of

skiffs, and center-console boats. Visit

it’s a single fish in the salt marsh or a

backing. If I fish a clear-tip line, I’ll go

his website at

string of 50 in the Atlantic.

awesomeadventurecharters.com

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 93

THE UNDERTOW THE VISION THING

by James R. Babb

Whether sparked by yellow chalk

tropical flats straight back into hostile

nightsticks. Fly-fishing for stripers,

scratching through first-grade

eyes. Small soft creatures like herring

like the striper itself, is pure brutality:

fog or the Clark Kent spectacles

flock together with thousands of other

heavy depth-charge fly lines and

that transformed that fog into a

small soft creatures—all of them saying,

ginormous flies and rod-shattering

chalkboard with instructive writing

“Eat them, not me,” and most of them

strikes and enough adrenaline to turn

or the parental insistence that my

getting away with it. Species that grow

a pack of PETA pacifists into foie-gras-

amblyopia would correct itself if

from toothsome young prey into large

eating ax murderers.

only I would make my lazy eye sit up

toothy predators look for hangouts

straight and look where it’s going and

where even larger and thoothier

Which is why a rippled expanse of

wear its embarrassing eye patch, I’ve

predators won’t prey on them.

alluvial ooze overlain by a few feet

always envied people who can see the hard-to-see.

of transparent seawater is about the Take striped bass and flats, for

last place a standard-issue striper

example. When stripers were young

fisherman might look for a striper,

Especially fish, which are harder

and tender, ospreys and herons made

especially with the sun burning high in

to see than practically anything

skinny sunlit flats into dangerous

a cloudless sky.

more corporeal than ghosts and

neighborhoods. But when they reach

leprechauns. Who hasn’t heard the

a certain size stripers no longer fear

But that’s exactly where we went

defeated tone of a guide on the

aerial assault, and the shallow clear

looking for them, we being fish-mag

bonefish flats who realizes that no

flats are mostly free of the seals and

editors Dave Klausmeyer and Joe

matter how many times he says, “Ten

sharks and stern trawlers and soft-

Healy fishing with Eric Wallace and

o’clock, Sixty feet, Three big bones

plastic Slug-Gos that can make deeper,

Mac McKeever on a skinny backwater

tailing left to right,” his dimwitted

faster water nervously unrestful, even

flat on a bright sunny day—the very

sport will cast to the three mangrove

for a fifty-pounder.

time when normal Maine striper

shoots six feet astern?

fishermen were snoozing in the As most saltwater fishermen know,

shade after having flamed out on a

But it isn’t entirely our fault. Prey

striped bass are creatures of the

dawn tide in one of the big brackish

species are forever contriving unfair

twilight, of movement, of tide rips and

rivers or along the near-shore islands,

ways not to be seen. Brook trout

swirling bait schools and crashing surf.

casting into the rips and the surf while

disappeared into the dappled green

This makes striper anglers creatures

jockeying for position with all those

forest streams by evolving backs

of pre-dawn departures and midnight

other boatloads of coffee-cranked

covered with forest-green dapplings.

shoreline stumbles and of live-lining

striper fishermen casting into the rips

Bonefish got themselves chrome-plated

mackerel, deep-drifting eels, and

and the surf.

to reflect the shining expanse of skinny

trolling plugs the size of policemen’s

94 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

Out there on the

mechanics of

windless late-morning

spotting fish. You

flats, it was just us

do this, as anglers

and the sun and the

all should know, not

seagulls and the gray

by looking for fish—

stern granite and

stripers, with their

green pointed firs

mirrored sides traced

hemming a small

by waving lines,

secluded cove. Joe and

can be as invisible

I fished with Eric, one

as baby bonefish

of only a few Maine

even when pushing

guides who specialize

forty pounds—but

in flat-fishing for

by looking for the

stripers, and it was a

suggestions of fish.

dislocating experience.

At a distance, you

I’d look back from

see not the striper

the postcard view

but the impression

of coastal Maine to

of a striper: its

see Eric up on the

shadow on the

poling platform with

bottom, the flick of

his sunblock and

a fin, the flex of a

sunglasses and, “Get

tail, the dart of a

ready, good fish at

jaw snarfing a green

two o’clock about sixty

crab, grass shrimp,

feet off.” I’d narrow

or sand eel.

my eyes and roll them

we’d ghost along looking for another

around, and slowly a striper would

to frighten away, with me chanting

Compared with the hyperactive tent

materialize. And then I’d snap out

under my breath, “I’m bonefishing for

revival of striper fishing in the surf,

of my no-worries-mon Bahamian

stripers, I’m bonefishing for stripers.

sight-fishing the mirrored flats is Zen:

bonefish trance and launch a mighty

Everybody say Aummmmm.”

the quest becomes its own reward.

dawn-patrol striper cast that hit

Like dry-fly fishing, it’s a form of

the water like an osprey and scared

Along with nurturing my inner calm,

aesthetic self-denial that slows your

the bejesus out of that striper, then

I was also trying to remember the

pulse and makes you see.

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 95

But it isn’t a way to run up numbers.

library step stools or teetering on the

those fish and getting that single,

For the day, we each boated one fish

outboard’s cowling to try for a better

turning, almost-a-take in skinny

and lost another. With a dawn assault

vantage point to spot fish.”

transparent water was as exciting

on a big tidal river, that would be an

as dragging a dozen depth-charged

official defeat. But for flats fishing in

Finally Mac got a proper poling

stripers from the foaming deep.

Maine it was a success—and possibly

platform made for his sixteen-foot

Perhaps that’s a personal vision not

the birth of an addiction.

Aquasport, and now he spends his

everyone can see. But then, not

days fishing the Pine Tree State

everyone needs to.

There’s always a genesis moment

Caribbean-style: long light leaders,

when something new materializes

little crab flies, and clock-face casting.

A few weeks later, sparked by a near

from the fog. Angers to the south

“Pretty neat stuff,” Mac says. “Clear

connection with what was here all

wont see fly-fishing the flats for

shallow water, light sand, and black-

along, if only blinkered eyes could

stripers as anything new—the big

backed stripers hunting for crabs.”

see, I revisited a few neglected flats

flats off Cape Cod’s Monomoy Island

And a few—a very few—anglers on the

not far from home, where bluff-top

or Long Island’s Great South Bay have

flats hunting for stripers.

observations with high-powered

long been home to a minority cult

binoculars revealed drifting shadows

of flats-fishers. But here in Maine,

A year later, Jerry Gibbs and I met Mac

too big to be mackerel and too

stripers on the flats have been pretty

at a different beach—his original beach,

reposeful to be sturgeon.

much invisible, and fishing for them

the lineman’s beach—at the leisurely

the way they need to be fished for,

hour of half past eight, a time dictated

In just the right light, I could envision

which is to say slowly and carefully

in part by the high-noon low tide and

a big Hudson Bay freighter canoe

without even a trolling motor’s

more significantly by the sight-fishing

ghosting along with its motor kicked

cautioning whisper, is beyond novel.

necessity of high flooding sunlight.

up beneath a simple poling platform

Which, as is typical with a trip planned

made from aluminum pipe bent in

well in advance, didn’t arrive.

a friendly nearby muffler shop, a

Mac McKeever, the senior PR wallah at L.L. Bean, is the first person I

scrawny old man leaning on a long

know to have done it., though I know

With intermittent cloud cover and

black push-pole and shading his

other people who were rumored to

the hot southern breath of a looming

eyes from the noonday sun. He sees

have done it but didn’t want anyone

storm, even Mac had difficulty

something moving, eases the pole into

to know. Like most significant

spotting fish before they spotted us.

its rest, and then slowly lifts his fly rod

discoveries, Mac’s was an accident.

Through the morning we saw more

and casts.

than thirty stripers, most past twenty “Ten or so years ago,” he said, I was

inches and a few past three feet. I

It might be a good striper in my

pulling my skiff at a boat ramp, and

managed a cast to only one taking

vision—I hope so, anyway. Or it might

a telephone worker was having lunch

fish, and when he turned on the fly

be a stick of pulpwood drowned in

and asked how I did. I told him I’d

with his open mouth, he spotted the

the mudflat since river-driving days.

caught a few fish here and there, and

boat and flushed like a partridge.

It probably doesn’t really matter. In

he said he was working high atop a

The lesson: flats-fishing for stripers

either case the electric anticipation is

pole at a nearby bluff overlooking a

is a chose-your-day kind of thing. If

pretty much the same.

shallow white sand flat, and he’d seen

the weather’s right, you go; if it isn’t,

loads of fish milling around in the

you do something else. Unless you’ve

James R. Babb is editor emeritus

skinny water. I went over there, and

driven 125 miles through coastal

of Gray’s Sporting Journal. He is

sure enough, the flats were haired

Maine tourist traffic to fish. Then, you

the author of four collections of

over with the things—some big ones,

go anyway.

angling essays, the most recent of

too! I’ve been on them ever since, at first climbing atop coolers and then

96 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

which is Fish Won’t Let Me Sleep And I learned another lesson: Stalking

(skyhorsepublishing.com).

TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 97

98 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE

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TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE 99

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100 TAIL FLY FISHING MAGAZINE