Y21P18-19BAH_ABELAD_SharingBoat.qxp 8/26/21 8:18 AM Page 1
Sharing the Boat Photo cour tesy of Mangrove Cay Club
Working together as a team in the skiff will make the experience more successful and fun. ’ V E G O T F R I E N D S who insist on having the flats boat to themselves. While I do enjoy the occasional opportunity to take every shot and focus selfishly on my own fishing, I much prefer to share the boat. The experience is intensified when there’s more than one person involved. And since we usually share the boat with people whose company we enjoy, the adventure of the day is magnified and that much more pleasurable – even when it’s vicarious. But everyone on board needs to know their part in the saltwater theater and, whether your on the bow or riding shotgun, there is a certain etiquette and (often unspoken), there are rules of behavior that rule the day in the boat. W h e n t h e b o a t s t o p s and the guide moves to the poling platform, be ready. That isn’t the time to start slapping on sunscreen, putting on a new leader or search through your boat bag and half a dozen fly boxes to begin the fly selection process. Make the most of the day and get all your stuff organized before you leave the lodge and get in the boat. Screwing around with your gear when it’s your turn to be up front just eats up valuable fishing time and is inconsiderate. Move promptly to the casting deck, strip out your line (a few feet of line more than you can comfortably cast), make a practice cast to prove that everything is in order. Once you’ve got your rhythm don’t stand there endlessly, practicing with dozens of unnecessary false casts. Strip the line in. Seize the day. Focus on what you need to do to, and get ready for action. D o n’ t m o n o p o li z e t h e d e ck Agree right away on how often you’re going to switch places. Some of my pals prefer to change places every half hour while others (myself included) would rather relinquish the casting deck after either making or missing a legitimate shot at a fish. When you hook up, or screw up, it’s the other guy’s turn. I
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An impossible cast to a distant or fleeing fish that spotted the boat before it was seen and took off like a bat out of hell, or some similar scenario doesn’t qualify as a legitmate opportunity. But if you blow a good chance at a fish or drive your line like a rock into the middle of a school, you are out of there and the next batter is up. Mind the line Just because you’re not fishing doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be helping. When the angler on the bow strips line into a pile in the boat, you make sure the pile is tidy, not coiled on itself, and definitely not hooked around stray sandals or extra gas tanks or the butt of the ‘cuda rod. And when there’s a hook up, make sure the loose line that’s been stripped into the boat doesn’t snag on cleats or is underfoot until that line is all picked up and the fish is tight on the reel. In the meantime there are other things to do. B e q u i e t No matter what you do – whether you’re eating your lunch or rigging another rod – keep the noise down. Conversation isn’t the issue, it’s slamming the cooler lid, dropping anything on the deck, or banging rods in and out of rod holders. Sound in the water is transmitted by compression, and noise created in the boat will spook the fish and piss off the guide and angler. Hou se k e e p in g The rule of thumb is that if it can snag fly lines it will, and usually at the most inopportune moment! Be vigilant and insure that area on and behind the deck of the boat is clear of stuff that the fly line could get tangled on. Help keep things tidy by putting loose flies back into their boxes, zipping up boat bags, putting away lifejackets and raincoats, tucking sandals up into storage areas, picking up water bottles (just toss them in the cooler), bottle caps, and small pieces of debris that may have been tracked or blown into the boat. Every little bit helps. He lp s p o t f i sh Certainly it’s more difficult to see a fish from a position lower in the boat than the guide, and farther back than the angler in the back, but you can still help. The guide and active angler can each only look in one place at one time – 6 eyes are better than 4. Both the guide and angler will generally be focused on what’s up ahead. So, pay particular attention to the water behind the boat and in the distance, especially on broad, shallow flats. Scan the surface first for disturbance. B e r e ad y Once you friend is up there and ready (but not before), you can work on rigging your own gear. That’s the time to replace the leader or tippet, check your knots, or change your fly.
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