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PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
I recently invested some hard-earned cash in a professionally guided, local fly-fishing trip for striped bass. While I know my local waters pretty well, catch my share of bass, am an occasional but reasonably competent fly-fisher, and have developed enough techniques to generally keep my bites coming, I thought this would be an opportunity to learn and grow. For instance: What is this professional's general approach to tackling the day? No important decisions (port, departure time) were finalized until the night before and based on the most recent intelligence. In a single word; Simplicity! The deck was clean, a few rods were rigged, and we used just three flies all day. With a foundation of experience and confidence built over the years, we didn't need much else. This captain prefers the incoming tide for shallow-feeding bass! The bass can explore new feeding areas over the course of the tide before becoming too dispersed. Existing channels and gutters provide routes for both boat and bass, and ongoing observation will help fine tune locations and presentations. In this skinny water, it is of paramount importance to keep the boat's engine and hull quiet. Don't push a wake, minimize hull slap, avoid other boats and traffic, etc. The fish are there; what are they eating? We started with a larger herring fly based on the possible presence of blueback herrings and the opportunity for offering the bass a big meal, but when that didn't work and we couldn't see the tiny bait the bass and birds were eating, we made a couple of changes. Be in a position to start the strip right away! Keep in contact with the line right from the end of the cast and get that fly moving, as many of the hits will occur right away. I missed my first fish because of this, but fortunately converted on the retrieve from this same cast. This lesson was already burned into my memory. Keep the rod tip in the water during the retrieve to maximize energy transmittal to the fly and to avoid line slap on the water's surface. I suspect this helps with strike detection and hook sets, too. This is a team effort; he could see a lot more from his vantage point than I. It was my job to listen and execute. What is his philosophy with respect to finding fish? With a few decades of chasing the stripers in this manner under his belt, he was confident that the bass were there. By carefully and quietly positioning us and then letting the birds lead the way to especially active areas, we did our best to stay over hunting fish. We used any visual cue we could; wakes, ripples, and refusals all helped shape the next cast. How did he keep the bite going over the course of the entire tide? We stayed with active fish by moving frequently! Some stops earned only a few casts before we were moving again. The captain was constantly watching for fish reactions and evaluating from there. We didn't lose much time over unproductive water, or at least water without offering the real promise of success. Based on the fish's reaction, he made some basic fly changes. We started with a big attractor, scaled down to a smaller, more subtle baitfish, and then offered a snack of a shrimp fly. What adjustments did he make and to what specific factors? I am sure I am unaware of most of these. I was focused on my casting, line control and retrievals. But this was clearly a game of reacting to the moment. First of all, we delayed our anticipated starting time by a couple of hours to avoid the ebb and maximize the flood. The early fog helped us with our late start, too. When the first attractor fly didn't work, he was quick to downsize and modify the color to something a little more muted. When this fly enjoyed some immediate success that morphed into obvious refusals, he quickly went to a shrimp pattern, especially with the increasingly sunny conditions. We ended the day with some carefree smaller bass in deeper water. These were revealed by active birds, and we fine-tuned their feeding lanes by using water seams to target likely casting areas. What was new to me? All of this took place on "new" water to me, east of the Cousins Island causeway. I'm always on the other side of that bridge. I certainly have the range to go around Cousins and explore these waters, though. My Garmin mapping will keep me in enough water to float the boat and follow the fish. Virtually all of my fly-fishing has been self-taught, and so receiving professional guidance while doing so was a positive experience. He offered a few small adjustments on the cast and for line handling. I was generally able to respond immediately and could see the benefit, and these changes quickly stuck! I was better at the end of the trip than I was at the beginning! I've always used Clousers and poppers while fly-fishing for stripers, and the shrimp pattern/presentation was new to me. I was surprised at how aggressively I was working that shrimp. Perhaps most importantly, this experience helped me build some confidence in shallow water, especially during bright conditions. We actualized our success in this scenario, and seeing/doing is believing! Plus, the captain admitted out loud, this is how he captures all his big fish. This is a certainly a technique worth learning and pursuing. What am I now equipped to become better at? My casting is fine, but my ability to consistently control the line immediately needs help; lots of fish strike at the end of the cast. I was able to work on this throughout the trip and will continue to do so. I'll get better as my ability to pickup, haul and shoot quickly improves. Again, practice will help. I apparently had a few bites where I saw and felt nothing. I need to keep in contact with the line! This will be natural outcome of better line management, in general. This trip just opened up a lot of water for me on both sides of the Cousins Island bridge! And I know I don't need to be exploring them just during low-light hours, so I can explore them whenever I choose to do so. Finally, I can do so with confidence, because I know it isn't a Wild Goose Chase; I will probably find some willing bass along the way. They might be nice ones, too! Other thoughts and tid-bits We kibitzed over the course of the trip, especially when moving from spot to spot. I learned quite a bit over the course of the morning, including the following: That Memorial Day/weekend bite on Broad Cove is an annual event that offers only a brief window of opportunity. Perhaps for three or four days, the cove is on fire, but then it switches off and many of the the bass go elsewhere. Speaking of Broad Cove, those terns over super-shallow water are picking up stranded bait and aren't worth chasing. The Presumpscot River hosts an alewife run. This is early in the season and he favors a pinch of yellow in his flies when fishing here. Alternatively, the Royal River hosts blueback herring, later (mid-June). These fish are darker, at least in this muddy water. Brit herring may or may not be Atlantic herring, but they are important, small bait. Arriving in May and staying and growing for much of the season, these are matched with simple flies from two to four inches, perhaps featuring blue backs. There's never anything wrong with olive-over-white, anytime, anywhere. A shrimp worked hard and fast over deep water produces too, as exemplified by the last few fish of the day. FYI, I was previously aware of this guide service, and I've run across him on common waters several times. In fact, we shared a local multi-day blitz a few weeks ago. My interest in this endeavor was piqued by a video I ran across this winter. He was guiding "The New Fly Fisher" out of my back yard, and I recognized many of the waters they fished over the course of a few fall days. Moreover, since they mentioned the dates of filming, I know exactly how I was fishing and what fish I was catching at that same time! I could argue that I was just doing fine for myself, but his simultaneous approach in the video was so different that I knew I was in a position to learn something and broaden my horizons. That something might prove to be useful at some point!?! Here's the service I used on this very pleasant and informative day: www.coastalflyangler.com. Captain Wallace was a pleasure to fish with and I definitely look forward to doing so again. A more detailed account of the day's specifics is located at www.numenonfunfishing.com/numenonfunfishing (June 27, 2023 entry.) Did I learn and will I grow? You bet! Oh, and so what do the pros know? They know they can do it! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Steve LachanceVia Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Michigan and now, back to New England! Archives
June 2024
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