Salt water fly fishing

[Lionel Korach]

Over the last couple of day's I had the pleasure of taking out Clark Reid one of the Salt water fly fishermen of some note in NZ. What an absolute eye-opener!!. I have done a lot of guiding over the past but never experienced anything quite so thrilling as catching a variety of species on salt water fly. Our first day was an experiment on the inshore waters around Whakatane. We caught several Yellowtail Kingfish to around 5-6kg, about a dozen or so quite small snapper (and got dusted on a huge fish) and topped it of with a few sea trout to around 2kg. The second day we spent at White Island targetting Kingfish, and man what a blast we caught around 40 Kingfish to around 10kg, a few trevally to about 5kg dropped a bronze whaler shark of about 8ft in length and got dealt to by some massive kingfish.
This has got to be one of the most exciting day's fishing for me personally that I can remember, this ranks right up there with marlin captures, and indeed even ranks with some of the yellowfin action I am blessed to be involved with. I can certainly see why this type of fishing is taking off around the world. I will admit to being a bit of a sceptic but after this experience I am sold and will be looking forward to doing a lot more of it. There is an article posted on www.fishing.net.nz under the forum pages saltwater flyflingers the article is written by out the back

[PanamaJack]

Hi Lionel
Many Thanks for that post. The larger of those Kingfish looks as if it would have been a real challenge on a fly!

For anyone wanting to look at that thread on the New Zealand site it's entitled - Cicada got spanked and me to and the url's - http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=36&TopicID=13988&PagePosition=1.

For anyone interested in that 'extreme' saltwater flyfishing there're some interesting observations on the thread about fighting techniques. I've similarly seen several offshore fly rods shatter with 'high sticking'. And with the reels I use - Abels - you can certainly apply a lot of drag pressure operating within the IGFA's 16 and 20lb tippet classes.

I'm not too certain though whether that balanced tackle would have much effect on one of those BIG Kingfish.

All fish are different though, and I recently read an article in an 'Aussie' magazine when an American angler caught a massive 67.1kg (147lb) Doogtooth Tuna on a 16lb tippet. Another 'bruiser', another tackle destroyer. But his technique was totally different. In the early stages of the fight the angler was applying minimal pressure until he coaxed the fish into deeper water. It's only then that he screws up the drag.

The last time I was in Ascension Island (South Atlantic) several of our Club members attempted to tackle Yellowfin Tuna on fly tackle - 14 weight rods and 20lb tippets. There we attract them with a chum trail. Is that something you do Lionel with the Kingfish?

OK the one that did land a 40 pounder did - the Cad - 'sweeten' the fly with a piece of chum. But he got it in after 20 minutes. There're photographs of another on this url - http://www.scbi.org.uk/pages/News_WhatsNewNfc200403.asp which show initially the angler putting some real pressure on a 50 pounder - look at even the butt bending - and then somewhat dis-spirited 2 hour later. Soon after that shot they had a shot with the gaff, pricked it and it was off for the bottom again! Too much for the angler, he pulled for a break soon after.
Dave

[Lionel Korach]

Hi Dave, as I mentioned in this thread, the opportunity to have a go at this type of fishing has breathed a new life into this wonderful sport for me personally. I have alway's had the desire to get into it had the equipment, not the time and I feel I am down a bit on understanding the techniques involved. High sticking is interesting because I felt as you can see in the pictures I was applying pressure to the fish, where as in retro I don't do that with any type of rod, I do prefer to short stroke fish, quite a different prospect on a flyrod, I found it differcult to gain any line on a large fish, once it set sail for the bottom there was no stopping it, and the terrain at the volkner rocks is such that if you hook the fish near the surface you have around 40 meters or 10 seconds which ever comes first. After reading your comments about "applying less pressure" was something that crossed my mind after I got dusted off a second time. Unfortunately I never had anything that was as big as the previous two Kings hit me again that day. I will have plenty of opportunity to test theory and find some methods that will at least tip the scales my way a bit. I feel we are really up against it a fantastic challenge looms, I have guided people out to this spot for a few years now, I have seen 150kg men with a 24kg stand up penn 50w and harness get absolutely dealt to in sunset on King fish, hard to believe I know but it happens, some of this I put down to technique but in sunset you would think that will stop them and the reel speeds up. think again....

[cupboardlad]

what did you make your fly reel out of mate , an oil drum,?
only jokin m8, enjoyed reading the report , and looking at pickys of fish i can only dream about, :dD
tight lines m8
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
cuberd

[Lionel Korach]

Hi mate the reel was an Alvey, and you are spot on it was a fantastic day, think I'll go 2morow hehe
all the best Lionel

[cool wez]

some cracking fish there mate :clap3:

[Lionel Korach]

Thanks Wez, those pictures are not the best fish, the bloke who I took out is doing an article for an Aussie fly fishing mag, so we got the worst pictures, but thanks again for the feedback:)