Introduction to Saltwater Fly Fishing Article

At rocky locations it will be necessary to wear a sturdy pair of boots with a sole that grips well or a pair of wading boots with studded soles. Rocks can be extremely slippery especially when covered in algae and sea weed so you should always take care when moving around in these locations. You can also find yourself being trapped by an incoming tide flooding in behind you so it is worthwhile studying a tide table for the location. Taking a look along the shoreline for the contrasting colouration of the dark rocks above the high water line or the wrack line that marks the upper limit of the tidal range on a beach will give you the information that you need so that you are not stranded by the tide. Regardless of you chosen location it is always good if you can fish with a friend not only for safety but also because you can cover more water and get pictures of your catch.

Whilst there is a huge amount of tackle available designed specifically for use in saltwater you can get by with reservoir kit or double handed rod rated #7 to #9 including an intermediate and full sinking line or even a little five weight and a floating line when fishing for mullet. The important thing to remember is that saltwater is corrosive and can destroy your rod rings, reel seats, reels and lines so don't forget to give all of your equipment a thorough rinse in fresh water. An additional piece of kit that you will need is a line tray that can be purchased from a good retailer or you could make your own from a washing up bowl and a length of bungee cord for a belt. Line trays or stripping baskets as they are sometimes know stop the line becoming wrapped around rocks, barnacles, weed and your feet so that your cast is not obstructed.

The leader should be eight to nine feet of mono-filament or fluorocarbon with and eight to ten pound tippet (six pound for mullet). Leaders can be tapered or made up from different strength sections, a 48 inch butt section of 30lb followed by an 18 inch section of 20lb and finally 18 inches of 10lb at the tip. This may seem a little heavy for many anglers but it is a combination of the rod rating, the size of the fly that you are now using and the terrain that you are fishing over. Many of the flies that we use in the sea represent bait fish and sand eels measuring between two to four inches in length tied on size 2 through to size 2/0 hooks and if we were to use too light a tippet the fly would break off.

My preference for attaching the fly to the leader is a non-slip loop knot (an illustration for tying this knot can be found at www.carcharodonangling.co.uk/Book%20Excerpts.htm and at www.barracudaguiding.co.uk/fishing%20knots.htm as well as some of the flies used) and allows the fly to move freely in all directions. It is important that the loop in the knot is not too large because this can cause the fly to foul during the casting stroke.

Fly fish the sea as you would a lake of river fishing around likely looking structure with some saltwater flies and there is a very good chance that you will have a positive hook-up.

Tight lines!

Gavin

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