Calling salt "fin"attics

[Fishidiot]

In over 30 years of FFing in PA I have only had one trout go into my backing (a 21" brown, Yellow Breeches, 1985). In this state, the only fish that will consistently pull into backing are big river carp. I'd imagine some steelhead in heavy flows will do it pretty easily. Guys who fish the upper Delaware for wild rainbows with fine tippet and soft set clicker drags probably see backing on occasion too.
In northest saltwater fishing, false albacore will go there. Stripers and bluefish usually won't. Seeing backing is much more common in Florida. In addition to tarpon, other inshore fish that will almost always do this include bonefish, permit, jacks, large cudas, large redfish, and sharks over 3' long. Beware the stories about fish taking "hundreds" of yards of backing. I think in most cases these are exagerrations or fishermen who simply don't know how to fight a fish. I've never had a bonefish take what I think is more than maybe 75 yards of backing. If you've got over 200 yards of backing you should never get spooled (as long as you can follow the fish).
The famous salt FFer, Chico Fernandez (who catches a LOT of flats species every year) did an experiment with backing marked at 100 yards. After over a year of fishing and many fish caught (including tarpon and dolphin), he finally hooked a large shark over 100 lbs that pulled the backing past the 100 yard mark. The common claim that bonefish routinely run over 300 yards is bunk.

 

[FlySwatter]

FI,

Yeah, the Fat Alberts will absolutely get backing, Especially off Harker's. The 3 impressing things about that are:
1) You're hooking most within 30 feet of the boat.
2) they only weigh 10-14 pounds on average.
3) most people use 9 or 10 weights , at least those who don't enjoy the sound of shattering graphite do! :-o

BTW: That's another good reason to use lighter leaders/tippet. It saves many a rod for the novice at fighting saltwater fish.

I'm from PA and grew up bass and trout fishing here, but I lived in SC for 8 years. I stalked reds. fished many times for albies and caught stripers in the rivers around Columbia. My family lives in SW Florida and I've fished for snook, jacks and baby tarpon odd and on for the better part of 20 years.

The point to this is fishting saltwater fish is a totally different game from fighting trout or bass. I learned a lot about how and when to apply pressure. For example, after 6 years in SC I went down to the Congaree River after work one late April evening. I knew the stripers were running up from Santee Cooper. I fished for maybe 15 minutes with a 2/0 chartreuse 1/2 & 1/2 using an 8 WT. I hooked a heavy striper and landed it an about 10 minutes.

I'm not braggin. I'm just saying it's a skill that can me learned, but not by fighting trout. Don't get me wrong, I love trout fishing. that's what I do 80% of the time. It's just different.

(Man, that's one ulgy shirt I'm wearing!)

 

[Acristickid]

FS- ha on the shirt.

If you don't mind me asking where you fish in FLA? Just getting my sea legs as you can tell.

I lived in Sarasota for 6 years- high school years and where my parents still live.

Got any advice for a wader?

Thanks Paul.

 

[FlySwatter]

A-kid,

I fish in Naples - Bonita area. Best advice: get a guide. You can get some action wading the beaches and into some of the passes (watch the tides so you don't get stranded or swept out), but it gets kinda tough without a boat. If you can get one of the guys on the Florida board to take you out, you'll be golden.

I fished for years at Lover's Key, Wiggin's Pass and Naples harbor out of a 10' plastic boat with a 3 hp gas and a 30 lb.trolling motor. It was my dad's rig (he a cheap SOB). We caught a TON of fish out of that thing.

Nothing like fishing 8 PM - 8 AM under the lights in the harbor then surfing the wakes of those multi-million dollar yachts blasting through the "no wake zones". The beautiful thins was catching the heck out of snook, jacks and baby tarpon all night out of that cheap boat while casting to dock where 50 foot yachts were kept. The houses at Port Royal are ridiculous. Multi-million dollar houses that are occupied 4-5 months a year.

Someone's making money.

Sorry to get off topic, but I've bee working my a$$ off for the last few months and doing very little fishing. I just enjoyed "casting back" to fond memories.

I'm going a little stir-crazy. :hammer:

 

[Acristickid]

FS- ha, very good.

Naples is high rent.

I worked at the Vanderbilt Beach Publix during a Christmas break from college- probably 1990.

Gonna be a landlubber fly fisherman for a while. Might try to rent a kayak this time.

Thanks

 

[FlySwatter]

A-kid,

Too funny! My parents and brother live in North Naples baetween the Pavillion and 100 Ave. North. I probably saw you there back in '90.

I caught a small snook and a few lady fosh casting EP Minnows behind the Vanderbilt Inn this past August at sun-up.

If you're on foot, fishing the beaches near passes on an outgoing tide can be good. It's a little like fishning a big river. The bait (and gamefish) stack up in the slack water near the current breaks.

If you're going in the winter, daytime can be good for reds and trout out of a 'yak. Explore the flats adjacent to deeper channels. The big snook are mostly in deep, off shore water, but the smaller snook head into the freshwater creeks. Both are temp sensitive and seek thermal refuge: warmer water, the opposite of trout here in PA.

Good luck!

- Mike

 

[Fishidiot]

A-kid,
Not sure how common they are up around Sarasota, but the Keys are stupid with stingrays. One piece of advice I'd offer to waders is to learn the "stingray shuffle" - in other words, walk with a shuffle that drags the sole of your feet along the bottom. This way you'll kick the rays rather than pinning them and getting jabbed. I've never been "hit" by a ray (had some close calls) and sincerely don't hope to. The results are nasty and extremely painful. It will definitely ruin your vacation. Better to be careful.

 

[Acristickid]

FS good info. Yea, getting to learn about the tide stuff. It's kinda funny- I just fish all day long anyway- good conditions or not.

Last year it seemed I caught daytime low tides alot and probably was'nt the best. Scoped some potholes I might be able to try this year if there are low tides- maybe pickup some reds. Never caught one.

FI- rays are around but I have not seen them.

I get the World fishing channel on tv and they have several shows on Florida fishing. Kinda turns my stomach when I watch the tourneys in Boca Grande with 50 boats. Using the big hooks to drag Tarpon over to the weight boat. Or when hooked Tarpon get picked off by a shark. The could care less about fishing- guys are there to win money. Apparantly- It's on like Donkey Kong. Blah.

 

[wgmiller]

The results are nasty and extremely painful. It will definitely ruin your vacation. Better to be careful.

Ouch. I've read first-aid protocols for it and running hot water over any wound doesn't sound appealing! :-o

 

[tomgamber]

Yeah, they caution against wading barefoot in the sound of the OBX for the same reason. I usually take along an old pair of sneakers.

 

[jayL]

I waded barefoot for a few thousand yards in the sound at OBX. I rented a cheap kayak and it sunk after a while. Had a long walk back to shore. I was not happy, and was waiting to get whacked by one.

 

[tomgamber]

I watched a guy empty a yak one day as he forget to check the drain plug before he got in...I immediately checked mine.

 

[jayL]

I know nothing about kayaks, but there was a compartment in the nose that looked like it should have been covered. A storm blew in and the waves got uncomfortably large. After a few minutes, the thing took a good bit of water on.

Luckily, it floated until I got to water less than a few feet deep.

 

[sandfly]

Orvis sells a pair of flats bootie (low) for around 39.00, I wear them all the time on beaches (glass, shells, needles, rays, and other nastys) I wear them a size large so I can wear them over my waders, lot better than wading shoes. try walking to the north jetty of I.B.S.P. with wading shoes and sand in them. they are great for wet wading flats too.

 

[tomgamber]

They look gay...I hate those things. All they are missing is the curl on the front and they look like what the iron sheik wore to wrestle. If I ever hit a jetty I'll come up with something.

 

[jayL]

:lol: :lol:

 

[sandfly]

never said I would use em on a jetty just beaches and flats. for jettys and pair of easy to slip off knee highs with corkers in case of slipping in, rain pants and jacket to finish. Of course thats for sie hards who don't mind some waves and spray