Happyshort

Bite Me has a group of four anglers from Australia on board and is trolling a variety of lures and baits looking for a pack of wahoo.

A big Yo-Zuri Bonita on the short corner, a Lurestreet Classic Redhead on the long corner, A Pakula Cockroach on the short rigger and rigged garfish skipbait on 3 feet of 7×7 SS wire on the long rigger. This is a good spread to find wahoo as well as pick up the odd Spanish mackerel or yellowfin tuna.

Skipper spots some birds hovering about 500 yards off the reef and decides to head out to check out what’s going on. Looks like tuna. The anglers put out a 5th rod down the middle flat-lining a small tuna bullet.

As soon as Bite Me reaches the spot, four rods load up and everybody gets real busy real quick. Couple of minutes later we have a skipjack, a small yellowfin, a large rainbow runner and a small wahoo on the deck. Lures are going out again fast. Interesting though…not normal to get such a mix in exactly the same spot….

All goes quiet for a few minutes and then suddenly the skipbait on the long rigger disappears and the Penn International 30lb outfit loads up and starts to howl. Hmmm, almost forgot we had that skipait out there in all the mayhem, nice big yellowfin maybe ?

A few seconds later with the angler at the transom, rod in hand and taking the strain, a blue marlin of about 250lbs roars out of the water and charges towards the boat. Skipper guns the boat as the blue blasts across the surface on a typical blue marlin furious charge.

All eyes are on the blue as the line which is almost tight to the fish suddenly parts and whiplashes up and back at the transom. The blue is gone.

The double comes back but no snap swivel at the end. Just a slight kinks in the line where the snap was tied on.

What Went Wrong

We left a wahoo skipbait out, rigged on a short piece of wire clipped directly to the double and headed out to a bait ball in 400m of water. Skipper was thinking yellowfin or stray wahoo but there was a chance that we might get hit by a marlin and the small wire wahoo rig had little hope of surviving. The blue’s bill was longer than the wire rig so inevitably, with no heavy mono leader, the snap swivel / Double knot came into contact with the marlin’s rough bill and bye-bye marlin.

In My Humble Opinion

Its a catch 22 situation. Wind-on mono leaders are suicide in wahoo pack country. They absolutely always get bitten off. That short length of dacron flying through the water is as good as any lure and is always hit by wahoo. The colour coded ones are the worst of the lot. The dacron splice is just about the right distance away from a hooked up wahoo to tempt another strike from the pack. You can tie or crimp a mono leader to the wire wahoo rig but inevitably, it is another connection through a solid ring or swivel that is just asking to be hit by a wahoo. Using blackened fittings helps but it is mostly the bubble trail created by fittings rather than the fitting itself that draws the strike.

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In view of the wide research done in fly fishing the number of fly fishing rod types in the market are quite large and you have a great choice and brand names. The first aspect you have to consider is the weight and duty for which you are purchasing the fishing rod. They are generally available in gradations from 1 to 9 depending on their weight. Lower the numbers lower the weight and so on. The cast line is directly proportional to the fly rod weight and this is an important parameter.

Significant features of a Fly Fishing Rod

The topic of choosing the most appropriate fishing rod that you can use in fly fishing can be quite complicated and you need to logically understand the various features that are to be considered in the course of your choice. It is imperative to have the basic date on what the fishing rod is being used for in terms of the fish species and the waters where you will sport for those kinds of fish. Finally one needs to stipulate the amount worth spending for all this gear in order to satisfy one’s craving for this sport.

The Fishing Rod

The most important feature of the fishing rod is its flexural characteristics. It is designated as slow to fast and you should try to understand this concept before purchasing a rod. The amateurs who have just started fly fishing need to begin with medium or medium-fast action rods and graduate on to more sophisticated construction as you gain more experience. It invariably depends on the aptitude of the angler and only a general guide line can be given since the feel and strength control of casting vary from person to person.

What is your Fish?

The type of fish is all important to determine the quality of your fishing rod. Remember that the general maxim is to equate the weight of the fish to the weight of the fishing rod. Mostly it is useful to use light to medium heavy fishing gear for many common fish. Always consult an expert or information on the Internet on the data pertaining to fish and fishing rod relationship.

Fishing Location and your Fishing Rod

The fishing rods depend also on the waters that you encounter for the particular species of fish. The dynamics of the ponds, lakes or rivers ascertain the weight of the casting rod and so does the climatic conditions at different times of the year. Mild conditions and medium fish require light to medium heavy fishing rods whilst severe climatic variations or high water current needs heavier varieties.

Cost is always important!

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