# Finding it hard to put down my conventional tackle



## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

Been doing pretty good on the reds the past few months with pretty much all my fishing being "blind" casting. I say blind casting, but in reality I mostly will work small clumps of shell I have committed to memory (yes it is a sickness). I always carry my fly rod, but it is hard to put down the trusty Curado when it is paying off with great regularity. I suppose I might have just as good a chance of pulling them off those clumps with the buggy whip as with any other setup, so maybe I just need to leave everything but the fly rod at the house next trip. I will say that I won't trade catching several reds in a couple hours for maybe one red on a fly. What do most of y'all do? Switch from one to the other on the same trip or is it all one or the other? 

Stu


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I usually commit to one or the other. When my day is dedicated to fly fishing, I don't take my conventional gear. However, when I'm gear fishing, I always take a fly rod.

Sometimes when I know they are there, but can't get them to eat conventional tackle, a fly does the trick.


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## bleb (Mar 6, 2008)

sight casting fly when it gets too windy bring out the baitcasters topwaters softplatsics etc I let the conditions decide. If I can sight fish its flyfishing if not possible conventional tackle. ALways have fly gear often back up with conventional You never get good with the fly unless you use it frequently in bad conditions


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## clouser (Jun 14, 2006)

I haven't taken my conventional gear out with me for 8 years now. At first, it made me sick to see how many more fish my buddies were catching than me, but now, I usually catch as many or more than they do. Not having the old reliable conventional gear around will make you a better fly fisherman very quickly.


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

I take both and use whichever strikes me as right.


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## surfsideperson (Aug 22, 2005)

I dedicate to one or the other, most of the time. IF, i take both, its because i am going to chase fish in such conditions that it would probably be bait casting day.....In my mind though before i go i imagine the fishng conditions the way i want them to be and that is how i decide........(just becuase i imagine tails out of the water does not mean that always happpens. ) but, i try to take just one or the other. Also i travel very light, if i take, my 50 mg set up, i take just one little box with a couple of tops , bone, and silver, and a couple of cranks, and a pack of plastics, if i go fly, i just take fly gear, and that is all , so my boat would look very empty....., i really choose, to fly fish, and i am having a rod built now that is more condusive, to windy conditions.....


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## surfsideperson (Aug 22, 2005)

some of you might say , its too windy, or too murky , or too rough to fly fish.......one of my largest trout caught in the surf was caught on a chartie streamer, with a huge hook, and terrible looking fly. ( i tied it myself). 20 mph southwest wind, low summer tide, murky brown water, and ankle deep water and that guy put it on me.......it was a very nice trout, i released it and let him fight another day....it was dumb luck, blind casting at 1 pm, but, it sure was a nice surprise.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

As they say you will never shoot a big deer if you always shoot small deer. In other words, if you "fall back" to your conventional gear, you won't force yourself to get good with your fly gear. 

Is it really the number of fish you catch that determines whether you had a successful day or not?? It's unfortunate that the hunting/fishing society has fallen into this trap-- gotta show a huge stringer or a huge larger-racked animal. 

I'm out there for the experience. I remember one day fishing Port O'Connor by myself when I spotted, through my binoculars, some tailing reds about 1/4 mile away. I drove my boat upwind, and anchored it. I then started, what turned out to be, about a 30-40 minute stalk. Got close enough for about a 60' cast, and dropped my white shrimp pattern just off to the side of the pod. BAM- off to the races. That one 26" red was the only fish I caught all day- yet that's the day I'm now talking about- not the day I caught a ton of reds and specs on poppin corks, or plastics, or G_ _ forbid, croakers.

As they say "just do it." You will cherish and appreciate what you are able to catch with a much higher regard, and feel better about yourself.

THE JAMMER


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

THE JAMMER said:


> As they say you will never shoot a big deer if you always shoot small deer. In other words, if you "fall back" to your conventional gear, you won't force yourself to get good with your fly gear.
> 
> Is it really the number of fish you catch that determines whether you had a successful day or not?? It's unfortunate that the hunting/fishing society has fallen into this trap-- gotta show a huge stringer or a huge larger-racked animal.
> 
> ...


Well said. That's why I got into fly fishing. There's something about talking a red and taking it on a fly you tied yourself that beats two full stringers of trout any day.


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## dljones (Mar 7, 2007)

Fly casting is a sight-casting sport for me. If I am bling casting, even to structure, I would rather have a casting or spinning rod in my hand. I very much prefer to fly fish than toy around with conventional tackle, but I am not going to wear myself out flailing around like a maniac all day when it would simply be more enjoyable to work the water "blindly" with a lure and conventional gear. The two exceptions I make are snook fishing and tarpon fishing when fish are feeding and rolling. With snook fishing, being close to structure is paramount and I like having the ability to pick up the fly and lay it down in front of a mangrove root, dock or whatever and then strip three or four time before picking it up and laying it down again several feet away. I cover ground better and feel as though I have more control over the presentation of my baits. With rolling and feeding tarpon, it "feels" like you are sight casting even though you really are not targeting individual fish. Otherwise, you will never see me cast unless I am looking at a fish I intend to cast to. One on one.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

> It's unfortunate that the hunting/fishing society has fallen into this trap-- gotta show a huge stringer or a huge larger-racked animal.


Having a picture is a nice way of remembering and cherishing a fond memory. It doesn't have to be to brag.

Everyone's different in regards to this, but it's hard to deny that *catching* a lot of fish is fun. Whether or not anyone else "knows" about it isn't always important, either. Some of my favorite trips were when I forgot the camera and caught fish after fish with just my dad.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I'm not a big picture taker myself. I just enjoy being out there and catching fish. Or just being out there. I had a ball last Fall when I got into a mess of skipjacks with my fly rod. It's not really anything to brag about, but was a lot of fun and good practice.

I remember the special ones, and only keep what I'm going to eat (I don't eat skipjacks LOL!)


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## hamelt (Feb 22, 2008)

When I head out fishing, I carry a 7 weight with a floating line, an eight weight with a windmaster, and an extra spool with an intermediate line, a ten weight with a floating line and a stretcher with my tarpon leaders, and a second spool for the ten with a fast sinking tip for tarpon or jacks, oh yeah, and tieable wire for spanish mackerel leaders. Guides I know have even more ridiculous tackle on board. You don't need all of this, though. Take your decent 7 or 8 weight rod with a floating line, ONLY. If you break your rod, you have a good story. Have that rig ready as you pole looking for reds all day. I cannot tell you how many days I have poled for 1 or no fish. But then again, I can't tell you how many days I have stood in rivers freezing my *** off working steelhead runs with not even a grab. The point is that as opposed to blind casting, the average salt-water fly fisherman gets the thrill from sight-casting to their target. 
Many of us get the rush purely from watching the Red eat. Once we're hooked up, we horse them in and release them fast. I came up on a 28 inch with child one day in POC with her fat back out of the water and her belly dragging the flat. I felt bad about even casting to her but couldn't resist. She didn't want the first fly that bounced off her nose. A quick fly change later to the cheater fly and she took one look at it, then inhaled it with a fury and waked out of there like a slalom skier. 
If you get frustrated while sight casting, suck it up. You'll eventually run into one of us on the water and get to share your stories. If you have cash burning a hole in your pocket, call Tom Horbey or Scott Sommerlatte in POC and have them take you fly-fishing. It's a good way to learn the type of water you should be in and how to set up on a pod. In fact, if you want a casting lesson to fix your tailing loop or wind-knotting technique, call Anthony Grice - the master. 
Joining the club is easy, it just takes patience and a little skill. On a great day we have 20 - 30 fish to hand - all sight casting. On a really good day, we may have one fish a piece. 
What's really fun is chasing pods of Jacks crashing bait in the bay, setting up on them head-on, and having one rip the skin off your palm as it hits the fly while your stripping it. 
Don't get me started on tarpon fishing. But Texas tarpon takes patience. When you get a big chunk of money burning that hole again, head to the Keys, Holbox, Belize City or Puerto Rico. 
Man, I gotta go fishing.


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## phishyfotos (May 6, 2008)

Have you read a book called "Red Fish On A Fly" by Joe Guide ? He tells us what to do.


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## Trout Laguna (Aug 31, 2007)

I like both sides of this argument. but I firmly believe that meat hauling (killing excessive amounts of fish for the freezer that will never get eaten) is wrong and is what is wrong with pot lickin'. I think you should only keep enough to eat for yourself or a few people in an evening. Usually that's less than five fish. I would feel relatively comfortable saying that most people who engage in croaker soaking are out to kill as many fish as they catch that are legal. if you're the different than the masses and commonly use bait to catch fish that qualify as legal gamefish and release them, please forgive me for stereotyping you. 

But this is a great debate because it really is in the eye of the beholder, I can make great arguments for both sides. For instance, when conditions don't allow us to "see" fish in the water, it can take just as much stealth and expertise to catch fish on conventional gear in tough conditions than it might to catch fish on the fly in more conducive conditions. I personally prefer to sight fish all the time, but think that throwing topwater or more visual conventional fishing gear can be just as fun as sight casting with a fly. Either way, whether it's ten fish or two fish, it's a question of executing your game plan and feeling rewarded for your efforts. For any of you that want to sight cast with flies other anything else, I would like to fish with you sir.


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## Wading Away (May 26, 2004)

I'm coming home to Texas (Bayou Vista) in early June, bringing my 8 wt and a 5 or 6wt from Calgary (Google the Bow River. Fly fishing heaven!) My plan is fish exclusively with the fly rod, but as it is Galveston Bay and hopefully the surf, most will be blind casting. I hope to be able to resist the temptation to fall back on the conventional gear, but we'll see. As someone said before, after several hours of working the wind, the Chronarch will sound pretty good. By the way, if anyone has any tackle suggestions other than clousers in the obvious colors, I'd love to hear them. Though I've fished saltwater my whole life, the fly rod in salt water is still pretty new to me. 

I always find the keeping fish/meat haul discussion interesting. I've caught trout and reds in every way imagineable, from croakers (which I still find fun) to clousers. I rarely kept over 5, usually fewer than 3, quite often none. Style of fishing does not dictate whether or not you keep fish, personal preference does. I think the reason fly fishermen tend to keep less fish is because in general they have been fishing for a long time and they have learned that conserving the resource is more important to them than bringing home some food. I would say the same thing tends to apply to experienced fishermen regardless of methodology, though obviously there are exceptions. 

Since I've been fishing up here, I never keep fish. In fact, I haven't brought a fish home from a river in the 3 yrs I've been fishing in Canada. When I go home, I probably won't keep any either, unless my mom asks me to. Can't resist her. But for the most part, I'd rather let them go. I'm not advocating everyone does that, its just the way I've decided to do it.

By the way, any of you guys in the Oil and Gas industry ever make it up to Calgary, drop me a PM. I can show you some places where you'll have a legit shot at a big Brown or Rainbow (we call 'em Bow River Bullets!)


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

Yeah, I don't know how this turned into a meat haul thread, that wasn't my intention. For the record I may keep 6 out of every 100 reds I catch.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

Wading Away, clousers are always a good choice, but some other things to try are Decievers in the surf (red and white), shrimp patterns, and gold spoon flys for reds.


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## Wading Away (May 26, 2004)

Thanks gottago. I'll post some pics if I get lucky!


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