Cape Fear Flyfishers Meeting Minutes—January 17, 2018
No one braved the cold weather to participate in the pond-side casting prior to the meeting— hopefully next month!!!!
New President Ed Smith called the meeting to order and Treasurer Scott Ewing reported that we have $3,822 in the bank to start the year with, before dues are accounted for.
The fly drawing was won by Dan Smith.
In addition to the 34 members present, new members and guests in attendance included Al Martin, Ron Harris, Scott Bleacher, Dean Gayther, and John Kauffmann.
There were no meeting minutes to approve from December since we held our annual banquet at the Members Club; forty-eight people attended. The following awards were presented:
2017 Cape Fear Flyfishers Awards
2017 Chow Down
Award
Virginia Brown
2017 Poetry in
Motion
Matt Kraker
2017 Rookie of
the Year
Diane Wyte
2017 Most
Improved Fly Caster Award
Linda Rives
2017 Most Enthusiastic Award
Nancy Fuller
2017 Nancy Fuller
Fish Finder Award
Forest Duncan
2017 Frequent Flier
Fly Angler Award
Joe Rinaldi
2017 Dan
Neuschafer Angler of the Year
Steve Moore
2017 Smallest
Fish of the Year
Ed Smith
2017 Largest Fish
of the Year
Rick Enz
Recognition –
Treasurer
Tony Mangiapane
Recognition –
Secretary
Forest Duncan
President’s Award
Ed Smith
Recognition of
Outgoing President
Jim White
Our next meeting is February 21 and will cover “Flyfishing in the Southern Appalachians.” Jim Larson is coordinating the meeting with Hunter Banks in Asheville and a trip with Hunter Banks may be added to our 2018 trip schedule. Hunter Banks also guides in the Bristol TN area and they will be discussing all the waters near Asheville and Bristol.
UPCOMING CLASSES
Jerry Dilsaver has two upcoming classes at the OKI Community Center—February 3 and
February 10. The February 3rd date is filled according to the OKI website. Both classes cover how to fish the waters around OKI and Southport but neither class is specifically about fly fishing.
Dan Smith is hosting a fly tying class for beginners who have no prior tying experience. The
class can accommodate six students. If you are interested, you can email Dan Smith at dansmithmaryland@aol.com. The class will be cost approximately $60 and includes a set of take home tools and some tying materials for practice. The class will be held at the St. James Community Center at 10:30 a.m. on February 13.
UPCOMING TRIPS
Bristol TN—This area is primarily for float fishing on two world-famous rivers, the Watauga and the South Fork of the Holston. Unfortunately, neither of these rivers is good for wade fishing due to the unpredictable power generation schedule which creates very fast and dangerous conditions.
Two area alternatives for wading are the Virginia Creeper Trail which follows an old railroad bed from Abington VA to Damascus VA. The trail runs along three different bodies of water over a distance of 34 miles. Another wading opportunity exists with member Ray Kozen at the Riverbound Club in SW Virginia. This club has 12 miles of private stream on four different rivers. If you go with Ray, the rod fee drops from $150 to $100 per day and you don’t have to hire a guide. Ray is not yet sure that he will be able to do this trip so let Jim White know soon if you have any interest in going with Ray.
Fishing in the Bristol TN area may require you to have both TN and VA fishing licenses, depending on where you fish. Please let Jim White know soon what you would like to do on this trip so that he can arrange guides and boats.
New River VA—The New River trip will use the same guide(s) as the Bristol TN trip. New River is known as one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the world. Tentative dates are July or August 2018.
Maggie Valley NC—Dates for this trip are October 7-12, 2018 and both float and wade fishing are available on the heavily stocked Tuckasegee River. Maggie Valley is near Asheville and Waynesboro so the area offers a lot of things for accompanying non-fishing spouses to do. Spouses and significant others are encouraged to come along on this trip.
Condo rentals are available at the Maggie Valley Club. Sign up soon with Jim White if you plan to go along on this trip.
Twin Bridges MT—Harry Gobble is leading this trip and has openings for one or three more anglers. Dates are June 24-29, 2018 and a commitment must be made now if you plan to go along.
Patagonia—Joe Rinaldi is leading this trip which is in the planning stage for January 2019. Folks interested in this trip met at the end of the official meeting. See the recent club email sent by Ed Smith for more details.
WHAT’S BITING?
Jim White and Richie Winter were fishing on January 16 in Davis Creek. Jim caught a nice red on the fly using a fiddler crab pattern.
Bill Buschbaum was fishing with Captain Seth Vernon on December 18 and caught seven or
eight nice reds in Buzzard Bay behind Bald Head Island. The pair reported that many large schools of fish were sighted.
NEW GEAR AND GADGETS
Nancy Fuller showed her Frogg Toggs Cascade flyfishing jacket which she purchased online
at Amazon for $59. The jacket seems to be quite waterproof after two fishing excursions in the rain.
Jim White discussed his Rio cold water Redfish line. The line cost about $99 but Jim reports it doesn’t kink up in cold water.
Ed Smith showed his 4 piece, 6 wt. Orvis Encounter flyfishing outfit. The rod/reel combo is
available in 5, 6, and 8 weights and has a large arbor reel. Ed’s
outfit cost $169 at Feathercraft. Ed suggested this is a great outfit for a
beginner or for a practice outfit. Feathercraft also has a nice storage case to
fit this outfit which includes an attached reel pocket so you can leave your
reel on your rod.
REPORT FROM PAST CLASSES
Dan Smith hosted a fly casting class at the St. James Community Center pond on January 10.
Twelve people attended. Everyone seemed to enjoy the class and learned a lot. Dan will be having another casting class in about three months.
NEW BUSINESS
Registration forms and dues were collected for 2018. If you haven’t yet submitted your form and/or dues, please do so soon so that the accounting required by our parent organization can be completed and submitted.
CAPTAIN SETH VERNON OF DOUBLE HAUL GUIDE SERVICE was our featured speaker
Seth began his guiding career fishing for trout in Boone NC in
1997. He brings a technical approach to his salt guiding. He says the most
important things to keep in mind for fishing saltwater are: 1. Distance in your
cast, 2. Strip strike vs. rod strike, 3. Good sight fishing— polarized lens are
a must and, 4. Stealth. These are the basic requirements.
CASTING IS ESSENTIAL—Casting accurately 40′ to 60′ is critical. Beyond 60′ you don’t have enough purchase to set the big saltwater hook in the hard mouth of the fish because there is too much stretch in the line, the leader, the knots, etc. You must get in the ready position in order to cast. First, strip your fly line off of the reel and then stretch the line and false cast it completely out—this shows the guide your range ability. Strip the line back in loose coils and leave 10′ to 15′ of fly line/leader outside the rod tip. This deposits the line you want to cast on top of the pile. Line from your cushion under the middle finger of your rod hand. Grasp the fly with your thumb and forefinger by the bend in the hook: line hand.
Pointers on maintaining your fly line: Stretch it often, clean it every day with a clean rag. Keep your boat clean from algae etc. because it will get on your fly line. Always bring your reel cover to protect the anodized finish of the reel from bangs, etc. Do not use spray sunscreen or bug spray while on board as it will be all over your boat and then get on your fly line. Sunscreen destroys fly lines.
To clean line: Can use Armor All like 404 in handi-wipe packets; Rio line cleaner; Loon line cleaner (is very good and is Seth’s favorite).
Seth uses floating line except he uses sinking line for fishing off of the beach or for chasing albacore, bonito, cobia, and striped bass. He also uses sinking line for sea trout on our biggest moon phases. On light moon phases he uses an intermediate tip line. He uses mostly a 20 lb. leader on the flats and maybe a 16 lb. in deep water.
Most redfish fishing is done in water from your knee to your calf in depth.
Positions on the boat: 12 o’clock position is the bow of the boat, not where you are facing. Point your rod tip slowly and make adjustments slowly and in small increments.
Shots should roughly be between 10 and 2. Try to avoid casting beyond the fish or perpendicular to its path of travel. Avoid casting to the 1 o’clock position as this cast could hook your guide on the back cast. If you have to cast and can’t turn the boat in time or have interference from structure, etc., try to make a back cast—between 1 and 3 o’clock for righties and between 11 to 9 o’clock for lefties. Learn to cast with one hand in any situation. Do not cast a fly where the prey, i.e. the fly, attacks the predator—this is not natural. Try to cast in a 2 foot box in the fish’s line of travel. Try to get 45°, head-on shots.
Cone of vision: Consider the cone of vision of the fish in the water column. He can see other fish and avian predators and he can see you too!
Boat etiquette includes stealth. Avoid loud noises and flash made by conversation, body movement, clothing colors, cell phones, vibrations, and fly presentation. Wear earth tones and/or blues and grays; black or camo during the winter months. Step lightly while aboard the fishing boat and try to avoid dropping things, rocking the boat during the cast, or putting ripples on the water. Try to avoid brightly colored fly lines such as yellow, pink, and orange; Seth prefers gray, blue, or white lines. Use stealth in all things.
Fish Behaviors
- Cruising
- Winking/Mooning
- Backing/Pushing
- Tailing
- Busting
- Laid Up/Finning
Cruising fish are headed somewhere. Forget about trying to catch them. Usually they are moving to a different area, usually with the tide or at a 45° angle to the tide. They can be running from something. These fish are moving fast. Most shots will occur with fish patrolling a piece of structure. Usually fish for these fish during mid and dead low tide phases. Use very light colored shrimp and baitfish patterns and breathing patterns, e.g. Borski’s patterns. Try for a head-on or a side-to-side shot.
Winking (mooning) fish are schooling fish swimming in formation and rolling on their sides over a live bottom. You will see the white belly of the fish. Seth believes winking is a feeding behavior and happens when the fish is sipping prey. Cast to a fish on the outside of the school or two to three fish deep into the school and in front—do not cast to the middle of the school or you will scare the whole school. Use this same casting strategy for tarpon. Mullet and menhaden also display winking behavior. Winking is up tide of the mud, not down tide. The fish do not swim through the dirty water. Winking fish are happy fish.
Backing/Pushing fish are in very shallow water making ripples with their backs. These fish are normally found entering or exiting the shallowest lagoons and bays. These fish may be schooled and chasing prey. These fish are spooky and you may have to wade close to them and then let them come to you. Avoid lining these fish.
Tailing fish have their heads down eating crabs, etc. so their tails may be out of the water and their cone of vision is very small. These fish are moving slowly. Low tide tailing fish are usually in big schools. Redfish don’t like wind on their tails and if it is windy the reds will stay on a leeward shore. Place the fly about 16″ or less in front of the fish and begin a slow retrieve when the fish starts cruising. Don’t move the fly too much in front of these fish. Keep the fly line tight, do not strip, but just vibrate the tip of the rod. The fish will feel the vibration and go after the fly. Some guides will present a slider in front of and beyond a tailing fish and slide or pop it subtly on the fish’s projected path. Tailing fish are actively eating! Don’t use your 12 lb. tippet for these fish. Go on and use a 20 lb. leader.
Busting fish are not very common so we don’t see much of this behavior, but these fish may jump out of the water etc. during feeding. Busting fish are actively feeding on the surface on shrimp, menhaden, or mullet. This behavior is more common with trout than with redfish. Fish will bust rapidly while heading into a creek but will bust very slowly while exiting the creek. They may turn around and go back into the creek and bust again. Busting is similar to a whale feeding on krill in that there is so much bait available, the fish are just moving along slowly and scooping up bait. To fish for busting fish, start with a slow presentation when you see only a small surface strike. If the fish are chasing and busting bait, present your fly immediately and make lots of surface disturbance in front of the fish with your fly. When a fish eats the fly, continue stripping to guarantee the fish hooks up well. Most anglers miss the strip set on top water fishing because the strike is so exciting. Do not lift your rod on the strike because you will pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth since the fish takes a big mouthful of water when they bust and the fly will come out with the water.
Laid Up/Finning fish are happy fish. They are motionless and can be in large schools and appear to be sleeping. This usually occurs on very calm days and more in the winter. Many times tarpon exhibit this behavior. This typically happens at high tide when the fish are backed into a grass bank where they can ambush prey swimming past. These fish are hard to spot so you will typically blind cast to an area that you suspect might be holding fish. These fish may be seen “fining” in slick and calm water on hot mornings. You can throw top water gurgler flies to the outside fish in these schools.
New River NC near Camp Lejune (not to be confused with New River VA) is a great clear water fishery. It is a good place to go in the summer during tourist season. It is hard packed sand so you can wade fish this area. Stone’s Bay is a good place to fish.
Snow’s Cut is a good location for bait fishing, over slot redfish, and flounder. You will lose lots of fishfinder rigs in Snow’s Cut. Seth fishes the river side of Snow’s Cut
Fishing the dredge hole on the back side below Carolina Beach State Park is a good place for sight fishing.
Fly selection
First ask yourself what the tide is doing and what the fish are doing.
Use weighted flies in water 12″ and deeper or where there is a current or grass. If fishing for tailing fish, a weighted fly will stay in their cone of vision. Examples are Clouser Minnows, Murdich’s Wiggler, Dorsy’s Kwan, Borski’s Redfish Slider, and Red Rodeo Minnow.
Use un-weighted flies in 10″ of water or less with little or no current. Use these for backing, tailing, or pushing fish. Examples are MOE flies, Sea Ducer’s Deceivers, Epoxy Shrimp, and Mighty Minnow. Seth also likes the shrimp fly made by Umpqua called the Supreme Hair Shrimp.
Sliders (typically a deer hair style fly) and top water flies are used in 12″ or deeper water when water temperatures are 77º F and above. Use for busting and cruising fish and for blind casting. Examples are Rattle Mullet, Martin’s Crease fly, Martin’s Disc Slider, and Vernon’s Jalapeno Popper.
Crab flies are used in 12″ or shallower water. These flies are favorite redfish prey. Use for tailing fish doing headstands and mudding. Slowly drag these flies—do not strip them hard. Examples are Del’s Merkin, Captain Crabby, Flexo Crab, and Chard’s Foamy Permit Crab.
Searching fly—the confidence fly that garners a reactionary strike. Keep in mind that certain anglers just fish certain flies with more skill based on their own stripping style. Examples are Weber’s Rattle Shrimp, Murdich’s Wiggler, Flexo Crab, Rattle Mullet, and Mighty Minnow.
The Rattle Mullet is an awesome top water fly. Seth’s caught snook, tarpon, redfish, and sea trout with this fly. Fish it on a sink tip line and it’s like a MirroLure for trout. You can mend and sink the fly.
Tie the Jalapeño Popper in chartreuse. You can use this fly for lots of species.
Most flies Seth uses are between sizes 2 and 1/0. Use bigger profile patterns in the summer and use smaller flies in the winter. Also consider tying plain white flies and carrying Sharpie markers along to color them as needed while fishing.
If all else fails, try a fly with a rattle, e.g. a Rattle Shrimp. Maybe try a white fly in dirty water like in Dutchman’s Creek or in tannin stained rivers.
Seth also recommends scanning the flats for fish from right to left instead of from left to right. This direction makes our brains look harder since it is “not the usual way” we scan the horizon. You may see more fish as a result.
Have a nautical chart or map at your home where you can pinpoint and log the tides and where and when you caught fish. Many times fish will be in the same areas at the same times.
Good guides should teach you three new things each day.
Tim Landis is a good guide in Bristol TN and he ties a great sub-surface fly to use on the South Holston called the Landis Lego. In April use Blue-wing Olives and midges. Fish the Holston by fishing down and across. The Pisgah National Forest is also a good spot to fish for wild trout in NC. There are rainbows, browns, and brook trout. The brook trout are above a specific waterfall. There is very good smallmouth fishing on the James and Roanoke rivers in Virginia and Borski’s Bonefish Slider by Orvis in sizes 2 or 4 is a great fly to use on these two rivers.
Stripers in the Cape Fear River is the toughest fishery we have. Most fish are caught trolling with lots of lines out, Lift Lures, and stuff that makes noise. Seth doesn’t advise fly fishing this area for stripers. If you do, try a fly rod with a top water fly towards evening when the stripers come to the top. You may be able to catch them on a Crease fly. Most fish are holding between 6′ and 20′ deep.
An open mind set makes the best client for the guide. Be flexible and willing to change the plan based on the conditions, etc. Don’t be afraid not to go! Don’t worry about bringing flies because the guide will have what works for the type of fishing you will be doing. Good casting is far more important than bringing flies.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Fuller
Secretary