Cape Fear Flyfishers Meeting Minutes—17 April 2019
The casting clinic prior to the meeting had quite a few participants. The clinic will be held at 5:00 p.m. before each meeting until further notice.
President Ed Smith called the meeting to order and asked guests to introduce themselves. Guests were Gail Allen from Maine and Steve McNabb from Chicago.
The fly drawing was won by Jim White.
Treasurer Scott Ewing announced the treasury balance of $6,235. Dues to FFI will be paid from this balance in June. The May meeting will discuss in detail the benefits of belonging to FFI.
EVENTS CALENDAR & MEETING TOPICS
- 4 and 5 May – Carolina Saltwater Flyfishing Academy in Swansboro NC
- 11 May – Jerry Dilsaver will be holding a Kayak Fishing class on OKI at the Recreation Center
- 15 May meeting — Improve Your Casting. Hands-on casting practice, including a competition. This meeting will be held at the new Woodlands Pavilion in St. James
- 19 June — Summer picnic at the Woodlands Pavilion in St. James. No formal club meeting. Diane Wyte is coordinating the food
- 17 July meeting – Presentation from a local guide, yet to be determine 1
- 21 August meeting – Patrick Brady from Hunter Banks in Asheville will discuss trout fishing techniques
- 7 December — Holiday banquet at the Members Club in St. James. No formal club meeting
Jim White gave a survey form to each attendee to determine what casting skills they would most like to practice at our May meeting at the Woodlands pond.
Pond fishing will be held at The Woodlands Park Pond in St. James every Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. (except the third Wednesday of each month when we have our meeting), and will continue through the end of May. This is a good opportunity to get help and to practice your skills.
Dan Sokolowski offered some free boat equipment including a seat to go on a boat pedestal, a few local fishing charts, and a boat cover to fit a 15′ to 17′ skiff-style boat. The charts were claimed but the other equipment is still available. Please contact Dan directly if interested.
UPCOMING TRIPS
Rices Creek and Lake Waccamaw—Ed Smith and Forest Duncan are attempting to organize trips to these local locations. The trips will happen on short notice based on weather. Let Ed or Forest know if you’re interested.
Bristol TN—April 29 – May 1. Eleven members are signed up for this trip.
Belhaven NC—Striper fishing. This trip will be somewhat spur of the moment during a stretch of good weather, hopefully in May. Jerry Dilsaver said that this area can be fished from kayaks unless the wind is really blowing. More details to follow on this trip as it develops so make sure you sign up if you are interested in going along. The trip will most likely involve a one or two night stay in the surrounding area for those wanting to fish multiple days.
New River, Galax VA—Smallmouth bass fishing. There are two dates for this trip: August 5-7 and August 12-14. Each week six anglers can be accommodated on three boats. There is still one opening on this trip so contact Ed Smith if you are interested.
Maggie Valley NC—This
is the annual fall spousal trip and will occur the first or second week in
October. Jim Larson is coordinating the trip and he is waiting for confirmation
of dates from the condo folks. Please contact Jim or Ed if you are interested.
Wrightsville Beach NC—False albacore fishing in October or November. More to come on this trip. Richard Winter and Craig Thompson are coordinating this outing.
Florida Fling 2020—The Spring 2020 FL trip seems to be heading towards a “fishing tour of FL”, most likely beginning near the Ft. Pierce/Stuart area of Biscayne Bay for tarpon and snook, and then possibly driving south to the Keys to again target tarpon and snook. From the Keys, we would probably head west on the Tamiami Trail which cuts through the Everglades from Miami to Naples. This roadside has fishable canals where a wide variety of fish are available by walking or kayaking. The trip would most likely wind up near Sanibel and Captiva Islands to target redfish and snook. The flexibility of this trip allows people to join in and fish the areas that appeal to them most. So far six to eight members are interested. If you are interested in attending or have knowledge about fishing Florida, please let coordinator Nancy Fuller know.
OLD BUSINESS
Jim White discussed several activities he conducted, one with the St. James Fishing Club (SJFC). Jim reported that several SJFC members who attended his evening presentation showed up the next day for casting and fishing at the Woodlands pond. Jim also held another casting clinic which, unfortunately, had to be held indoors at the St. James Community Center due to heavy storms. Jim reported overall success and lots of generated interest from his efforts. Big thanks to Jim for holding these workshops!
WHAT’S BITING
Jim White reported that he is catching some sizeable speckled trout at the end of his street on Oak Island.
Forest Duncan fished the Black River recently and shared information regarding launch ramps and fishing in the area. Forest discussed a ramp at Hunts Bluff Wildlife Boat Ramp near Atkinson along with Henry’s Landing and another ramp near Ivanhoe.
Forest said the water
was extremely high when he went so it is important to check the water levels
before attempting to fish the Black River. Forest reported he caught an
American Shad but he said that overall the water was too high to fish.
Typically, bass, bream, and bluegills are available in this area and Forest
added that he’s had success using a popper-dropper rig to catch bream, etc.
NEW GEAR
Ed Smith showed a waterproof backpack by Arcadia along with neoprene waterproof Wading Socks by Dex Shell.
PROGRAM
Steve Moore introduced program speaker Chris Tyron of Hook, Line, and Paddle, located on Eastwood Rd. in Wilmington NC. Steve said he bought his first kayak from Chris and then hired him for a guided fishing tour. Steve said he’s been hooked ever since.
Chris began by saying that kayaks are now the top selling boat in all categories. Chris said a 12′ kayak is sort of the sweet spot for kayaks as far as being able to cover a good amount of water efficiently, maneuverability, and storage space for fishing gear. Chris said there’s a trade off with longer kayaks—while there have a better glide ratio for each stroke, there is decreased maneuverability.
Seat comfort is an important factor to consider when choosing a kayak. When selecting a seat, keep in mind that you may be sitting in it for hours so make sure you’re comfortable in whatever seat you select.
Rod holders are now installed on kayaks on aluminum tracks so their locations are adjustable. Also, the rod holders themselves are adjustable and can accommodate many different styles of fishing rods. Cleats are also available for the rod tracks.
Another important feature to consider on any kayak is an anchor trolley which allows easy access to the anchor line. The trolley allows the boat to be positioned in different directions for ease of fishing. An anchor trolley can also be added to older kayaks and Chris said they are a game changer.
Sit-on-top kayaks can be self-bailing and are the way to go for fishing behind the breakers or offshore. Some sit-on-top kayaks are also stable enough to stand on to fly cast.
Sit-in kayaks do not self bail. Chris likes the Native brand 12′ for inshore fishing which is stable enough to stand in and fly cast.
Chris said it is extremely important to have a comfortable life jacket and to always wear it! A good, comfortable life jacket for flyfishing from a kayak is one designed similar to a flyfishing vest with lots of pockets for gear.
Another important piece of gear is a good paddle. Paddles range in price based on what they are made of which can be aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or a combination of materials. Chris said to buy the nicest paddle that you can afford because as the price increases, the paddle weight decreases. Paddles also come in different lengths.
Chris prefers a single claw anchor. It’s effective on loose bottoms and is easy to clean. He said a multiple claw folding anchor takes too long to dig into the bottom and you will usually lose considerable ground before grabbing the bottom.
A whistle is also required on a kayak. Make sure you get a safety whistle which is a whistle that doesn’t have a ball in it.
Chris said that as far as flies that work well in our area for saltwater fishing, his favorite is the Clouser minnow. In clear water, he suggested using chartreuse and white or chartreuse and pink. In dirty, dingy water like the Cape Fear River, he suggests using brown and copper or dark green and copper. Try to match the Clouser size to the baitfish that are in the area.
Chris also likes shrimp patterns. He said in June and July, a great shrimp pattern is a simple one tied with craft foam with a darker color on top. Tie this fly like a gurgler which will give a little pop when it is stripped.
Chris likes the spoon fly in various sizes for redfish. Tie it weedless and let it slowly sink to the bottom, then fish it slow using small twitches. Chris said although this fly can be used all year, he uses spoon flies mostly in winter because when the water is warm and fish are actively chasing bait, he tends to use Clousers and shrimp patterns.
Chris briefly discussed wind. He clarified that wind direction is always the direction from where the wind originates. In other words, if the wind is coming from the southwest, that is a southwest wind blowing towards the northeast. Chris said that wind is something to consider when fishing because it is good to start paddling into the wind so you have a push from the wind on the home bound leg. Our area has a prevailing southwest wind during the summer.
Chris said that many paddlers begin to struggle in winds over 10 mph so the forecast wind speed should be considered before planning a kayak trip. He added that when going against the wind, you may be better off zigzagging in little pockets of protected water behind grass banks, docks, etc. You may paddle over more ground, but overall the paddling will be easier. Chris said it’s always important to stay aware of your surroundings and how the weather may be shifting while you’re on the water and ALWAYS check the forecast before heading out.
Also always consider the tide in your planning. Make your goal to be going with the tide instead of paddling against it.
Chris said when fishing for speckled trout, he uses a longer leader if it is not real deep. He also ties his Clousers with a heavier dumbbell eye or switches from floating line to intermediate sinking line. Chris said the differences between paddle and pedal kayaks are the muscle groups used to power the kayak plus pedal kayaks are much heavier than paddle kayaks. Pedal kayaks are faster and keep your hands free but need about 14″ of water for clearance of the drive system. Paddle kayaks can float in as little as 4″ of water.
As far as transporting a kayak, various loading systems, carts, and trailers are available with different wheel combinations, etc., all designed to work on various terrains and in different situations.
The basic thing to consider when getting into kayaking is to determine where you want to go in it because that will determine the type of kayak that best suit your needs.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Fuller
Secretary