Notes from Seth’s presentation to the club.

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 and 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.

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.