A Story of the Importance of MedEvac Coverage...

For the past years, I have been booking clients all over the world for fishing and have always recommended that clients elect, at a minimum, a “MedEvac” policy while traveling and fishing. As with all outdoor recreation, there are always potential risks of travel, being around water, transporting in boats, float planes, etc, and just being in the great outdoors. Another fact is that, while fly fishing takes us to some of the most beautiful and remote locales on earth, this pursuit also brings us to regions where there are often limited medical services and facilities, if at all. It is for these reasons that I have a medical evacuation policy with Global Rescue - a few hundred dollars goes a long way for peace of mind while traveling and fishing around the globe.

Well, this truth was never more apparent than last week while on the remote island of South Caicos in the Caribbean. I feel the need to share this event in hopes that you will evaluate your own future fishing adventures and realize that you “need” this coverage if you fish abroad and/or in remote regions. The story begins…

My group and I had already spent a wonderful week wading the flats for Bonefish at South Caicos. On the last morning before fishing, father Bob and son Dave were in their room getting dressed and ready for the day of fishing. Dave told his father that he was going down to the kitchen to get some coffee for them. Upon returning to the room, he noticed that Bob was standing at the foot of his bed with a blank look on his face… Dave immediately knew something was wrong. I was immediately notified, went up to their room, and Dave said that his father might have just had a stroke.

Being the agent/host of the trip, I knew that Bob had secured Global Rescue coverage and asked for his membership card. I immediately called Global Rescue and they took command of the situation from there. When the island doctor and ambulance arrived, we transported Bob to the island’s only medical clinic. It was a basic clinic with limited facilities and no specialized equipment to care for a serious medical condition such as this. While there, Global Rescue coordinated a phone conference between the island doctor and Global Rescue’s medical consulting team at John Hopkins Hospital – they diagnosed that he indeed had a stroke. They assessed his condition and confirmed an urgent status requiring the need for Global Rescue to deploy their medical team in a medical jet. While they were assembling their medical flight team, Global Rescue began communications with us to confirm passport numbers and the flight plan for arrival on South Caicos.

Within a few hours, we were notified that the jet was on approach to South Caicos and we transported Bob and Dave to the South Caicos airport to meet the jet. Never in my life have I been so happy to see a jet on an airstrip – help had arrived. After receiving approval of their return flight plan, the medical jet transported Bob and Dave to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Bob was admitted to one of the nation’s top medical clinics. He stayed there for 4 days while the clinic conducted the necessary scans and stabilized his condition. His condition improved during his stay and was cleared for transfer home to a hospital in Sacramento, CA for continued care.

Amazingly, Global Rescue’s care and service continued all the way back to Sacramento. Global Rescue booked Bob a first class seat on a commercial airline and escorted him with their flight nurse to monitor and care for him during the return flight to Sacramento. To summarize, Bob remained under the care of Global Rescue from the airstrip on South Caicos, to Ft. Lauderdale for intermediary medical care, and all the way back home to Sacramento where he was finally admitted to a hospital for further care.

Today, I spent time visiting with Bob and his family at the hospital. Bob was in good spirits and, thankfully, his condition continues to improve each day. He and his family are very thankful for the service and care that Global Rescue provided.

On my flight home from South Caicos, I had the chance to reflect on the events that occurred that morning. In my mind, I tried to run through the various scenarios of not having Global Rescue in this incident… it was a confusing, complex, and downright scary picture. What I realized is that securing medical evacuation coverage gives one peace of mind and, most importantly, the feeling that “help is on the way” when an incident occurs. Nothing was more hopeful and comforting in this situation than this feeling - “help is on the way.”

Also during my in-flight mental evaluation of this incident, I thought of some important pre-trip preparations that travelers should complete before commencing travel on any trip. Once you have secured Global Rescue coverage, here are some highlighted points that will help facilitate evacuation and proper medical response if needed:

• Notify Global Rescue of your future travel plans (destination, itinerary, purpose, etc.)
• Ensure that there is a reliable means of communication on the trip (international cell phone [GSM or CDMA], SAT phone, land line, etc.)
• Keep a current list of medications and medical history along with your Global Rescue card; I recommend writing this information on a sticky note and sealing it on the back of your Global Rescue card.
• Appoint a “buddy” (or host) for the trip who knows the whereabouts or has a copy of your Global Rescue card, emergency contact, and medical information (medical history, medications, etc.); the scenario is if you should become unconscious, somebody on your trip knows the whereabouts of your information and can communicate your medical information to the Global Rescue agent and medical team.
• Leave your trip itinerary, medical history / medication list, and Global Rescue number with your emergency contact(s) back at home.

In final, I hope that this story will encourage you to evaluate your own future vacation travels and realize that Global Rescue coverage is essential. It can give you peace of mind and serve you in times of medical need while traveling abroad and/or in remote regions. Being a first responder in this incident and witnessing Global Rescue perform at the highest level of professionalism confirmed my confidence in their coverage and service.

I wish you safe travels while Angling On The Fly.

Keith Kaneko

Angling On The Fly

For more information, please feel free to email me at Keith@AnglingOnTheFly.com or visit the Global Rescue website

Travel and Fish with Peace-of-Mind

Angling On The Fly is now proud to offer MedEvac coverage by Global Rescue. Weather you are traveling to the most remote regions of the world (or anywhere just 161 miles from home) and need hospitalization, Global Rescue provides the most comprehensive MedEvac coverage. Visit Global Rescue to review their coverage and enroll. Safe travels and Fish On!

Article: Tight Line Nymph Fishing by Bill Carnazzo

Bill Carnazzo, one of N. California's authorities on "Tight Line" nymphing tactics...

Here is a great mini-article written by guide and signature fly tier, Bill Carnazzo. Bill guides on the following Northern California premier Trout fisheries:

• North Yuba near Downieville
• Upper Middle Fork American River Canyon, including the following streams in that canyon: Rubicon River (upper and lower); the Middle Fork American above French Meadows; Long Canyon Creek; Wallace Creek; the North Fork of the Middle Fork American; and Duncan Creek.
• Upper Sacramento River and McCloud River

He applies short line nymph fishing tactics on all of these rivers and has written a very informative piece about this technique. Here it is...

Short Line (aka Tight Line) Nymph Fishing

General points. Short line nymphing is a highly effective method for fishing pocket water—but it requires “paying your dues” in order to master its many nuances. This means a lot of patience and practice over an extended time. There is no silver bullet and no substitute for putting in the time on the water. Once mastered, the short line technique will become intuitive. What follows is a brief description designed to keep it simple.

Casting technique. Begin with about 3 feet of fly line outside the top rod guide. This means that you have 3’ of line, about 9’ of leader/tippet, 9’ of rod, and 3’ of arm length (plus all the distance you can lean forward) to work with. That’s at least 24 feet, enabling you to cover the water by fishing close in or farther out. Toss the rig downstream so that you can use “water load” to assist you in making the cast, which is a simple roll cast directed at the point where you want the flies to land. Do not try to execute a regular back/forward cast as you will end up with messy tangles and lost fishing time. Once the line is downstream, raise the rod to the vertical position, take aim, and make the roll cast.

Angler position to target. Angle the cast 45 degrees upstream—in other words, your target position for where the flies land needs to be ¾ upstream. This, of course, will determine where you position yourself in the stream. Remember: the short line technique always begins with an upstream cast. Don’t worry about the flies splashing down and making noise; ambient noise in pocket water is always present, and fish don’t generally spook when flies are tossed into the pocket.

The drift.

• As soon as the flies hit the water, begin moving the rod tip downstream.
• Keep the rod in a horizontal position; don’t raise the rod tip because that pulls the flies off the bottom. If you have a hard time with this, raise the reel instead of the rod tip.
• Keep the rod tip moving so as to lead the flies through the drift. Never let the flies “get ahead” by sliding under the rod. This introduces slack which nullifies the effectiveness of this technique, which depends on maintaining a tight connection between the flies/weight and the indicator.
• The line should remain in a 45 degree angle to the water during the entire drift; i.e., the angle formed by leading the rig should be 45 degrees. When the rig passes you, then you can let it swing through the remainder of the drift.
• If the leader is moving through the water at the same speed as the top water current, you are probably getting fly drag on the bottom—which is just as bad as drag during a dry fly drift. This is caused by the fact that, due to friction created by a rocky bottom, the water flows more slowly on the bottom than on top. Slow the rig down by adding weight. Yes, you will hang up and lose flies from time to time—but you need to be on the bottom where the fish live.
• Watch the in-line indicator* carefully. If you maintain your tight connection during the drift, the indicator will tell you what your flies are doing. If the indicator hesitates, or otherwise moves in an unusual manner, execute a strike motion. Don’t second guess—i.e., don’t rationalize that the hesitation was caused by a rock, stick or other debris. Just react.
• Don’t strike by raising the rod tip; this takes the flies out of the water and, potentially, into the overhanging vegetation. It will also cause tangles and lost fishing time. Proper strike technique is to flick your wrist downstream and at the water. This keeps the flies in the water and, to boot, moves the flies faster than an upward motion due to the parabolic action of the rod, and its need to fight gravity.
• The short line technique is entirely visual; if you are waiting for the “feel” of a strike, you are missing 80-90% of the strikes. If you keep a tight line with the proper angle back to the flies, your indicator will tell you the story and when to strike.
• If you are not ticking bottom and occasionally hanging up, you are not down deep enough. Add weight in small increments to deepen the drift, and/or slow it down.

If you are interested in booking a guide trip with Bill, here is his contact information:

Bill Carnazzo
Spring Creek Guide Service
(916) 295-9353 (C)
www.billcarnazzo.com
bcarnazzo@ftcnet.net

Social Networking On The Fly!

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Instruction: Spey and Switch Rod Class on the Lower Yuba River

Ryan Miller casting a "wedge" (photo by Andy Guibord)

Ryan Miller of Northern Waters Fly Fishing is offering a spey and switch rod class on our local fishery, the Lower Yuba River in Northern California.  He is offering two dates for this class, and yours truly will be assisting with the November 22nd class.  So, if you have interest in learning how to cast these rods and fish flies on the swing, please read below for the details and Ryan's contact information...

Spey and Switch Rod Instruction on the Lower Yuba River

These classes will be held on the Lower Yuba River and will be dedicated to exploring the world of spey casting and utilizing spey techniques. Learn everything from how to hold the rod to properly working a run. We will show you how to select rods, reels, lines, tips, flies, spey casts and water. We will dive into Skagit, Scandinavian and long belly line applications. If you do not own a two-handed rod, no problem, we will show you how to do everything on a single-handed rod.

Two Class Options:
November 8: 5 anglers max cost is $100 per person (instructor: Ryan Miller)
November 22: 10 anglers max, cost is $75 per person (instructors: Ryan Miller and Keith Kaneko)

Students will be taken on a first come, first serve basis and ability does not matter.

Both classes will start at 9am and end at 5pm.

For questions and/or enrollment, contact Ryan Miller:
Email: rhmiller@gmail.com
Phone: 530-913-8312
Website: www.northernwatersflyfishing.com/

Trip Report: Tarpon Cay Lodge (August 17 - 22, 2009)

Gary Fritz and guide, Carlos, with a nice Snook...

The following report has just come in from Bill Ninke of Flemington NJ who spent a week fishing Tarpon Cay Lodge with his good friend, Gary Fritz of Cascade, MT. Bill's report is very informative and provides some excellent suggestions for a successful trip to Tarpon Cay Lodge. Thank you Bill for taking the time to write such a detailed report!

“I’m back home in New Jersey enduring deep withdrawal symptoms after returning from a wonderful week in San Felipe. The weather home this past week has been warmer and more humid than it was in Mexico. My wife volunteers that it was even worse while I was away. This has motivated my considerable sympathy toward her plight but has also spurred my thoughts of returning next August.

I had many memorable moments during my week at Tarpon Cay Lodge. Let me cover just a few where a lesson was learned that might be helpful to future guests.

My direct flight from Newark to Cancun arrived at 12:30 pm on Sunday. My fishing partner, Gary, had to take a flyover tour of most of the US to get to Cancun from Montana so didn’t arrive until 4:30 pm. So, while waiting for Gary (also Keith, Tad, and Bob) in the Berry Hill Restaurant I had a chance to tie up some of the baby tarpon leaders that Keith has recently recommended in this blog. I’d read Bill Kiene’s nice article on “Fishing for Baby Tarpon” in which he recommended buying fresh Hard Mason leader material, which deteriorates rapidly, before going on a trip. So I had purchased several coils in 30, 25, and 20 pound test in my local sporting goods store just before leaving and used these for the leaders.

Shortly after our arrival at San Felipe Beto served a wonderful seafood dinner that was to be a harbinger of the excellent meals to follow during the week, Let me say now that the food at Tarpon Cay during the entire week was the best lodge food I’ve ever had. After dinner, the guides appeared to help us set up our tackle. Imagine my surprise when my guide tested and busted every knot in the leaders I had so carefully tied in Cancun. Then he retied my leaders using the same Mason I had brought with me and busted all his knots also. My thoughtfully bought “fresh” Mason obviously wasn’t so fresh. Imagine my panic at having zillions of flies, rods, reels, and lines and no leaders. Fortunately, Keith had some extra Mason which he had bought from Bill Kiene and gave it to Gary and me. This proved to be truly fresh Mason and the remainder of my and Gary’s trip was rescued. So, let me strongly recommend now to anyone reading this blog to tie your Mason leaders before you leave home and test them out. Keith recommends a 3 turn blood knot. I like a 4 turn blood knot moistened well with saliva and tightened using wraps around leather gloves on your hands, stretching the knots between your knees. This really draws the knots down tight. Good knots look like small very compact barrels and don’t fail.

Gary and I had both been to Isla Holbox to fish for big tarpon two times previously and were anxious to try for the big tarpon at Tarpon Cay. Initial morning winds weren’t too bad each of the first three mornings so we ran for one hour to fish near the light house. Unfortunately, the winds continually picked up as each mornings progressed and, although we had a few shots at bigger tarpon, we never got any solid hook ups. Both of us did catch some small jacks and Gary landed two big snook on a red and white 3/0 Whistler.

Gary is a professional guide and casts like Steve Rajeff, at least it seems so to me. I’m barely an intermediate caster. So while Gary threw cast after beautiful long cast, I struggled with my 11 wgt. What’s to learn from all this? First, don’t go for the big tarpon unless the water is glassy calm. It’s not only one hour getting there, but one hour returning which really cuts into the time you could be fishing for baby tarpon near the Lodge. Second, practice with at least a 9 wgt rod if you don’t fish saltwater regularly and want to try for big tarpon. I had spent all my preparation time for the trip tying an enormous selection of flies. I hadn’t practiced casting at all. This was a big mistake.

Bob and Keith chose not to fish on the second afternoon so volunteered their guide to Gary and me. So we both went solo for the afternoon. The wind was starting to howl and the tide was up so my guide took me to some somewhat sheltered creek mouths in the mangroves well west of the “Bird Island”. The wind had stirred things up so that there were lots of weeds in the water and foam piled up on the shore, even in the mouths. Fishing was very frustrating since my fly would pick up weeds on almost every cast. My guide quickly noticed this problem and asked if I had any weedless patterns. I had tied a few SeaDucers with weed guards to use in the creeks with all the under water branches and he picked out a tannish one from my box and tied it on. This turned the whole afternoon around. The tarpon were stacked under the foam blankets at the edge of the shore, not really showing themselves, but very willing to come out and attack a fly placed a few feet into the clearer but still weedy water. The last two hours of the day were heaven for me, the absolute best stretch of saltwater fishing I’ve ever experienced. I must have had 30 tarpon attack my fly, hooked up about 20 of them, and finally landed about a dozen. Neither Gary nor Tad had fished a weedless fly that afternoon and, with all the wind and weeds, hadn’t done well at all.

So my lesson here is to take some weedless flies with you, not only to use in the creeks, but also on the flats when weeds are prevalent. For baby tarpon I used only four different patterns during the whole week. One pattern was the Mayan Warrior in both yellow and burnt orange. This pattern worked well in clean water. It has been described in a previous blog and accounted for about 25% of my babies. If I return to Tarpon Cay, I’ll be carrying weedless versions. The other three patterns are pictured below.

On the left is the tannish SeaDucer that yielded about 60% of my tarpon. It is tied on a 1/0 Gamakatsu SS15 hook, the fly being 2-1/2 inches long. Hackle is from a Barred Ginger Whiting American Hackle Neck, almost a Cree Color. Weed guard is a double prong of 20# Mason. On the last afternoon I ran out of this color and used one tied with orange dyed grizzly hackle. This is shown as the second fly and seemed just as effective. The last two flies are a chartreuse and yellow Toad and a small Zonker style minnow tied with a bar dyed rabbit strip. These latter two had their moments.

One afternoon, our guide noticed several tarpon rolling up a creek mouth blocked by a large log. So he had me remove my clogs and wade barefoot in the muck around the log to cast for the fish. Fortunately, I hooked and landed one of the tarpon, the only tarpon I landed in the creeks. All other had done various bad things to my leader and fly while jumping uncontrollably in the narrow channels. The lesson here is trust your guide, even when he recommends what may seem like a stupid maneuver.

Keith, Bob and Tad left Tarpon Cay after the first three days to fish at Isla del Sabalo. So this left two guides without work for the last three days Gary and I were to be there. Gary suggested that we hire one of the guides so we could both fish solo for the remainder of our trip. This we did and it really helped me improve my casting and retrieving. I got grooved to spotting and casting to the fish and the guide got grooved to my casting ability and positioning the boat appropriately. We both fished only for the babies those three days and did very well. It’s not always possible to arrange, but fishing solo for a day is really fun.

My final item is a fond recollection, not a lesson. The last afternoon, I hooked and landed both the first tarpon I cast to and also the last. There was still about a half hour of fishing time left when I landed that last one. But, I reeled up anyway and pointed to the Lodge. It had been a wonderful week. My guide smiled deeply as did I.

The run back was beautiful."

(end report)

HOT FLY: Modified Raghead Crab for Permit

A Raghead Crab, but with some nice modifications for shallow flats fishing...

Every season, it is always interesting to see what creative flies are developed for a fishery and become the "hot fly". At Isla Blanca, it is no mystery that the Raghead Crab (Umpqua Flies) is a staple for Permit. However, this season our clients saw an improved variation of this productive pattern. Isla Blanca guide, Luis Patron, made a few modifications to this pattern that proved to be a winner. Take a look at the photos and you will see that he modified the pattern with bead-chain weight (for super shallow flats), jointed tan legs (instead of straight white legs), black mono eyes, and an opaque white underside. The pattern accounted for many Permit this season...
(photos by Jim Christensen and Guy Deaner)

Opaque white underside...

This pattern looks good enough to eat at a crab feed!

Tackle Tip: Mason Leader System for Baby Tarpon

Mason Hard Mono in 30#, 25#, and 20# - the foundation of this leader system

Many of our customers ask what leader system to use while fishing for baby Tarpon. There are a variety of options on the market and we have tried them all. After years of pursuing baby Tarpon in the Yucatan, we have learned what leader materials and system performs best in the conditions you may experience - summer heat, wind, and/or gin clear water. This leader system has proven effective for baby Tarpon up to 35 pounds.

For the tapered portion of this leader system, we like Mason Hard Type Nylon (mono) in test ratings of 30#, 25#, and 20# (class section). Connected to the 20# class section, we prefer shock tippet materials of Jinkai 50# (for shallow water) or Rio Flouroflex 44# or 52# (for fishing deeper rios/channels). Here is the suggested length of each section:

Mangrove Tarpon Leader (short version = total length about 8 1/2 feet)
Butt Section: 3 feet of 30# Mason
Taper Section: 2 1/2 feet of 25# Mason
Class Section: 18" of 20# Mason
Shock Tippet: 18" - 24" of Jinkai or Rio FlouroFlex

Flats Tarpon Leader (long version = total length about 11 feet)
Butt Section: 4 1/2 feet of 30# Mason
Taper Section: 3 1/2 feet of 25# Mason
Class Section: 18" of 20# Mason
Shock Tippet: 24" - 30" of 50# Jinkai

Leader Knots: All Mason sections are connected with 3 turn blood knots and the shock tippet can be connected with an albright, slim beauty, or improved blood knot. Also, a super clean method to seat these knots is to apply Loon UV Knot Sense (while indoors or in the shade!) to each knot while tightening - once each knot is seated, expose the knots to UV light (sun or UV light). This provides a clean and smooth knot connection that minimizes snagging on turtlegrass or other debris.

Here are the primary benefits of this leader system:

• Turnover Efficiency: Mason leader material is STIFF! Even in the blistering summer heat, this material stays stiff and, therefore, provides excellent turnover of your fly, even with longer leader lengths. TURNOVER = better ACCURACY!
  
• Stealth: This leader does not have sections of twisted leader material which can refract light and spook wary clearwater Tarpon. The small connecting knots and relatively longer leader length allows for stealthy presentations of your fly.
  
• Simple!: This system can be easily tied on the water and uses basic knots.
  

Disclaimer: this is not a leader that meets IGFA specifications, so don't use this system if you are pursuing an IGFA record!

We encourage you to give this baby Tarpon leader system a try! Good fishing to you all!

50# Jinkai Mono is our choice for shock tippet while purusing shallow water baby Tarpon on the flats or in lagoons

Rio Flouroflex (flourocarbon) is an excellent choice for shock tippet when fishing deeper channels or rios amongst the mangroves (NOTE: flourocarbon sinks faster than mono)

Travel Smart: Carry-On Items While Traveling...

Here is the scenario... you have finally reached your destination airport and are standing at the baggage claim carousel watching it go round and round... you have been waiting,... waiting,... and waiting for your checked luggage. Then, the harsh reality sets in that your checked luggage did NOT get routed to this airport with you. Now what?

After going through the necessary steps with the airline to find your luggage, you now realize that all you have is the items that you carried on with you. If all else fails and you must resort to only what you carried on, then you will want to have these essentials items to minimize discomfort and maintain your health and safety during your trip:

• TWO pairs of polarized glasses: often, much of our fishing success is based on spotting fish (ie. sight casting); these also provide eye protection while casting and fishing - safety first!
  
• Personal essentials (medications, toiletries, corrective lenses): carry on all personal items that are essential to your health and safety; make sure to adhere to the TSA requirements of "3-1-1" (3 oz. or less containers - 1 quart clear plastic bag - 1 bag per traveler).
  
• Extra copies of your passport and visa (if required): if you loose these original documents, copies of these will help in validating your citizenship; keep copies separate from your original documents.
  
• Extra set of fishing clothes: nothing is worse than "borrowing" someone else's clothes that don't fit; carry on one set of fishing clothes; clean underwear... need I say more?
  
• Waders and/or wading boots (destination specific): nothing beats wearing your OWN waders and wading boots; often, loaner waders and boots leak and/or never fit as well as your own; pack'em if you can.
  

Packing these essential items as "carry-on" items will ensure that you have the basics for a "saved" trip. Aside from these items, you may often borrow fishing tackle and other items from the lodge and/or traveling companions. Be prepared by traveling smart!

NOTE: Although some anglers choose to carry on their fly rods and reels, we did not list this tackle as "essential" since many lodges have loaner tackle if needed. Also, clients have informed us that some airport security checkpoints are inconsistent when it comes to allowing or disallowing rods and reels as carry-on items.

Article: Capt. Kevin "KD" Doran on topwater Striped Bass

Capt. Kevin Doran (“KD”) is one of the top guides on the California Delta for Striped Bass and is the renowned pioneer of bringing the Delta Largemouth Bass to the forefront of the fly fishing industry and community. KD has been fishing the Delta for decades and truly knows the intricacies of this highly technical environ. During the fall and winter months, he is incredibly adept at guiding his anglers into topwater grabs from Striped Bass. Even on cold wintery mornings on the Delta, he has an innate ability to locate Stripers that will engulf a surface offering in sub-50 degree water temps - I have experienced it for myself... I am a believer! I have fished with KD many times, and it never ceases to amaze me how much I learn each time I fish with him.

Check out KD’s "Topwater Striper Primer" article at DeltaAdventures.com

Angling Techniques: The Tarpon "Strip-Strike"

An essential key to staying hooked up on Tarpon...

OK, here is the scene,... your Yucatan guide has quietly poled you into position for a prime shot at a cruising Tarpon. You skillfully lead the Tarpon with your cast and land your fly in the "zone". The Tarpon takes notice of your fly, charges your offering, and you see the water around your fly erupt. Up to this point, you and your guide have come through well on some critical steps in the Tarpon angling game. The next step is the determining factor of whether the game is over at halftime with a Tarpon lost, or if the angler will prevail and have the honor of hand-releasing the Tarpon to fight another day.

Here are some important points for setting the hook properly on Tarpon:

1. "Feel" the Tarpon eat your fly - you may see the Tarpon erupt on your fly, but do not set the hook until you feel the weight of the Tarpon
2. Set the hook with a quick and firm "strip-strike" (see image above) - sometimes, multiple line strips are required to get firmly tight to the fish
3. Keep your rod tip low and pointed inline with your fly and fish during the strip-strike - this applies maximum energy transfer to drive the hook point into the Tarpon's hard mouth
4. NEVER lift the rod to set the hook - your rod is a "shock-absorbing" lever that minimizes your hook setting power and will often result in just a "jumped" Tarpon (ie. lost fish)

Once you are hooked up on the Tarpon, the second half of the Tarpon angling game ensues and the fight is ON! There are numerous essentials for fighting Tarpon properly, however we will reserve those tips for a future post... FISH ON!

Angler's Tip: "If you spot'em, you got'em!"

Fly fishing is often a "visual" sport. Whether it be the intense search for tailing Permit, the hunt for rolling Tarpon, or the sipping rise of a trout, the ability to spot fish is essential in our sport.

A quality pair of polarizing glasses is often a fly anglers most precious tool. However, even the most high quality pair of polarizing glasses is useless if they are not maintained in the field. Keep them clean!

At Angling On The Fly, we never hit the water without lens wipes. These wipes are pre-moistened with cleaner and individually packaged for use when you need it most. These are essential for cleaning your glasses after getting sunscreen, salt spray, or other tough to remove contaminants on the lenses. These lens wipes are inexpensive and can be easily found at most drug stores.

A clean pair of polarizing glasses is your best asset on the water. Remember... "If you spot'em, you got'em!"