offshore fly fishing

[runningfish]

Last week while doing a follow up on some seamless steel pipe with my customer we ended up talking about offshore saltwater fishing and sharing our youtube channels to each other. My customer is an avid offshore fisherman with his own boat and invited me to go with him fishing near Catalina Island. He said he was catching yellow fin, croaker, sand bass etc and using jigs or live baits. I told him that I am a fly fisherman with no experience in fishing the open water. I could use his spinning setup but why don't I make it a little bit more difficult by using a fly rod.
I seen how those yellow fins run under his boat and honestly I felt kinda intimidated.

I have a 10ft 5wt switch both with an 330 intermediate and 350 sink VII head/intermediate line an untested 9-11 reel that besides my Danielsson L5W 6Nine.

Any tips to make the first trip bloopers free?

 

[Hirdy]

Any tips to make the first trip bloopers free?

Yep. Leave that 10' rod home. It will be a liability on a boat and you may even break it when you get a fish close to the boat and attempt to land it. High-sticking will be almost unavoidable with a rod that long and it's the last thing you want to do with a SW fish.

Go out and buy a cheap 9wt single hand rod to match those lines, preferably 8' long.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[camelbrass]

Strip strike (look it up) and hold on! First fish will be far from blooper free, always is, but you get better

Regards,


Trevor

 

[runningfish]

Thanks guy, I checked on Amazon and found several cheap maxcatch 9wt and 10wt 9ft rods. which probably ok to be used as the guinea pigs before over committing.

Now, I don't think fishing deep in SW and FW stillwater are the same. Are these offshore fish hit like a freight train or they nibble like the trout? What do you use for the leader?
I am thinking to go with 6ft of 30lbs floro.

My customer mentioned that he could be fishing as deep as 90FT which I will take me about 2.5-3 minutes for my 7ips line to sink and left me with just the backing.
If there is no near surface action I might probably just let it sink and sing Bohemian Rhapsody while yo yo-ing it. and have a 2nd rod with intermediate line ready.

 

[Hirdy]

Now, I don't think fishing deep in SW and FW stillwater are the same. Are these offshore fish hit like a freight train or they nibble like the trout? What do you use for the leader?
I am thinking to go with 6ft of 30lbs floro.

Really depends on the species of fish and how they feel on the day. With 90' of line out though, you're only likely to know a fish is on after it has hooked itself.

30lb is okay. Don't go higher unless you know you have a high strength core in your fly line (e.g. Rio Leviathan). Most fly lines are rated to 35lb or so.

My customer mentioned that he could be fishing as deep as 90FT which I will take me about 2.5-3 minutes for my 7ips line to sink and left me with just the backing.
If there is no near surface action I might probably just let it sink and sing Bohemian Rhapsody while yo yo-ing it. and have a 2nd rod with intermediate line ready.

Just make sure you are holding line and not backing when you're strip-striking the fish! You'll lose a finger holding the backing.

A note about the actual act of fishing: if there is any current (or boat drift relative to the water), your fly will not reach 90' depth. The fly line will lift the fly in the same way it swings on the river. To get a bit more depth, cast ahead of the drift or into the current and hope your fly sinks fast enough.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[runningfish]

btw, anyone has any inputs on the World Wide Sport Deceiver rod and Cabelas Atoll 9 & 10 weight? I think they are economical enough.

 

[cb3fish]

Running fish,

I shutter to think of you hooking a YT of any size on a 10 foot rod, especially a 5 wt. As someone else said "leave it home" go enjoy your day and forget about fly fishing. Just the thought of you mentioning the 10 foot 5 wt lets the World know you are a complete rookie fly guy...YT and flies shouldn't be your first venture into saltwater-Trust me CB

 

[runningfish]

Hi CB. Thanks for the advice. I am a rookie for saltwater big game fly fishing. My exposure to saltwater was only chasing for reds when I am visiting Florida usually around Christmas.

The 5 wt 10ft that I mentioned in my 1st post was a switch rod. It was proven able to handle the largest American Shad and average summer steelhead. Probably still not enough but that's all i've got for now. But i do appreciate your feedback and kinda glad that you chimed in since I read plenty of your saltwater experiences on this forum.

 

[runningfish]

btw, looking for a slightly used Loomis Pro-4x ShortStix 9/10 or 10/11 or something similar. PM if you have one.

 

[fossumsj]

Fish with the equipment you have. Sinking lines generally produce more. Don’t worry about casting, the current can be your cast. Retrieve your line, then shake it back out. The current will cast it for you. With a any rod, put in a class tippet of about 15# to prevent losing your line. 5 wt, 10’, who cares. It’s your 1st time, have fun. If you can, borrow a heavier outfit. Any forked tail fish will be a lot. Hang on and have fun. Optimize later.
Scott

 

[dylar]

Wait, aren't yellowtail essentially west coast AJs? I've broken 12wts on AJs...

 

[clsmith131]

I would just fish with his tackle and be thankful for the opportunity. Your're already out of your element, why try to make it more difficult? Also, I don't know what kind of boat we're talking, but casting a fly rod can be quite an imposition on a boat, particularly if every else is using live bait. With all the action that could potentially happen, you're going to occupy 1/3 of the boat slinging a fly around, with no experience, and frankly very slim chance at success. If the boat has a T-top it will be that much worse. That's a pretty good way to ensure you won't be invited back out.

 

[runningfish]

Fossum & clsmith...thank you for the tips. I had a further conversation with my customer and told him that I will be borrowing his spinning gears to begin with and read the water to see if I can rig and cast a fly maybe at lunch break. If there is kelp floating around I'll definitely cast a fly out.

His boat is the 2018 Robalo R180, it that considered a T-top?

 

[clsmith131]

That's a relatively short boat. I think that boat has a bimini cover, so you would be good if the top was down. The reason I mention the T-Top is that they are difficult to work around with a fly rod. They often dictate a backward cast, depending on what side of the boat the fish are on. Either that or an awkward straight arm overhead cast to get over the top. After fatigue sets in, those over-the-top casts start finding rocket launchers and anchor lights.

BTW, I didn't mean to come across as rude, I just wanted you to have the best chance at catching some fish. I've never caught a yellowfin but I have caught bonita and amberjack. They are very strong fish. I would want a 12 wt for a yellowfin. You need lifting power, and a lot of it. You're also gonna need a lot of backing...

 

[runningfish]

clsmith...no not at all. I really appreciated everyone's inputs since they all meant to help me and people like me.

 

[runningfish]

Told my boss about the trip, and he hinted that the company might fund the beer money with some side notes.

Alright, found some economical 10wt and 12wt 9ft rods and reels and now the lines.

What the minimum core strength should I go with? 50 lb? 60 lb?

 

[fq13]

Here on the east coast of Fl we do thatt with chum. Tie a block of frozen off the back with a mesh bag. We then live chum with greenies or pilchards throwing a few over the side at a time for Bonita (albacore), mah i and snappers. It takes a lot of bait, you basically need to black out a thirty gallon live well. But it brings the fish up from eighty feet to the surface and then you toss in a matching streamer.
If you are fishing in the ninety foot range forgo the nine weight and go with a twelve. You want something with backbone to pull them up when they go deep, assuming the fish have some size. I know they aren't marlin, but a 15 pound albacore at 80' takes some hoisting. An amber jack or tuna will just laugh at a 9 wt.

Ps This is why I hire a guide and use his gear when I go offshore. I think the advice to use your friend's stuff till you see what's going on is smarter than buying an outfit that will cost almost as much as a guided trip. Go slow getting into this, it is a specialized game.

 

[runningfish]

FQ13...thank you for the tip.

I've already decided to use his tackles to begin with until I get the feel of the mayhem.
I don't know his fishing method is, he could be chumming too or etc.

 

[fq13]

Good call. Off shore fishing is very expensive, and I'm just talking tackle and cast nets, not the boat and associated expenses and the head aches, plus the fuel, storage and the list goes on. It's about seven bills for a trip if I split it and it's a splurge I only take very occasionally. Still, there is no way I could afford it on my own and paying a guide, or going with a friend ( remember to pay for gas and over pay, because he will be washing down that boat) is the way to go.

It's an absolute blast even with regular tackle and you will love it. But it is a rich man's game and it takes a lot of dedication to master. If you have the cash and inclination I wish you luck. But for now just learn how it's done with gear and bait, then figure out how to add a fly rod. Spoiler alert, it doesn't make it easier!

 

[runningfish]

FQ13...Noted.

Don't have enough $ bill to jump into this sport and never thought about it if my customer had not mentioned it.
I'll enjoy it and see if I can learn a thing or two.