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Sight Fishing/Flats

3K views 16 replies 6 participants last post by  striblue 
#1 ·
At the show this weekend I attended a seminar on sight fishing for stripers on the flats. I was surprised to hear that the speaker indicated that he used full sinking lines. I have always used Teeney or Rio sinking lines or shooting heads for my fishing in Chatham , including the Monomoy flats,and have never changed my lines all summer. It has not caused any problems as far as I can tell. But I remember that most of the guys I know will use an intermediate line to fish the flats or even a floating line so as to not spook the fish.Did anybody hear the seminar and can any of the intermedate line guys comment yea or nay on the speakers approach ( and mine also I guess- you can see from this board that I am conspiciously missing from line discussions since I can't really add to the discussion- I Just use different grain shooting heads.)
 
#2 ·
I'll bite...

The #1 reason I don't use fast sinking lines in skinny water... I don't like snagging the bottom. I like to be able to fish the fly s-l-o-w-l-y when I need to and the intermediate provides that ability where the fast sink requires me to strip-strip-strip to keep it off the bottom.

The intermediate line fishes at an angle where the fly is the deepest object (except for the thickest belly portion if the fly has a lot of bouyancy). When fishing the deep eel on an intermediate, the fly could be the deepest object most of the time, and it can be on the sand where I like to fish flats stripers. I feel the take much better with an intermediate line, although most of the time it's the visual of the take that stands out.

I have also watched fish swim around a flourescent line on Monomoy, which wasn't soon forgotten. They don't make a fast sink clear line yet as far as I know.

Granted on the flats there are fewer snags to worry about than other places and a sinking line is critical when the flats are flooding and ebbing in the peak of a tide change.

My opinion, FWIW, is that you need both lines - and thus two spools: (a) hi-density line (b) intermediate line

A SW floater is a nice luxury for surface flies but most of the time I just tie it on intermediate and strip like hell.


Your results may vary,
Juro
 
#5 ·
John I heard that famed flats guide Randy Jones uses a sinking line on Monomoy and also a two handed rod. I want to book a trip with him some time and learn how he does it. I guess he leads the fish and gets great results. I have used 300g lines to fish the channel on North Monomy but use and intermedate for skinny water.
fishHawk
 
#6 ·
I landed my first decent fish of the season last year in the shallows with a sinking line and about a 4 foot leader.

I've been thinking, reading & asking the "pro's" about line colors & types and have come to my own conclusion that if you are casting & intercepting a fish, then the color doesn't matter.

By the way, in case nobody read it in the Globe & the Cape Cod Times today, the flats off Monomoy are going to be closed to all traffic this year. Foot, boat, commercial or recreational. I would suggest everyone try out the flats off of Dorchester & Charlestown, never really discussed but a very hot spot.
 
#7 ·
close the flats???????????? this has to be a joke , right? I know they could close the island, but I think we have access to the high tide mark right? Tom D
 
#11 ·
Gentlemen,

Fiction this is most definitely not!

The liberal press most probably didn't want to run it in the general circulation so as not to offend anyone.

Check out the Cape Cod edition of the globe.

Something about protecting the silver backed flembot.

Roop
 
#12 ·
I heard about this also but the only definite closure was the month of June which is the spawning time for them. There is great evidence however that the real threat comes from the horshoe crab which also favors that area for spawning. Of course there are those who would like to use this as an excuse to keep us all out and for good.
 
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