Saltwater Retrieves

[Lou Bruno]

Primarily I was thinking about the best retrieve to use when our next cast is for distance. Than I thought what retrieve do you use when fishing a crab pattern; why limit the question to a specific fly type. What retrieve or technique... retrieve and rod (tip) position works best.

I'm asking because I need to know what works best for fly fishing crab patterns...drag it along the bottom? Do our trout retrieves work in saltwater? I can go on asking but just knowing any preference you learned would be helpful.

Still interested if you prefer any one retrieve when your casting for distance.

Lou

[Graeme H]

Hi Lou,

The retrieve is the fishing phase of the cycle, so it's going to be very different for each species and for each fly.

My distance cast is not going to be any different if I'm fishing - it's going to be determined by the fish. Typically though, a sunken fly will need to be raised first - often using a roll cast - or fished from the hand, depending on the situation.

And then the distance cast to will also be determined by the fish. If I'm sight fishing, that's the distance. If I'm blind casting, it's just stripping line until about two rod lengths of line is outside the tip, lift, cast and repeat.

(Stripping is the fishing. Sometimes it takes three minutes to strip 15 m of line. Sometimes it's 20 seconds to strip 30 m of line.)

Cheers,
Graeme

[Paul Arden]

Well I’m not an expert imaginary SW fly fisherman, Lou, but crabs swim/scurry away when spooked so I think that’s what the fly should do. So a reasonably long strip. I think it has to be like sight fishing for trout when they are nymphing on the lake bed. Drop the fly in its path. Allow it to reach the bottom, and then when the fish is almost on the fly, strip it away at the speed the nymph swims. The take should be almost immediate.

Cheers, Paul

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

Lou,

The "retrieve" of a crab fly has more to do with the fish than the fly. So... what fish are you trying to catch?

If the answer is permit, I can tell you what I do. I have no idea what others do... permit anglers are pretty uptight about telling their secrets!

The most important part of the retrieve is no retrieve at all... when the fish may spot the fly. The thing that gets them excited is seeing the crab fly drop to the bottom. Once it hits the bottom its best to just let it sit. Maybe, if they need some extra enticing, a very short strip - inches - is what you want.

When a crab is scared they drop to the bottom and bury into the sand, hoping they can get covered or make use of their camouflage coloring. They seem to realize that they cannot swim faster than a fish.

So... the most important part of the retrieve is that drop that catches the permit's eye.

You hope the permit will tail and put its head down, and hopefully have somewhat of a feeding rhythm. You then cast the fly past the fish, not too far though, no more than the leader length, and start to swim the fly back high by raising your rod tip. When you think the moment is right, you drop your rod and feed slack so the fly can dive toward the bottom. The best permit flies drop like a real crab... all the other stuff is secondary.

There are other saltwater fish that eat crabs and the technique may be completely different!

[Lou Bruno]

My main prey are red fish.

Lou

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

My main prey are red fish.

Lou

Never mind... completely different fish!

I bet the Texas Bros can offer much more pertinent info for reds.

[George C]

It is not specific to crab flies or redfish but I use a two handed retrieve for everything in saltwater.
Some advantages I find is that it takes up slack fast, it allows a faster retrieve ( which is also useful on a long cast when the first shot fails and I want to reset), hooksets are better (particularly on fish that hit coming at me), a greater variety of retrieves is possible, no tendency to trout set, a hand is always on the line when the fish hits, no stripping finger cuts, easier line lay when using a basket. I’m not doing a lot of PUALD stuff, however.

[Lou Bruno]

George

I do use the double hand retrieve, only intermittently, when I want or need a fast speedy retrieve. You bring up certain advantages, especially having a continuous hold on the line, just to mention one.

I noticed an interesting observation yesterday while out in my kayak, most of the schools of baitfish (guessing 2,- 3 inches length) I noticed were swimming fast. Regardless we're they were...near shore or not.

Near structure, closer to shore...mangrove roots, tree branches in the water, tall grass is when I notice baitfish basically lingering around.

Lou

Thanks
Lou

[Paul Arden]

Hi Lou,

You also asked about distance.

Here I put the first strip to the right, then place the line around in front. I walk to the left and place two strips (one strip, hold the line, strip again and place), first back then two strips forward, shuffle right, repeat two strips back, two forward and so on, until I’m ready to pickup. Since time is of the essence I do this as quickly as possible and try to remember to breathe.

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Cheers, Paul