The Board

Here is a recent film of two "newbies" fishing with a guide friend of mine...

Some of that statement is true!

A lot of fish!

Amazing.
Gonna be hard to feel good about catching a man made trout today after watching that.
Nice that there are no other boats around. Is that typical?

I’ve fished for baby and big tarpon for a decade in SW Florida. Two things are of interest to me in this video other than Andy Mill has earned his stones in the tarpon world. 1. There’s lots of big fish! (Though it could be over a few days). Reinforces that the Florida Keys are where it’s at for big tarpon fishing. 2. Those snappy side arm casts are what I want to learn about and why I came to sexy loops to learn. I’d be happy to kick off the discussion about the benefits of side arm casting:
Why side arm cast:
•Lower rod angle reduces frontal area of line (preferably downwind).
•one stays “Below the wind”
•use when casting at 1200 to avoid hitting guide or self
•Doesn’t spook the fish as much.
Any other reasons other than it looks cool?

It’s easier on the arm when using heavy rods.
It keeps big hooks well away from you on the back cast in fluctuating wind directions.
The saltwater quick-cast seems easier sidearm.
Weighted flies tend to land softer particularly at short ranges which would require a steep trajectory otherwise.
Some curve casts seem easier sidearm.

The realizations that helped me improve my side arm fishing casts have been the understanding that my backcast target is no longer directly behind me but rather well off to the rod side, and the recognition that you need to avoid opening the casting arc too much particularly on delivery where the instinct is to end with the rod pointing too far forward.

Tarpon fishing for the migratory fish in Florida is on Tracy and mine's bucket list, I'm not sure we're ever going to be able to afford it though.

James.

Hi Kingfisher,

A couple of other whys. If you are up close to the fish the rod is very visible when vertical. And another good reason can be that the fly lands more gentle because the trajectory is flatter. But its use all depends on the situation.

The how is more interesting I think there are several things here. Firstly is the backcast target must align the the front. So even when casting a side cast the backcast should be angled above the horizontal to align to the front target (usually). Another interesting thing is that your loop plane and rod plane can be separated. For example you can deliver a vertical loop above or below the side arm cast. The final thing I would suggest is to get very good at delivering backwards as well as forwards. It’s very easy to learn at the same time and for me is indispensable for taking shots from the front of the boat.

Cheers, Paul

All of the reasons noted are accurate, although the "looks cool" one was a surprise.

But I think the most important one has to do with Snell's window and close fish in usually clear water.

A lot of people do not realise just how high above the water the fly angler usually stands when casting from a flats skiff. Not only are they on the bow of a boat, but often they are on a second raised "casting" platform. Height is an advantage for seeing the fish, but it is also an advantage for the fish too.

Hey... if you have not seen this yet, and you are curious about tarpon on fly... do yourself a favor and set aside an hour to watch this epic!



It is an absolute gem: Tarpon on fly, Key West in the 70s, soon to be famous authors like Harrison and McGuane.

It is better than a trip to any historical museum could ever hope to be.

“Seeing the end of it”. Funny that’s how I feel all the time! Thanks Gary, I enjoyed that. I always wonder how the hell this great generation became the politicians of today and what the hell happened!!

Incidentally. when did they start poling the boats the other way?

Must have been an amazing place to live. My kind of world. Reminds me of Tasmania

Cheers, Paul