One thing that Bob Popovics always said was that his flies were created to solve problems. Not like problems in the world, but problems like matching the hatch with flies that swam well and had good castability and durability. I'm not saying my moves from time to time rival his great brain, but every now and then I come up with a pro move that is pretty darn good.
But then there's those non-pro moves that I come up with. They're good in my brain, and even on paper, but when put into action they, or I, fall, short. Remember back in April of 2022
when I launched the first S.S. Archer from the shore in the Navesink River? I came up with that to solve the problem of not being able to reach the spring bass that patrol further out than my casts could reach. You can red about that adventure, HERE. Good idea, until it wasn't.
So the picture on top is one of the cut down sections from fence that surrounded The Fly Barn property. I held onto them, because I'm ghetto, just in case there was ever a need. And then my inner Popovics came into my cerebellum. What could I design and use to help prevent me from sinking in the mud in and around these Lowcountry waters? Guys have always gathered branches and debris to construct make shift bridges and platforms to stand on, but those are spotty at best. Could I build something, portable, that I could use as a solid platform as to which to fly fish from? Mmmmm.
So I present to you the "Lowcountry Luge". It came to me as I continued to sink in the mud near the waters edge. And what would happen is I would step and then sink, then move my feet again, and sink, before you know it I had created a circle of loose mud that couldn't hold my weight. I'd look for a bunch of grass or a stick to stand on to distribute my weight, but in the end it didn't work. So....
I cut down the fence section into a more manageable length. I added a second 2x4 for stability and drilled a hole for a tow line. I looked around The Fly Barn and inside the boat and found something perfect. It came from the mind of another great innovator, Jim Matson. He built these home made bungie cords to hold down the cover of the Jones Brothers that sat in his yard. It worked perfect, and the length was enough so it could latch end to the other end.
Now it was time to give it a go. But even before I went to work at the shop I stopped by the watering hole on the high tide to see if this water was affected on the tide, and it was not. The fish inside have been, in my thinking, either trapped in between the big Spring, or moon tides, or they just like it and stay put.
While I prefer to fish moving water this would do as I've seen more fish in this bathtub than anywhere else. So around noon I was back and ready to try out the sled. This time I was smart
and made sure I gave myself a coating with the Deep Woods Off. The hottest parts of the day bring temps into the high 70's, and coupled with a zero wind day, means the bugs will be out. As I walked with my new creation I was sure I had solved one of the biggest problems I was facing, which was access.
I placed the Lowcoutry Luge down onto the grass with the cord drapped over the grass so I could easily move it when I was done. While that spot may look like a solid place to step, trust me, after about four seconds there your feet would be down in the mud and you'd wind up up to your mid-calf.
With a steady platform underneath my feet it was now time to just Mohawk these fish. It would be simple. Just stand there in wait as the pods of fish swim around the tub stopping to mud or chase small bait onto the flat. It would be like shooting fish in barrel....yeah right.
Let's just say if I didn't get Dengue Fever yesterday I must have a gene in my DNA that protects me from it. You see, bug spray is like sun screen, you apply, and then reapply. When I was back at the truck I gave myself a nice spray while holding my breath so I didn't choke to death on the aerosolized particles. Then I placed in back in my truck.
I think the bugs down here are either immune to the Deet, or whatever it is, or lick it as an appetizer before settling in for a meal which is any exposed skin. And I have to remember, it would make sense to spray my legs, duh. And maybe bringing it with me might be a good idea. You know, to reapply from time to time. Let's just say the bites felt like someone was drawing blood along both of my legs, for hours straight.
I couldn't have asked for a better shakedown trip. I had steady footing. I set up away from trees behind me which catch flies in midair. And I had fish swimming in front of me. But what kind of fish? The water is skinny so it doesn't take a super huge fish to create a wake? Are these those stupid big mullet that they have down here. These aren't the corn cobs we see from time to time back in New Jersey. They call these "hoglegs", at least they do down in Florida, and they are big, like over 15 inches.
So I would wait and hold my cast until the fish were in front of me. And I learned more yet again. These fish are swimming, and mudding, and eating, horizontally. If they were vertical I would see their tails. But they mudded in a few different ways. They would swim sideways, kind of like striped bass do, and use their bellies and their tails to disrupt the bottom. Or, and I saw this more, they would swim in a circle, disrupt the bottom, and circle back into the mud to look for a meal. Sometimes they were alone, at the times in small pods. I only know this because after I plopped a fly on their head, or heads, they would blow out, at times several of them, leaving a dark gray to black cloud in their wake.
When the sun was up and out, and the wind stopped, it was easier to track the movements of the fish and watch their behaviors. Were they eating crabs? Baitfish? I couldn't tell. But I threw the menu at them which included crab, shrimp, mummichog, and the smallest Vineyard flies I could find. The only two things I didn't try were a popper and a Beast Fleye.
I did have one solid pick up on a mummichog fly that I had tied up for the Hackensack River back home. It was after a fish, or a few fish, had stopped to mud up in front of me. So I know that at least some of them are eating other things. And I saw one in really close who followed a crab fly for a bit before the hook grabbed a piece of straw which spooked the fish.
And I learned something else down here. Back home I was a 10-weight all the time guy. The Orvis Helios lines cast light and showing intermediate and sinking lines with bigger flies off the beach and in the river worked great. But down here, at times, in still and spooky water a lighter rod with a floating line would be more appropriate. As the day went on, as the bugs dined on my fresh, my casts got shittier and the weighted flys and line splashed the water more then they should have. It's almost like you have to be in stealth mode like you're dry fly fishing to rising trout.
I really don't have, or can put my fingers on, lighter setups for this place. A solid 7-weight would work great and I'm gonna check the The Fly Barn before I go today to see if I could find one. A complete angler has a line up of each weight rod from say 4 weight for trout to 12-weights for striped bass or tarpon. I run 5's, 10's, and 12's. And I thinking a floating line is a must. Time to check out the Orvis website, "Theresa can I order...." Forget it.
So I learned a bunch again. Right rod. Right fly. Bring the bug spray. And, as far as the Lowcountry Luge, I'm going to drill out the 2x4's to lighten the load. But all in all it was a good day and I definitely solved at least one problem I had. In addition to the solid footing I thought if I came in contact with one those gators I could jam it down it's esophagus before I ran for my life.