I see these posts are full of back shots. They're kinda like the no fish sunrise pics from back home. But it it what it is. Started the day at the dump since two days ago things were closed for Veteran's Day. Then it was back to The Fly Barn for some work on the sled.
My idea was to drill out the 2x4's to make it a tad lighter. Not sure how much it did but it seemed like a good idea. Before I left I found a marker and labeled it, just in case it becomes a thing. That way I can claim people first saw it here.
I was excited to get to the pond. I was sure it was going to be on fire. I edited through my sling pack which had way too much stuff in it, including a trio of fly boxes with flys all over the place.
More flys isn't always better, it comes down to having the right ones at the right time. So I picked some that I thought would work, for either redfish or trout. And then there was one.
When I got to the water it looked dead. A steady enough SW wind kept the surface moving and even in between when it died there was nothing going on. I stood there like a hunter in a tree stand just waiting for something to show. And after an hour I gave up.
I took a walk out front to see if there was anything an hour into the dropping tide. There was still water up on the flat but other than some blue crabs swimming around there was nothing.
From where I was I could circle back around the eastern most part of the pond, where, on a big tide, water would push in and meet it. I walked through acres of a hard mud flat which told me water hadn't been there for some time.
There was a trickle of water coming from the pond and surely any fish I saw, or thought I saw, were trapped in there between tides, probably for weeks. In the end it wasn't a wasted day. I explored new territory, put some pieces of the puzzle together, and continued to learn.
On my way out I met Randy. He's a guy I had said hello to before and I knew he was in the know. One day he said, "I hope you find some tailers". It was then I knew he was a player. I came to find out he's a local fly fishing guide. We talked, and I didn't pick him for intel, in fact I asked him not to tell me anything that I couldn't find out on my own, eventually. But he did help me out.
I hadn't been doing anything wrong. Finding tailing fish on foot is very, very difficult. The water is still too warm for the trout bite. The big bull reds are out front or in deeper water in the big rivers. And, the flood tide bite is just about over. The first cold spell puts the fiddlers into hibernation mode, so the fish don't come up on the flats. It then becomes a cold low tide fishery. Again, boat, or skiff, is best. Wading is tough, but they will show, and when they do it can be in big numbers. Just when I was feeling like a loser, he made me feel I was closer to success, at least I was in the game.
Tomorrow I'll head back into the mud awaiting the push of water which may bring fish, but most likely not. When I was at The Fly Barn I found an old Orvis Encounter 8-weight setup
I had won during a raffle at one of the fly clubs meetings I had spoken at. It had floating line, but most likely it was level, and it was hard to air out a decent cast, but it worked. Randy said the 8's down here are the go to rods so I might have to put one on my Christmas list. Orvis offers the
Helios D, for $1,198 and the Recon for $698. I'd have to get a good reel to match it up so that's another hundreds of dollars on top of that. I set the table, by telling Theresa what Randy said, who offered back, "You should get one if you need one", which made me feel puzzled. That's too supportive too easy, there must be a catch.
I'll be accepting Orvis gift cards in lieu of charging subscriptions for you to entertain yourself while on the toilet each day. This used to be a bi-weekly rag, but this year it's become almost like a daily newspaper. When I get enough scratch I'll be able to buy that 8-weight setup and continue to entertain you with my daily blunders. I am kidding of course, but then I said, "Wait, maybe I'm not". Why not put it out there?
So yeah, I'm throwing it out there, no pressure. If you do want to send a Gift Card you can go to the Orvis website, HERE, and my email address is colin@theaverageangler.com. Yesterday 8,987 of you stopped by here and if everyone paid .25, like daily newspapers used to cost at the box, I'd be able to be on my way. And of course, then I would be able to show you fish, and not back, pics from time to time.