Y'all, Capt. Simón here. It's been an amazing summer on the flats! Due to low precipitation numbers during June, the salinity of the bay pushed up deep into the rivers and much further north on the Chesapeake Bay. Though we haven't pushed much further North or West than we usually do, we've heard reports of unusual numbers of Reds in the Rappahannock and even the Potomac as well as much further inshore than we're accustomed to. On our regular flats we've been very consistent and it seems like the summer slump never came. I'm writing with some anecdotes from some of my favorite days on the water from this summer and hopefully convince you to come out this fall!
The Hardest Days:
I've had two very difficult days this year (which I think is a good ratio). Sadly, both of those days were with very capable and deserving anglers. The common between these two was that we spent a long time looking for Cobia because conditions allowed. Each time we had a few shots at Cobia and even had a run in with 2 Tarpon, took a shot at a King Mackerel, we caught Blues and Spanish, and had good days but we never got into the Redfish. Guess that's what happens when you go batting for a home run... I think these two harder days were awesome but it's hard to quantify the day with no redfish to show. Regardless, I feel like my anglers got a break from their lives and the experience left them feeling whole. I got texts from both trips saying they had a great time, learned a lot, and felt excitement at the shots we did have.
Buck Fever:
A lot of freshwater anglers were on the boat this summer, they had never sight casted at fish. It's very different to cast where you think there might be a fish vs. the fish you see. I've seen people go from casting 65 foot lasers to barely getting the fly out of the boat the moment they spot a fish. For this there is but one medicine: practice. After the first instance of buck fever I sense, I remind the anglers they know how to cast, compliment their practice casts to build up their confidence, and remind them to act quickly but not to rush. You can never practice too much.
First Redfish Sight-fished on the Fly:
Lots of firsts this year! It's been really fun and exciting watch anglers who struggled to catch shad in the Spring evolve and challenge themselves in new ways. It's been specially rewarding when those anglers have been attending our clinics, booking lessons, coming to the shop for advise, and generally allowing us to be part of their journey.
The blog post picture is Tristan with his first shallow-water redfish. Tristan has been attending fly tying nights, got a summer job at Orvis, he's eaten up with bass fishing and wanted to go out with his dad. While hanging at the shop, Tristan had picked up a bit about the guided trips and surprised me from the moment he got on the boat. We were going to make a run for Cobia and Bull Reds on the flats skiff but the forecast was way off. Winds were blowing 15+ and we had to stay close to shelter. He had a good attitude about it and we began to chase reds in shallow water. About 20 minutes into poling a flat we saw a tail at the edge of the grass but the fish went under and we couldn't find it again. Light was still low so visibility was tough. We spooked a few and made a move to a different flat. We got there, picked up the motor and began to pole. This fish was cruising in about 10" of water, coming out of the glare at our 3 o'clock moving astern. I pointed the fish out with the hopes of a hail Mary shot. By the time Tristan put his fly down, it was out of his sight but he trusted my instruction, "70' at 5'ocklock now!" Fly landed, I yelled "big strip" and we were on! He set the hook perfectly and let the fish run on the 12 lb leader. Definitively will be a highlight of my summer.
I had a few repeat anglers redeem themselves from last year's trout-sets, line death-grips, and missed shots too but you never forget your first.
Hard Lessons:
Had an incredible angler on the boat make perfect casts but break fish off. He was a very seasoned smallmouth and Musky angler and I didn't play to his strengths as well as I could have. We had been fishing very clear water with delicate natural presentations but found a lot of fish off a mud flat with water that was much more stained. I changed the fly to a larger, darker fly but stayed on 12lb leader which was not necessary. Used to fighting fish on the line, my angler managed to hook but not land multiple fish. He was setting way too hard and not letting them run to clear the line. Changing the fly for conditions is not enough, putting on a more forgiving leader is also part of the equation.
I hope this all sounds half-as-fun as it is to me and encourages to come out this fall, I have a few dates left in October and Novemeber! Reach out, let's go fish!