It can be frustrating when your fishing buddy can see the fish and you can not. There are two mechanisms in human vision that create difficulty in seeing sub-surface fish. But don’t fret; this can be overcome with some cool equipment, and a bit of practice.
Human vision principle number one: We ‘see’ the brightest object in our environment, and can not ’see’ the dimmer objects.
This produces great difficulty when trying to see below the surface of water. We see the glare off the surface and nothing else. However, there may be fish underneath, invisible because of the dim subsurface light. The glare from the surface is brighter, much brighter.
This graphic shows the problem. The light from the glare of the surface (solid line) is much brighter than the light from the fish below the surface of the water(broken line.). The eye adjusts for this bright light, limiting what can be seen. In this case, the surface glare is all that we will ‘see,’ even though the light bouncing from the fish is reaching the eye. We ‘see’ the brighter portion of the image. But this can be overcome with a popular piece of gear.
Polarized sunglasses are the most important piece of gear to see subsurface fish. And specifically they must be polarized---These lenses reduce the amount of glare from the surface of the water. It is almost like magic, opening the curtains when someone puts on a pair for the first time. The light that reflects from the surface is polarized. The sunglasses have a polarized-light-filter that removes 90% of this glare. Now the brightest light is the subsurface light because it is Non-polarized. So the filters have little effect on sub-surface light. The world below the surface is now brightest, and what we ’see.’ In the above graphic, with polarized sunglasses, only the dotted line reaches the eye.
Human vision principle number two: We naturally ‘focus’ on the brightest object in our environment, and dimmer objects are out of focus.
So even when we remove the bright glaring light of the surface, we have to over come our natural focusing mechanism. Slip on a pair of top-quality polarized sunglasses, and the surface glare is gone, but our eyes are still ‘focused’ on the surface. Other objects are out of focus, hiding at different distances below the surface. It is like aiming an autofocus camera at a field of flowers. If you study the photo, you will find that only a few of the flowers are in focus, the rest are either too close, or too far to be in focus. Our eye has the same issue when seeing under water. We are accustomed to focusing on the surface, but we need to focus beneath the surface.
Above shows the second principle to overcome. The eye naturally focuses at point A. The fish may be directly in the line of sight, but the eye needs to focus at point B to see the fish. We can train our eyes to focus at different distances. It takes a little practice. One way to train the eye is to put your rod tip below the surface. Focus your eyes on the tip. Move the tip to the bottom, keep focusing on the tip, and suddenly the entire bottom is in focus. Or try thissecond tip: Cast your sinking lure or fly. Focus on it, below the surface, now you are focusing subsurface. You can train your eyes to do this without the fly in the water with a little practice. This will pay huge dividends in seeing subsurface fish. Use the rod tip trick, and the sinking fly trick to practice.
These techniques work when fly fishing for redfish and bonefish. On a recent trip to the mountains for rainbow trout, it was equally effective. Focusing below the surface is more difficult when fishing in tannic stained water, but it can be done!
Overcome the natural tendency to focus on the surface, and use a pair of polarized sunglasses on your next sight fishing trip. There is a lot to see below the surface.
Text: Chris O’Byrne,FFF Certified Fly Fishing Casting Instructor
Photos: Cameron O’Byrne
Now that you’ve started fly fishing, let’s stop and think about a few things you can do to develop that all important skill, fly casting. The following will introduce points I make when working with novice fly fishers.
FIND YOUR TRAINING GROUND Rocky had his beef refrigerator. The Karate Kid had a stump in the Pacific Ocean. You need to find your practice place too!
Very soon you will be carrying thirty feet of line and shooting ten or twenty feet more. You need a patch of ground with that much area, being a fly fisher you also need that much space behind you. Look for a ball field or maybe the corner of a park where you will go several times a week. If there are other people around, all the better. They will stop and watch the beautiful movements of the fly line which intrigued you. And me. And all of us. Maybe you can lead them to fly fishing as well.
YA’LL KEEP ‘EM SRAIGHT! When you practice be conscientious in executing the basics, including straightening the fly line before your back cast. A good instructor will have pointed out how your cast suffered when you began a back cast with line laying on the ground in curls and waves or line dangling from a rod tip held off the ground. The caster who practices with this slack in the line will develop bad habits.
Before you begin each practice cast, step backward, holding the rod tip next to the ground, until the line is pulled taught. PUT THE ROD TIP LOW and begin your back cast.
WATCH YOUR BACK (CAST) There are many reasons I tell my students to turn their head and watch the line unroll in the air behind them after they’ve stopped their back cast. These reasons involve the need to start the forward cast only after the line has straightened.
How do you know when your line is straight? Watch it! Also... now is a good time to invest in quality sunglasses. Wearing them while you practice will help you watch the line when the sun is bright. And they provide a little eye protection.
PREPARE FOR THE WIND When you get that once in a life time shot at a Tarpon or when you are on a wide western river or when you come fishing with us, on one of central Florida’s lakes, the wind will be present. There are plenty of ways to deal with wind blowing your fly line around, but you need to practice.
When the wind blows, go to your training ground and make casts, facing different directions so that the wind attacks your loops from all angles.
TAKE DEAD AIM When you are enjoying your fly fishing adventures, you might need to drop an EP Mantis Shrimp fly inches from the nose of a rooting Bonefish or bounce a Hare’s Ear Nymph against a small boulder, or land a Pee Wee Pop on that Lilly Pad. Many fly fishing situations demand accurate casting.
You can prepare for these necessities by occasionally picking a target and casting to it. Once you practice casting to specific targets...
USE YOUR IMAGINATION Fly casting education is, by necessity, rather focused; we need to communicate the fundamentals and provide an opportunity for the students to succeed. When you are practicing on your own, you must perform these fundamentals properly, but in the end, we fish for fun.
Try moving the fly line like and Olympic ribbon twirler. Cast to targets on a wall. Cast high. Cast low. Cast to that great big fish right over there! Every time you make the line do what you want it to, you are developing casting skill. Have fun with it.
RELAX If you have come this far, you know the movements to make and you have made several very good casts. You know what you’re doing so relax.
Try to make several false casts with less and less tension in your rod hand. The grip is not a snake! The grip is a baby bird.
NO BACKCAST, NO FORWARD CAST Before you can make a next step in your casting and fishing, you should be able to; lay thirty feet of line in front of you, make a back cast and shoot an additional ten feet.
Practice making only your back cast, allowing the line land behind you. It should be completely laid out and pointing directly away from the starting point
SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP The tips in this article are universal, they can’t be suited to your casting stroke or your physical abilities or your fishing plans. You will be well served by working with a casting instructor or taking a trip with a fly fishing guide every so often.
We can see things which the caster cannot see and we can decide what fault should be fixed, when. In a trip with a fly fishing guide you will learn about casting and catching, your quarry and much more.
DO US ALL A FAVOR, TAKE SOMEONE FISHING You’ve got the bug, or you wouldn’t be reading. What is that got you started? What do you want to accomplish? What keeps you fly fishing? Don’t hog all the fun. Invite someone along with you.
JUST DO IT Bluegill and Largemouth Bass are great quarry, and in order to fly fish in fresh water you only need to get out about twenty five feet of line. You are ready to go fly fishing!
Pride beams on the face of the person in the mirror sporting the new fishing clothes. Enthusiasm fills the room, where the new fly rod is assembled then flicked back and forth, just so. You are a new fly fisher, congratulations! We know exactly how you feel because we dream about big fish all day long too.
Looking for a place to fly fish from shore? Check out this map!
by Captain Craig Crumbliss
If you've taken a look at the fly rod display in the last few months you've probably noticed some changes. In addition to the full line of Orvis rods we've always carried, Andy Thornal Company is now a dealer for Temple Fork Outfitters fly rods. TFO is a relative newcomer to the fly rod market yet their company is built on quality rods and great service through their warranty program.
My favorite TFO rod series is the new BVK series. BVK is actually the initials for Bernard Victor Kreh, although he is better known throughout the fly fishing world as Lefty Kreh. Lefty has undoubtedly had an impact on the way thousands of fly fisherman learned to cast a fly rod and for many years has partnered with the fly fishing industry to give his input on equipment, specifically fly rods. Along with Lefty, Flip Pallot recently joined with TFO during the design and testing of the BVK rods so I'm sure he added his thoughts to the design as well.
I have been using the 9 foot 7 weight and 8 weight fly rods for over a year now and I'm still impressed every chance I get to cast them. The first thing you notice when you pick up the BVK is how light it feels in your hand.
Next you'll notice the cork grip on the BVK's is actually a bit shorter than most other rods. Does the shorter grip cut cost? I'm sure it does, but after my initial disappointment I was actually surprised at how well the shorter grip fit in my hand and I've actually come to recognize it as a plus. The feel of the 7 and 8 weight is very similar, it is no doubt a fast rod but with a softer tip that makes delicate presentations much more accurate at the critical range of 35-45 feet.
On the other hand the stiff butt section when paired with a Bonefish taper line has more than enough power to carry 50-60 feet of line and easily cast 80-90 feet. Overall I'd have to say I've been extremely impressed with the BVK rod series.
One of the things that made TFO so attractive to us is the great customer service they provide through their warranty service. If you happen to break your rod you simple send it back along with $25 and TFO will replace the damaged piece and ship it back quickly to you usually within 7-10 days for the whole process. Lastly the price point of the BVK rods is great for a value conscious angler with the lighter rods priced at $224 and the saltwater rods priced at $249.
I've matched my 7 and 8 weight rods with the Lamson Konic reels in the 3.5 size. This combination has worked well for Redfish in Mosquito Lagoon and I use them almost daily when I need a heavier rod while fly fishing for bass in the local lakes.
Check out the TFO Fly Rods here
Check out Waterworks-Lamson Fly Reels Here
by Captain Craig Crumbliss, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide/Instructor
Down in sunny and warm central Florida we're a good 8 hour drive from the nearest trout stream so needless to say fly fishing for trout really isn't on anyone's weekend calendar except for maybe a summer trip to North Carolina or the Rockies. When the new Clearwater rods became available last December I knew there was one model I wanted to test right away so I had Allen order me the new 10 foot 4 weight rod and it arrived just in time for my trip to North Carolina over New Years weekend.
High stick nymphing and European style nymphing are both relatively new techniques that benefit from a long (10') often lighter (3-4 weight) fly rod in order to hold most of your fly line off the water and feel for the bite. I've used high stick nymphing frequently in Colorado with great success and looked forward to trying it on some of the well stocked delayed harvest rivers in North Carolina. I used a long leader with a heavy fly tied onto the end to drag along the bottom. Further up the leader tied onto the tag end of my tippet I used a lighter fly, in this case a pink San Juan worm. By dragging the heavy fly along the bottom you can feel every rock and occasionally the bite of a fish.
While it doesn't have the attraction of drift delicate dry flies to rising trout, high stick nymphing is an extremely successful way to cover the deeper and faster runs on a river full of fish.
Back at home in Florida I've used the 10' Clearwater quite a bit for casting small foam bugs to feisty bluegill. Although the bluegill are far from being shy the longer rod allows me to make long cast and hook big fish that may be a little more spooky.
I've matched my Clearwater Rod with a size II Access reel and the $29 Orvis Clearwater Fly Line. The new Access reels are an improvement on the best selling Mid-Arbor reel and the new Access design has lightened them slightly making them even more attractive while still maintaining the bulletproof durability the series has been known for.
From the delicate 6' 2 weight to the saltwater standard 9' 8 weight there isn't a bad rod in the bunch. The much anticipated Clearwater 12 weight will be here any day and I look forward to being able to fish it as Tarpon season starts to pick up here on the west coast. Stop by the store and talk to Allen, Chris, or myself and take one of these new rods for a test cast outside on the lawn.
by Captain Craig Crumbliss, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide/Instructor
What a great two weeks of freshwater fly fishing we've had around Central Florida. I've been on the water nearly every day in the past two weeks and the Bass and Bluegill have been very cooperative.
Mornings seem to be best right now, starting at sunrise until around noon when it starts to get a little too warm. The afternoons can be good for the last couple hours before dark but as my anglers found yesterday you often have to fight the wind to get your flies into the right spots. I've been concentrating most of my fishing on smaller lakes and ponds in Winter Haven and Lake Wales, mixed in with a few days at Lake Easy down in Babson Park.
The smaller lakes and ponds are fishing extremely well right now. Last Monday I had Shawn and his son Zac out for a Spring Break fly fishing trip. Zac hadn't done much fly fishing but he quickly figured it out and caught a nice bluegill and smaller sized bass both on a white foam spider. It's great to see kids get into the sport and catch a fish on the fly.
On Saturday I had Dennis and his son Jody on the boat for a quick morning trip and the action was great on topwater flies, we mostly fished a size 6 yellow Sprog pattern. They both had plenty of bass and bluegill, and Dennis had a surprise when the first fish we pulled in that morning was a nice sized Crappie.
Your best bet over the next couple weeks is to get out early and fish smaller size 6-8 topwater poppers and foam spiders. I've also had some success adding a San Juan worm as a dropper 12"-20" underneath to catch the fish that aren't quite as aggressive. The last two weeks have been some of the best mornings of the year. I hope you can get out on the water as the next month or two is really as good as it gets when it comes to catching fish on topwater flies.
Resource Article: Fly Fishing the Dropper Rig...
See Captain Craig's Book, Fly Fishing Central Florida's Freshwater
Article and Photos by Chris O'Byrne, FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
COLT CREEK SATE PARK-16000 State Rd 471, Lakeland, Florida 33809 Note: While close to North Lakeland, if you look at the map, this is closer to Zephyrhills as the crow flies!
TAKING A BREAK FROM FISHING, I grabbed a Coke and a bag of G.O.R.P. then wandered off, down a random hiking trail. The late morning sun was bright, still casting diagonal shadows, but the day was cool. I approached a particularly low section of the trail that held water from rain a few nights previous. I took a line through the shallowest place I could and began to pick my through the puddle when, I was startled by a graceful, tan flash from my right. I stopped walking to look into the slough that is a part of the Green Swamp. A was awed by the sight of a young White Tail Buck bounding through the water, each of his leaps covering almost ten feet yet disturbing the insulated quietness none at all. Later that day I would meet another resident of this lovely park, a small Large Mouth Bass who could not resist my olive Boogle Bug slider. All in all, a very good day.
COLT CREEK STATE PARK, north of Lakeland, Florida, is one of my favorite places to fly fish for fresh water species because it is the whole package. A lovely piece of land with several topographical changes; Colt Creek offers facilities for more than a dozen outdoor activities, not the least of which is fishing. There are picnic areas, hiking and equestrian trails, camp grounds, clean, handicap accessible restrooms, and the Great Florida Birding Trail. Three bodies of water are located in the Reserve; each of them can be fished from the bank with our dearly loved long rod. When you make the trip to work the long stretches of shore-line, remember these points;
- The ponds have small irregularities around their perimeters. Strip your fly across these bays and points.
- The water in the middle of the lakes is quite deep. A nine foot rod, up to seven weight, will allow you cast sinking flies further off the shore, reaching deeper down the water column.
- This is a great place for a small paddle craft.
- There are some of Florida’s ancient locals in these ponds. Take care when moving around the edges.
- There are friendly Florida Park Rangers here who run several programs.
- A $4.00 per car fee helps to keep this facility running.
CAPTAIN CRAIG CRUMBLISS, Central Florida’s only drift boat guide, likes to run charters on, 25 acre, Lake Mac. The facilities, the size of the lake and the variety of habitat allow his anglers plenty of opportunities. My own fly choices here are guided by his advice in “Can I See Your Fly Box?” i.e.; always have a variety of sizes and weights of a few tried and true patterns. I take black Woolly Buggers, chartreuse and white Clouser Minnows and some of the Boogle Bugs that paid off on that wonderful winter day which I will remember in my rocking chair days. I hope you make your own fly fishing memories too, at Colt Creek State Park.
Interactive Google map to Colt Creek Park is below:
View Central Florida Fresh Water Fly Fishing in a larger map
by Captain Craig Crumbliss, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide/Instructor
Another wonderful week of fly fishing in central Florida. The weather has presented it's challenges over the last couple days but there were plenty of fish to be found and caught over the last week.
Last Wednesday and Thursday I fished a couple different lakes in the Winter Haven area that are a little larger but not located on the chain. In the earlier part of the day bass were schooled up eating shad off the deeper weedlines. A gray/white Jerk minnow fished on a sink tip line worked well for these smaller schoolie size bass. Later in the day smaller yearling bass and bluegill were active and caught on a yellow Sprog pattern in size 6 as well as a white foam spider in size 6 and 10.
Friday and Saturday I actually got out on Sarasota Bay to fish the second annual Salty Fly tournament run by Sam Root at Salty Shores. Windy conditions and a tide that never really came in left my partner and I with plenty of trout but no redfish. Overall it was a great event for Fly Fishing and if you didn't make it out this year I'd encourage you to come out next year.
Sunday afternoon I fished with Josh from Lakeland, FL who had never cast a fly rod before our trip. A quick lesson in the parking lot and we hit the water looking for his first fish on fly. He connected early and caught several small bass on topwater before switching to the Jerk Minnow on a 7 weight rod to try and find some bigger fish. Unfortunately the bigger fish weren't as hungry and we actually caught smaller bass and a few bluegill on the Jerk Minnow before the end of the day.
With warmer weather for the rest of this week there should be consistant topwater action for bass and bluegill. I hope you can make time to enjoy some great warmwater fly fishing.
See Captain Craig's Book, Fly Fishing Central Florida's Freshwater
by Captain Craig Crumbliss, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide/Instructor
Another week of great freshwater fly fishing in central Florida. I was on the water several days last week before spending the weekend down in Miami.
Fishing was consistent as it was the previous week with bass still eating subsurface flies. The Jerk Minnow in a gray/white color as well as a larger Hare's Ear in size 8 accounted for most of the fish. When fishing the Hare's Ear you don't need much of a retrieve. Cast the fly to a likely spot and let it sink. As your boat drifts along just keep the line tight to feel the bite. When fishing from the shoreline I'll still fish very slowly, just keeping the slack out of the line as the wind blows it across the surface.
Bluegill action has been steady as well. Most fish are coming on foam bugs in size 6-8. Either the yellow sprog or white foam spider. Both of these patterns have bright green rubber legs that seem to trigger the bite. Cast the fly and let it sit for a while before moving it ever so slightly to get the legs to wiggle.
Get out and enjoy the freshwater fly fishing in central Florida this week. I'll be fishing Wednesday and Thursday before going to fish the Salty Fly Tournament in Tampa this weekend.
by Captain Craig Crumbliss, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide/Instructor
This past week has offered some of the best fly fishing I've seen in the last couple months. Last week I spent a couple days on some of my favorite small ponds around Lake Wales and had steady action with a mix of bass and panfish all coming on subsurface flies. The best pattern has still been a large size 8-12 Hare's Ear followed closely by an all white Myakka Minnow.
Yesterday afternoon I got out and fished with Rich and Perry from New York and Pennsylvania. They were pleasantly surprised with some great post-front fishing. They caught many bluegill some of them the larger variety of 8"-9" fish along with a handful of smaller bass. The best part about the fly fishing yesterday afternoon was we didn't even have to fish subsurface patterns. Every fish came off topwater flies either a yellow foam sprog or white foam spider, both tied on a size 6 hook.
I hope you can get out and enjoy the great weather we should have for the rest of the week. In the afternoons you should be able to get some fish to come up to topwater flies.
See Captain Craig's Book, Fly Fishing Central Florida's Freshwater
Article by Chris O'Byrne, FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
And the race is on and here comes three great sunproof hats to keep your head from baking. When I work with a customer whose adventurers will take them outside, I always suggest a proper hat. We are currently stocking up for summer and we have a plethora of great hats to choose from. Let me show you three of my favorite; The new Simms Sunshield Flats Cap, the Simms Solar Sombrero and the Tilley Airflo.
Featherweight Coverage
Simms Solar Sombrero Teflon coated, UPF 50 fabric which the Sunshield is built in and a wide brimmed shade-maker. The crown lies lightly on your head, not adding any heat and the brim (2 ½ to 3 inches wide) casts shade down your neck. The brim is hinged so that in a breeze it will kick up before it blows off, but if needed there is also a removable chin strap. The black under-brim is evidence that experienced anglers took part in the designing of this garment, while an elastic sizing band offers a snug fit so you can focus on your quarry.
Style meets Function
Tilley Airflo Tilley Endurables, since the beginning, have been synonymous with adventure. Many features of the Airflo make it a great choice for hot weather. The crown of the Airflow is held off of the head, together with a band of mesh circling the head, this allows for a constant flow of shaded air. (I know several guys who refuse to wear hats because they touch the head, trapping heat, blocking air and causing baldness???) I have been impressed with the brim of the Airflow. In washing (not to mention dropping, packing, mailing [yes mailing] scooping water with, and of course wearing) my Tilley, the brim always returns to its original, smooth silhouette. I have sold Tilley to construction workers, and fisher men who tend to be hard on them, but they are fine enough to be found in the best golf clubs in the country. Tilley hats are fitted so that your hat will fit your head, making all the more comfortable.
Best Protection:
Simms Sunshield Flats Cap This is the best flats style cap we've had in a long while. The brim is both longer and wider than a ball cap, providing more shade. It is black underneath which cuts the glare of sunlight reflected up off the water, thus protecting your eyes and allowing you to spot fish under water. The removable cape is very light, UPF 50 fabric, backed with mesh. It blocks the sun from one ear around to the other while allowing air to flow. With the cape snapped off, the Sunshield is a smart looking fishing hat, not unlike the one Papa Hemingway wore. The back of the Sunshield provides total coverage and includes a Velcro size adjuster.
So who wins the race for best sunproof quick dry-hat? You make the call!
What is the deal about Sun Protection Clothing? Read this informative ariticle.
