On this page I'll post some of the questions I've received from visitors to my site or during presentations to fishing clubs, and my answers. Not all Q & A will make it to this page - typically items that don't have a general application that would benefit others, or questions about specific locations (such as fishing spots on St. John, USVI). Regarding the latter - depending on the location, I may provide information on good fishing spots in a one-on-one format, but I won't post these responses for general viewing. I don't participate in 'kiss-and-tell'. I'll add more Q & A as I dredge them out of my files and as they come in. Email me at info@fishermanscoast.com if you have questions, I'll respond as time allows. I do not include questioner's names, and revise the question to remove any identifying information.

Q. Do you think it’s worth adding eyes to flies? Does it make a difference?

A. Maybe. How’s that for an answer? I think the goal in creating and tying flies is to impart prey-like characteristics to the fly.  This might be eyes, silhouette, coloration, fly behavior (floating, sinking, swimming, etc), sound, or other characteristics that convince the gamefish that the fly is a prey worth eating.  I’m sure many have had the experience of eyes falling off a fly during a particularly fishy day, as can happen with a Deceiver. Very often, the fly remains productive even though the eyes have been lost. In these cases, the fly maintains other prey-like characteristics that fool the gamefish into thinking the fly is prey. In other cases, it seems that eyes are the only characteristic that makes the fly effective. Very often, though, I think that eyes on flies catch more anglers than fish.

**************

Q. Years ago several of us outdoor writers were on Long Cay, Bahamas and I asked Al McClane why is that for years on a specific tide bonefish will flood onto a flat. Then the numbers begin to diminish until after a while you rarely see one there--and that situation might last for years before the return. Al said bonefish graze the flat (like cattle to a pasture) until it is no longer economically worth while for them. I think many flats fishermen would be interested in this observation.

A. Al may have been correct. It is certainly possible that the bonefish could eat so much of the preferred prey on that flat that prey abundance declines to such an extent that it’s not worth the effort for bonefish to feed there, so they go somewhere else until the prey population recovers.

It’s also possible that the prey declines due to reasons unrelated to the bonefish. For example, when many marine organisms spawn, they eject eggs and sperm into the open water where fertilization occurs. The larvae that hatch from the eggs typically don’t look anything like the parents, and float in the open water as plankton for hours, days, weeks, or even months, depending on the species. If they survive their time as plankton, they metamorphose into miniature versions of the adults and take up residence in the same types of habitats as their parents. These larvae may find themselves in the same location as their parents or may find that the currents carried them to other locations. Sometimes the currents sweep larvae away from areas rather than toward them, and in these situations there may be a year or more when few larvae come in to replace the previous generations. This means that the prey population declines because there are too few younger individuals coming in to replace the older ones that are dying. Although bonefish didn’t directly cause the decline of the prey population, the result is the same – prey abundance on the flat becomes too low to make it worthwhile for the bonefish, so they go elsewhere.

Of course, it’s also possible that both the above are happening. Bonefish eat a lot of a certain prey, which keeps the prey abundance in check. This works fine as long as new prey successfully come in each year. But if there is a bad year or two, when few younger prey individuals come in, but the bonefish keep eating at their normal rate, the population may decline to levels too low to keep the bonefish coming back.

Another possibility is that the prey that bonefish prefer is for some reason replaced by an organism that the bonefish don’t like. The bonefish’s preferred prey and this other organism may compete with one another, and some years one species wins and other years the other species wins. In the years that the bonefish’s preferred prey wins you see bonefish, but in years that the other species wins the bonefish go elsewhere.

Bonefish may also change their behavior and locations due to spawning season (we think that is November – May in the Caribbean). An area that has plenty of food and protection from predators may be far from spawning locations, so during spawning season there may be fewer bonefish there and more bonefish on flats closer to spawning locations.

Overall, all of these possibilities highlight the great thing about fishing and studying fish. Just when you think you have it figured out they show you that you don’t. And it keeps it challenging.

************

Q. In the late 1940's I fished a lot for smallmouths on the Potomac about 50 miles upriver from Washing, DC. I found a small casting plug on a drifting log. It was about the length of your ring finger and weighed 3/16 ounce. It was like throwing Rotenone in the water--bass jumped on it. I finally found in Montgomery Ward's catalog where to buy them and shared the info with my fishing friends. For about four years the lure was terrific--then it became just another good lure that bass often ignored. I watched the same thing occur when in the 1950's we used the new plastic worm, later the Mister Twister-Type, the Rapala and other lures had a relatively short period of  being extra effective--then became just another good lure.

The same thing has happened in the Keys with tarpon and bonefish. In the mid 60's through perhaps the 80's the Stu Apte type fly worked well on tarpon and standard bonefish Charlies did the job. Now, The Toad is the hot fly and Stu's are usually refused by tarpon and to catch bones like those around Islamorada a small crab flies presented in a very special way seems to be the only effective patterns. As for permit the Merkin was great for some time now the top guides find that it realistic crab patterns work so much better.
I can think of many other examples of this pattern with many different gamefish in fresh and saltwater. What do you think causes this?

A. I can think of many things to explain your experience, but list below what I think are the two mostly likely (these are not mutually exclusive).

The first potential reason is learned behavior. Fish that eat a certain lure or fly and are released may retain a bad association with that lure, and this would cause them to not eat that lure in the future (or be less likely to do so). This would be the same reaction a fish would have after eating a natural organism that is poisonous – if they recognize a characteristic of that organism that they associate with ‘negative’ they are less likely to eat that organism in the future. This is one reason that some of the more noxious organisms are brightly colored – an easy to recognize warning that deters predation. I think that bass and other fish can and do react to lures in the same way. After all, our lures and flies are imitating prey of some sort, so the fish react to them in a similar fashion (whether they eat them or refuse them). You see this change in reaction to lures and flies a lot in catch and release fisheries. In some situations it might not even be a lure or fly that causes a negative association, it might be boat noise or other variables, but the other variable is associated with the presence of a lure or fly. To some extent, this is a reason that smaller fish tend to be more aggressive (and easier to catch) than larger fish in areas that receive fishing pressure – the smaller fish haven’t learned yet. In areas that don’t receive much fishing pressure, it’s common for the large fish to be just about as aggressive as the smaller fish. To a certain extent, the longer-lived the fish, the more likely that learned behavior will be a factor. Tarpon can live up to 80 years, for example, so have a long time to figure things out. Bonefish can live at least 20 years, again a long time to have experience with flies.

The second reason could be the loss of fish that ate those lures (or lures in general).  These were mostly the more aggressive fish, and this aggression may have been a genetically based trait. These fish would be lost due to harvest or to their death after release. In this scenario, in the early days of little or no fishing pressure, the more aggressive fish that tended to eat more than the other fish would attack the lures and flies. Over time, as these fish were removed from the population, the aggressive genes would become less prominent, and the population would become dominated by less aggressive feeders.  In this scenario, there is a higher survival rate of fish that wouldn’t eat those lures (or colors) or are less aggressive. Since more of these less aggressive fish survive and produce offspring for the next generation in comparison to the more aggressive fish, the genes for being less aggressive (or for a preference against certain colors, etc) are passed on to the next generation. This may create a population that is less aggressive toward all lures or flies, or a population that reacts negatively to a certain color, etc.

A final reason is that in many cases there are considerably fewer fish than there were in previous years. So in locations where there were once 10 fish competing for food and charging the lure to be first to eat, there now may be 3 fish.

Of course, in many cases it is a combination of these scenarios that act to change fish reactions to lures and flies, as well as fishermen.

************

Q. Can you give me some information on the type of flies I would need for the Pine Island area of Florida? I tie my own flies and have never fished in the area and am trying to get information on the materials that I would take down for my trip. I want to fish for snook, trout, redfish and anything else that might be exciting on a fly rod.

A. This is the standard answer to this type of question: For casting potholes and edges for trout, good flies are tan/white, chartreuse/white, and olive/white clousers.  For tailing reds try crab patterns, like the bastard crab, shrimp patterns, merkwan (aka kwan - merkin with no legs, craft fur tail), or the Gartside gurgler.  For reds and snook in the bushes, or sight fishing, the mangrove muddler is productive, I suggest carrying three colors (brown, olive, white).  Deceivers, Gartside gurgler, and bendbacks in white, olive/white, tan/white are also productive.

But that’s not really the best answer. The best answer is about the prey that the gamefish are eating in each of the habitats listed above. The clousers, for example, can imitate the many species of baitfish that swim in the middle and upper water column, and even some of the bottom-dwelling prey fish. It depends on where and how the fly is fished – a chartreuse/white clouser stripped through the middle or upper water column will present a good imitation of baitfish. A tan/white clouser bounced along the bottom of a pothole is a good imitation of bottom-dwelling fish like gobies.

The muddlers along the mangroves are good imitations of the many species of killifishes that live in these habitats. In general, it’s best to select fly color to match the habitat – backwater mangrove creeks = brown or olive, sand flats next to mangrove shorelines = white.
Rather than go on and on, let me end this one by stating that this is what the Fisherman’s Coast Approach is all about – understanding the habitats, the prey in the habitats, and how gamefish use the habitats, so that fly design and selection has a purpose.

************

Q. I’ve had a number of questions on career choice advice. That’s a tough one. A combination of answers is below.

A. Where to begin. First, to the best of my knowledge, although there are numerous people who do what I do (gamefish-related research, fishing, education/communication of anglers, conservation), almost all are in academia or government jobs. In general, the academic jobs allow the most research freedom (but also the greatest time commitment, especially when going for tenure), whereas the government jobs seem to be more limiting in the freedom aspect. Both, however, offer regular pay. Although the academic positions require grant funds to do the research (and get tenure), salary is paid.  In contrast, my work at Mote Marine Lab is 100% grant money, so no grants = no job. While this has allowed me the freedom to do research that I otherwise would not have been able to do (e.g., my snook research, angler education), it’s rather tenuous living from year to year on 100% grant money. Similarly, although BTT is stable and a regular salary, it is also non-profit and is dependent on memberships and donations. The point of all of this – academia and government provide stability, but perhaps not as direct an interaction with fish/fishing (or an interaction that is more influenced by institutional agendas), whereas the non-profit side is less financially stable but with more individual freedoms. All have their (dis)advantages.

I agree about the need for translating science/ecology into layman’s (angler) terms. There is a huge need for this. The problem is that not enough others agree. As far as I can tell, there is little funding for this – I think there should be a very large pot of money to pay people to translate fisheries and ecological science into angler’s terms. And, to be honest, part of the problem is that most scientists think they are good communicators with the general public (the vast majority are not), so they see no reason to have people specializing in this field. I would love to be able to hire someone, for example, to write layman-version articles summarizing my program’s research, but at the moment I don’t see it happening due to budget limitations. As far as I can tell from reading other organizations’ publications, they are following the old tradition of having an angler/member with writing skills or a freelance writer write the pieces, which almost inevitably end up being only so-so. Despite their claims to the contrary, I also find that most fishing publications still don’t give much science/conservation coverage, and when they do not very well.

But how to combine fishing, scientific research, and conservation?  Well, I’ve always fished, so that certainly helped. But it’s important to get past the typical fisherman’s thought process and apply a scientific approach to your time on the water. This means that when in college, I recommend taking a wide variety of classes to establish a good knowledge base. In college, don’t worry about concentrating on a specific topic (e.g., marine biology, fisheries). Instead, make sure to take all of the classes that will be required for admission to graduate school. Most likely, if a career in marine science is desired, graduate school will be required. And during graduate schools is when specialization should occur. I also recommend taking some time between college and graduate school, get a job or two, get an idea what different careers are really like.  It’s impossible to know what career path is realistic until it is experienced. After college, I worked for 4 years, then went to graduate school for my Master’s degree, then worked for 4 years before heading back to graduate school to get my Ph.D.  

************

Q. Do you fish Sanibel much during the summer and do you think the beach renourishment will have an impact for this years summer snook fishing?

A. I do fish Sanibel during summer for snook – it’s great sight fishing, and something I look forward to every year. Regarding beach renourishment – I think the beach renourishment will negatively impact the snook fishing. Beach renourishment’s negative impacts on beach ecology are pretty well documented. The new sand pumped on the beaches buries the organisms that live along the beach (crabs, shrimp, worms, etc), and it takes a while for these species to rebound. Since these organisms are prey for gamefish, gamefish have less to eat so may go elsewhere. Or if the gamefish remain in the area, they may not be in good condition. This would be especially bad for snook since they are on the beach for spawning season. Also, very often the sediment that is pumped onto the beach for renourishment is not the same type and quality of sand that is naturally found on the beach, and this has many negative impacts. The impact most immediately obvious when sight-fishing for snook is that the water is extremely murky.

**********

Q. What tides are best for fishing on the beach?

A.  Whichever tide is best for the location you are fishing. I know that sounds like a copout, but it's not. The best tide to fish the beach depends on a mix the mix between local beach topography, tidal range, and surf conditions.  In general, on steeply sloping beaches with no offshore sandbar, tide isn't really a factor for sight fishing because unless fish are shallow against the beach you won't see them. In these situations, it's more about finding out where the bait are holding, any rips that might occur, and then a good amount of blind casting. Steep sloping beaches aren't high on my list.

The best beaches for sight fishing are beaches that have sandbars that parallel the beach or beaches that have gentle slopes that create what amounts to a narrow sand flat that runs along shore. For the beaches with longshore sandbars, I generally like the last couple hours of falling tide and first couple hours of rising tide. I think these time periods provide the best sight-fishing conditions. During neap tides, the bars usually remain covered by water so sight-fishing the bar and the edges of the bar can be good. If there is enough water over the bar and in the trough between the bar and the beach, fish can also hold or cruise in the trough. During spring tides, the bar may be exposed, so walking along the bar and sight-fishing the outer edge is best. For beaches with a narrow sand flat that extends from shore, I see the most fish during the rising tide, from the start of the rise until water is too deep to see cruising fish.  

In any case, it's worth the time to check out beaches at low tides, especially spring low tides. This gives you the best view of the layout of the troughs, longshore bars, bars perpendicular to shore, and rips. File these spots away and use this knowledge to your advantage on future trips.

**********

Q. What is your favorite bonefish fly?

A.  Probably a shrimp pattern. But the fly I use depends on the habitat I am fishing, water depth, and bonefish size. So I guess a better way to answer this is to say that I have a small group of flies that are my go-to patterns. For big bonefish I use a larger fly, typically size 2. This is typically a mantis shrimp or fish imitation.  On sand flats with mantis shrimp holes, I go with a mantis shrimp pattern like the Big Ugly.  In mixed habitats or if there are no mantis shrimp holes I usually start with a fish imitation like a goby or toadfish pattern. Most anglers don't realize how many fish are eaten by large bonefish. In the Florida Keys, for example, toadfish are high on the menu of large bonefish. Third on the list is a crab pattern, size 2 or 4, like the Bastard Crab.  Crustaceans, such as shrimp and crabs, carry a lot of calories for their size, so most bonefish will try to eat them even if they seem too large.  I've seen some small bonefish eat some pretty large flies. Overall, most of my bonefish patterns are size 2. For small fish, whether in schools or small groups, standard small patterns like Gotchas, size 4, do well.

**********

Q. What tippet do you use when fishing for snook?

A. That really depends on what habitats I am fishing, water clarity, and the size of snook being targeted.  Sight-fishing along the beach, for example, often calls for lighter tippet than I'd use along in mangrove shorelines. On the beach, I often have to go down to 20 pound test, and even occasionally 15 pound test. I try not to use fluorocarbon because it never degrades, but sometimes on the beach it is necessary. When I am fishing along mangrove shorelines I usually use 30 or 40 pound test, and sometimes even 50 or 60 pound test if I think real bruisers are around.  I use such heavy tippet for
three reasons. First, to protect against abrasion from the snook's mouth and slices from gill plates.  Second, heavier tippet reduces the chances of getting cut off by barnacles or oysters when snook head into the mangrove prop-roots for cover. And third, if at all possible I want to keep the snook from getting back into the mangrove prop-roots, and heavy tippet and leader give me a fighting chance. In fact, when casting mangrove shorelines for snook, I often go with a piece of 50 pound butt section to 30 pound tippet, or even with a straight piece of 30 pound leader to the fly. It's not fancy
fishing, and it works.

**********

Q. Is it more important to cast far, accurately, or quickly when sight
fishing?

A. It’s best if you can do all three, but overall I’d say that accuracy and quickness are most important when sight fishing.  When you (or the guide) see a fish coming toward the boat, you usually have a very short time to get the fly in front of the fish before the fish sees the boat or changes course and swims out of range.  So it’s important to get the fly in front of the fish quickly.  This means making few false casts before casting at the fish.  One of the biggest mistakes I see anglers make when sight fishing is making way too many false casts.  And with each additional false cast the situation worsens (the fish gets too close, or turns, or sees the boat).  So getting the fly to the fish quickly is very important.  Equally as important is accuracy.  If the fly is not put in the fish’s cone of vision, then the fish is less likely to see the fly.  And many times a fish will not turn to chase a fly that lands off the mark, but will take a fly that is directly in its path. So accuracy is equally as important as quickness.  Finally, being able to cast long distances can certainly get you more chances at fish that would otherwise be out of range, but you will still need to be accurate with the cast. But I think being able to cast long distance is important for another reason – if you can cast 90 feet under calm conditions, you can probably cast 50 feet in tough conditions, and more often than not it’s windy on the flats.

**********

Q. What’s the best way to handle a fish for catch and release?

A. The best approach is to never remove the fish from the water.  While keeping the fish in the water, remove the hook.  If the fish doesn’t swim off on its own, it may need some recovery time.  Gently hold the fish under the head and base of the tail until it’s regained the wherewithal to swim off.  If there are sharks present, some recovery time in the livewell may be beneficial.

If it is necessary to remove fish from the water, be sure to wet your hands first. This reduces the amount of slime removed from the fish – slime that is important barrier against infection.  Never use a towel to hold a fish, even if wet – too much slime is removed. 

Although it is tempting, don’t lift a large fish by the lower jaw.  The weight of the fish hanging from the lower jaw can tear ligaments in the isthmus (the narrow stretch of flesh between the underside of the gills).  These ligaments are essential for opening and closing the jaw during feeding, so damage can inhibit feeding for a long time.  Some work in Australia suggests that holding the weight of a large fish by the jaw can stretch the spine, possibly separating the vertebrae, which causes death within a few days. 

If you want a photo of the fish, try to do so while keeping the fish in the water until you are ready for the picture.  Then lift the fish from the water briefly for the photo, supporting it under the head and anal fin.
You can see more on catch and release practices here.

**********

Q. How much backing should I have on my fly reel for saltwater fishing?

A. As much as the reel can hold and still have plenty of space for easy adding of the fly line. This is so the effective diameter of the reel spool is larger, which means you get more line back on the reel with each crank of your hand.  In all but the extreme case, this will put more backing on your reel than you will ever need. I’ve never been close to losing all of my backing to a fish, and of the saltwater flats fish, the closest I’ve come has been with a tarpon.  Sure, I’ve had large bonefish that have made very long runs, but I never was in danger of reaching the end of my backing.  I would bet that I’ve never had a bonefish run more than 100 yards of backing off my reel before I was able to turn it. 

Do you know how far 100 yards really is?  A number of years ago I was fishing for false albacore on Cape Cod.  I hooked a nice one, and off it went. I was fishing from a jetty, so there was no chasing this fish.  As the backing disappeared from the reel I started to worry, but in reality I still had plenty of backing on the reel (150 yads, if I remember correctly).  When the fish suddenly stopped its run and turned, a small loop formed in the backing as I cranked it onto the reel. I just kept cranking and laid more backing over the loop that was eventually covered by fresh backing coming in. I landed the fish and called it a day. That evening I pulled the fly line and backing off the reel to get to the loop and rinse the line. I walked the line across a field next to the house to measure how far the fish had run (it had seemed like the fish had run for miles). The total distance was 75 yards.  Not even close to spooling me. 

Striped bass and bluefish certainly won’t spool you if you have a reasonable amount of backing and a properly set drag.  As I mentioned above, tarpon can do it, but 99% of the time you’ll be fishing for tarpon from a boat, so you can follow the fish to retrieve line after it makes a long run.

**********

Q. I’m just getting into saltwater fly fishing, what fly rod should I get to start?

A. Overall, and without knowing where you’ll be doing most of your fishing, I think an 8 weight is a good start.  A 9 weight is a second choice, but I think a 9 weight is too heavy for doing a lot of casting, which you will be doing as you start out.  I suggest getting a medium action rod.  This is so you can feel the line load as you cast, and feeling the line load is extremely important when learning to cast.  I like the Imperial model from St. Croix Rod for a starter rod.  These days, I think most rods are too stiff (called ‘fast’), and too much fly line has to be outside the rod tip to feel the rod load.  This is OK for many experienced casters, but causes problems for beginner and intermediate casters.  If you do get a fast rod, I suggest over-lining the rod – getting a fly line that is one class up from the rod, so a 9 weight line for an 8 weight rod.  Over-lining a rod also good for close-quarters casting.  I over-lined my rod for stripers on Cape Cod, because when I was wading I often didn't see fish until they were relatively close, so I needed to load the rod with very little fly line outside of the rod tip. This allowed me to make one false cast before casting to the fish.

**********

Q.  When I was on a recent trip to the Everglades, my buddy was catching a lot more fish than me when we were casting to mangrove shorelines even though we were using similar flies. Any suggestions?

A. My guess is that your buddy was casting his fly much closer to the mangroves than you.  When casting for fish along mangrove shorelines, you need to get the fly under the overhanging branches, or if that is not possible then as close to the mangroves as you can.  If you’re not getting not getting the fly hung up in the mangroves every once in a while, you’re not casting close enough.  For this reason, a weed-guard is essential.  The gamefish – whether snook, redfish, tarpon, snappers, or jacks – tend to hold up under the mangrove branches or among the mangrove pro-roots, and usually won’t chase a fly that is far from their holding place, so you need to get the fly to them.  The gamefish like to hide up in the shadows and look out into the unshaded water to ambush fish – resting in the dark makes them less visible to passing baitfish, and they can easily see into the adjacent sunlit waters.  (This is akin to standing outside a building at night – you can see into a lighted room, but people in the room are unable to see you.)  Anglers who cast to mangrove shorelines on a regular basis get pretty good at shooting the fly under overhanging mangroves and tend to catch more fish.

**********

Q.  Do you have a specific leader that you use for each different gamefish?

A. To some extent, yes, but where I am fishing and the fishing conditions are also major factors in my leader selection.  My standard bonefish leader is 9’ with a 12 pound tippet, but I’ll lengthen the leader and maybe go down as far as 8 pound test when fishing in calm conditions in shallow water.  Interestingly, I used this same leader system when fishing for striped bass on the shallow sand flats of Cape Cod during summer, when the fish could be pretty spooky. But when fishing along the surf or during the fall feeding frenzies by stripers and bluefish, I often shortened the leader to six to eight feet with 20 pound tippet.  I fish a 9 foot leader when sight fishing for snook along Florida’s beaches, but may change to a single, six-foot piece of 30 pound test mono leader when casting along mangroves for snook.  For tailing redfish I usually use a six foot leader with 15 or 20 pound tippet. The redfish are usually so involved in feeding that a long leader is not necessary, and a short leader is easier to cast accurately.

**********

Q. I’m going to (fill in the location here) for vacation.  Is it worth taking a fly rod on the trip?  What fish are there to catch?  (This is a generalized version of a question I often receive, usually relating to a Caribbean destination.)

A.  If there is a shoreline, there are fish to catch. If you have a 4 or 5 piece rod, pack it in your bag in case you can get some time on a beach or rocky shoreline. Better yet, maybe the island has some wadeable flats that are worth exploring.  For a more detailed discussion of do-it-yourself in the Caribbean, go here. 

**********

Q. I'm new to fly fishing for striped bass and bluefish, having recently moved to New England.  I've noticed that a lot of the flies used here are either heavy, like big clousers, or wind resistant, like poppers. Do you have any suggestions on casting these big flies?

A.  I learned this by trial and error, and have seen similar advice provided by others (including Lefty Kreh) at fly fishing shows.  Rather than trying to throw a tight loop, make your cast take more of an oval path.  The heavy or wind-resistant fly is going to try to fly a wider path than your tight loop, stealing a lot of your line speed. So why fight it, use that to your advantage.  I like to bring the back cast through in a straight line, and make the oval on the forward cast. This allows me to throw the fly toward the water when I shoot line. It will take some practice, but give it a try. You'll know by the feel and your casting distance when you get it right.

**********

Q. What color sunglass lenses do you prefer for fishing the flats?

A. My preferred (and the industry standard) lens color for sight fishing the flats is amber. I also prefer mirror lenses because I think the mirrors reflect more glare than standard lenses.  The amber color helps to bring more contrast to the flats, making it easier to see fish such as bonefish and striped bass that mix in pretty well with their surroundings.  I recently tried lenses with a red tint and really did not like them.  The lenses did a great job of cutting glare, but they did not block out enough sunlight, and it was just too bright. I couldn't wear the lenses for long without getting eye strain. For low light conditions - cloudy days, dawn, and dusk - I like light yellow lenses.  Yellow lenses brighten the day and can provide decent visibility in low light conditions.  Way back when I used to fish offshore (not fly fishing) the standard was blue lenses.

**********

Q. How full do you tie clousers, deceivers, or other favorite baitfish
patterns?

A. From full-on bushy to extremely sparse, depending on what I am trying to imitate. When I lived in Massachusetts and fished on Cape Cod, I tied a lot of sparse flies to imitate the long and slender sand eels that make up a good part of the striper diet. During my time there, I learned to tie layered, multi-hued, sparse flies to imitate sand eels. Depending on water depth and where the stripers were feeding (bottom, mid-water, surface), I used lead-eye clousers, beadchain clousers, or deceivers or blond-type streamers.  

My shrimp patterns (many of which are variations on the clouser theme) tend to be rather slender.  If I am tying to imitate some of the herrings that have a high body profile, I often use the hi-tie style to give the fly a high profile. But I don't use much material - the fly has to look big without casting big.  I want the fly to imply fullness when in the water, but a sparsely tied fly will be easier to cast. When tying flies to imitate bottom-dwelling fish like blennies, gobies, and toadfish, I often palmer material (hackle, dubbing, wool, etc) around the hook shank to give the impression of the round body profile of these prey.   

In general, be sparse with materials.  I think that many beginning tiers tend to use too much material on their flies.

All material copyright Aaron Adams 2009 and beyond.