Goodhands Launch-5-23

[J. Rentch]

Got a chance to get on the water finally this morning at Goodhands Launch on Kent Island. Weather was great-flat water, beginning of ebb tide, and no other kayakers on the water except my friend-John Veil. Started trolling for 1 1/2 hr with mixed results. Had several strong hits, but could not get them to the boat-I was using barbless hooks and was rusty on the retrieval. I switched over to the fly rod because my arms were getting tired of trolling. At the tip end of Hog Island was slammed by a strong hit. Knew it was a Striper because it was constantly swimming from left side to right side of the kayak. I could not retrieve the line by hand, had to peel it out and start using the reel. Had a little slay ride for a while, but I finally got it to the kayak. Was a fat 21" Striper.
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It was caught on my Clouser that I had tied last fall.
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John had a more productive day than me, not sure how many fish he landed. ust say that retrieving a strong fish is harder on the fly rod than spinning, was using a 7wt.

Was really great to be out again with decent weather.

[Mark]

Outstanding John!

That's a fish on the fly that you'll remember.

[J. Rentch]

Agree!

[Big Mike]

Don’t know what a 7wt means but impressive fish on the fly. Glad you guys finally found them.

[J. Rentch]

Mike,
It would be like hooking say a 30” Striper on a light weight rod. Have to work getting it in

[bignose]

I warned you that fly fishing was addictive!
Nothing like catching a nice fish on a fly you tied. Downright satisfying!

Thanks to you and John Veil for the fishing report.

[Mark]

Having a fish on the fly with your hand on the line is the fun part of fly fishing. You can precisely feel their movements in your fingertips -- every head shake, every dive to cover, every run for open water. Indeed your fingers are so close to the action they can get friction burns from the speeding line when a big fish takes off.

Then having to transfer that fish to the reel is another skill requiring dexterity and enough faith in your gear to let the fish run freely as it takes out the excess line until the reel spool spins in reverse. You can "palm" the reel to slow it down or let the drag mechanism assist you. Again, palming is a very tactile sensation that gives you a good feel of the enormous power of a big fish.

And since most fly reels are not geared in various ratios to increase your cranking power, it's basically back to a manual contest between you and the fish to retrieve the line and your catch.

We all remember the first fish on the fly we had to put on the reel. John made a very good memory yesterday.