Fly Fishing in the Sea
Here is a summary, of material elaborated by third parties and of our practical experience in the seas of Chile, compiled by the Chile Fishing Team.
In outline we can divide the maritime fishing with fly in two wide modalities:
Fishing from the coast, or wading in low waters, which generally are species of medium size, and therefore it is not necessary a material very different from the one that habitually we use to fish trouts in the Chilean rivers.
And the fishing from craft, which can be realized both in the surroundings of the coast and in opened waters and which can give us big or very big fishes, being necessary for it an equipment capable of throwing flies or lures suitable and prepared to resist the power of the adversaries.
The conditions of fishing in the sea are very different to that generally we are accustomed. The rods have to expire with certain special characteristics, for that we will must look on, when acquiring an fly fishing tackle to go fishing in the sea. The wind is probably the most important factor, as well as, the size of the flies is probably another factor that we will have to bear in mind, since some species will ask flies from us in fishhooks 1/0 or bigger, forcing us with this to use stronger rods and in numbers major to which we are accustomed to use in sweet water.The equipment more used is an #9 of rapid action and 9 feet length, this will allow to handle in suitable form spices as Saws, Basses, Soles, Horse mackerels, Wings nut, Eggs, etc.
The Rods:
Of rapid action they are the most effective, since they allow us to make longer launches, beside offering a major resistance to the fish and allowing a better hooking of the fishhook. Special attention needs the handle, which will have to be resistant. We have "fights handles" or double handles, which facilitate the labor when we meet a fish of great size or when we catch a good piece we could support the base of the rod in the chest to facilitate ourselves in our fights with the fish. Another function of the "but" or the fight handle is keeping the reel far from our body when it turns over fast because of the fish running.
A snarl of the manacle of the reel with our clothes can mean the failure of the capture. Preferably, we will look that the rod has rings of high bridge or pretty foot of titanium, which allow that the line should run more. Not to forget that some anglers compare for example the force of a Saw of 2kg with that of a Trout of 6kg.
Therefore, and in general, to a slightly powerful, rapid rod, capable of throwing against the wind our flies or lures beyond that our skill allows us, we must join a line WF of anticipated weight or, a throwing head (ST) in our opinion, more useful if we go fishing from craft, specific for salty waters, floating or sunked depending on the depth to which we want to take the fly. With a floating line we will be able to go fishing up to a meter, more or less, of depth. To go down below is suitable to use sinking lines, the denser the deeper we can go. Habitually in the sea fishing with fly limits itself to exploring the superficial caps, since to descend up to the surroundings of the bottom it is necessary to use generally much more weight of that one for that this system was designed fore unless we possess equipments specially made for these purpose.
The Lines:
At present there exist monofilaments lines that have specific profiles to go fishing in the sea, possessing in addition the necessary weight to be thrown correctly and with facility. We must bear in mind that in some cases (beach or rocks) the most important thing to obtain best results in the fishing, is that we are capable of reaching a considerable distance. For it we will need necessary special lines, of anticipated weight, in which the weight is in the first nine meters and with a minimal resistance of 50 pounds, of the type Weigth Forward Sinking. (WF-x-S) of 550gr or more. It will be able to be floating, sunked or intermediate and in any case it will have to be connected to a line backup of Dacron or Micron of at least 150m, as for the numeration, it can go from #10 to a #12.
Our equipment will have to be prepared to detain a frantic bullfight of the fish when this one feels caught.
The Reels:
Fishing in the sea the reel fulfills a function more important than fishing in the river, since there are very big and very rapid fishes that can extract many quantity of line in a moment. In addition, the salty water ends up by spoiling with enough rapidity any reel that is not designed to resist it. Even a specific reel for salty water must be washed carefully with sweet water after the day of fishing. Hardiness, capacity and a soft, progressive brake, which does not fail when it warms up, are indispensable characteristics in a reel destined to face the marine environment. The one that has a not reversible crank can save us some blow, but it is not anything indispensable.
Bearing the commented in mind on the lines, the reel will have to be one specially thought for this type of fishing, with bobbins of great diameter, another point of importance is the brake, indispensably to stop to the fish in his rapid and energetic flight. We recommend preferably with disc brake. If in addition the reel is light, it will turn out to be ideal for fly fishing in the sea, it have to be made with materials of high quality that resist the graze of the salty water and that rely on a brake system that should allow to be easily fitted to the needs of the fishing and will have to have the aptitude to store at least 150m of backing or line of support.
The Backing:
If it is possible, of dacron or micron they offer the advantage of being extremely thin witch allows a major capacity of storage in the reel and, with a minimal resistance of 50 pounds. A good backing line for sea is that of "Micron", a material that gives plaited thinner than the habitual "Dacron" for the same resistance, which allows to take more meters of backing in the reel. For big fishes, or very fast fishes, there is Ok the "Micron" covered with a slippery cap of "Tefl?.
As for the color, it turns out to be advisable to choose a backing of different color from that of the line, which allows us to distinguish it better for his control in our fights with the fish.
The Leader:
Ideal, if it is possible of fluoride of carbon in lengths of 9 feet and in case of some fish as the Saw or Sole, we will need using a special tippet that knows itself as " Shock Tippet ". This tippet is joined at the end of the leader and generally it has a length between 30 and 40cm, this Shock Tippet will have to be of wire or steel.
The Flies:
At first we can say that the choice of the fly will depend directly on the species that we want to fish, it is possible that we occupy flies of small size or nymphs, as streamers or feather. Flies and feather or streamers are very light, for what the use of a weight will be precise in order to work correctly at the sea.
The feather is a very effective fodder, which it attracts to numerous species thanks to the vibrations that it produces, very different with the ones produced by the rest of the flies or lures.
The fishes that we are interested in moves in shoal, in general in middle waters or closely together of the surface; always in movement behind his food, mainly small fish like the anchovy, the sardine, the herring, the pejerrey and the crustaceans.
The best way of testing if there are aims in the zone is with an spinning or baitcast tackle, since it allows to accede to almost any depth very rapidly, using preferably lures with sound (rattling) or with high power of vibration to attract the fish from big distances.
If there are any fishes, one finds out rapidly, because they sting or we see there pursuit and later rejection, this happens often. As soon as we detect there presence and in what depth they move, already, we can take the rod and go directly to the grain with certain tact.
