Rookie in the Grass
By Chan Ritchie
The
bright reflection caught the corner of my eye. I scanned the slick, quiet water
far to the north. There she is, near the tree line, two hundred yards
away. Her tail went down long before
I got close, but occasional surface ripples allowed me to track her. At fifty
feet I could see her, like a bronze snake slithering slowly over grass barely
taller than my ankles. Now the hunter was truly the hunted. My steps became
stealthy as I chose the best angle from which to approach. Fishing near the
trees where the grass is short and the water is gin -clear is First Coast
sight-fishing at its best. Even better if they are over the open sand. Cruising
fish in these conditions are al-most impossible not to catch. I circled around
to my right and laid the fly down a perfect six feet in front of her. As the
fly touched down I gave it a fast, aggressive strip. SWOOSH!! Water shot
skyward as the powerful tail instinctually catapulted the predator toward her
prey, a rooster-tail of foam in her wake. I quickly stripped again and she
found a higher gear. Here it comes! Here it comes!! BAM!! The violent
collision caused me to release the line so the leader would not snap. She headed
for the far away creek, spinning my reel as she left. Ten years ago I may have
spooked this fish.
Some
of you are now thinking-Six feet? Isn’t that too far away to place the fly? Were
you taught to put the fly
three feet in front of her nose and move it slowly? I tried it that way myself
when I was a rookie. I lost count of how many fish I spooked. Face it, when new
to the sport we are not great casters. Combine the wind with an overdose of
adrenalin and casting accuracy becomes a liability. Even when I made a perfect
cast the fish often would not strike. Other times the slightest movement of the
fly would send the fish fleeing for the creek. There had to be a better way.
Redfish
are in the grass for one reason, to eat. For her to ignore your fly would be
like a hungry man deliberately walking into McDonalds just to marvel at the
ambiance. Why then do so many fly fisher-men fail to draw strikes in the grass
and then cast repeatedly until the fish spooks? Simple, the fish does not see the fly. Or if she does see it, then
she may be on guard because your fly plopped down too close and invaded her
comfort zone. She has frozen while she assesses what it is that just rattled
her. All creatures have comfort zones.
If I sneak up behind you and slowly reach around and put my hand in your face,
then you with be startled. However, a fast movement of my hand from 10 feet
away will have no effect other than to catch your attention. Get a grass-redfish’s attention without
putting her on guard and she will strike almost without exception. It’s in her
DNA. Predators have large egos. They hate for anything to get away from them…especially if they are in
feeding mode. Therefore, your fly need be only close enough for her to see it
as it tries to rapidly escape. I call it the sight-zone.
Change your approach to reds in the grass and you can draw a
strike from nearly every redfish at which you have a decent casting
scenario….and it does not have to be perfect like the scenario you read above.
First, upon seeing a redfish, slow down. She is likely not
going anywhere. If she is in tall grass, then wait her out. She will eventually
move to better water.
Second, a fish with her head stuck in the mud will not see
your fly. Reds will tail on a crab, and then start moving again. Cast when she
is up and moving. The closer she is to the surface the better the chance that
she will see your fly.
How far out in front of her you should cast will be
determined by the thickness of the grass and water clarity. If she can see it,
then she will hit it. I try to stay outside of three feet where the chances of
spooking her are minimal. (Experienced grassmen catch reds every day by setting
a fly down inside of three feet, but you ain’t that guy..not yet.)
If the grass is sparse and the water is not too dirty, then I
like 4-6 feet. Remember; strip the fly when it is at her eye-level and keep it
at her eye-level. Make it move! Get her attention! She will not spook at that
range. If she sees it and starts charging, then keep taking it away. Her
predator instinct will take over…..and she will hit the fly like a flaming red
lightning bolt. Again, be patient. Wait
for the right casting scenario. Better to wait three minutes for her to get up
and cruising than to succumb to red-fever and cast into a poor situation.
A small foam strike-indicator placed eighteen inches above
your fly can be magic. Often you will cast, but the fish will stick her head
back in the mud or she may turn. She may disappear. Rather than disrupt things
by picking up the fly, leave it lying there. Keep your eyes open and be
patient. Very often she will end up back on a collision course with your fly.
The strike-indicator will allow you to easily locate your fly and judge when
it’s time to strip aggressively.
Fewer casts in the air
means less chances to scare. Remember, DO NOT let her get right on top of the
fly before you strip. You risk spooking her. Imagine that your crab saw her
coming and he is getting out of Dodge before she gets there. Let her get just
close enough to witness the attempted escape.
The fly does not much matter. These fish will hit just about
anything that can be mistaken for food so tie up something that is your own…and
put an excellent weed-guard on it.
Remember, no one ever caught a red when the fly landed too
close. However, you can catch a bunch by landing it far and stripping it fast.
Fish the sight-zone, put some live-action into your strips and hang on. It works
almost every time.
