Wildest Fly Fishing Experience (Pics)

alwayslookin · 03-21-2003, 10:58 AM

My vote would have to be Giant Trevally fishing on salt water flats. Attached pictures are of a 40lb+ GT from Christmas Island. The fish was one in a school that rushed the flat we were on. What was unique was the GT in the picture was cruising with 4 or 5 Black Trevally, which are rarely seen on the flats. The fish rushed the fly and took it 30 feet from my rod tip. I was a bit under-tackled with a Ten Weight and almost got spooled.

andy-ap emerger · 03-21-2003, 12:32 PM

HOLY SHNIKIES!!!!!

Nice Permit! (that is a permit right???)

bri24 · 03-21-2003, 03:22 PM

Cool pictures. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Fish Slayer · 03-21-2003, 04:27 PM

Dude! That thing's monster!!! It's huge! Nice feesh!!! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

:shocked: :grin:

KingFisher85 · 03-22-2003, 01:01 PM

That looks like fun, nice fish.
I'll try to get a picture up of one of my wildest fly fishing experience

Fish_N_Russ · 03-22-2003, 07:26 PM

so thats what a permit looks like, ahha

hickwithaflyrod · 03-22-2003, 09:08 PM

If im not mistaken that is a Giant Trevailly not a Permit. But hey awsome fish and glad to hear you went up there to Christmas Island I have wanted to head over there for a while now I hear the guides could spot a needle moving through the water(exaggeration) but hey they're great. Did you snap any rods because that fish looks like it cpould if he wanted to....

John

SSPey · 03-23-2003, 09:34 AM

holy smokes! I've heard stories about GT - these are the things that chase down bonefish?? fast and strong, looks like a ton of fun. From the movie "Cast Away" it becomes obvious that you should never check in your fishing tackle. Carry it on the plane, you might need it later

[ 03-23-2003, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: floatnfish ]

Rueben4life · 03-23-2003, 04:47 PM

Beautie!!!

alwayslookin · 03-23-2003, 07:03 PM

The Giant Trevally is one of those top of the food chain types of fish. They rule the flats and do indeed go after bonefish and most anything else that gets in their way. I've had GT's rush me and not turn away until they were less than 10 feet away. It's a good thing you're standing in warm salt water.......

As for the comment on the acute vision of the guides. When the wind is up, the flats are discolored, and there is no sun, I could not spot bonefish at all. The guide pictured could literally spot the fish, tell me where to cast, when to strip, and I would never see the fish until I hooked it. (Actually the guide hooked it, I was just following instructions.

On busting rods, I was lucky since I only had a 10 Wt. I had to be very careful to not try and horse the fish. We were lucky with the fish in the picture. Our catamaran was nearby and they actually picked us up off of the flat to fight the fish from the boat for a good part of the time. I was down to about 30 yds of backing when we boarded the boat. To land the fish, you need to get off the boat and onto the flat again. Next time I go, I will definitely have a 12wt. rod with a reel that will carry 350 yards of backing. I had a fish twice the size of the pictured fish spool me. If you ever get the chance, try trevally fishing, it gets the heart pumping unlike anything I've experienced.

John

Snap-T · 03-24-2003, 04:22 PM

Nice Fish! Is Palou still runnin' the show at the Captain Cook Hotel? That was a great time when I went there. I see that you had as good of a time as I did! My highlight was about a 30 lb milkfish on a 7wt. It broke me off needless to say! GT's are great and they sometimes charge fisherman on the flats to size you up. They are very strong and yes they do eat bonefish. How they catch them I will never know, bones seem way too fast!

PittsburghD · 03-25-2003, 08:28 PM

Looks deep. Where were the beers?

alwayslookin · 03-26-2003, 07:24 AM

Snap-T,

Yes Palau is still running the place. He doesn't get out on the flats much these days. Business has been down at CI for the past year, which makes it more convenient for the fisherman, but rough on the local economy. There are over 9000 people living on CI now and the fishery is showing some early signs of decline. The old timers that were there told me the number and size of the bones inside the lagoon have declined over the past five years. By the way, what did you hook the milkfish on? I saw several on the flats, but my guide said forget about catching them. I heard an algae imitation fly would fool them at times.

John

boo · 04-03-2003, 08:03 PM

Paris Flat's?
Never caught so many bones as at CI. I stayed at the other place, however, the low budg one, about an hour past Captains. Fishing was unforgetable though the nightlife left much to be desired.

santiamflyguy · 04-03-2003, 11:54 PM

last june i was fishing the n. santiam after just having fished the siletz for small summers the day before. i had been fishing 4x flouro tippet on the siletz with a size 8 sparkle nymph. i figured i'd get a few trout before i started to swing for steelies, so i tossed the nymph out into a favorite riffle. i got distracted and the nymph hung for a few minutes at the end of the drift as i watched a dog run up and down the far bank. this ended rather abruptly with a smack of my fly, and a searing run downstream. twenty minutes and a lot of huffing and puffing (as well as praying) later, i had a 38"+ 19-20lb beautifully colored native steelhead laying on the gravel bar. goes to show that you never know what steelhead will hit...and when!

this was on a 9' 6wt, by the by :smile:

[ 04-04-2003, 12:55 AM: Message edited by: santiamflyguy ]

santiamflyguy · 04-10-2003, 08:44 PM

in oregon? i've heard of people hooking 35-40lb fall fish on the fly on the trask and wilson, but nothing that huge...

i cant imagine something like that on a 10wt!

greenbuttskunk · 04-10-2003, 11:37 PM

sweet! nice fish. I landed a 50 lb fall chinook
about 10 years ago on my light 10 wt. sage. I know all about huffing and puffing up and down the river. Still the biggest salmon I've ever landed, fly or otherwise.

greenbuttskunk · 04-11-2003, 12:10 PM

yep, it was on the wilson. I was so exhausted and my forearms were fried. I found it difficult to get my hand around enough tail to hold on to the fish.
god I wish I had a camera that day. Never caught anything close to it ever since, but that's fine.

santiamflyguy · 04-14-2003, 10:29 PM

not that it compares to that fish, but i landed an 8lb carp yesterday on my new 9' 4wt and 5x tippet!

i ain't never seen no bend like that before!

santiamflyguy · 04-14-2003, 10:30 PM

and be careful, otherwise I will post PICS!

mmm caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarp

greenbuttskunk · 04-15-2003, 07:25 AM

hey, I'd love to get into some of those poor mans bonefish (not that you're poor). Any good places to cast for them around portland. I saw this pond aras near the airport ans they were rising. I almost rear ended a car from the distraction.
I you ever want to show a guy the fine art of carping on a fly let me know.
thanks!

santiamflyguy · 04-16-2003, 04:34 PM

well, i am actually at school in minnesota now. i don't know much about carp in oregon. around here, you find a river with a little dam on it and throw nymphs at the base of the dam. it'll get you walleye, white bass, suckers, saugers, pike, smallmouth, and of course carp. it's kind of fun never knowing what will be on the other end of the line.

in lakes and ponds, a woolly worm or something like that works pretty well, especially if you soak it in some sort of smelly stuff. anything you've got under your car seat will do. i've heard wonder stories about french fry grease. cast it about 3-6ft in front of the fish and let the carp cruise to the fly (which shouldn't be weighted...needs to sink very very slowly). watch for the take and then prepare for a good run. you'll only get one.

however, i would trade a million carp for a steelhead any day...

Mojo · 04-17-2003, 09:04 AM

I like a size 4 bead head hare's ear for carp. Same story, cast in front of a cruising fish, let it settle, then twitch it when the Golden Bone is close. Works pretty well. Also the "green moss" pattern later in the year. Either a green wooly bugger or a green marabou mess.

McDuck85 · 04-25-2003, 10:01 PM

Wow! Take me to these waters! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

santiamflyguy · 04-26-2003, 08:59 AM

went out below the dam yesterday here in Minnesota... hooked at least 30, if not 50 carp. landed about ten. they ranged from 3lbs up to about 20lbs.

it's like steelheading without all the waiting!

found a new secret sauce--
vanilla extract

douse the fly in it, throw it in front of some fish, and hold on!