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When sight fishing there are a few good rules of thumb to remember that will help you have a much better chance of catching fish. I tell my clients that sight fishing is more like hunting fish than just fishing. It is all about stealth and getting close enough to make the cast.
| What not to wear when sight fishing. |
Any bright colors. Red, Yellow, Chartreuse, Pink or any color that someone could pick you out in a crowd. Our fish have pretty good vision and anything that looks out of the ordinary to them will spook them. This goes for hats too. I have had days on the water that someone would have a red hat on and I couldn't get the fish within 100 feet of the boat. You also do not want to wear something black. Black won't spook the fish but you will get very hot if you do. White, tan, gray and some blues are the best colors. I recommend trying to wear something cool that you think would blend in with the sky. You just don't want something that stands out with the sky as a background.
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| Noise | Noise is something you have to be careful about
when fishing shallow water. Most of our fish can hear you a long
time before they can see you. Talking is fine as long as your not
yelling. It is the walking around and opening and closing hatches
you have to be careful about. |
| Movement | Every move you make can been seen by the fish.
This is not to say you can't move around. You just can't make jerky
movements. This can be a challenge when sight fishing. My rule of
thumb is once you are within 150 feet of a school of reds you want
to stay where you are. If you must move just do it slowly. When it comes to throwing fly you want to keep your arm in as tight as you can to your body and keep false casts to a minimum. |
| Casting | My biggest rule when sight casting is let the
fish find the lure not the lure find the fish. It is better to have
a longer lead on a fish than one on their head. A fish that finds a
bait is going to be a lot more receptive. Also, bait never charges
the predators. Only make the casts you know you can make. If a fish is out of range, wait, if you make a bad cast thinking you can do it chances are you may not get another. If you pick your shots you will put a lot more fish in the boat. We all make bad casts from time to time. The trick is practice and confidence. I have run a lot of charters with people who haven't done this type of fishing before and need some work on their casting. If they are willing to take a few minutes and try and learn a few new tricks they are able to build their confidence and make the casts. If you have never done this type of fishing before here are a few things you can do to get ready. Sight Casting tips. |
| Sight fishing is one of
the most rewarding styles of fishing there is. Being able to spot
the fish, sneak within casting range, make the cast and watch the
fish eat your lure. Once you have experienced this thrill nothing
compares. You will see why we don't soak bait on the flats.
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