Beginners guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing
by Deon Jordaan

The main objective of these guidelines is to share my knowledge that I have gathered over many years of Saltwater Flyfishing. Hopefully my input and guidance will increase your success rate whilst trying to land that big one. Saltwater Flyfishing is not as easy as it seems and can be very frustrating at time but believe me the rewards are well worth the while. I am constantly reminded of what an adventure flyfishing is and of what an adventure life is. Topics covered will include:

(1) Saltwater Flyfishing Equipment
(2) Leaders and tippets
(3) Flies and fly selection
(4) Knots
(5) Tactics for targeting specific species
(6) Tactics for estuaries
(7) Tides
(8) Weather conditions

(1) Saltwater Flyfishing Equipment
It is better to be fully prepared before a Saltwater Flyfishing outing. I would recommend a 8/9 weight rod for all your estuaries, one never knows what might be lurking underneath the water. Using a lighter rod will work but you will be adding allot more stress to fish,especially our larger species such as Skipjack. I have also found that a double handle rod takes allot of strain off your wrist, but everyone has his own preference. At the end of the day you must be comfortable with your rod.The reel that you are using must match the weight of your rod, this is extremely important as this will effect your casting ability tremendously. Preferably the reel must be anodized as nothing lasts in Saltwater, a good tip is to rinse your reel off with fresh water after every outing, this will prolong the life of the reel.The most important part of flyfishing is obviously the selected line that one uses during an outing. Same as the reel the line must compliment the rod weight, an useful tip is to go two up on a rod e.g.: 8/9 weight rod - 10 weight fly line. It is up to you to which line type you feel comfortable with. I feel that a Shooting Head flyline is suitable for Saltwater Flyfishing especially when trying to reach that out of reach boil.There are so many different fly lines on the market at the moment so the options are endless.

The two main fly lines to purchase is a intermediate or floating fly line. Personally I prefer having both these fly lines handy during an outing. The most versatile fly line to purchase is the intermediate fly line, the reason being that if you are quick enough on your retrieve the line will serve the same purpose as the floating line. It also depends on what fish specie you are targeting but that'll be covered on a later stage.Another important point is to always keep a fully rigged spare reel or spool handy as the inevitable can happen and believe me it does happen, I have been snapped up twice before by large fish and believe me its very frustrating, especially when you do not have any back up equipment.A glove becomes very handy whilst stripping as to prevent the line cutting into your hand,especially when using a shooting head. I also feel that a glove allows for a smoother retrieve. It also become handy while handling a just caught fish, some fish have very sharp dorsal fins. I find that a normal golf glove is more than suitable for the job, just hang it out after an outing as they do tend to have a slight odour to them.A stripping basket is also a necessity especially when fishing on the bank or drop-off.This allows for the easier casting and obscures objects that might come into contac twith your line. A stripping basket also decreases the number of knots that might occur while casting. There is nothing worse than seeing a huge boil or dorsal fin in front of you and there is a big crows nest in your fly line, it happens but that is fly fishing.A Kwik Spar basket will be suitable for the job, you did hear that from me. Use a normal stretchy to tie the basket to your waist.A bag that you carry on your shoulders is also very important, Saltwater flyfishing involves allot of equipment and the bag will assist you tremendously and its also out of the way whilst casting, I find the Hardware bag to be suitable and its also very light weighted. Items normal to be found in your bag: Camera, Scissors, Long Nose pliers (Swallowed Flies), Spare Spool, Tippet material, Raincoat, Measuring Tape and lastly a assortment of flies

(2) Leaders and tippets
This is a very important part of Fly fishing, choosing the right tippet for the job. It all depends on what specie you are targeting but for the meantime I will be concentrating merely on targeting Skipjack. I use a 16kg tippet the length of my rod. Another option is to start with a 10kg tippet and join it to a 16kg line, this will serve as shock tippet.I am not a big fan of knots as I have lost a number of Skipjack due to knots in the Tippet. A Skipjack is extremely powerful and will snap your tippet like cotton if it decides to. A new product on the market is Floro Carbon, it apparently is invisible to fish so I am sure this can only result in more hook-ups, this product is very expensive but well worth the extra expense. The reason why I said the line must be the length of the rod is to maximize your casting distance. If shorter or longer it will effect your casting performance

(3) Flies and fly selection
In this section we will be concentrating on our local rivers (Border Region) as your colour and fly pattern changes from river to river. After many season chaseing fish you can establish a fly pattern and colour change during the season. This pattern is very important as it increases your success rate. The flies that do the most damage in our esturies are the Tarpon Patterns and Clousers, I am not saying that will not catch fish on any other patterns but I just feel that you must go with the flow and use what works the best. It also depends on what specie you are targeting.There is a saying Match the Hatch, if you can see what the fish are feeding on try and match that and I can assure you it will work, normally a color change of the same pattern will do the trick. In our estuaries fish normally feed on small baitfish and swimming prawn, that is why the tarpon pattern (baitfish) and the clouser (prawn)are so successful. A good idea is to keep two flies of the same color and pattern in your flybox, its not that nice to lose a fly or have one destroyed by a fish when that paticular fly is working. The color of the fly must be altered as the light starts to deteriorate. Here is an example: 16:00 Yellow & Red Tarpon, 18:00 Orange & Red Tarpon, 19:00 Red & Black Tarpon. When visibility gets worse start using your darker flies and visa versa. This is very important whilst flyfishing and it has been proven over and over.

(4) Knots
Below are a few examples of different knots that you will find very useful while flyfishing. A knot can make a big difference - Remember that!! Click on the different knot below for a detailed description.

(1) Albright Knot
(2) Blood Knot
(3) Splicing a shock leader
(4) Improved Clinche Knot
(5) Non-slip Mono Loop
(6) Surgeon's End Loop

(3) Tactics for targeting specific species
Below are the main species that we target while flyfishing our estuaries. A number of other species have also been caught on fly but for the mean time we will concentrating these different species.

KABELJOU
Argyrosomus Japonicus

Also known as COB, KOB, DAGA, SALMON OR SNOTTY, this fish is plentiful in the surf and in the many estuaries of the Eastern Cape. Its name is derived from [ Argyrosomus] meaning silver body and [Japonicus] waiting for translation as this is the "new"species name given after many years of thinking it was[Hololepidotus]. This species is now known as the DUSKY COB and there is much concern about the depletion of stock due to over exploitation of this fish.It has a long body body,getting thick towards the shoulder area, its overall colour is silvery and has a pearly- pink sheen in its live form, a row of"portholes" can be seen on its flanks, its fins are a translucent dusky colour. The Cobs diet consists of small fish,prawns, crabs and when available squid,. To hunt their prey they rely on smell and sense, instead of sight. This will account for why they are often caught at night and in discoloured water .

The Cob is a sluggish fighter, strikes fairly hard and then takes off on a short run.Will normally sound when nearing a boat. This is a good fish for the beginer to target as it does not have too many tricks to perform on the unsuspecting angler.Tackle recommended is a 6to8 weight, and a tippet of 10 kg should be strong enough, the Cob has small sharp teeth, but are not saw like.,and unlikely to cut your line.Flies to use are ,Streamer,Deciever, Tarpon or any fly with a longish tail, good colours are red/yellow, pink/blue,and green/white. Cob are not that fussy so we suggest"match the hatch" for best results, the retrieve should be steady and not to fast.Hookups will occur throughout the day but without doubt just before sunrise and just after sunset produce the best results. March/April and August September October are considered the best although catches can be made almost any time.

As this species is under threat please keep only one fish between 1 and 5 kg, return all the rest.


LEERVIS
Lichia amia

Also known as GARRICK, this aggressive predator is widespread in the Eastern Cape,both in estuaries and in the surf line.Its name is derived from [lichia] meaning corpse-like, a reference to its leathery grey like skin; [amia] an ancient name for bonito like fish. It has distinctive body shape with tiny scales, a very pronounced lateral line and its colour is prodminantly silver /grey, with tinges of blue/green on its shoulder and back. These fish feed mainly on Shad,Mullet,Streepies and Pinkies. They can be seen in the shallows , "herding" schools of Mullet before they tear into them, this is a sign to look for when hunting the Leervis.A clean fighter, the leerie will take off on an initial long run close to the surface moving extremely fast,thereafter its runs will be shorter but just as strong, you will normally see the fins slicing through the water during the fight and as it gets closer to the angler it will "boil"on the surface.Tackle recommended is an 8 /9 weight, however a 6 weight will suffice if you have the experience , a tippet of 10/15 kg will be ample as the teeth are like a sandpaper texture and not saw like, regularly check for chafing, ensure you have plenty of backing as these fish are strong and full of power.A variety of flies can be used and dependant on the food source the choice of poppers,decievers and tarpons is yours, colours vary from location to location, we have found red/yellow, pink/white all with a bit of flash to be good. With fly a steady medium retrieve and with popper a fast erratic retrieve produces best results.Although you will hook up at any time of the day we find early morning and evening to be "prime" time, particularly on a falling tide and disturbed surface water. September through May are the months that most fish are takenEnjoy catching this mighty fish , and please revive it and release it so your children can one day have the same pleasure.


RIVER SKIPJACK
Elops Machnata

Also known as Springer, Skippy, Ladyfish or Tenpounder, this magnificent fighting fish is a resident of the Eastern Cape waters, predominant in the many estuaries. Its name is derived from[elops] meaning to move; [mach] meaning to battle; and [nata] meaning to swim. Its body shape is long and slender and has fine scales, its tail fin is deeply forked,colouring is shiny silver with its fins touched a yellow hue.The skipjacks main food source is estaurine round herrings,swimming prawn and crabs.An acrobatic fighter the Skippy will normally jump soon after it is hooked, this is the time most fish are lost to a thrown hook, its mouth is extremely delicate so only gentle pressure should be applied during the fight. Its first run is long with jumps at regular intervals, the skipjack will fight until it is landed. When taking it from the water to"photograph and measure" we recommend using a smooth cloth so as not to damage its slime coating, gently turn it onto its back and then remove hook.An 8 weight is reccomended as some specimens get to 1 meter in length, use a 10/15 kg tippet as their mouths are abrasive, check your line after each fish.Flies to use are clousers, tarpons and occasionally poppers will work, white with blue flash works well , we do however suggest you have a selection of flies as these fish can be fussy. Early morning and evening are the best times particularly on an outgoing tide, water can be off colour to clean, it does not affect the strikes.This fish needs to be stalked so watch for swirls and look for the tip of a fin disturbing the surface, approach with stealth or else they will sound and move off.A slow steady retrieve seems to work best, with a popper let it pop then keep it still, pop again etc. November through April are the prime months to target this aquabat.Remember every fish you return to the water will ensure you hook up again and again.

(7) Tides
Tides play a predominant roll in flyfishing as this effects where you will find fish.The best tide to fish is a Neap Tide but every river has a preferred tide, it all depends on which river you fish. It is easier to find fish on a low Neap tide as there is less water and hiding places for fish. The tide is effected by the moon, every 14 days the moon changes from Full to New Moon and this results in Spring or Neap Tides.The best time to fish is when you have severe water movement and the tide is the result of this occurrence. It is very important to plan your outing according to the tide,as your fish prefer certain areas of the river during a tide. As the tide starts to push make sure that you are on the dropp-off as allot of new food will be entering the river. Where you find food you'll find fish. The best time to fish the drop-off is two hours before high tide on a Spring Tide and one hour before high tide on a Neap Tide. Click here for a up to date tide table

(8) Weather conditions
As any activity weather plays an important roll. Fly fishing really revolves around the weather, and this can be very frustrating at times. Wind can really be a pain at times as it makes casting very difficult, its not impossible to fish in the wind as many of our rivers are sheltered on certain places. Its also very difficult to find fish whilst the wind is blowing as spotting them becomes impossible. Never be scared of rain as I have had on many occasions caught fish after and during a rain shower. It just seems as if they go on a feeding frenzy during these conditions.