Cape Fear On The Fly – That Sinking Feeling
Gary Hurley, of Fisherman's Post, with a 20" speckled trout caught on the fly in a Wrightsville Beach area creek. He was fishing with Capt. Jon Huff, of Circle H Charters.
This article in our series “CapeFearon the Fly” is long overdue. With an unexpected trip to fish the Bermuda Triple Crown Tournament series and a busy charter schedule upon my return, it was great to finally be able to get out on the water with my friend Gary Hurley and challenge ourselves to catch some speckled trout on the fly.
This fall has seen some really solid trout fishing, and just before our trip last week, I had a day with clients where we caught over a hundred. Although most of them were on the small side, we did manage to catch quite a few fish in the 20-inch range and had action all morning long.
This kind of steady bite lends itself to some excellent fly fishing. When the smaller fish show up, they will readily take a fly and are usually somewhat concentrated, making for a great fly target. Experienced and novice fly anglers alike can have a lot of fun while engaging in some real, on the water fly fishing practice with a bit less effort than it takes to fly fish for many other species found in our region.
Gary and I started our day on the early side just after daylight where we met in my driveway while I was changing out my 9wt forward floating Rio Redfish taper for a full sinking Rio Outbound fly line. The sinking line, though not a necessity, is very helpful in keeping your fly near the bottom in heavier currents where the trout normally feed.
After dealing with a blown brake line on my truck and some confusing and frustrating automobile “switcheroos” and drop-offs, we were finally on the water and headed to our first stop.
Being on the water as much as I am, I have the advantage of staying on top of the fish and starting out in spots that have been producing fish on a consistent basis (and also to be there when the tide is right). Gary and I eased into position on a marsh bank in a main inlet channel and tied on a white and chartreuse Deceiver pattern to a 12 lb.Riotapered leader. We then began to fish across the current with a short, erratic stripping retrieve, while letting our fly sink to the bottom and sweep down through the hopefully productive areas.
A full sinking line necessitates some adjustment to a standard fly cast, and an open loop and more vertical release will allow the heavier sinking line to shoot much easier than with a normal casting stroke. And if there is any ‘plus’ to casting a sinking line, it is that they will really shoot while at the same time giving the caster a feel for rod load unlike a standard floating line.
No bites came instantly, as I had hoped for, but we watched other anglers in the area catching trout. The soft plastics I was throwing from time to time with a spin caster were getting bit, so we started changing flies since my first two or three choices were not being very well received.
Finally, after a change of position to deeper water off of the bank to allow for an easier cast from the back deck, and a fly switch to a three inch pearl colored Gummy Minnow,Garyconnected with our first speck, a feisty fifteen incher!
We continued to get bit every few casts and were steadily catching smaller trout, but as the tide fell, the bite tapered off and we decided a location change was in order.
The new spot started producing bites right away. Most of the fish were smaller, but a pulled hook on a fish that was fighting like a larger trout gave us some encouragement. A few fish later, Gary hooked a fish that really put a bend in his 8wt custom Rodman rod, and though it did not “put him on the reel” it did pull impressive amounts of line through his fingers and challenge him to keep control of the situation while ‘strip fighting’ the fish into net range.
After a tense few minutes and multiple net attempts, a fat 20-inch trout was in the boat and a bit of serious celebration was in order. A speckled trout in the 3 lb. range, in my opinion, is a true achievement on the fly, and a few casts later a slightly smaller 18-incher was just icing on the cake!
After a rocky start, we ended up with 17 speckled trout on the fly and a banner day overall. Congratulations,Gary!
If you really want to catch some fish on your fly rod, try some fall speckled trout fishing. Throw a sinking line (a floater will do, especially in water less than five feet deep), tie on a light leader and a Clouser, Alba Clouser, or our new favorite the Gummy Minnow, and fish it through your favorite trout hole. It’s a great way to have some fun action and improve your fly fishing skills.
As always, if you have any questions come down to Intracoastal Angler and we will be glad to help you out.
Thanks for reading, and Tight Loops!
Capt. Jon Huff
Capt. Jon Huff is owner operator of Circle H Charters, an inshore fly and light tackle guide service based out of Wrightsville Beach. Jon splits his time between running inshore charters, fishing offshore tournaments, and co-managing Intracoastal Angler. (910) 617-2619, www.circlehcharters.com
