novice saltwater flyfisherman off to Tobago!

[Joe Walker]

Hi
I'm new to saltwater flyfishing (indeed any kind of flyfishing), though I am an experienced sea angler, AND I'm a Tobago virgin too! I'm off to Tobago in early May (staying in Patience Hill) and ...well....I can't wait to have a crack at swffing in the tropics, lured by the prospect of tarpon, snook, bonefish, jacks and barracuda, but frankly I need alot of advice! I've had my casting tuition, and towards the end of last year started to get to grips with swffing in the UK, but the tropics is where I want to be !

So, what fly patterns and line types should I take (and other kit), and where and when & how should try and for what? See....pretty broad questions! I'll also take a 9ft Shimano Exage travel spinning rod (which I use for bass plugging and float fishing in the UK) and some plugs too....again what line strength, plug types etc?

I eagerly await some imparted wisdom!

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Joe

Yours is quite a common question and you may find the answer in any number of posts on fly fishing.
If you scroll down the previous posts you'll probably get a flavour for tackle, species and a few marks too.
You could aslo use the search facility near the top of the screen - just type in fly fishing

A very comprehensive post is Tarpon and Jacks . Find that thread and it will keep you going for a few hours

Cheers
Steve

[Joe Walker]

Whoa - it certainly did! Still a bit daunting but I think taking spinning gear too sounds like a good idea.

[Joe Walker]

Me again....before now pondering what I might need to sell the children for in order to fund new tackle, for those with experience (I'm looking your way now Mr Pitts) can you tell me if this is suitable (I don't want to spend where I can use what I've got...according to my wife ):
I have a Shimano Exage travel spinning rod (2.4/2.7) which I use over here for spinning/plugging and float fishing off the rocks when I can't take anything bigger. Is it man enough or do I need to 'trade-up' to a bigger rod? Also, would a medium sized abu ambassaduer spinning reel loaded with say 25lb braid do? Secondly, the flats at sandy point look very appealing for a spot of fly-fishing with my 8 weight gear (and some of the other beaches too) but I've never really waded much before. What should I be aware of and are wading/flats boots really necessary? Do you have to wade in much when fishing from the beaches generally or is it simply a case of getting in range of fish as signs of activity dictate?

[Julia C.]

Hi Joe
I am not a fisher but I do know this site quite well and this page http://www.mytobago.info/fishing08.php#Tackle may answer a lot of your questions - it does recommend flats boots and there's info there about rods and reels for fly fishing and spinning and bait fishing.

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Joe

Your Exage spinning rod should be ideal and the ABU & 25lb braid too.
We mostly use the same gear for fishing the flats and beaches as we do back home for bass and pike.

I wouldn't recommend that you go wading around just anywhere, especially in the dark.
Almost all of the beaches have a gully or drop-off, which can make the difference between wading and full submersion. On the steep sandy beaches like Englishmans Bay, Mt Irvin, Grand Courland, Back Bay and Arnos Vale this feature can cause an undertow which makes getting back out of the water difficult for the unwary. Even at Buccoo, which is often as flat as a mill pond, you can step off from knee-deep water into 'it's time to start swimming' depth.

There isn't really a 'flat' as such at Sandy Point, more a sloping beach along by the runway wall and then further around to the left (looking out to sea) it's shallow and rocky around to the point. You often get jacks and tarpon in the shallow water and you can wade out with care, but there is usually some vigourous surf on an incomeing tide, so don't wade more than waist-deep.

If you see terns and pelicans diving here, they are feeding on baitfish and there's a good chance that the predatory fish will be there or on their way. If the birds are feeding then flying along the beach then diving again, the jacks will be underneath the birds. The local guys will also be running along the beach keeping up with the fish. They are a really friendly bunch, so make a point of saying hello and asking if they've caught anything, but it's best not to get in their way as they are fishing for food for their families and tangles with plugs and braid are inevitable and time consuming to unravel. They never seem to get tangled with each other, so best to give them some space.

Flats boots aren't essential, but they certainly make life more comfortable when wading and I wouldn't wade without them.

Cheers
Steve

[Joe Walker]

Excellent - Thanks Steve! It's good to know I haven't got to go all subversive with my credit card and claim "nooo....what, that old thing? I've had that rod for aaages" when my wife spots a suspiciously clean rod bag in the luggage!

[Joe Walker]

Steve - if you see this, I'm just in the process of 'stocking-up' for my trip now! Would you know what type of fly-line I'd be best taking? Should I take a floating line of maybe get a sink-tip to give myself a bit more flexibility?

[Steve Pitts]

It all depends Joe

If you are planning on fishing mostly from the shore or wading, then a floater is better. I use a floating line 90% of the time.

If you are thinking of taking a trip on a boat after tarpon, jacks and/or dorado then an intermediate or sink-tip could be more productive for fishing sub-surface.

Cheers
Steve

[Joe Walker]

Okay! Two weeks to go! I've had my flycasting tuition, I've got my selection of flats flies (a variety of deceivers, clousers, streamers, poppers, crazy charlies, shrimps, crabs and needle-fish...phew!), a new reel, boots, shades, shirts, hat, tropical floating line, leaders, wire tippets, and the kitchen sink! I think that's the kit sorted! I know that dawn and dusk are most productive (tho I assume I can chuck a line during daylight hours too). Stay out of the way of the locals when they're flinging their own lures so's not to tangle them, & watch the wading depth. (Would it be good etiquette to offer any fish I land to any locals around?). What else do I need to know....well just as much info about where to try (other than crown point which seems a good bet) as anyone would care to impart really! Obviously info will be treated in strictest confidence as per the correct code of conduct ! I'd like to try for as much variety as possible and get some good photographs.

[Robert T]

Hi Joe,

I went to Tobago this Febuary and I fished throughout my whole stay every morning and evening. Despite the fact that I did not catch a lot, my personal recommendation would be the Bucco Bay ( I guess the best bit is the far end leading up to Pidgeon Point right before Bon Accord Lagoon) where I spent most of my mornings. The first few days were kinda unlucky but it picked up a bit later and I landed some jacks and barracudas. I only did lure fishing since I'd never tried fly fishing before. I'm very interested in how your trip's gonna turn out to be because I've also geared myself up with a fly rig and I'm planning to go back to do some more fishing either this year or the beginnig of 2009. After reading all the stuff posted by Steve Pitts and the other guys I got really enthusiastic about the whole fly fishing thing and I can hardly wait to be there again.

Good luck and I hope you're gonna have an unforgetable experience.

Robert

[Joe Walker]

Thats great - thanks for the info. Was the beach there nicely accessible?

I have high hopes (ever the optimist!) so I'll post my report when I return!

Any more suggestions?

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Joe

If you are planning to mainly fly fish, then the options are more limited than if you were fishing lures.

There are a couple of small jetties in front of the hotels at Sandy Point that lend themsleves to fly fishing. You can catch jacks and tarpon off the jetties if the baitfish are hanging around, which they were in May '07. Acccess is from the beach at the end of the runway and walk around to the right (looking out to sea) for a couple of hundred metres. You can't miss them as one has a palapa-roofed shelter on it. There is another a little further along.

Buccoo is a long beach and the water is mostly calm, so fly fishing is reletively easy, as long as you watch for the bushes on your back cast. It has turned up snook, bonefish and even a permit, although these are rare catches and I wouldn't bank on catching much, but if you put in the effort then you might get lucky.

Access to Peacock Mill flat is now difficult due to a gate across the track, but you can wade across from Canoe Bay resort at low water and fish the rising tide for a couple of hours. Bonefish come onto the flat here if you are lucky and barracuda and jack show occasionally. The bonefish are more likely to be found out on the edge of the flat, where the surf breaks and then they follow the gullies in between the turtle grass to access the muds nearer the shore as the tide floods. Beware of stingrays!

The bay at Canoe Bay will turn up palometa, snapper, small cuda and small jacks and is really handy if you have the family with you or fancy a cold beer on hand.

Pigeon Point is often very busy, but if you walk past the windsurf sheds and around to where the glass-bottomed boats are moored, there are snapper, small tarpon, cuda and infrequently bonefish along this stretch.

Just a few of my top-secret places, so please treat in the utmost confidence

Cheers
Steve

[Joe Walker]

Steve, you are a gentleman, sir! Actually I am taking lure fishing gear too (a range of floating/shallow diving plugs) so if there're places afoot for that type of fishing which differ from the fly marks, then I'll happily take instruction on that too!

[Steve Pitts]

Joe

I could draw you a map, but would have to swear you to secrecy, on pain of death if my top-secret marks ever got out.

Generally - I have found the Carbbean beaches to be better than the Atlantic side, but the beach at Bacolet can be good if there is not too much surf running and Lambeau flat also is worth a try for bones at low water and all sorts of small stuff like snapper along by the changing rooms.

The lagoon at the Hilton is reported to hold snook, tarpon, snaper and bones, but I have never managed to get past security.

Plymouth (Caribbean side) is another place that I haven't caught much, despite monster tarpon hanging around the old jetty and the moored pirogues. I have hooked a couple, but they always escape, but it's fun while it lasts.

'The Wall' just before Mount Irvin beach can be good if there are tarpon showing and we have had some nice jacks there in rough (hurricane Ivan) weather.



That should keep you going

Cheers
Steve

[Robert T]

Yes, Bucco Bay is easily accessible ,all you gotta do is drive down to the bottom of the road through the village then you're gonna see a dirt track on your left amongst a few old boats propped up by the parking lot leading down to the beach. You can safely park up your car by the jetty. From there on that's a long walk along the beach towards Pigeon Point but you can try fishing all around the beach. I'm just wondering if you're gonna fish alone because there is a warning sing put up there by the goverment saying that nobody should wander the area on their own before sunup or after sundown , but to tell you the truth I don't think you should worry at all since I spent almost every morning and late evening there absolutely alone and nothing happened to me, and I only met very friendly locals. I also tried some other places mentioned by Steve Pitts, Mt Irvine Beach and Stone Heaven Bay produced some smaller ones but I was totally unlucky with Pigeon Point. That's an absolutely amazing jack posted by Steve, I wish I could have caught one of those. I'll try to put out one of my barracudas I caught in Bucco Bay as an appetizer too. (that's obviously not me but my girlfriend in the pictures)

Robert.

[Joe Walker]

Man, I'd be seriously happy with that fish...nice one!

here's hoping....

[Joe Walker]

Steve, thanks for your pointers....going anywhere for the first time as an angler is so hit and miss. I used to fish regularly with a guy named Richard Stapley, one of Sea Anglers main regular feature writers. I got to know Richard well, and he entrusted me with many secret squirrel marks around the sussex, hampshire and dorset coasts which transformed my fishing ....tight lips are a small price to pay! Even your chum Mike Ladle has given me a couple of bass marks to try in the past and again, I've never passed them on to anyone. Discretion is a useful currency in the fishing world!

So, maps with an attached 'tell and you die' contract are welcome

So, how safe is it to fish after dark? Or is it best to fish until the light fails, then push off?

[Steve Pitts]

So, how safe is it to fish after dark? Or is it best to fish until the light fails, then push off?

Yes.

I think there's a thread on fishing after dark and although practiced by a few, the lure of the rum and lime is usually more than can be resisted.

That's a serious barracuda from the shore Robert.
I've only seen a couple of others that size landed, so that's quite an achievement.

We have hooked bigger 'cuda, but because of their acrobatics, they always manage to throw the hook.

I've posted this link before, but it may give you a few clues Joe -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1NTukzdwE

[Joe Walker]

I can go one better than that Steve....I had your DVD delivered yesterday from Veals! I spent alot of last evening saying "LOOK at THAT!" to an audience composed of my family, who I suspect may just have been humouring me!

That said, my youngest, who's 11, and has her birthday whilst we're in Tobago (lucky girl)is extremely keen! One week to gooooooooo.....