by Capt. Frank Piku - www.captainfranksfishingcharters.com
Why would anyone use a fly rod when fishing for grouper or snapper?
- You will CATCH MORE FISH than anyone else on your boat!2. It is much EASIER ON YOUR BACK than fishing with a heavy spinning rod!
- You will HAVE MORE FUN than any other anglers!
- Ladies LOVE TO USE THIS METHOD, just try to get the rod out of their hands!
- It is MORE EXCITING than sitting there waiting for the fish to bite!
- You will have better FISH STORIES than all your friends back at the dock!
How does using a fly rod catch more fish? First, let me tell you how I discovered this technique, and yes, it is all about the technique of using the fly rod that bring in the fish.
As a charter captain aboard my JAGUAR 35' CATAMARAN center console boat, the Golden StreakER, I have lots of room along the rails to line up anglers when drift fishing for Grouper. This drift technique is described in my article printed in the January/February, 2004, edition of Big Game Fishing Journal. I use those methods to find the best fishing spots, cover more ground, and catch more and bigger fish.
I will often run 50 miles or more out of Key West, which takes less than an hour in the Golden StreakER, to reach my favorite set of grouper holes, which I refer to as grouper heaven. This is found by using my Navionics chip installed into the Lowrance GPS which has hot fishing spots on the charts. Upon arrival, I set up my anglers with Shakespeare Ugly Stick stand up rods, and they immediately start catching grouper and snapper. I mark the hot spots on my plotter and drift over those areas repeatedly.
Most of the anglers on the Golden StreakER will catch and release 15 to 35 grouper during a day charter. We release 95% of these, only keeping a few big ones in the cooler for dinner. We often hit the limit of 50 fish per angler, not including the big legal fish we keep for dinner. Since we release so many fish, I use only Mustad Demon circle hooks for bottom fishing; these are the sharpest and best hooks to use. These allow the fish to be caught in the corner of the mouth, with an easier release and less injury to the fish.
Once everybody is set up and catching fish, I pull out my Cortland heavy-duty fly rod and reel. I prefer a 9 or 10-weight rod, and Cortland fly line with a 3' clear mono segment at the tip of the line. Cortland fits the bill because they offer solid rods and reels in a modest price range of less than $200.
As soon as I start catching grouper and snapper on the fly rod, I pass it on to one of the other anglers. I usually give the rod to a female angler, because it is easier to battle big fish with the fly rod, and lots more fun as well. Trying to get the rod back from a female angler is like trying to take away a fine piece of jewelry. Most will not go back to the regular spinning reels after catching a few fish, and some have even added a fly rod outfit to their Christmas list. It is the success of my technique that has led me to bring a second fly rod on the boat for anyone else that wants to have fun.
