Blonde sand beaches. Warm, clear Caribbean flats. Soft breezes. Bright sun.
Stop me if you’re not tired of winter yet, because I can go on. And on. And on.
This is the time of year when I toil over the travel sites and search out the best deals for tropical fly fishing retreats. Even getting away from the snow and the gray and the cold for a week or so does wonders for the spirit, and the fishing can be some of the best you’ll have all year.
Above, Orvis’ Tom Rosenbauer offers a great beginners’ guide to chasing fish on inshore flats, covering everything tides to actual fly-fishing methods to the kinds of fly rods and reels you’ll need to chase saltwater fish. Tom also dicusses the types of lines and leaders you might need on the flats or inshore and the types of flies needed for shallow-water fly fishing. There’s also a great double-haul tutorial included in the video—if you can’t double-haul fly cast, you’ll be faced with a serious handicap on the flats.
It’s a great primer to inshore and flats fishing and it might be what inspires you to escape the cold and the snow, even for a bit, just to remember what warm sun on your back feels like. But, for me, it’s all about the fish. Saltwater fish are, bar none, the strongest fish on the planet, and catching them is generally an accomplishment worth celebrating.
Enjoy the video… and good luck prowling the travel sites.
— Chris Hunt