Saltwater fly fishing is a great fishing experience when you’re fishing on the shore. These are tips for those who want to learn how to saltwater fly fish and are interested in trying it out. We offer our own fun fishing experience on the Kona Fishing Charters, where you can rent us out and book an offshore fishing trip!
Casting
The first thing you will need to learn is to cast. Casting is different with saltwater fly fishing than it is with other types of fishing. There are many video on Youtube and other websites that teach anglers how to properly cast their reel when fly fishing. However, we’ll try to explain what you should do here in case you find the videos unhelpful or need to supplement what you learned in a video.
First, you need to understand that you’ll be casting something called the “Double Haul”. This casting method allows you to lengthen the cast so you can reach fish farther out in the ocean.
How To Perform a Double Haul Cast?
With a short downward pull, draw down about five to eight inches of fly line on the back cast.
Bring up your hand and line everything up. Let the fly unroll behind you like you would do in an overhead cast.
Do the same as you did in step one. Draw down about five to eight inches of fly line in the back cast (however make it equal length to the length you did in step one). Do this in acceleration of the forward cast.
Bring your hand holding the fly line quickly forward – then complete the cast.
Keep practicing this until you have the hang of it.
If you’re still having trouble then you should consider casting lessons at a fly shop. But before you do that, you’ll need to have a saltwater rod. Saltwater rods are very different than other types of rod, and they will require practice.
The farther you can throw your line, the more likely you’ll catch a great fish! And this is especially true when you’re working in saltwater because you can only get so close to the fish. That’s why it’s so important to have a long cast.
Pick a Quality Fly
Of course, to really start fly fishing, you’ll need some artificial flies! The point of fly fishing is to get the fish to bite on an imitation of a bug or bait fish on or just below the water. Flies are typically made up of thread, wire, beads, feather, yarn, and hair and are created to look like insects and bait fish. You can purchase the right flies for the right fish as all fishes are attracted to different types of insects and bait fishes at different levels of maturity.
Fly selection is also very dependent on where you will be fishing. There are certain fish here in Hawaii that won’t be attracted to the same flies in other parts of the United States, and you need to take that into consideration when planning to fly fish. That’s why there are literally thousands of different fly patterns out there that are designed to imitate specific insects in an area. Others don’t imitate anything at all, actually, but look delicious to many fish. Some flies sink to the bottom and others float to the top – it all depends on what kind of fish you’d like to catch.
There are three basic fly patterns: dry, nymphs, and streamers.
Dry flies float on the surface of the water (that’s why they’re dry) and imitate adult insects. These flies can vary in shades, shapes, and sizes in order to imitate specific types of adult insects.
Nymph flies are flies that land just below the surface. They imitate insects as it leaves the larvae stage. Many fish feed on nymphs so it’s good to have some nymphs available in case you’re having a difficult time catching fish.
Streamer flies imitate smaller fish and other types of aquatic life, floating in the water rather than just below or above the surface. These attract larger fish that are waiting for their next meal.
You’ll learn plenty more about the different types of fishing on the Kona Fishing Charters boat when you come out to fish with us. We can tell you about fly fishing and the best types of flies while you learn how to fish offshore. At Kona Fishing Charters, you will have tons of fun fishing with. Call us at (808) 960-1424 to book your fishing trip!
If you have never been deep sea fishing on a charter before, you might be nervous as to what this type of fishing entails. This is especially true if you’re used to freshwater fishing. Some questions that may be floating in your mind when you think of your upcoming deep sea fishing trip could include: What should you bring, how is it different than “normal” fishing, and etc.. Today’s article should help you understand what to expect when deep sea fishing on a charter boat. We hope we’ll see you out on the Kona Fishing Charters charter boat with us after reading all about what to expect when you go deep sea fishing. After all, there’s nothing like experiencing deep sea fishing out on the Hawaiian waters.
What is Deep Sea Fishing?
Deep sea fishing requires deep waters. It should be at least 30 meters in depth and take place farther away from the land and shore than most other types of fishing. It’s also called other things such as sports fishing, big game fishing, and offshore boat fishing. Typically, in deep sea fishing, an angler will be attempting to fish for large open-ocean species of fish (like the ones we have covered in previous articles). Fighting big game fish can be a fun challenge for a lot of anglers.
Big game fish such as sharks, marlins, tuna, and others, are typically found in the open ocean rather than by the shores because they have more room and prey – causing deep sea fishing boats or charters to travel far out, sometimes beyond the sight of land.
What to Expect When You Go Deep Sea Fishing
If you’ve never been deep sea fishing in Kona before, you may only have a vague idea of what it entails. Most of what you know about deep sea fishing may in fact be from television shows and movies, which are often stressful examples (especially Deadliest Catch). However, most often you will have a very relaxing and fun time. The best part about deep sea fishing is not knowing what you’re going to catch.
First thing you should do is introduce yourself to the captain and listen to any instructions. He may instruct you where to place your gear – if he doesn’t, try to avoid putting it on the deck. It gets slippery and everyone needs room to walk on the deck without tripping. Once your trip has begun the captain will speak to you again giving you more instructions as well as what to expect for the day (which will depend on weather and other unique factors), and tell you how to rig up. It could take up to an hour to reach the destination of where you’ll be fishing that day so try to enjoy the ride to the fishing spot.
Once you get to the fishing location, wait for the captain to tell you to drop the lines after you find a spot on the rail. Don’t take out your bait (if it’s live fish) until you are ready to fish! If you bait your hook early it won’t attract a fish to bite. Check your live bait ever so often to make sure it’s still alive.
When your awesome day of fishing is over with, make sure to gather your gear together. Depending on what type of sports fish you caught you may be able to bring it back to shore for pictures and weighing. At Kona Fishing Charters, we can filet Tuna, Wahoo and Mahi Mahi for guests to take home.
More Basic Deep Sea Fishing Tips
If you’re prone to seasickness make sure to take some medicine beforehand, or bring some aboard. Ginger is a natural way of curbing nausea so possibly bring along some ginger ale or ginger cookies if you’re worried about this.
If you’re fishing with live bait, check on it often.
Listen to the captain and crew
Have fun and enjoy yourself!
We hope this gives you a basic idea of what to expect when you go deep sea fishing. Our FAQ should have more information if you’re interested including questions about what you’re allowed to bring. The FAQ however, refers to our own information for the Kona Fishing Charters. But where else would you go but to the Kona Fishing Charters when you want to go deep sea fishing off the Hawaiian coastline. There are lots of sports fish all year round and you can’t go wrong with the beautiful weather while you angle for a marlin or a swordfish. Have the time of your life out on the Kona waters and come out fishing with us on the Kona Fishing Charters. Call us at (808) 960-1424 to book your fishing trip!
