What is waiting for you ?
The text below is written in a popular way, you can enjoy it in the evening with wine. Know that at sea, even a beginner can learn very well and quickly with a fly rod. On the other hand, an experienced trout fisherman has to accept some new things to relearn, and this also takes some time. Thus, we are here for everyone who wants to enjoy the tropical sea to the MAX.
The goals we pursue
Find out what the most valuable fish are, when and where to find them.
Have the right equipment for the sea. Understand it and know how to set it up for different saltwater fly fishing techniques. These techniques vary depending on what fish and how you fish.
Know how to cast fast, far enough (15 - 20m) and with good accuracy. We will learn both the theory of a total of four different one-handed casting techniques, and in practice at least one of the most commonly used. One-hand casting techniques vary depending on the load (weight of the line and fly). This list does not take into account river techniques such as rolling cast or two-handed casting.
Find out when it is appropriate to use a stripping basket and what the rules are for using one so that your line doesn't get tangled and you don't lose your fish and your line.
Attract fish with proper technique for stripping (retrieving) flies.
To be able to hook the fish on most bites and minimize unsuccessful bites: don't strike with the rod, but with the hand you use to strip the line. Don't break the line as you set the hook.
Master line management in difficult situations before and after the take, especially in current/waves and on the decks of small boats that are often far from a nice tidy fly fishing skiff.
Correctly battle, land and release fish.
Achieving the above goals makes sense even if you are going on vacation alone and want to catch bonefish DIY, or if you want to spend, USD 5+ thousand for a regular fly fishing trip on a Seychelles island that is dedicated for fly fishing.
At the very beginning of our possible cooperation we will get to know each other and, depending on your skills and ambitions, we will specify the methodology for each individual. In any case, you should take into account that it will take a year, and more likely two, before you partially achieve your goals.
The stated goals sound automatic, but experience from fly fishing expeditions shows that even experienced anglers with years of experience can't do much. And then with the necessary humility they have to train to be more confident.
Much of the practical training must be done at home, in the grassland, etc. Most of the necessary skills can be honed in this way. But once you've done it in front of a live fish following your fly, it's a whole different league.
And you have to get used to it in practice at sea, you can't skip it.
3 Stages
The whole teaching story is divided into three stages.
In the first stage you will get basic information about fly fishing at sea and the differences compared to trout fishing. #8 Geer waits for you in the first stage.
If you like that, it's time to go through Stage 2, which will complete your equipment and when you'll try your first "guided trip", a regular guided fly fishing trip at sea.
If you come home excited, Stage 3 is for you to fill in the details and skills.
Stage 1
It answers the question of whether I enjoy it, whether I want to become a fly fisherman at sea. Again, there's a risk: If you answer YES to this question, then all your vacations at sea and/or elsewhere in the tropics will be with a fly rod.
Stage 1 objectives: To have basic AFTMA #8 equipment and be able to catch fish in the sea flats. Learn what the main target fish look like and basic terminology in the English language.
Spend certainly one hour (it can take more than an hour...) getting to know your strengths and weaknesses. It should be noted that a high level of fly rod expertise is not required. It's very much about something else at sea, and paradoxically, many pro-trout anglers find, for example, the strip-set (striking with the left hand and not moving the rod while doing so) harder to automate than it is for a novice. This class will result in modifying the methodology for you and assigning homework on what and how much to practice in the grassland.
We will arrange another technical session in some time to evaluate your progress and determine your next training session.
Equipment you will need:
A #8, 9 foot saltwater rod, reel, 30 lb backing and #8 floating line. We'll give you a quote for a medium or top set from Echo/rod, Shilton/reel and Scientific Anglers/line. Yes you can get a saltwater rod different, I don't recommend experimenting in the reel, read more here. In any case please check your alternative purchase beforehand, it's to protect your investment.
Next, you'll get a list of things you'll need as a minimum for your first private trip. For example, it includes 16/20/30 Lb fluoro leaders, wading pack, sea boots, shorts, shirt, backing and lines, gloves, sun glases, cap, buff, flies and so on.
You will need to get a set of about 20 "bonefish" flies and about 20 saltwater streamers 5 - 7 inches. You can get these anywhere on the internet, sure we'll check. For a week of fishing this will be plenty for you. You'll break off/lose some flies, some you'll want to replace from time to time. You could say that saltwater flies are not as hard to buy as freshwater flies. The bigger problems are finding the fish in the sea, casting quickly and accurately, stripping correctly and most importantly hooking effectively. That's one of the main differences: in the sea, you have to find the fish, see it - unlike in inland waters, where it's mostly blind casting.
Once you have the necessary equipment together, we'll arrange a technical lesson on how to put it all together, tips/tricks, fly tying techniques, etc. You need to learn how to connect the leader and line and how to attach the fly to the leader.
And you'll be ready to go to sea, either alone or with someone from The Academy. We'll talk about the options, where and when you can reasonably go, what fish to expect there, and fine tune the details accordingly.
The aim of this trip is to test your acquired technique, get your first real experience of the sea and catch your first bonefish or triggerfish - at least one prized fish. Alongside this, you will catch plenty of other fish that will work for you and that are good for practice and for fun.
Your first fly fishing trip to the sea needs to be where the flats are good for wading. Don't go anywhere where you will be on a boat with someone for a week. Catching from the boat is not what you need to learn at this stage mainly: understand the shallows with respect to tide, find the fish, approach, sight cast, catch, land and release. That's the goal, and that's what "counts" at sea in fly fishing.
If you come home from your trip and are eager to experience "it" to the fullest, we've made it through the first Stage. Now you will know for yourself how much of a challenge it is to fly fish at sea. How much you still have to learn. And every internet search for the phrase "sea fly fishing" will get your adrenaline pumping as you see the variety and size of fish that await you.
At the end of Stage 1 you will receive a Basic Academy Certificate.
Stage 2
Well folks, it's time to upgrade your tackle to #12 weight and head out on your first regular fly fishing trip. But gradually:
Upping the weight and mastering it is the essential and new thing in Stage 2. Rod, reel, lines, leaders, flies for GT / Giant Trevally must be acquired. And of course for the other big fish. However, the GT is a legendary fish and everyone who fly fishes the sea must have caught it. And it's worth it, you can be sure of that, you can make a note of that.
Once again, we'll be offering a rod (Echo), reel and backing (Shilton), line (Scientific Anglers) setup in either the regular line or the pro line.
Your skills and experience in casting a #8 will come in handy now.
Twelve is a super league though. You have to practice it honestly at home. So long as you're able to throw on and off for an hour. You have to be able to cast by the backhand and the forehand. We'll teach you how to use leverage, how to lean the rod on your forearm so it's not so hard to throw.
Remember at least these two basic things when throwing: Give the line extra time to unwind on the back cast. And that includes also the leader with the fly. Pull the line with your left hand as you cast backward and forward all the way down to your waist. This puts a load on the rod and it will then obediently shoot the line nice and straight and far. It's called a double haul. Other tricks we'll discuss in person.
There's a big difference in casting an eight and a twelve. Don't even think about going to the island to fish GTs without thorough training. If you find a twelve too much, ok, we can just graduate to a ten and then find a destination to go to with an eight and a ten, typically and easily for example to Dubai for a queen fish.
But if you want to head straight to an island when there are GTs, you have to have a #12. At this point we're going to get a technical lesson on what tricks you need to know to build a good heavy rod, how to attach strong fluorocarbon tippet (like 100 Lb). It's also worth going over the details of how it's run and what you can expect on an upstanding trip where you'll be one of 6 fly fishermen, paired with someone, and can expect a different guide/guide each day.
So we can talk about where and when to go, with what company and how much it costs from them. The advantage is that we know most of them, so that consideration will be informed.
In any case you have to take into account the cost of the trip e.g. 1000 Euro plus the price for a week trip 5+ thousand Euro . Each destination offers a different spectrum of sea fish. Therefore, it is necessary that the preparation of especially flies but also other details take into account where and what kind of fish to go. So typically at the time when the tide is at its highest (spring tide) and some fish are at their best you will have your first trip planned. Aim to pull at least one GT, it doesn't have to be a giant, but it does have to be a GT. This one will test you and your #12 gear and give you an adrenaline rush for the rest of the year.
If you don't want to or can't spend that kind of money on another trip, we will arrange a minimalist version of a relatively inexpensive trip to the Maldives or one of the Northern Seychelles islands beacause they are not exclusively dedicated for the fly fishing. Such an event can be arranged for a third of the cost of going with the pros.
On an honest GT trip, you'll see how much of a challenge it is to catch not only small but also big fish on a fly rod. It's a beautiful and honest sport that very few people from the inland countries are dedicated to. After your first solo trip we believe, we know you will be eager to continue. In fact, we don't know anyone who has stopped.
As you can see in the pictures, the whole methodology is accompanied by a young special guy in his 10 years, then below another dude a little older with a GT. And you can see how much fun they were having. Today, they are adult and recognized fly fishermen in tropical seas.
Stage 3
Become a master
of the sport of fly fishing at sea.
Every trip brings something new and you don't want to disappoint there. It's always another test on a new trip, everything is different and unlike what you're used to: the sea, the environment, the boats, the fish, your fellow fishermen, the guides, the weather, etc. But it was all expected and you are or will be prepared for it all. So let's live up to this expectation. Your ambition is clear: To become a confident fly fisherman at sea, confident because you already know a lot but at the same time accepting with humility everything new that you don't know and have to learn with agility.
That means, at first, replenishing the equipment with a weight of #10. Of course there are also weights 9 and 11, but for practical reasons we recommend to make do with even weights 8, 10 and 12. This is because each weight needs to be backed up. So having 2x #8, 2x #10 and 2x #12. And that means mainly rods and lines, sometimes reels, or at least spools. If you complicate it by adding more weights like #9 and/or # 11 then it is OK. But then you can have a bunch of money in it and having everything 2x doesn't seem economical and most importantly, in our opinion, not really necessary.
Backing up rods is essential believe us. I've seen several times a rod/reel get ruined on the first day on a trip that cost thousands of dollars. Breaking a rod, destroying a reel in a fall on a rock, cutting a line on coral is common and not entirely avoidable. And then you're left to borrow or buy from fellow anglers or guides.
During this third phase, we'll direct you to study the video here and at least one lesson where we'll talk more about the details presented here. Your theoretical knowledge and your practical skills will then push you so high that you will begin to have confidence. And that's pretty crucial for this sport.
Many anglers come to sea knowing they won't catch the fish anyway. And yes they are right because they know they can't do it well enough. And that they've spent several thousand dollars on something they weren't well prepared for. You guys have a good opportunity to prevent that. Gain the skills, the confidence and enjoy your trip to the sea with a fly rod to the max.
Probably the last technical class will be devoted to technical details of rod, reel, line, fly maintenance, including basic repairs. If you have the desire, you can tie your own flies of course. There then depends very much on the right choice of hooks.
So now you can go on your next fly fishing trip, typically it will be to some other premium destination where you can expect to find other prized species of fish such as the golden trevally, permit and so on.
You'll already know a lot, but you'll still be missing out on a lot of fish. There are several reasons for this, but to combine everything in a short time and do it accurately is a matter not only of skill, but also of experience and luck.
So even if you practice a lot, which we will see to it, without weeks at sea you will get to the desired state of finding fish - sight cast precisely - catch fish, gradually.
At the end of the third stage, everyone will receive a gold Academy certificate.
