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Thanks to those who gave me pointer and advice.
I got in the water for the first time on my tbe yesterday. I hit a couple of small ponds in a State WMA. Took me a while to get the hang of moving exactly where I wanted to go (it was pretty windy) and Iwas a bit noisy with the fins, but it was great. I was able to fish areas I never could have reached from shore with a fly rod and also able to cast in toward reeds and brush, etc. from deeper water and hit spots I couldn't have any other way.
I caught about 30 bass, 15 crappie and a bunch of nice sized gills. I also used muscles I haven't in 20 years. and between that and I my awkwardness with the fins it was quite a workout. I'm stiff as heck today.
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey...it was a good trip. You survived AND you caught fish. The muscles will develop with more experience. I suggest you give them a workout as often as you can.[/#0000ff]
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I agree, but I complain all year....great rub downs out of it...LOL
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Now that is a trip. Yes you will feel the pain at first but in time the muscles will complain that you aren't out there in the water.[:p] Nice report thanks!
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My wife is out of town so no rubdowns. On the plus side, I can fish as much as I want. I just hope today's heavy rain passes over for the weekend. I actually went yesterday because I was afraid the weather would make tubing a no go all weekend. Nothing like having the whole place to yourself on a weekday when the fish are feeding.
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I've been a couple of more times since the first outing. I haven't caught as many fish either time but i am getting better at maneuvering in the water.
I have a practical question though. A lot of the time I want to fish the side of the pond downwind from me so it's not hard to keep my position by simply finning against the wind coming from my back. But, how do you hold a good position when the wind is in your face?
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[cool][#0000ff]I wish I had the answer to that one myself. If you can't position yourself upwind...and hold with fin power...your only option is an anchor. But that can be a lot of fuss and bother too...especially if you only want to make a few casts and then move on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That is why bass boats have bow-mount electric motors...to help move upwind along the shoreline. It would be impossible to fish some areas well without them. Not practical for tubers but some tooners have rigged bow-mount electrics. [/#0000ff]
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Thanks. I was hoping there was some trick that didn't involve an anchor line. Being a beginner, I'm trying to go as light and simple as possible until I master (well, at least become reasonably proficient at) this. At this point I'd be afraid I'd get the fly line or leader wrapped around the anchor line and lose fish if I have an anchor line out in front of me as it would be in that scenario
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I know I have and at the cost of fly line and rod tips, just isn't worth it. My problem with anchors was the wind shifting direction.
I would go past the point you want to fish, then turn so you have the wind at your back. There has even been cases that I have got out of my toon and cast from shore as the wind was blowing that way. Talk about some great roll casts with the wind at your back, he, he, he
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[#000000][size 3] I did beach the tube at one place. It wasn't because of the wind though. It was just a little peninsula tip you couldn't get to from the shore because it jutted out from a thick reed marsh and from the point you could cast about 330° so it was easier to cover all the water standing there than from the tube. I've also have had to beach numerous times for reasons other than fishing. (Flomax might want to use a middle-aged tuber in its commercials.) [/size][/#000000]
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[quote WVDrifter]I've been a couple of more times since the first outing. I haven't caught as many fish either time but i am getting better at maneuvering in the water.
I have a practical question though. A lot of the time I want to fish the side of the pond downwind from me so it's not hard to keep my position by simply finning against the wind coming from my back. But, how do you hold a good position when the wind is in your face?[/quote]
I'm not a fly fisherman, but how do you cast into the wind, when it is in your face? Even with spincast, I've had light lures come back and hit me in the head.
Anyway, the way I handle it is to go past the target upwind and approach from the backside where the terrain allows it. You do wind up drifting over the target twice and possibly scaring some fish though. Two anchors will work as others have indicated, but it is probably not worth the trouble and tangles. Otherwise you can rig a motor and hover in deep water, or just stand up or move to the closest shore line in shallow, if it gets you to the target.
Pon
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Casting into the wind isn't easy and, unless you are a real pro, impossible if the wind is above a certain speed. You can, however, cast into a moderate wind. What I do is shorten the leader, use heavier flies or bugs with a less wind resistant profile and accept that casting distance is more limited. Then there are basically two techniques I use.
One is simply a sidearm cast keeping the line very low and parallel to the water surface (which is ideal when wading open water or in a boat/tube as opposed to on or close to shore where obstructions often prevent it).
The other is to change the angle of an overhead cast so the plane is skewed with the backcast high (which uses the wind to generate power) and the forward cast low which brings the line through the wind at a downward angle rather than directly into it.
I can't toss 60 foot casts into even a light wind but in many situations I only need to cast 30-40 feet (even less in trout streams).
The toughest situation is when the wind is constantly varying in speed and direction. When the wind is steady you can get a feel for it and compensate for how it will alter the trajectoty and keep some semblance of accuracy. Some days it chuck and duck.
Of course, when possible, it is indeed always better to reposition so the wind is either on your line arm side or behind you. There are situations though when you will miss out on prime fish if you don't stuggle against the wind.
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