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Fly Fishing Alone

17K views 48 replies 30 participants last post by  E_walker 
#1 ·
How many of you guys and gals do this? I'm curious as to how you make this all work from poling the boat, fly line organization, etc. It's always great having a friend on the platform while on the boat cuz I'm usually the one with the long rod in hand so the guy on the platform can fish traditional tackle while poling without issue. Up here in the Nature Coast area, we get some brutal water movement and things can get real flipped around real fast in the skiff. Especially around shorelines and in creeks.

Do you guys stay up on the platform with the stripping bucket? Pole from the bow? I'm also going to start learning the Ozello area as we warm up this year. Anyone who fishes a skiff over there please chime in.
 
#2 ·
I have zero experience to share but I am also interested to hear how people work this out. I ordered my rig with an I-pilot TM with this in mind. I have no doubt there will be a leaning curve but I'm always game to learn from what others a doing.

Lou
 
#3 ·
One thing that helped me a lot was a push pole clip and a stick anchor. I'll pole from the platform until I see fish, then clip the push pole in the holder, quietly get down and pop the anchor in (I leave it on the deck, already tied off), then walk up to the bow and make my cast. I leave my fly rod on the bow with line stripped out, ready to go.

It's not a perfect system, but it works pretty well. It's also easy enough to change up any part of it when needed. Once staked out, I can walk all around the boat to make additional casts. A trash can or rigid stripping basket is nice as well, since you can set the rod in it and move it around anywhere, but I don't use it as often as I expected to.

This is just what I've found to work over the last year and a half -- I'm sure I'll be doing something differently next year :D
 
#5 ·
Yeah this is kind of what I have done on loner trips. Many times I will just power pole down in a creek and just blind cast shorelines, cuts, and bars that should hold fish in moving water. Poling the skiff in a creek with current and wind becomes an almost impossible task. I feel like choosing the right area for fly fishing alone is key. Need a place that is out of the wind, shallow, and somewhat open to allow for drifting. Need to find new grass flats...
 
#4 ·
I pole from the poling platform, if there is wind to contend with I usually will drift and use the pole to keep me on my path. If its calm out I will just try to use the stealthy approach and take it slow. Slow is the key to setting up your shots.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I fish solo a lot, and really enjoy it. Sometimes solitude is nice. I fish from the paltform, as bryson does I use a clip/holster on my belt for the push pole. For a while I actually bolted my line tamer to the front left corner of the platform, I've since switched to putting a milk crate on the rear deck and standing my stripping basket on top of it, that puts the top of the stripping basket just above platform level. I strip line into the basket and stand my rod up in it so it's easy to grab and cast when I spot a fish. I also have my marsh anchor (just a stainless rod about 5 feet long) standing up in a piece of pvc mounted to my platform frame so that I can reach it from the platform. I spot a fish, holster the push pole, grab the rod and cast. If I get the eat and hook up I'll drop the marsh anchor, move my push pole to a clip on my platform, climb down and fight and land the fish. I catch many, many redifish like this, including a lot of big bulls.

Setting up a system like this really helps with boat controll and greatly increased the number of fish I catch solo. I'm able to capitalize on many more opportunities. Also, fishing solo you frequently have to take shots a bit longer than an angler on the front of a skiff would have to because youa rea 16-17 feet farther back, and fishing solo you often have to take the shot sooner to keep from getting blown over the fish etc. Because of this I moved away from using "redfish taper" fly lines. Most of them are so front loaded that they don't lend themselves to carrying a good bit of line in the air. I use a line with a longer rear taper that lets me carry more line and stay accurate on longer (relatively) cast.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I do plan to put an iPilot on the skiff at some point but for the most part, I cant use them. The water I fish is less than a foot most of the time.
 
#9 ·
I pretty much only fish alone, and couldn't do it without my ipilot. I've fished in some pretty shallow water, and haven't had an issue with the trolling motor (I just raise it to where the blades are just under the surface, and ensure I don't kick the speed up too high).
 
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#25 ·
Yeah, that's very similar to what I use. I took two old fiberglass push pole holders, like this one, and attached them to a nylon webbing belt with a quick release buckle (one on each side). When I see a fish, clip the push pole in the holder and pick up my fly rod from my casting bucket. Also got a Powerpole Micro anchor to stop the boat which helps quite a bit.
 
#12 ·
Similar story to most of whats above. I don't run a trolling motor on the Glide so I just anchor down with the PP micro and snap the push pole in my holder on the platform and quietly get down. I leave the fly rod with line out across my cooler pointed forward so when I climb down, I pick it right up and move to the front of the boat. I keep a spin rod up on the poling platform sometimes too. I've had some success with fishing from the poling platform with the fly rod, but most of the time the line just gets tangled around something in the back of the boat.

It's not the fastest approach to get down and move up front, but it seems to work out if things are placed to where it's easy to get to them.
 
#13 · (Edited)
A little different than the above and simple just to be a little faster to the rod in hand when hunting reds shallow. Poling from the platform, no belt attachment for the pole just the Tibor caddy, flyrod tip(two ft) leaned against the GPS or GPS knob welded to the casting platform(or anything you can clip to the edge of the platform) and the reel on a non-slip pad at the rear bulkhead. See the fish, ease the pushpole into the caddy without taking your eyes off the fish, pick up the rod with about twenty feet of line stripped off and some how make an accurate cast. Here are a few photos.
Vehicle Machine
Room
Good luck.
 
#14 ·
I have a Native SUV and still haven't ponied up for a trolling motor ( starting 5th season). I actually use a SUP paddle to ease along, push off on obstructions, etc,. Probably wouldn't work for true flats fishing but fishing creeks and along wooded banks it works for me. Then I use my stick-it anchor if I want to stay put. I do pole longer stretches. Just another technique to pass along.
 
#18 ·
I fished solo today with some crazy currents and wind and found a pretty descent way to land a couple. I stripped out some line, kept my fly in the cup holder on the casting platform, put my reel in there and pointed my rod towards the rear of the boat. when I saw a fish stuck the push pole in the mud, threw the monkeys fist around it and moved to the bow. Got two descent pumpkins doing that today.
 
#19 ·
I'm pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but here we go again.

If poling which is 80%, I put my 65 yeti on the bow as far forward as possible or I use a 20ish gallon trash can/stripping buckets with prolly 10 gallons of water in it.

I pole from the poling platform. I prefer to use a rod/reel setup that's a reel heavy as possible. I.e. My 7wt glass rod with a hotroded pflueger medalist a tibor.

I lay the reel between my feet and set the fly on the poling platform top. I lay my stripped flyline in the cockpit or in a stripping basket in front of the platform.

When I see a fish the pole either goes under my stripping. Hand arm pit, or between my legs bed the rod is picked up almost simultaneously, the cast.

If to windy for this I go find deep enough fish to run the trolling motor.
 
#22 ·
Fishin alone is ALOT of fun. Such a great way to really dial in an area and (if your like me) get some top notch 'therapy' from just being out there, by yourself with only you to rely on. Its some good shit. I also love sharing the experience with people and love the team aspect of sight fishing with one on the pole and one on the bow....But it is nice to get out here by yourself some days and explore, find new spots..then bring your friends to show em!!! That just my 2cents.
 
#27 ·
This, plus there are days when I have very specific ideas about where I want to go and how I want to fish and don't want to have to "debate" the merits of my plan with anybody. As Tyler said, the team aspect of sight fishing from a skiff is awesome, fishing with a capable partner that you know well is like a dance, but there are days and times when I need the solitude.
 
#26 ·
I found pole walking as the best option for fly fishing solo, especially soft bottom. My buddies and I call it pole walking but not sure what the method is called.

This is where you use the stake out anchor with about 3' of elastic rope tied to front cleat. Length of rope depends on how far cleat is from edge of boat. Pull the top of stake out down(towards you) and then push point into bottom. Push forward on top of stake out to propel forward. Repeat to move forward. When you see a fish all you need to do is push the stake out straight down to anchor. Have fly rod ready on bow with stripping basket. No need to move from platform to bow as you are already in the bow. Way easier and efficient than using push pole.
 
#29 ·
I found pole walking as the best option for fly fishing solo, especially soft bottom. My buddies and I call it pole walking but not sure what the method is called.

This is where you use the stake out anchor with about 3' of elastic rope tied to front cleat. Length of rope depends on how far cleat is from edge of boat. Pull the top of stake out down(towards you) and then push point into bottom. Push forward on top of stake out to propel forward. Repeat to move forward. When you see a fish all you need to do is push the stake out straight down to anchor. Have fly rod ready on bow with stripping basket. No need to move from platform to bow as you are already in the bow. Way easier and efficient than using push pole.
How long is your stake out? Are you standing on a casting platform or the deck? No way this works in the wind.
 
#33 ·
I've got a Charlie's stripping basket that clips to my belt and has a strap to wrap around my leg too. It holds the flyline and fly rod while I'm poling.

Now I either pole from the platform or the bow depending on the situation. When poling from the bow I use a 3 step aluminum step ladder strapped to the front deck tie down and pole the boat forward. I've found the higher Home Depot platform gives me better visability and clearance down the sides for the push pole.

The stripping basket really makes it all possible because it's lower and very stable when strapped to the leg holster style. Plus those baskets last forever. First one last me 7 years.
http://www.flyfishbasket.com/
 
#35 ·
And fly fishing solo is extremely therapeutic. I enjoy the team fishing but doing it all solo is an extremely gratifying experience.

Besides thats why we all fly fish anyways....to take something that is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable; then make it as challenging, aggravating and complicated as possible.
 
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