@SilverFly how would you describe the proper retrieve? I’m getting ready to tie some sliders for next Sunday.
Tuna 2022, let the games begin!
- Thread starter SilverFly
- Start date
Now I want to see this "jealousy inducing" video she's talking about
Now I want to see this "jealousy inducing" video she's talking about
Haha I've been working on getting it to her via Google drive. My phone won't seem to do it for some reason. I'm hanging with my wife today but as soon as I get a few to sit down with the laptop she'll get it
Nick would be the one to ask.
I've had poppers/sliders in my box for years but yesterday was the first time I actually fished one. Based on my experience yesterday, I can tell you how to not hook an albacore on a surface fly. Mine looked good in the vise but was bulky and too heavy compared to Nick's. I really should've sacrificed a few minutes of fishing time to observe the top water show going on in back. Just too hard to stop fishing when you can see them zooming past your fly.
I want my topwater patterns to leave just a simple v wake. Basically the one I've been tying is just a simplified Miyawaki popper. I want them to just leave a steady wake and to mimic an anchovy that is just sort of skittering along the surface.
I fish them with semi long retrieve, just nice and smooth and keeping it moving along leaving that wake. When the fish are really going and aggressive this is super productive, but also as we saw yesterday morning, even if they aren't just in a frenzy and biting everything they see this also can work quite well. I stuck one on the popper first, landed it, then handed the rod off to Abigail who also stuck one. Unfortunately the hook ended up pulling on that one.
One thing I noticed her first few casts was that she was stripping with a lot of emphasis on making it really pop and twitch. I told her to smooth it out and keep the same pace but just less oomph so it would just slide along. Shortly after that she hooked up.
This type of topwater fishing is definitely the most exciting fishing I've done. It's just mind blowing watching a fish streak up and destroy that thing as it's gliding along. It's by far my favorite way to catch albies.
When they're in full on stupid mode, albacore can be caught with standard poppers that actually pop and gurgle but I find on average that the more subtle slider style is much more effective. I've really come to believe that this is a very effective way to catch these fish, and it's definitely not just a niche thing to be employed for special occasions.
It does require some confidence, dedication, and willingness to put time into it during scenarios where it would be easy to believe fishing subsurface would be more effective, and that's not a super easy thing to do. I have the advantage of being out there every day, so that's a much easier thing for me to do than the customer who gets one trip a year. I totally understand that. Still, I don't believe it's a real sacrifice in many cases.
I fish them with semi long retrieve, just nice and smooth and keeping it moving along leaving that wake. When the fish are really going and aggressive this is super productive, but also as we saw yesterday morning, even if they aren't just in a frenzy and biting everything they see this also can work quite well. I stuck one on the popper first, landed it, then handed the rod off to Abigail who also stuck one. Unfortunately the hook ended up pulling on that one.
One thing I noticed her first few casts was that she was stripping with a lot of emphasis on making it really pop and twitch. I told her to smooth it out and keep the same pace but just less oomph so it would just slide along. Shortly after that she hooked up.
This type of topwater fishing is definitely the most exciting fishing I've done. It's just mind blowing watching a fish streak up and destroy that thing as it's gliding along. It's by far my favorite way to catch albies.
When they're in full on stupid mode, albacore can be caught with standard poppers that actually pop and gurgle but I find on average that the more subtle slider style is much more effective. I've really come to believe that this is a very effective way to catch these fish, and it's definitely not just a niche thing to be employed for special occasions.
It does require some confidence, dedication, and willingness to put time into it during scenarios where it would be easy to believe fishing subsurface would be more effective, and that's not a super easy thing to do. I have the advantage of being out there every day, so that's a much easier thing for me to do than the customer who gets one trip a year. I totally understand that. Still, I don't believe it's a real sacrifice in many cases.
I'm a believer now!
Just think how much better it would work with a bullet weight on there.
FYI, Matt is joking. Quite the back story behind that.Just think how much better it would work with a bullet weight on there.
Good job banging those out after getting to camp so late - and with mosquitos in failing light.
Here's what worked, and didn't for me. All the talk of 1-2" sauries made me tie up the ones at the lower left in camp Friday. White craft fur, fine lateral scale, a bit of lime green Angel hair topped with AH in "baitfish" tied on #2 Gami live bait hooks. The white squids are fiber blend tied on 2/0 Owner Aki hooks. The craft fur saury produced my 2 retrieve hookups Saturday. Small white squid patterns saved my bacon in the tough fishing last year, and came through for me on Thursday. Two troll eats, one slide retrieve and one proper retrieve (not counting the fur seal
). Fished the squid about half the time Saturday but nada. The 3 on the right were fished with the top 2 getting eats. The middle one is an older anchovy fly trimmed down closer to a saury profile. That was my only troll hit Saturday. Literally last minute as I was letting line out with light drag. Almost bird-nested me before coming off.
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That right side middle fly looks bent out. Maybe why that fish came off? There’s only one thing swimming in the forbidding tuna waters off Westport with the sheer fortitude to do that (other than subadult Northern fur seals): BLUEFIN!!!
Knew that was coming, but kudos for restraining yourself to this point.
If you ever get a change to try Guys camp cooked hotdogs from his cast iron pan with onion, garlic, and pepper, jump on it they are not your ordinary hot dogs. Follow that with seared albacore taco, and you’ll sleep sound through the night dreaming about you dinner. Thank you SliverFly. Wish I would gotten a pic but I was busy eating.Knew that was coming, but kudos for restraining yourself to this point.
JayB
Steelhead
I've got a bit of tying time left before I start packing, so I've got a favor to ask and a question.
1. Can someone post a pic of these sliders/poppers?
2. I've seen a gajillion different baitfish patterns posted. Is there any consensus about what works in terms of size, profile, coloration - (e.g is forest green the consensus color to match a saury?) or is this a steelhead-style fish-with-whatever-[baitfish]-you-feel-confident-in sort of fishery? This isn't a complaint - I love seeing all of the different flies and the reports about what worked and what didn't. I'm just wondering if there's some kind of emergent folk-wisdom that's circulating amongst more experienced hands that I haven't picked up on.
1. Can someone post a pic of these sliders/poppers?
2. I've seen a gajillion different baitfish patterns posted. Is there any consensus about what works in terms of size, profile, coloration - (e.g is forest green the consensus color to match a saury?) or is this a steelhead-style fish-with-whatever-[baitfish]-you-feel-confident-in sort of fishery? This isn't a complaint - I love seeing all of the different flies and the reports about what worked and what didn't. I'm just wondering if there's some kind of emergent folk-wisdom that's circulating amongst more experienced hands that I haven't picked up on.
Go to Nick Clayton‘s u’tube web site he posted a pattern that works for him. Your not really trying to make a saury but just a something that gets their attention kinda like a chovi that is not getting down.
Here is a link to Nick's video, and pics of my attempts at these sliders, with a @clarkman gurgler
Tuna 2022, let the games begin!
Headed in with 32 fly caught fish onboard, which is our limit of 8 per person. The best part? I caught 5 fish on my popper/slider. After fish number five that fly was dead. No more foam head. Some of the coolest eats I've ever seen. I am almost out of poppers and I didn't bring my tying...
pnwflyfishing.com
Lots of great options out there. At this point if I had to pick a single pattern it would be a 3-4" half and half in colors of chartreuse/olive/blue/white. This has become my confidence pattern.
The anchovy pattern on my YT channel would also be high on my list.
The biggest problem is that these fish can be insanely selective in many ways so having many options of size/profile/color is still the best choice.
The anchovy pattern on my YT channel would also be high on my list.
The biggest problem is that these fish can be insanely selective in many ways so having many options of size/profile/color is still the best choice.
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
I was surprised that there was no glue used when he added the head.
I use a lot of "Baitfish" Angel Hair. Great color.
