There are a million “Tips and Tricks” articles out there, so I want to give a little context here. These below points resonate with me and I practice them every time I’m either guiding or fishing on the flats. Scan the bold titles and if there’s something that sticks out to you, dive in a little deeper. If you pick up a useful nugget, I’ll be psyched. My passion is helping people be more successful as anglers so please do not hesitate to reach out directly.

• Visualize Your Success. Fly fishing on the flats is, no doubt, a mental game. Confidence and a strong, positive mindset can go a long way. Ask yourself what your goals are and begin to visualize them coming to fruition. Ideally, start your visualizations weeks before your trip to start training the brain for your future success. Or, for last minute meditation, visualize your success on the run to your first spot. Your goal could be to nail your double haul, or it could be to land your first permit… either way believe in yourself and it will happen. I can’t begin to explain how valuable this tactic has been for me in my own fishing.

• Remove Slack As Your Fly Drops. This is a simple tactic that everyone should ultimately work working into their routine. As you make your presentation cast, let the fly line funnel through your line hand, never losing touch with the line. As the fly hits the water, your casting hand and line hand should both follow through and extend forward. This position gets you set up to remove excess slack in the system, bring your fly to life and to strip set. As your fly hits the water, with your hands extended out in front of you, do one long strip with your line hand while your fly drops to the bottom. This will remove any slack from your system. This is an intuitive suggestion that is essential to hooking up. If a fish eats your fly with slack in the system then you are already behind the 8 ball with lowered odds of getting tight before the fish spits the fly.

• Take A Deep Breath. The visual aspect of fishing the flats innately infuses an element of suspense and intensity. As soon as the guide calls out an approaching bonefish, permit, or other target your vitals are bound to rise. Now is the time to take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Lengthening your exhale will send a message to your brain that it’s okay to relax. A calm poised angler is much more likely to make the right shot and get tight than an anxious angler trying to force success.

• Wait On That Backcast. Not waiting on your backcast is one of the more common casting mistakes, especially on the flats. When looking at an approaching fish, anglers often feel a sense of urgency and they’re not wrong, the shot clock is ticking! But, the last thing you want to rush is your cast. Anglers often rush the backcast, not pausing long enough to let their fly line fully unroll behind them. When the angler goes to present it’s apparent that the power has been robbed on the backcast and it’s likely that they’ll have to pick up and re-present. I’d ALWAYS prefer to take my time on the first shot rather than rush it, disturb the water, pick up, and have to make a second shot. Hook up odds decrease proportionately to the number of shots taken in most cases. Like the Navy Seals say… Slow is SMOOTH & Smooth is FAST.

• Trust Your Guide & Trust Your Instincts. Fishing with guides is a treat. You’re in the hands of an expert that’s been there many, many times before. If you’re in the phase of learning as much as you can, perhaps you’ll just entirely turn yourself over to the guide and follow every instruction blindly. But if your advancing and your eyes are getting sharp, make sure to trust your instincts, as well. Things happen fast on the flats, sometimes faster than even the best guide can communicate. A blended strategy of trusting yourself and your guide can provide to be a valuable approach if you’re ready.

• Fish Like An Athlete. We all have a different tempo and even purpose as to why we fish the flats. If you’re in the camp of wanting to increase your hook up percentage, make better shots, and lose less fish, then… Fish like an Athlete. I’m having fun when I’m on the bow but I’m super focused. Eyes are constantly scanning, looking intently for any signs of bonefish, permit, cudas, triggerfish, mutton snapper and so on. Always be in ready position, poised to deliver your cast. When your quarry shows up and it’s time to take the shot you’ll be calculating and processing the situation at a rapid rate; the fish’s distance, speed of travel, trajectory, body language & mood, other nearby predators, the tide’s speed and direction, the boat position drifting speed… just to name a few. The perfect shot is the presentation that quietly takes into account all of these variables and ends with a singing reel. I compare flats fishing to other athletic pursuits because seeing and understanding the playing field is just as vital for the angler as it is for a top notch athlete.

The beauty of fly fishing the flats is the endless learning curve. If you love to progress, this sport holds infinite challenges ahead for you. We hope you get the chance to hone your skills in the Berry Islands at Soul Fly Lodge. We’d love to have you.