A boat specially equipped for fly-fishing for bass
I acquired a very nice boat in 2018 with the aim of fly-fishing for bass in estuaries and on the coast, but which I also use to fish for pike in lakes and stretches of water.
The Carolina Skiff is a flat-bottomed American bass boat with a very shallow draft, allowing it to pass through very little water. The model I bought is a JV15, i.e. a 15-foot (4.5 m) boat with a gull wing to break the waves a little.
It has a nice platform at the front for standing up and casting from both sides. Very practical for fly fishing. A second angler can also position himself at the rear of the boat between the motor and the console.
I equipped it with a Minn Kota Powerdrive electric motor (marinized) powered by a lithium battery (long-range and light), which enables me to make discreet approaches, but also to slow down and control drifts and stay on a spot if necessary (virtual anchor). An indispensable tool for fly-fishing for bass or pike.
This year, I fitted a new SUZUKI 40 HP 4-stroke engine, which allows me to move quickly from station to station to look for sea bass in different habitats or to go hunting. It's a discreet, high-performance engine with low emissions and low fuel consumption.
A perfect tool for fly-fishing for bass when the weather is favourable for this highly effective technique when bass are active in less than 10 metres of water.
Find active bars
We launch mid-morning to get into fishing action for the end of the uphill run and a good part of the downhill run. The rods are ready and attached to the side of the console. A well-stocked fly box enables you to cope with a wide range of situations and types of prey sought by bass. The bass are on the stilts, as they are every year at the start of the season.
We started in a bay that I like to fish at this time of the tide and where I regularly catch fish between 50 and 60 cm, and after a follow-up to the boat and a small sea bass quickly unhooked, nothing else happened for a good hour!
Sylvain, who is accompanying me, is no better. We try a number of drifts in this cove, which is generally good for bass, but with today's coefficient of 41, it seems that the bass aren't there or aren't very active.
Then we spot two terns circling and occasionally swooping on a point.
I set off into the wind with my electric motor to stay on course and not drift too fast. I soon pick up a small bar in the 45 cm range, which is a pleasure all the same. The first of the year on a boat.
Going up another ten meters or so, it's a clear stop on the silk that lets me know I've got a more serious "client" this time. My SAGE R8 Salt in 9-gauge line is well bent, as this pretty bass is making good use of the current. It's all dark and in good shape. The fight lasts a while, as he gives me a few powerful rushes. I finally manage to get him to the surface and into the landing net. It's a very nice sea bass, almost 60 cm long. A great fish on a fly rod! We shoot it and put it back in the water. Sylvain is disappointed, as we'd just changed sides! I pass Sylvain a fly to give him a better chance, but nothing for him yet.
Shortly afterwards, another fish of almost 50 cm takes my fly violently. They're definitely on this zone and we decide to insist a little. Smaller fish come to take my fly again, which seems to be the pattern of the moment!
We're on intermediate silk with a 27° tip. The fly of the day will be the deceiver in blue-green which is an imitation small sandeel-type forage fish. I'll be changing flies several times during the session, but I'll be doing all the bass on this model.
We retry a drift and I let my colleague fish while eating and positioning the boat for him while managing the drift, to try and get him to catch his biggest bass on the streamer, but the bass are shunning him!
We retry the bottom of the cove together, and I pick up a nice bar of the same size again. That makes two very nice bass for the session and I'm delighted.
Is it my very fast animation alternating with pauses that appeals to the fish, or being in the right place at the right time? What's certain is that the fish respond quite well to my animations.
Beautiful hunts on the horizon
The wind dies down and we decide to check out other spots I know in the area and where I regularly catch fish. Because this morning the waves were a bit high, it wouldn't have been easy to fish and cast! With a fly, you can quickly be limited by the wind (over 30 km/h) or the swell.
My idea was to make a rocky edge, but in the distance we see terns pecking at the top of their lungs and gulls posed. A good hunt must have taken place, but active sea bass must still be under these birds.
It takes us a while to find them, as the terns move around a lot and are in several places along the 500 m in front of the beach.
Then Sylvain will take two bars fairly quickly, but of small size. I'm delighted for him!
I try again with a plunging line to see if there are any bigger fish deeper down, but I don't get any hits.
I switch back to intermediate with my blue-green imitation and quickly hit a nice fish of almost 50 cm.
Moving around regularly, I'll catch a sea bass almost every time, but nothing big. Either it's a huge shoal of small bars, or the big ones ate earlier in the day, when we were elsewhere.
In any case, fishing on these beautiful hunts and among the birds is always very exciting.
A beautiful day to start the season with nice bars, sunshine and a good time with friends!
