Orvis Helios

I had an opportunity to cast a Helios 8wt and 10wt yesterday and that is one sweet rod. The thing weighed half of what other rods in that weight range weigh and I think it would be a piece of cake to throw that 10wt at big Tarpon all day.

If you get a chance, go check one out. I think it's a great rod and would be deadly on the bonefish flat.

The Flats Cast

On a message board I frequent, i saw the question posed what does salt water bring to fly fishing. Well, the bonefish flat is getting ready to head to a famous trout stream in two weeks so i've had some time to contemplate this.

The trout cast is one where you start with the basic mechanics of the fly cast and then essentially mess it up. Casting a dry fly involves numerous slack line casts in an effort to have a drag free drift. In addition to the cast, you're also feverishly trying to match the hatch as best as possible and the bugs involved are a lot more complicated than in the salt.

On the flip side, in salt your casting into the wind (always into the wind) and casting a heavier rod with a heavier fly. If you're sight fishing, you're looking for something that's hard to see and is moving fast as hell. Slack line in the salt, unlike trout fishing, is the enemy and slack line casts will cost you a fish of a lifetime.

More to come on these differences as i think they are really worth exploring.