Winter Projects:
Pimp My (Boat) Ride
Here's some ideas for things you can do to make your boat more "fly-friendly". This is an updated version of an article which first appeared in our sister site: Ocean Skiff Journal
Boat Layout
Setting up a boat for coastal or offshore fly-fishing involves three things: dealing with obstructions that can make it hard to cast, making it easier for the angler to safely make a cast, and figuring out how to store fly rods.
Dealing with Obstructions
If you have an express or flybridge boat, it is usually the bridge, the tuna tower, or the outriggers that get in the way of fly-fishermen.
On these types of boats, the most common approach is to have a right-handed fly-fisherman cast from the port stern corner of the cockpit. The port outrigger is raised to clear the backcast, and if fish are chummed to the stern, they are brought to the starboard corner if possible. This allows the fisherman to cast in a quartering fashion toward the fish, which gives him more room for the backcast.
If there are two fly-fishermen, and both fishermen want to fish at the same time, there are a couple of options.
If the second fisherman feels comfortable casting backwards, or left-handed, the second angler may cast from the starboard stern corner. If that is not possible, the anglers can rotate through the preferred casting position in the port stern corner.
This is not as hard as it sounds. Boats usually have a natural drift orientation, and the astute skipper will turn the boat so that the drift is towards the port stern corner. This will allow the person in the preferred casting position to make the cast, then slide along the stern towards the opposite (starboard) stern corner, while making their retrieve. This opens up the port stern corner so that the other person can move into position to cast. This process also works if there are more than two fly-fishermen on board.
Notice that this process is only practical if the fishermen have some sort of portable line management device, like a VLMD, or a shooting basket.
These techniques also work with open skiffs or center console boats, where the culprits are not outriggers or tuna towers, but T-tops and radio antennas. On these types of boats, the second fisherman may also cast from the bow.
In our boat (an 18 ’ center console), when we use our outriggers, we often run just the starboard ‘rigger and a flatline from the starboard stern corner, leaving the port side clear for a right-handed caster. Obvously, everything is moved to the other side when a left-handed caster is in the stern.
There are also lots of time when we choose not to use the outriggers. We'll run two flatlines instead, or use rod riggers and flatlines.
Keeping the Angler Safe
If you are practicing run-and-gun tactics, you will probably have a person casting from the front of the boat. In this case, it is important to provide a safe place to stand while casting, and for proper line management.
On our boat, we opted for adding a simple bass-boat type pedestal seat to the front casting deck. Not the most sturdy solution, but it is usable. You can also have custom bow rails built, or install a custom leaning post.
If you decide to have a custom bow rail built, a popular design for fly-fishermen is an open cage which allows the angler to lean against it to steady himself. Make sure you leave room for a line management device or stripping basket!
Rails can also be added on the sides and stern. The norm for fly-fishermen is to go with a bit lower rail in order to allow room for the casting and stripping motion of the arms.
It goes without saying that any railing should be securely mounted to the decks or gunnels. This usually means through-bolts with backing plates or fender washers, but on many boats nowadays, you will be forced to use toggle bolts or heavy wood screws with polyurethane adhesive because you will not be able to access the back side of the mounting surface.
Rails also need to made of the proper materials. The most common material is stainless steel, with anodized or powder-coated aluminum also seeing use.
In all cases, you need to pay close attention to the fittings as well as the rail stock. The ideal is to use fittings made of the same material as the rail stock, in order to avoid electrolysis. However, it is rare to find off-the-shelf aluminum fittings; stainless is much more common. Beware of cheap components - some of the inexpensive fittings are actually chrome-plated zinc (sometimes called "Zamak"), which is OK to use in fresh water, but a bad choice in the ocean. .
Rod Storage
Fly rods are hard to stow in boats. Long length and light construction make it difficult to find a place to store fly rods where they will be safely out of the way.
In boats with a long cabin, rods are sometimes left assembled and hanging in racks mounted to the cabin roof.
On open boats you will see many solutions. Some boats have under-gunnel rod racks long enough to take assembled fly rods, but many do not. Some hulls incorporate holes in the gunnel to allow rod tips to extend more towards the bow or stern.
If your boat doesn't have long enough rod racks for horizontal storage of assembled and rigged rods, there are a couple of other ways to go:
- You can store the rods by rigging them, then partially disassembling them and keeping the pieces in something like Dan Blanton's Rigged-and-Ready rod bags. Once broken down and placed in the bags, the rods are short enough to go into almost any horizontal rod rack. The bag keeps the rods and reels protected from the elements. When you are ready to fish, a rod is extracted and reassembled.
In a pinch, we've achieved a similar effect by rigging, then disassembling the sections of a rod, and folding them together. We then insert the sections back into one of the partitions of its rod bag. The rod bag can be tied off around the rod. This keeps the sections of the rod together and protected, but leaves the reel exposed. This only works on some rods, as many rod bags do not have a partition wide enough to take all three or four sections of a rod bundled together.
- You can also build custom rod racks, like these built by Stan Pleskunas for Capt Jim Novak. Note the extra support for the tip. Stan also designed and built the vertical "holsters" to hold rods in Rigged-and-Ready rod bags vertically.
Bluewater Rod Holders
I-Fly Rod Holders
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