Fishing Report
Fly fishing with the Orvis Hydros produced great success
By Greg Peralta
Mar 11, 2010 - 11:30:53 AM

Robert Bryant shows off his redfish, which he caught with a fly rod.

Fly fishing continues to grow in popularity. As such, I receive a good number of inquiries from people seeking help in selecting a fly rod. My advice most often is to cast a variety of rods before buying one. When you pick up the rod that suits your personal casting style you will know it (immediately). Events like The Charleston Angler Spring Expo are excellent opportunities to test a variety of fly rods (in one afternoon). I met a couple friends at the Expo on Saturday and we cast every rod in the place! During our casting marathon, Robert Bryant of Orvis was so helpful I invited him to fish with my brother David and me the next day.

When we met on Sunday morning, it was cold. A thick layer of frost covered the skiff. However, the sky was clear and the wind was calm, perfect conditions for pursuing redfish on the fly. Robert brought along the new Orvis Hydros fly rod (my favorite from the day before). On the ride to the first flat, David rigged the rod and tied on a black clouser minnow. When we got to the flat, the water was mirror smooth and we could see several schools of fish working their way into the rising tide. I jumped on the poling platform and David got Robert situated on the bow. As the first school approached, Robert made an incredibly long and accurate cast. When the fly hit the water, the school did not spook, but altered direction. I was amazed when Robert picked up the entire fly line (from the previous cast) and made another perfect presentation. Once again, the fish refused to eat and slowly moved away.

We repeated this frustrating process several times throughout the early morning. Thankfully, after the sun warmed the flat for about an hour, the redfish began eating with a vengeance. Robert released three reds and then handed the Hydros to my brother. David (who has a lot of fly gear) commented on how light the rod was. He then proceeded to make a long and effortless cast. The fly landed a little close to the school and the fish spooked. Using the power of the Hydros rod, David was able to pick up all the fly line and quickly cast again. A nice redfish ate the fly as it moved away. Standing on the platform, I thought, ‘light, powerful and accurate. I need one of those!’

Amy, Elliott and Madeline (my wife and kids), an Orvis Hydros would be a great Fathers Day present (hint, hint).

After releasing seven redfish on the fly, I enlisted Robert and David to help me in testing the Z-Man MinnowZ (swim bait) rigged on a 1/8 ounce trigger hook. We enhanced the lures with a little bit of Pro-Cure mullet scent and cast to a passing school. Triple hook up! We spent the rest of the morning scouting new areas. Pretty much every shallow location with submerged oysters was holding fish. The warm and calm conditions made spotting and catching the fish pretty easy. A slight twitch and a long pause was the lure retrieval method that produced the most fish.

Could it be that spring has truly arrived?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at captaingreg@shallowwatercharters.com or (843) 224-0099.