Fly line management in a skiff means keeping your stripped line in a neat, stretched, reversed pile so it shoots out cleanly when the one shot comes. For this How 2 Tuesday I make a big claim: line management, not casting, is the single most important thing to success in saltwater fly fishing. I have seen great casters with bad line skills lose to mediocre casters who manage line well. I walk through pulling off the right amount of line, reversing it so the top feeds first, stretching it to kill tangles, keeping it in the cockpit, and staying ready for the shot.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Fly line management is keeping the sixty to eighty feet of line you have stripped out in a neat, orderly pile so that when you cast, it does not tangle, blow out of the boat, or wrap around your foot or the push pole. It means pulling off the right amount of line, reversing it so the part that shoots first sits on top, stretching it to prevent knots, and keeping it in the clean cockpit. Good line management is what lets you capitalize on the one shot you may get.
Because I have seen great casters with poor line skills get badly outfished by mediocre casters who manage their line well. You may only get one quality shot all day, and if your line wraps your foot or comes up in a knot when the fish appears, you do not catch it, no matter how well you can cast. A guy who can only cast fifty feet but keeps his line ready will out-catch a hundred-foot caster who cannot keep it straight. No doubt about it.
Stand on the deck, strip off all the line you will need at once, about seventy feet if you are a sixty-foot caster, since you never want to snap tight to the reel. Do not pull line off a few inches at a time while false casting like in trout fishing. Get the line into the clean cockpit or a stripping basket, not on the deck, then reverse and stretch it before you stand up ready to cast.
When you pull line off the reel into a pile, the line that should shoot out first ends up on the bottom and tangles. To fix it, hold the rod as if stripping a fly, reach between the reel and your index finger, grab the loop, and strip the line into a new pile off to the side. Now the line that feeds first sits on top and pulls off cleanly with far fewer knots. Reverse it again anytime the pile gets disturbed.
Because stretching dramatically reduces tangles, and fewer tangles means more fish. As you reverse the line into its neat pile, pull each section out to about your wingspan and give it an easy stretch, then place it carefully back in the pile. You knock out two birds at once, stretching and organizing, working all the way down to where the leader meets the fly line. A clean, stretched, slick line casts farther and tangles less.
Keep the line off your lee side so the wind does not blow it around your feet, and never step on it. Hold the fly between your fingers with about a rod-and-a-half of line plus leader out, looped just past the console so it stays clear of the poling guide. Resist the urge to practice cast, since every cast is a moment you are not ready. If anything disturbs the pile, reverse it again and get set.
This is a big statement, but line management is the single most important thing in saltwater fly fishing. I have watched great casters with bad line skills get outfished by mediocre casters who keep their line ready, because you may only get one shot all day. I explain why that one shot changes everything in the episode, so press play in the player above.
When you pull line off the reel, the part that should shoot first ends up on the bottom of the pile and tangles. So you reverse it, stripping it into a new pile so the right end feeds off the top, and you stretch every section to kill knots. It is two birds with one stone, organizing and stretching together. I walk through the exact hand motions in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Keep the line on your lee side away from your feet, never step on it, and resist the urge to practice cast, because every cast is a moment you are not ready for the real shot. If the wind or a move disturbs the pile, reverse it again. I cover the ready position and how to stay disciplined in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Keep your line in a neat, stretched, reversed pile and you will out-fish better casters all day long. Stay disciplined, keep it clean and slick, and always know where your line is. That habit catches fish.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
fly line management · skiff · saltwater fly fishing · stripping basket · tarpon · bonefish · permit · redfish · Florida Keys · Bahamas · Seychelles · push pole · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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