Gear

Top Saltwater Fly Fishing Setups

In freshwater, every cast is a chance to wipe the slate clean and start over

The beauty of a stream or lake filled with trout or bass is that mistakes are easily forgiven. You can take your time to get it right. And most often, no one is watching.

Some days in the salt can also be that easy, where acres of stripers consume anything you throw out there, or the bonefish want to pounce on anything they see, but mostly it’s not like that. A great day of tarpon fishing is often measured in “shots,” not numbers of fish landed.

Every minute you stand on the bow waiting and watching, the pressure rises as you realize you may not get many chances, and when your shot comes, you’ve got a moving tide, crosswinds, and traveling fish to complicate matters. To make matters worse, your fishing buddy is likely watching, waiting his turn. The guide is calling the distance and direction, his voice strained with anticipation. It’s a pressure cooker, and we’re all likely to blow it – and blow it badly – at least some of the time.

Those times when you are up to the task, the last thing you need is for your gear to let you down. A line that wilts in tropical heat? Fail. A reel that chokes and backlashes? Fail.

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