A Day on the Flats
Posted By Joel on April 2, 2011
Good gear and a GREAT fish (photo by Shannon Drawe)
I’ve had several inquires this past week regarding trips so I thought I would throw out a quick post and describe an average (if there is one) day on the flats at Lake Ray Roberts for my clients.
We usually meet at 8:00am at one of a few “usual spots” I have around the lake. This depends on where clients are driving from and which part of the lake we’ll be fishing that day. For folks that are used to meeting guides an hour before dawn, this seems like quite a casual hour. The simple reason is that the sun has to be at a decent angle for spotting fish. You can’t catch carp with a fly rod if you can’t see them. We’re usually on the water and fishing by 9:00am by the time there is good sunlight penetration.
A full day trip will cover about 5 miles of shoreline and flat. This does not include several hundred yards on each side for getting to the water from the truck. SO, good warmwater wading shoes are a MUST. You need a sock/boot combination that you know is comfotable and will not cause blisters. Water sandals and neoprene “flats booties” do not offer enough ankle or sole protection. Most of our wading averages 10-12″ of water in a combination of hard-packed sand, clay marl, and soft muck. Again, good support and protection is critical. While we fish pristine, out-of-the-way spots, it’s still a lake in north Texas – your next step could find an old lure, broken bottle, barbed wire, or a piece of rebar from an old house foundation. Check out the Patagonia Marlwalker or the Simms Flats boot - go to a good fly shop (like Tailwaters in Dallas) and try on several pairs to find the one that works for you. While there, get a good sock to complete the package like the Simms warmwater wading sock. It drains better and is cooler than a normal neoprene.
We fish from 9am until about 1 pm, stopping for snacks and drinks along the way. I carry a hip pack and a backpack/cooler on full day trips – everything is with us so we don’t have to go back to the truck for lunch. Water, gatorade and snacks are included on all trips and lunch is included on full day excursions (my standard lunch fair is cold fired chicken, watermelon, and key lime pie).
Your guide rigged and ready for a day of flats fishing! Notice the light-colored shirt, hat, and Buff
After a shoreside lunch we continue fishing until we lose good spotting light (5 – 5:30 depending on the month) and then walk back to the truck. Most routes are circuitous so the walk back isn’t that much. Full disclosure – this is a long day (but REALLY fun) . . . you will not feel the need to go for a run that evening! A certain level of fitness needs to be assumed here. If you find out you’re exhausted halfway through the day, we’ll still be a 2 mile walk from the truck.
In an average day, we’ll spot 100-150 fish and get shots at about half of those. Not all are carp . . . depending on the month, we’ll see bass, drum, buffalo (my nemesis), catfish, gar and even crappie. Hook-up rates depend on how quickly and delicately you can lay out a 30 foot cast. Practice at this short distance is crucial prior to a trip – you may have to “overline” your rod to quicken your presentation. Longer, faster rods may not be your friend at this distance. My favorites are medium action 5 wts. about 8 feet long.
Finally, clothing needs to be lightweight, quick to dry, and light colored. Get down at “fish level” and look up at the horizon – that’s the color you want. Nothing white or black (they’ll see it). Look at the photo above . . . when compared to the background of shoreside vegetation, the contrast is obvious. BUT, from fish-level, that buff, hat, shirt combination blend right into the background of sky and broken clouds (the Buff is their Bonefish pattern).
A drum that came to play - IMPRESSIVE fight for a three pound fish!
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