I have casted a lot in my life, but I have never
been asked to lay down most of my fly line
on dry land, and to only have three feet of
tippet on the water. I put the cast down
softly, and the fish did not even give it a
look. Luis was quick to reprimand me, “You
put it down too softly. Next time make it
plop.” I did not have long to wait, as another
fish positioned itself close to the same spot.
This time, I put the cast on the ground, and
made sure it landed solid. Results did not
take long, a quick flip of the fish’s tail, a sip,
and I was tight. What followed was a long
screaming run that I did not think a fish of
that size could muster.
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I think I got lucky landing that first fish,
because I quickly found out that there was
a lot to learn about Barbel fishing. Instead
of opting for open water, Barbel hold tight
to shorelines, they cruise, tail, and get
right up on the shores. Barbel can best be
defined as a freshwater version of bonefish,
mimicking many of their characteristics
of being a spooky and hard fighting fish.
There is one great exception to this. They
readily take dry flies.
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