“Thanks a lot for your great company this week, i enjoyed a lot my stay and have to come back for the really big one who showed his nose behind my lure ! I’ll fish more “like an Indian” next time !” – J.LaJournade
Pinging off an 80 or 90 foot cast over the horizon may also, I’m afraid, be over the fish! I wrote a little about my thoughts on low tide fish positioning in this post here emphasising it is often unnecessary to cast frequently or far in order to catch nice bass on the fly.
And then I added some thoughts on loop and 
turnover and timings and things in this post here. It was Juliens’ note to me about fishing ‘like and Indian’ that made me think a little more – a little more in fact about what we did during the week and what I find myself doing by default when I’m fly fishing for bigger fish a lot of the time.
Fishing like an Indian means many things but loosely refers to your positioning in relation to the fish you are trying to catch. Not the line, not the fly, not the distance, but where are you positioned what are you doing and thinking how are you approaching the stretch of water in front of you? Early and mid tide strategy?
Its time to think and to imagine that a fish potentially lies behind or in or in front of every likely spot you can see. You also have to believe that fish lie close to shore. If that is the case, of course its not every spot, then you begin to treat each lie in a different manner. You approach it as if the fish is already there and you are simply not prospecting with random casts and poor positioning.
Some help for the flyfisher cause its always a lot easier on lure!
- Move along the shore away from the waters edge and examine each stretch to determine where there is a likely holding spot.
- Look at wave patterns, height and direction, depth of water, strength and direction of wind. If you can place yourself slightly upwards of the location and make a cast that will bring your fly onto the location before the line or even possibly drift it into the location whilst staying low, wow! A small pair of binoculars is helpful.
- Look and determine if you can see any current in the location, this will help bring your fly to the fish a lot of the time OR it could be two currents working against you in fact
- If you can cast the fly into a current that will bring the fly to the ‘location’ at the same speed as the current running where you are positioned then this will help greatly. Confusing counter currents or two different speeds affect and increase the difficulty of your presentation to the fish.
- Can I make the cast from where I am whilst still staying low?
- Each location could hold a fish. You do not want to dump the fly or the line on the fish but rather you would like to give him the fly. You see a spot you like, go back a bit and try a cast away from where you think the fish is BUT as if you are fishing the spot, try it once or twice until you know and feel what you need to do then move into position and make the cast!
Remember if you see fish and you spook or miss them but see them then you know that they live there. This type of fishing means you have few opportunities, one or two per location but, you can always comeback and try again! Stay low, be accurate, don’t rush, you are a hunter, walk like an Egyptian but fish like an Indian!
‘In many instances, the landscape is unrivalled. The delights of late summer and autumn remain to be experienced. There is nothing like fresh air; exercise and beautiful scenery to add sweetness to life’. The Irish Times – Sat August 17, 2013.
I have just completed six days of guiding on the southern coast. It has been one of those magic weeks when a small number of things combine to make it an unforgettable experience. The weather, the company and the coastal locations where we experienced the fishing, and the fish, merged to produce a series of memories I cant help drifting back into.
Summers like this don’t come round too often and when they do they light up our lives in ways we don’t often realise. We stood many times over the past few days in awe, witnessing the coast that has not really had opportunity to shine over recent summers, and we were simply glad to be there. Many times it was less and less about the catching of fish and more and more about where the fishing had led us – to witness and to experience the unique Irish coastal landscape revealed to us in its many forms.
The sense and awareness of the many different wild places of where the fish lives adds to the intrigue and sometimes a greater understanding of the nature of the fish and the fishing. When this is shared with other people under similar circumstances, expressed, spoken about, thought about and absorbed over a pleasant pint or two of Guinness it surely produces a sense of deep satisfaction of living perhaps.
http://s266.photobucket.com/user/jimhendrick/story/27611/embed
Julien Lajournade is the editor-in-chief of the SPLENDID French fishing-travel magazine, we have worked together before here Voyages de Pêche. He was instrumental in helping me start my guiding bass business. As an angler who lives to fish for new species in countries to which he’s never been, he’s in the right job. Julien has always been realistic in his portrayal of the Irish bass fishery and remains a constant supporter of all aspects of fishing in Ireland.
Website: http://www.voyagesdepeche.com/
Bob and Ronan are regular customers who enjoy the fishing time spent on the coast and the experiences of bass fishing around Ireland. Their company is what makes the job very easy at times!
Patterns emerge, theories seem proved, real understanding, even total solution seem almost in sight. At about that stage, most of it all falls apart.
Roderick Haig-Brown – Fishermans Fall
David from IFI dropped in late this afternoon, I had finished early from the office and we chatted about many things concerning bass fishing. We have some film and European editorial lined up for September and October and we needed to finalise the plans.
Then we went fishing for two hours taking some fish on our favourite method. David has always played an active role in my bass fishing and I’m glad to say continues to do so, especially in these very difficult fishing times.
The beardy bass fishing team managed some fish from the surface today. Persisting with the technique Niall and William were rewarded with fish, not too many and not too big but great fun on light gear.
Again the Illex bonnie and the Z-claw sucked ‘em up to the top in an excellent mornings fun.
THIRTYARDS 
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