Thanks guys I found the guides, however they won't work for this application. I need to use fiber optics.
You asked for a fishing story, you get one.
I am 63 years old, 5'1" short and weigh 105lb dressed. From 1998 up untill 2003 before they (The Greedy B@$#ards) managed to ship all the manufacturing jos overseas. I would save my $$$$ and fly to the Florida Keys one a year and fish the flats with light tackle. Something I wanted to do since I was 8 or 10 yesrs old and saw Curt Goudy do it on American Sportsmen. I fished with a guide named John (Dozer) Donnell) who guided a lot for Flip Pallet on an ESPN show called Walkers Kay Chronicles.
I the nine times I was down over the years I caught many Redfish & Snook on spoons and my bass spinning rods and on my #5 Sage fly rod. And also a lot of Snook on topwater lures using my bass baitcasting rods, plus Snappers and Jack Crevelle. We drove up to Biscayne Bay one day and came across a, what he told me was at least a sate record, and maybe even a world record Permit. He poled after that fish in 20 MPH wint for three hours befor I got a shot at it.
"Here we go." He said, "He's gonna come right down this bank." but I stll couldn't see the fish. The water is really choppy and besides he is 6'2" and standing on a platform 4' higher than the deck, so he has a better angle to see into the water. Then he starts directing me by me pointing the rod and straight ahead of the bow is 12 o-clock. The fish is coming from my right to left, so it "Jake he's at 1 o-clock, still to far." "I still can't see him." "12 o-clock, still to long of a cast" "Still no see" "Don't worry and don't move, I'll keep him at 12 o-clock. "Jake he's 40' 12 o-clock" "No see" "Right there, right there, 20' put the fly in the water, 2 rod lengths 12 o-clock." Right then I saw the fin. All that time the fly was draging in the water 15' from the tip of my #7 Sage which was extended over starboard rail. So I just had to flip th rod forward and it would be there, then hold on.
Did you ever fish with a guid and have him totaly flip out on you?? Happened to me!!!!
When the fly hit the water all hell broke loose and John started screaming at me at the top of his lungs. "Jake, I pushed this boat all over Biscayne Bay for 3 hours and you cast to a little shark." And on and on and on.
What had happened was the fin I saw wasn't the Permit it was a 3' Bull shark that just happened to show up at the wrong place, wrong time. And bye the way, the shark missed the fly. And John spent the next 3 years apologizing
In 2003 however the story was different. It ws 110 deg. no breeze I had cast a fly to maybe 30 fish, no takes. Then here he comes right to left about 50 or 60' away. And I saw this one first. He was deep about 5' in 6' of water and gonna pass 30' in front of the boat. Now timing is everything. The fly sinks very slowly, and it has to get deep enough and be in front and just above him when he gets there. So I make the cast out past and in front of him. Then let it sink and lightly strip line until hopefully it is in the right place at the right time. Sort of like shooting a running deer. Well when he gets within 20' he starts coming up and at 10' his mouth the size of a basketball only a rectangle starts to open. The next thing I remember besides almost going overboard, is trying to get down off the forward deck to the bottom of the boat where I could get my knees against the side of the boat to regain my ballance.
A minute later John says, "Jake I hate to tell you this but that is a #10 or 12 fish you only have a #7 and 15lb tippit, you'll never land that fish." I just said, "You think not?"
Now remember I'm 52 at the time, 5'1, 105lb, and it's 110deg. But I have few things going for me. I've watched those guys on TV since I was 8, and I studied them, and I practiced for this for years. I've cought a few 20 -25lb Stripers and salmon on 4lb tippet. But I never thought I would get the chance at a Tarpon on the fly.
The first thing I did when I got my ballance was started my stopwatch. Then the game was on. A half hour in I said, "John, if I can keep him on another 15min. I'll land him." He just said, "You think so?" An hour in I almost passed out, eveything went black for a few seconds and my knees buckled. Heat exhaustion. I finally drank some water and had to keep John from cutting the line. An hour and a quarter or so in. The tippit came through the rod eye and he says I can cut it off now, it's a legal caught fish. I told him I didn't come here to cut him off, I'm gonna touch that SOB. 15 min later. Tippit back in the rod a few more times and 100 yard out a few more times and another round of pass out and keeping John from cutting the line. He kept saying I was gonna kill myself. I told him it'll be you I kill if you cut the fricking line. So he went back to taking pictures and shut up.
1 hour 55 min. 2:15 pm. John has the fish by the jaw and I'm trying to keep from crying. He measured a calculated the weight to be about 155lb, it was right at 6' 6" with a 37" girth.
After we revived the fish and me he sat down and untied the leader and rolled it up and handed it to me and said that one is retire, That by far the best job I've ever seen a better job done by a first timer, hell I've guided for 25 years and you did better than most. And on a #7 with 15lb "Holy Cow That's Braggin Rights For Sure"
The next day I
HAD to fish again, he asked me what I wanted to do. I said lets catch something little! My hands were so sore I could barely hold the rod. My arms and back were to the touch sore and I had a 3" black and blue spot on my belly from the rod butt. I was sore for two weeks.
You asked for it, you got it.
If someone can tell me how to post pics I will, I've tried. Now I also need to know how to delete attachments. LOL