# Redfish Drills



## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Hey everyone,
I finally got the chance write a blog post that's been on my mind for a while. 

It's basically the 15 things I would love for my clients to understand/practice before coming on a redfish trip with me. I know a lot of you guys are pretty seasoned up here, but if anyone's new to flats fishing, it might be worth a read.

Let me know what you think. This social distancing thing is giving me a little more time to write some blog posts that have been on the back burner.

Click here:
https://mauserflyfishing.com/blogs/...o-prep-you-for-a-successful-trip-on-the-flats


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## Water Bound (Dec 12, 2018)

Great post, well done!


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## Backflow (Nov 20, 2019)

Nice read, thank you!


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

Great points and well written/explained. 
I got a chuckle out of the double haul section especially.
I wish people would focus on these points as much as they get bogged down on the physical gear.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

Very good. You should give a corona avoidance class.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Nice article. I would also add something about the "buck fever" phenomenon as it can happen even to seasoned anglers. Your client might can make perfect cast to paper plates in the yard with a 15 mph crosswind , but the moment he or the guide sees a big fish, all of the sudden the angler forgets everything he has been practicing. They will start rushing their casts, or they won't listen to the guide for directions etc.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Good read. The illustrations were a nice touch.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Net 30 said:


> Good read. The illustrations were a nice touch.


Thanks! Glad you liked my "high dollar" graphics


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Sublime said:


> Nice article. I would also add something about the "buck fever" phenomenon as it can happen even to seasoned anglers. Your client might can make perfect cast to paper plates in the yard with a 15 mph crosswind , but the moment he or the guide sees a big fish, all of the sudden the angler forgets everything he has been practicing. They will start rushing their casts, or they won't listen to the guide for directions etc.


Absolutely! I really meant that last point about practicing it until you can do it without thinking about it. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do to cure "buck fever" except for fishing more and more until it wears off. Hopefully they practice enough before the trip that not all of those points fly out the window when that first fish pops up.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Nice job and pretty much spot on. I will add one point that I think is critical that you didn't address and that is distance.

Your thoughts on rod length being 10 ft, boat being 20 ft are really excellent. But here is what I see as a major downfall with almost every guide and angler I have fished with. Every single person's idea of distance is varied. And in many cases that variation is huge. My suggestion is when an angler gets on board with a guide or even just another angler to get your distances in synch.

Angler should just make a cast and ask the guy poling "ok who far is that to you." When they give you their answer now you can adjust your distance thinking to be in tune with them. I can't tell you how many times I have been on the bow and a guide will say 40 ft at 2 O'clock. So I look at my 40 feet and not fish to be seen. But I look at my 60 ft and lo and behold there it is. People see things differently. If you don't believe me ask any wingshooter to look at spot and ask them how far away it is. Most of them will guess its much further away than it is in reality. That's why so many bird hunters say that they shot that duck or pheasant at 50 yards with a straight face. They really believe that bird was 50 yards away. But in reality its more like 35 yards.

I had a guide one day telling me repeatedly that fish were 20 ft away and I wasn't seeing them. This is when I figured out how to get in synch. I cast the fly with just the leader and line I had out of the rod and told the guide. "That is 20ft so whatever you are telling me use that as a reference point." Things went much better than that once we figured out his 20 ft was more like 40.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Oh one other comment about practicing. Yes do so. No question. And vary your rod angles and body and do it in all kinds of wind conditions. But at the end of the day for most that still isn't going to cut it. The only practice that really makes you better is when you do it from the front of the boat. When you are standing on the lawn, that lawn isn't moving, the target isn't moving, and you are concentrating 100% on the casting. But when you are fishing you have a lot more going on than just the actual casting. Which of course if why it needs to be automatic and practice can help that but it is not near as good as practicing by going fishing more!!!


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

ifsteve said:


> Nice job and pretty much spot on. I will add one point that I think is critical that you didn't address and that is distance.
> 
> Your thoughts on rod length being 10 ft, boat being 20 ft are really excellent. But here is what I see as a major downfall with almost every guide and angler I have fished with. Every single person's idea of distance is varied. And in many cases that variation is huge. My suggestion is when an angler gets on board with a guide or even just another angler to get your distances in synch.
> 
> ...


Thanks Steve,

I completely agree with you about synching your distance estimates with that of your guide, which is why I mentioned it in the blog post.

"Get comfortable with eyeballing distances too. A quick method of estimating distances is thinking of your rod as “10ft” and of the skiff as “20ft”. So if a guide calls a fish at 40ft, think “two boat lengths”.
*When you are actually fishing, start your trip by making sure you and your guide are in agreement on directions and distances. His 50ft might be different than your 50ft, just saying.*"

I think another factor in that discrepancy is that the guide is making those distance estimates from 15ish feet behind the angler.


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

Man. Some good points. I use freebies to cast to and fall under the “cast to the plate” category. I think I’ll change that thinking now.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

MatthewAbbott said:


> Man. Some good points. I use freebies to cast to and fall under the “cast to the plate” category. I think I’ll change that thinking now.


Thanks man! Sometimes I tell my clients during the cast to take their eyes off the fish and focus on the area in front of the fish. Our hand eye coordination is pretty strong when it comes to hitting what we are focusing on.


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## Surffshr (Dec 28, 2017)

Enjoyed the write up! I’m going to use several of these ideas. When my 9yo is on the bow, I have her cast as far as she can at 9,12, and 3. When giving her targets, I use this distance as a reference and the direction to get her looking at what I’m looking at. Still need to get her a red sight casted, but she is picking up very well on casting at dark spots I’m calling out. Worked for my wife the other day too and she actually picked up the fish visually and got it to eat a gold spoon. I think next time I’ll have them make casts and say the distance and go from there. “As far as you can cast” is subject to many things with those two.


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## paulrad (May 10, 2016)

What a well written article! Thank you.


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## BGBrown311 (Feb 15, 2016)

Sublime said:


> Nice article. I would also add something about the "buck fever" phenomenon as it can happen even to seasoned anglers. Your client might can make perfect cast to paper plates in the yard with a 15 mph crosswind , but the moment he or the guide sees a big fish, all of the sudden the angler forgets everything he has been practicing. They will start rushing their casts, or they won't listen to the guide for directions etc.


This happens to me when sight fishing. Im so used to the northeast where most everything is blind casting. Put a big tarpon 30 foot away and I fall apart.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Really great job on that! That article should be pinned to the top of this forum!


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## stussing (Oct 29, 2018)

agreed, please pin this up top


Backwater said:


> Really great job on that! That article should be pinned to the top of this forum!


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

I have a few suggestions to improve your excellent work. It really is good and I congratulate you on it!

1. Holding the fly - if you do it like the photo, sooner or later you will be digging the hook out of your hand. Always hold the hook by its bend and between thumb and forefinger.

2. Line hand position at delivery - keep your other fingers together while making the circle with index and thumb. The illustrated position leaves your fingers liable for a loop of line to snag one or more.

3. Rod hand position at delivery - hold the rod with the butt touching your wrist and twist the reel away from your line hand. Keep your arm up a bit so all the line shooting business is near shoulder level out in front of you. Fewer tangles on the butt or reel.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Good work John.


I have mentioned this a few times before, and there is more than one way to skin a cat, but holding the fly in your hand, although ok, will take more time to get the fly to a close fish. So hold a few loops in your left hand, with about ten feet of fly line plus nine feet or so of leader out of the rod tip. and with a low rod tip flip the fly to either side of the skiff as you move through the water. This keeps you loose and ready. Pick a target and make a few practice casts every now and then.

After you see the shallow fish, most of the time you have about three seconds and one shot at singles or pairs in shallow water. 

Pods or single tailing fish or big schools will allow distance casting because you can see the fish farther than you can cast. Distance is an advantage in that situation and you can take your time. Fish in deeper water will also give you plenty of time to cast.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Excellent! Illustrations are very helpful. And I'm glad you included the one (#8) about NOT letting go of the line. So many people let go of their line when they cast, and waste time getting it back.
Great job. ditto on the Stickie request.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Great article. Everything in there will resonate with anyone who spends alot of time sight fishing for reds.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Thank you for that. Very helpful to a novice like me. I really appreciate the tips.


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## Refischer (Mar 21, 2019)

Great article! Shared with friends. Cheers!


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## Todd (May 23, 2018)

Great article John!


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## Ben Sheppard (Feb 1, 2020)

Very good help list. Exceptional write up. I appreciate desire to help in your writing and I the professional comments added to your suggestions..I am encouraged to go practice. Thanks you and to each person who took the time to contribute. What a blessing!


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Well written, and spot on.


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## BigEasy (Dec 17, 2016)

That is a great article, thank you for doing it and letting us know about it.

As far as practice goes as a USN vet remember one thing; amateurs practice till they get it right, the Navy practices till they can't get it wrong. One of the other posters mentioned going fishing more, but unfortunately that ain't easy. Yard drills are going to help.



johnmauser said:


> Thanks man! Sometimes I tell my clients during the cast to take their eyes off the fish and focus on the area in front of the fish. Our hand eye coordination is pretty strong when it comes to hitting what we are focusing on.


In motorcycle training they constantly refer to target fixation in stressful situations, i.e. look at something while trying to avoid it and you'll likely hit it.

I've never had the pleasure to flats fish for reds (I intend to correct that soon) but I fish Lake Michigan flats for SMB and carp and it's essentially the same game. I have to force myself to target the fish then look away at "the spot" instead.

Again, thank you for a great read and reminder.


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## Chris M (May 1, 2017)

johnmauser said:


> Hey everyone,
> I finally got the chance write a blog post that's been on my mind for a while.
> 
> It's basically the 15 things I would love for my clients to understand/practice before coming on a redfish trip with me. I know a lot of you guys are pretty seasoned up here, but if anyone's new to flats fishing, it might be worth a read.
> ...


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## Hhaine20 (Jan 2, 2018)

Awesome post John! I have a few people who will be getting this as a reading alignment during the quarantine.


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## Buffalo Bob (Aug 28, 2019)

johnmauser said:


> Hey everyone,
> I finally got the chance write a blog post that's been on my mind for a while.
> 
> It's basically the 15 things I would love for my clients to understand/practice before coming on a redfish trip with me. I know a lot of you guys are pretty seasoned up here, but if anyone's new to flats fishing, it might be worth a read.
> ...


Great article!


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## MichaelC59 (May 20, 2017)

Enjoyed the blog post and learned or relearned a lot, mentally. Now it’s taking it from the mental to the physical. More practice! One of the things I need to key in on is not letting go of the line. I don’t mean to. Thanks again for the read.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Excellent article. The best practice drill I've done was to stand at the ready with my eyes closed. My buddy tossed a frisbee and then called its clock direction and approximate distance while in flight. I opened my eyes and then had to make the cast to where the frisbee was going to be. This tested my distance judging and required no more than 1 false cast to load the rod and get the practice fly to the target.
The hardest cast in flyfishing is 10-15'. I practice that one often.
One other thing I tell folks on my skiff is to stand facing forward with their feet evenly spaced. Turn their body and not to move their feet. Keeping the feet in the same spot helps minimize body rocking and in turn the pressure wave off the bow.

**Please sticky


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

BrownDog said:


> Great points and well written/explained.
> I got a chuckle out of the double haul section especially.
> I wish people would focus on these points as much as they get bogged down on the physical gear.


Thanks and agreed! I guess talking about/purchasing new equipment is more fun than practicing techniques. Gear is important, but only if you can make good use of it.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

BGBrown311 said:


> This happens to me when sight fishing. Im so used to the northeast where most everything is blind casting. Put a big tarpon 30 foot away and I fall apart.


Big Tarpon still give me the shakes...


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

sjrobin said:


> Good work John.
> 
> 
> I have mentioned this a few times before, and there is more than one way to skin a cat, but holding the fly in your hand, although ok, will take more time to get the fly to a close fish. So hold a few loops in your left hand, with about ten feet of fly line plus nine feet or so of leader out of the rod tip. and with a low rod tip flip the fly to either side of the skiff as you move through the water. This keeps you loose and ready. Pick a target and make a few practice casts every now and then.
> ...


Thank you!

I think the fly in hand vs trailing in the water just depends on the situation. In the Carolinas we fish a lot of flooded spartina grass for redfish. In those situations there's more grass than there is water, so holding the fly in hand is the only option. A lot of the really skinny areas we fish are also littered with oysters that the fly eventually snags on. In open water, I think trailing the fly to the left or right side of the skiff works great and we use that whenever the situation allows. I always end up with a few "less aware" clients that go to make a cast and then realize their trailing fly has snagged the trim tab or something else, if that happens, I'll ask them to hold the fly. I do agree though, lots of different ways to skin a cat.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

GL1960 said:


> John, great article. We’ve got a summer home in Washington NC. Would enjoy fishing with you sometime!


Thank you. And I'd love to have you on the skiff sometime!


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

BigEasy said:


> That is a great article, thank you for doing it and letting us know about it.
> 
> As far as practice goes as a USN vet remember one thing; amateurs practice till they get it right, the Navy practices till they can't get it wrong. One of the other posters mentioned going fishing more, but unfortunately that ain't easy. Yard drills are going to help.
> 
> ...


100% agree. There is no replacement for time on the water, but for most people that only get to do a few saltwater trips a year the yard practice is going to help shorten the learning curve. Then when you get on the water, you can focus more on observing how the fish move, react to your cast, react to your strip, all that stuff. And I totally agree, practice until you don't have to think about the process anymore.

I've heard they teach racecar drivers to stare at the road when they lose control and never at the wall...look at the wall, hit the wall. Same think with casting to a fish. And I love carp, they are just like a redfish's freshwater cousin in a lot of ways.

Thanks for the kind words!


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

jay.bush1434 said:


> Excellent article. The best practice drill I've done was to stand at the ready with my eyes closed. My buddy tossed a frisbee and then called its clock direction and approximate distance while in flight. I opened my eyes and then had to make the cast to where the frisbee was going to be. This tested my distance judging and required no more than 1 false cast to load the rod and get the practice fly to the target.
> The hardest cast in flyfishing is 10-15'. I practice that one often.
> One other thing I tell folks on my skiff is to stand facing forward with their feet evenly spaced. Turn their body and not to move their feet. Keeping the feet in the same spot helps minimize body rocking and in turn the pressure wave off the bow.
> 
> **Please sticky


I love the eyes closed frisbee drill so much that I'm going to steal it from you if you don't mind. We do a saltwater fly fishing school here and NC and run through the different casting scenarios with our students. The idea of throwing a frisbee out and calling the direction and distance to a caster with their eyes closed is an awesome drill. Thanks!


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

johnmauser said:


> I love the eyes closed frisbee drill so much that I'm going to steal it from you if you don't mind. We do a saltwater fly fishing school here and NC and run through the different casting scenarios with our students. The idea of throwing a frisbee out and calling the direction and distance to a caster with their eyes closed is an awesome drill. Thanks!


Do it! A fly guide buddy of mine, Capt Clay Sheward (Buggywhippin Charters) came up with the idea while we were videoing some casting practice. It's the only casting drill where I actually felt some of the pressure/thrill of seeing the fish and making the cast. He also had me stand on a piece of cardboard to simulate standing on the casting platform to keep me from moving my feet.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Another good one I have done with folks and even myself along time ago when I was trying to get better is using an rc car while they stand on a cooler. I will move it through the yard and move it erratically as a fish in nature actually does. As added Difficulty you can ask them to put it different distances in front of the car. Great article, I suggested one of my guide buddies sends it out before trips.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

texasag07 said:


> Another good one I have done with folks and even myself along time ago when I was trying to get better is using an rc car while they stand on a cooler. I will move it through the yard and move it erratically as a fish in nature actually does. As added Difficulty you can ask them to put it different distances in front of the car. Great article, I suggested one of my guide buddies sends it out before trips.


That sir, is awesome. I just might grab my son's Gravedigger RC and have our students cast to it as it's crawling around the grass at the next fly fishing school.


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## KimmerIII (Feb 9, 2017)

Good read. 99% of the people throw at the fish which is wrong. As someone said though, still doesn’t replace the fact that people freak out when they see a big red in shallow water. 

I’d add in a water haul. If they know how to do that it cuts out all the bs false casting that isn’t necessary.


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## Mdees88 (Jun 23, 2021)

Good stuff right here. Deserves a bump back to the top.....


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

That article and this tread were worthy of a bookmark! Thank you!


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## Jared D (Mar 17, 2018)

Great read. Love the article and the other tips. Frisbee and RC cars sound like great training aids- just need to keep the kids from running away with them.

I am not a guide- but I did act as one for a buddy last year- who then invited a buddy (person two). The "person two" who came along got 20 plus shots at tailing/ slurping reds last fall. Missed every one... He would not stop the bait when I told him two. Using a spinning rod, I would tell him to stop reeling and he would put an extra 2 or 3 cranks on the reel every time. I asked him several times why he was not stopping when I said to... he just shrugged and said he would next time.... only to do it again and again. I have never been so frustrated in my life. Not sure how more people aren't left stranded on some desolate marsh flat by guides if that is a regular occurrence.


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## Stormy Monday (Mar 27, 2019)

Thank you for this, especially in my case #5 and #8. Most folks up my way use clousers but I avoid weighted flies whenever I can and then when I need them...I'm sure you see a lot of that. Gonna castrate a crab fly and practice on the cat...


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Thank you all for the kind words...glad this post is still bumping around in internet world and helping a few people out!


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## damanlee (Nov 24, 2012)

johnmauser said:


> Hey everyone,
> I finally got the chance write a blog post that's been on my mind for a while.
> 
> It's basically the 15 things I would love for my clients to understand/practice before coming on a redfish trip with me. I know a lot of you guys are pretty seasoned up here, but if anyone's new to flats fishing, it might be worth a read.
> ...


Great read!


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