Evening Scupfest

 More and more often, porgies are switching from a frequent plan B to a regular plan A when I go to the salt. If not the primary target themselves, at least one of them. Catching porgies is fun, and even more fun is catching porgies on the fly. I love figuring out how to consistently get a species on the fly, especially one that isn't as regularly targeted with flies. That said it really shouldn't have taken me as long as it did to learn how to best get scup. It's really very simple. I'm still honing things in though, as converting take too hookups and hookups to boated fish is proving the most difficult.

A warm day last week presented a good opportunity. I found some time, loaded up the kayak, and made my way to the sound. My paddle out put me right past a school of schoolie stripers breaking on very tiny peanut bunker. I took a couple casts at them, but left hurriedly. I was after a different fish. I would be fishing 12 to 18 feet of water with a sink tip and size 6 Clousers for something a bit less popular.

Of course there's more to scup than just dropping a fly to the bottom. Fish don't hold just everywhere and anywhere. Sometimes it almost seems like that, but it isn't true. Certain contours and structure hold fish, more fish, or bigger fish. I'll leave it up to you to figure out the complexities of that if you decide to fly fish for porgies. That's the fun part. The presentation is simple, almost a cross between nymphing and swinging a wet fly. The takes feel like little thump, often rapid fire. They usually come thick and fast when I'm fishing the right water.

It was a beautiful evening to be out on the water, though the smoke blowing in from the west was a part of that and quite unfortunate. The sunset reflecting off of the iridescent flanks of the porgies was gorgeous though. They really are a very pretty fish. 

With very few inshore blues in recent years and generally sporadic striper fishing, it's definitely worth looking to other fish species. Hopefully they won't ever need to be everyone's plan A, but for now I'm having blast with porgies. 

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

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