The Morning Hatch - Tiger Fish!, a 52-Pound Freshwater Striped Bass, and “How To” for Saltwater Fly Fishing

"The Morning Hatch" is a daily dose of anything fly fishing, human interest, and sometimes from left field. It will be short, sweet, informative, and hopefully entertaining. Enjoy it as a morning starter with your cup of joe.

Releasing an Arctic char in the rain. | photo by Ken Baldwin

In this edition of The Morning Hatch:
- I have a Tiger Fish trip to South Africa coming up in Sept. This will be a first for me, so I'm especially interested in articles about the "How-tos" of fly fishing for them. This one got me fired up.
- This isn't a story about fly fishing, but man, a 52-pound striper is a 52-pound striper and worthy of a mention, especially since it was caught in fresh water.
- Beginner's Corner: Saltwater fly fishing is an exciting pursuit with a lot of variety and options. Once you learn the basics, there are so many species and saltwater environments where you can fish. Here's a "How to" to get you started.
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Africa Experience: Tanzania Tiger Fish

by Patrick Perry - Flylords Magazine

"The end of the dry season is prime time for tiger fishing since water levels recede heavily. As the water dries up, the Great Ruaha River in Ruaha National Park divides into distinct, deep pools connected by thin, trickling streams.

As mentioned, tiger fish are ambush predators, so they congregate in deep pools, concealed by Dr. Pepper-colored water.

These pools are easy to spot when surveying sections of the Great Ruaha, or you can close your eyes and listen- hippos and crocs dot these pools to escape from the heat, so just listen for the grunts of hippos and you’ll find tigers.

Word to the wise: Hippos account for more human deaths each year than sharks (more than 5 times more, according to the Bill Gates Foundation). Keep your distance and never get between a hippo and the water as Dom cautioned us- they’ll feel vulnerable and charge." Cont...

Shorebound Angler Lands 50-Plus-Pound Striped Bass, Breaks a 42-Year-Old River Record

by Bob McNally- Outdoor Life

" 'The striper kept going and going, and there wasn’t much I could do,' says the 42-year-old from Albany. 'I had a heavy Lew’s rod and a Daiwa bait-casting reel spooled with 17-pound monofilament. But the farther that fish went downstream in the current, the more worried I got that I’d lose it.'

There were big boils and plenty of sharp rocks around. Harrell eventually saw the fish’s huge tail at the surface, and he thought if he didn’t tighten his drag and turn it, he’d surely lose the bass." Cont...

Beginner's Corner

Saltwater Fly Fishing for Beginners

by Mike Behot - On the Water

"I made another cast, this time adding about 10 feet, and started stripping the line in just after the fly hit the water. Almost instantly, I felt a strong resistance in the line in my left hand. I strip-set the hook and felt a direct connection from my hand, through the fly line, to the fish, and I was on. It wasn’t the biggest bluefish I’ve ever caught, but certainly one of the most memorable. Since that moment, saltwater fly fishing has become my passion." Cont...

Now, have a good day. KB

“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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