I’d like to talk some more about boulder fields. In general or in specific. About how to approach an unfamiliar boulder field. With either a fly rod or a surf rod.
I don’t know anything about boulder fields, but would love to learn some more about them.
When I face them, I am over-awed. Like having too much of a good thing, and not knowing where to start. Or how.
The times I have fished boulder fields from a boat, I noticed that my focus was on getting as close to the shore as possible and to cast right within one or two feet of the shore. Or else to cast to each and every promising looking rock I passed by, and see if anyone was home.
When I fished those same boulder fields from the shore, I noticed that my focus had shifted to casting to OUT THERE where they were. Or else that I was trying to move quickly, one two three casts move along, try the next rock. Instead of bearing down on a key area. Overawed. Trying to eat it all at once.
At times, I see the fish spooking when I come crunching down the rocks. Maybe sometimes creeping around as quietly as I could is a way to manage this fishing from rocks on the shore, in those places where they can be spooked. But then moving gets SLOW.
And then there are times when swimming out to that rock over THERE within range of that current flowing around the corner of that boulder field seems like the thing to do.
But there are lots of boulders in a boulder field. Not all of them near the main current flow, but some with attractive wave generated current flow. And not all, actually I think most of them, not so easy to cast to from dry land with a fly rod.
It is true that I had more fun in the rocks when I stopped worrying about wrecking my gear. That observation from a post below is very accurate and true.
And it is true that there are plenty of clues right there on the shore as to how to go about addressing a boulder field. Plenty of Redfins with heavy mono leaders washed ashore. Boxes worth.
Even still, I find myself trying to puzzle out how I am going to approach that boulder field when I visit it next - preferably with a fly rod, but yes, indeed, those recycled Redfins did work pretty good too.
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