North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine October 2017 | Page 41

bass might chase the fly at the same time. While
we carried on in the stern, Vokey had a nice GT
smash her popper. Our hearts were racing and
spirits were high when we called it a day and
headed in.
DAY TWO
Day two found us on the inside of the lagoon
chasing GTs, triggerfish, bonefish, and golden
trevally. We were fishing around the new moon,
meaning low tide would occur in the lagoon in
the middle of the day. The morning fishing was
fantastic, with several triggers, bones, and small
GTs to hand. The larger GTs avoided us, but we
did manage a few shots when the fish rushed
the fly and refused at the last second. When a
GT charges your fly, with its mouth open, and
rejects you at the last second…it leaves you
shaking. You’ll see.
When fishing the inside flats at Christmas,
I always like to fish a baby mantis shrimp. This
fly is universal and fools triggers, goldens,
and bonefish. If you are specifically targeting
triggers, small crab imitations work great as
well. The key is fishing something that lands
softly, especially at lower tides. In fact, I noticed
how spooky the bones and the triggers were
during the outgoing and low tides. It was only
when the tide started in that almost everything
we cast at ate the fly without hesitation.
DAY THREE
On the third day, we fished in the lagoon again.
Fishing in the morning was good and we
managed another great session on bonefish
and triggers. The GTs still avoided us. But later
in the day, as the tide rushed in, Vokey and I set
up on the edge of a large flat. The water was
coming in fast, creating a rip where the edge of
the flat met the deeper water. This was a prime
spot to sit a wait for large GTs moving onto the
flat. Knowing this, our guide, spread us out to
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