Recent Fly Fishing Trip with Capt. Owen Plair

From time to time I write about my fly fishing trips on here. So here we go again.

A couple weeks ago I was able to take a trip to Beaufort to meet up with Capt. Owen for a morning fishing trip. I don't think we realized how good it was going to be leading up to that morning, but it was just one of those days where the sun was shining and the water was pure glass... the whole time too. Not only was the sunrise freaking incredible, it was just beautiful the whole day too.

Out of 13 or 14 redfish trips in the last 2 years, I feel like I was plagued with 2 years of bad luck. Every time (it seemed like) the weather would be cloudy, 25 mph winds, and spooky fish. And even if the sun was shining, then the fish were just extra spooky or not eating at all. Anyways, I digress.

Before this trip, I had only caught 3 redfish on the fly in my life and never at low tide! In the past I was the guy who threw the fly in the worst possible place at the worst possible time and would spook the whole stinking school. Not saying I didn't do that this trip, but for some reason the fish were a lot more forgiving.

So we ease on a couple schools, and we worked hard to get the first one on fly. Capt. Owen was an awesome guide through it too. He was chill and encouraging, which was good because I was frustrated at missing fish and throwing it at the wrong spots. 

Then we get to another school of reds, and he says he's going to get the next fish I catch on slow mo video... so the pressure was on (lol). Sure enough, it happened and he got it on film-- in slow mo! It was awesome. Too bad I trout set the crap out of it- on the video. (for those who don't know, you're suppose to strip set redfish because their mouths are more underneath their face, and you'll have a lot more hook ups strip setting). But either way, it was caught and it was on film.

Then we go to the last school of the day, I manage to get a perfect feed and eat. So Capt. Owen told me to get up on the platform and pole him to the fish for a minute. Which was awesome because I've never poled a boat before but have always wanted to. So as he was coaching me on how to pole and where to go and what to do up there, he hooks a redfish on his first cast. It was awesome to see something like that from the platform for the first time. 

Over all it was an incredible day of fishing. I might sound like a kid when talking about all of this, and may sound inexperienced compared to alot of my readers. But I'm a big believer in never too late to start, and I think feeling like a kid while catching fish on the fly is one of the most important aspects to fly fishing. It's sorta like having a few hours where you have no other worries or concerns, other than where are the fish. It's a good feeling.

If you'd like to experience fly fishing in Beaufort, South Carolina, Capt. Owen's Info is below.