Shades of Grey

Seatrout may have a reputation for a soft mouth and weak fight, but they are a great target for shore-bound fly anglers

We all saw it. John's fly was nearing the end of its swing and he had made two short strips when his line stopped. He set the hook firmly but not too hard. John had a solid hookup. The backing flew off his reel as we stumbled down the slick jetty in the fading light in pursuit of a seatrout headed for the open ocean. Up to the surface the fish rolled, then headed back down. John was careful to keep enough pressure on the fish so it wouldn't get away, but not so much so that the fly would pull free from the fish's soft mouth. Read more – offline – from the current issue; subscribe to FRR.