A two handed retrieved beauty In the past I haven't really utilized the two hand retrieve much. Honestly, I felt like I was catching enough fish that I didn't really need to. But a year or so ago I was fishing a favorite boulder strewn flat of mine with a reel holding 550 grain Depth Charge line. Although I was stripping pretty fast I kept getting hung up in the boulders. I usually would just switch out to another reel loaded with Scientific Angler Full Intermediate line when this happens. But the water was warm enough and the fish should of been aggressive enough to eat a pretty fast moving fly. So I chose to two hand my fly with the heavier full sink line instead.
I worked my way up to the edge of the flat and launched a cast to slack water edge on the far side of the river. I quickly tucked the rod butt under my arm pit and buried the rod tip in the water and started stripping as fast as I could across the current. Seconds in I saw the big wake chasing my fly and I knew it was game on! I kept my fly rippin until I saw the big Musky inches from my T Bone Sucker pattern and suddenly stopped it in its face. The big girl with gills flared and mouth agape inhaled my fly five feet from me. I started my two hand stripping cadence again this time to ensure the hook was properly planted but it was unneeded because the fish totally inhaled my fly. What an experience and my first two hander fish in the net.
First two hander fish
Needless to say the experience above got me hooked to this retrieve style and I started utilizing it A LOT more. One thing I've learned is you don't always need to be two handing your flies a hundred miles per hour. I like to change my retrieval speeds up throughout the day. It's good to change things up on the Musky water. You never know what retrieve is going to be the one that triggers that predatory response.
A waterway that is fast becoming my favorite is littered with wood. The wood makes for perfect Musky habitat but it's a magnet for snagging your flies if you fish too slow. I've been throwing in and around the wood and two handing my flies back to the boat with little fear of getting hung up. A favorite fly option of mine is any fly with a Paccahiarini dragon tail on it. The tail movement pulls those cover hugging fish up and can make for some unbelievable takes.
Two hander out the wood
I have been having some really good success fishing moving water flats in 2-5 foot of water with this retrieve as well. I like to retrieve my fly with the Paccahiarini dragon tail at a pace that I know that the tail is wiggling enough to get their attention. If the fly zips across the water above them they just shoot straight up and crush it. I've caught a bunch of fish like this all Summer and honestly should have a lot more if I was just a little better.
Two hander caught on a flat
I had a rough day a few months ago and I couldn't keep a fish pinned. I lost a decent fish at the boat and my frustration level was at 150%. After a few days to calm down I decided to try for that fish at night. I put on a black fly with a silver and black Paccahiarini dragon tail and I crept to the tree where the fish hung out. In the pitch black I peppered casts and two hand ripped that fly around the area when suddenly my fly stopped and I knew it was the big girl. I kept my rod tip low and kept stripping until the fish was close to the bloat. I raised my rod up and she instantly breached the surface splashing me with water. The sight of her glistening in the moon light was unreal. What and experience and I would of never pulled it off with a more traditional stripping cadence.
Night time two hander fish
Moral of this post is don't be one dimensional like I used to be. Who knows how many more fish I could of caught if I would of tried two handing my flies a little earlier in my Musky career. Don't forget to vary your retrieve speeds up and don't be afraid to give two handing at night a try as well.
Tight lines,
Scott
