Fishing The "Clean Up" Position

Fishing out of a boat is one of the most effective and exciting way to fly fish a river if done correctly. If given the option, most people will choose the front of the boat because you get first dibs on all the water and you get better opportunities to fish. That leaves the person in the back getting all the “sloppy seconds” and lower fish numbers. At least that’s what people are led to believe, but if you learn how to fish from the back you can be just as successful as your teammate up front.

You notice how I said teammate? Well that’s exactly how you have to think about the boat. It is a unit and you are a team. With the guide rowing and being the coach, fishing being the game. So if you can learn to work as a team instead as individuals you can start to put some higher numbers on the scoreboard.

Let’s start with back of the boat etiquette. When in the back of the boat, most guides will tell you to be watching the fisherman in the bow and make sure to time your casts so not to tangle in your back cast. Most times this happens when both fisherman are casting at different angles. So the first thing to think about is making sure both of you are casting at the same angle out of the boat. The next thing your guide will tell you is not to cast in front of their oar blades, mainly so you aren’t encroaching on the person up front. This tends to make you believe that because you are in the back of the boat you need to fish the back of the boat, which is wrong! If your teammate up front knows to be looking downstream at all times and is casting that way, then you are perfectly fine to be casting downstream and in front of the oar blades, to an extent. Don’t get carried away with this, but don’t think it isn’t allowed. So the main thing is to just keep an eye on the person at the bow of the boat.

Being in the back of the boat, you play a critical role on the team. That role is to pick up your teammate up front and fish the water that he/she missed. Most people think of it as “sloppy seconds” but I like to think of it as fishing the untouched water. You are already watching the person up front to keep the same casting angle, so now you watch where they are casting. Pay close attention to where they are placing their flies, so you can place your flies in a different feeding lane or hit a pocket that they missed. This gives you increased odds of connecting with a fish that wasn’t drifted over yet. You are fishing in the cleanup position of the lineup. Your job is to pick up the slack and come through when the team needs you the most.

The next order of business is what happens when the person in the bow hooks up on a fish. If they are coached through the process they will most likely try to pull the fish to the the opposite side of the boat or at least away from the area you are trying to fish. Most people will pick their line up and try to stay out of the way, which is a good thing, especially if it a big fish that wants to run. They just hit a single down the line and now you are up to fish. You are the clean up man. This gives you an opening to fish a bit more diligently and try to hit the spots that you may not have first dibs at. If everything is under control and it is a routine play, by all means step up and get some casts in. This is how you double up!

People like to think the of the back of the boat as punishment or a loss of opportunity, I like to be optimistic about it. So next time you are in the “clean up” position, take advantage of it and employ these tactics to help out the team and get the W.

Looking to book a trip with a dedicated fly fishing guide? Book a float trip with me today and I will help you with these tactics!