Sight fishing is my favorite way to fish.

First you have to see the fish or have a good indication of where it is located. If the fish is moving, you need to know the direction in which it is traveling in order to make a cast that puts the fly or bait in front of the end that eats. To accomplish this, it is important to establish a good vantage point. The best way to see fish in the water is with a raised elevation and anything else that will enhance your ability to see them. To be able to see the fish, make a cast, and watch them as they eat the fly or bait is fishing in its purist state.

Over the years, I have learned a great deal by observing other wildlife and the techniques that they use to make a living. If you ever have an opportunity to watch a Great Blue Heron feeding in shallow water, you will witness sight fishing at its best, for the heron was created with all of the tools to be successful at sight fishing. Their long legs provide tremendous elevation so they can see down in the water; they have feet that will support them on a soft bottom; and they have the patience and stealth to wait until the moment is right to strike.

Notice as an Osprey strikes their pray from above, or as a kingfisher dives on their pray from a perch. Most birds that feed on fish use the advantage of elevation as a means to capture their pray, unless they are diving birds that actually capture their pray by pursuing them in their own environment underwater.

There are also other advantagesthat you can create for yourself, such as wearing some really good polarized sunglasses with side shields, and a cap with a long bill whose dark underside reduces the glare in your eyes. When possible, you should fish with the sun at your back. It is difficult to see fish on cloudy or overcast days so sunlight is your friend if you use it properly. It can also be your enemy: if you fish by poling into the sun and it is reflecting off the water into your eyes it reduces your ability to see. The next time you start fishing, stop and look around you in a 360 degree radius and see what direction gives you the best window to see into the water: you will see what I mean.

If the water is both shallow and clear you are missing a whole

I have now gone full circle, and today my favorite vehicle for sight fishing is the Native Watercraft Ultimate kayak. I have found that the Ultimate allows me to get closer to the fish without spooking them and therefore can shorten my cast.

If I am fishing or just traveling in water shallow enough to pole, you can rest assured that I will be poling instead of paddling. I can cover more ground by poling the Ultimate 14.5 in shallow water than by paddling. The Ultimate gives me the advantages that the Great Blue Heron possesses: visibility, stealth, the ability to fish shallow on a soft bottom. Applying patience and quietness is up to you.