Podcast: Jacks Are Better, with RA Beattie

[Interview begins at 34:25]

Jacks are an underrated gamefish and under-utilized resource. They take a fly aggressively, fight harder than most other saltwater gamefish, and are common in most warmer saltwater ecosystems. Yet most anglers, and most guides, pass them up on the way to chasing the glamor species like bonefish, permit, or tarpon. They’re missing a lot of fun.

RA Beattie is a talented film maker who regularly has films in the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4), and his spectacular film “Jacks,” produced by RA and Jako Lucas, is currently on tour with the festival. He talks about making fly-fishing films, and also his love of fishing for jacks.  

In the Fly Box, we have some fun questions and helpful tips from listeners, including:

• Where can I learn Spey casting in preparation for a trip I’m taking?
• I saw some large brown trout chasing shiners in the shallows. What fly pattern and tactics should I use?
• I keep missing strikes on a Balanced Leech under an indicator. What am I doing wrong?
• Great suggestions from a listener on how to train a dog to be a good streamside companion.
• Why am I having problems with short casts on my 9-foot 5-weight rod?
• Driving in Alberta, I see a lot of nice-looking rivers along the road. How can I tell if they have fish in them?
• On what other patterns should I try those cool wing cases, made from saddle hackles, that I see on the Tom Rosenbauer’s Deep Caddis Pupa?
• A great tip from a listener on a special material for organizing your fly-tying bench.
• Where can I find flies with black beads?
• A tip from a listener on how to keep cool while fishing during the summer in the Deep South.
• Why do I catch big wild rainbows in one pool and only smaller ones in the next pool downstream?
• Any suggestions for setting the hook on brook trout in a very tight stream?