• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Beulah Fly Rods

Top end fly rods.

  • Home
  • Shop
    • Rods
    • Lines
    • Accessories
    • Discounted
    • Cart
  • Dealer Locator
  • Media
    • Saltwater
    • Freshwater
    • Videos
  • About
    • Warranty
    • Returns
  • Blog
  • Contact

Steve Santagati

Humble in the Jungle

August 2, 2016 By Steve Santagati Leave a Comment

My summer months are primarily spent going after striped bass in Maine. I’m unemployed  which means I fish every day. And when you fish every day you will inevitably have sessions when you don’t catch anything. I’m transparent with this fact even when the fat tourist barks out the hackneyed expression: “Catch anything?”

Not catching anything teaches me just as much as catching. I take the time with both the latter and the former to register the “why” and put it in my fish brain. The rules are there are no rules when it comes to fly fishing. Yes, there is etiquette and being responsible with the fish but how you catch them on a fly rod is up to you. IMG_3209

I’m fortunate to run into some humble and confident anglers from time to time. I watch them and share information. Not all of them fly fish either. Am I against trebble hooks? You betcha; they should be outlawed.  Do I recoil at the sight of styrofoam worm containers and trash? Of course. But I judge bait and spin casters one man at a time.

There are some guys out there who are responsible and have taught me a lot that I directly apply to fly fishing.

My point is simple; it’s the humble man who learns the most because his mind is like a parachute; open.  I caught the fish in this picture yon my Beulah 8wt Opel and nautilus No. ten. With 17lb fluorocarbon tippet. I put a swivel on my line so my fly doesn’t twist. This is my biggest this summer; 37″ and weighed about 25 lbs. Yes, he went into my backing. Yes, I’ve lost many fish this summer. Yes, I often go out and don’t catch a thing.  Yes, I’m obsessed with fly fishing.  #catchandrelease

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Seeing Spots before my eyes

December 3, 2015 By Steve Santagati Leave a Comment

Place: Hunter Island South Carolina a.k.a “The Dirty South” 😉 December.

Fishing had been horrible even for the “live baiters” and guys with boats [ no boat for me and no $ for a guide right now so I was from-shore fishing only]. Having been eaten alive by mosquitos on long hikes to places with no fish I was cynical at best. But then I met this super cool local redneck chick [I’m a redneck so we had that in common]. She “hooked me up” with the general location of a solid spot and I fished there that evening on outgoing tide! Every cast I landed a speckled trout. My point? Be nice to the locals and be friendly to all on the road.

The Story:

The next morning.

The tide was coming in fast around me and was standing on a island of razor sharp oyster shells, knee deep mud, and sea grass.  I wasn’t in my waders, no stripping basket, nothing, just my rod – it was a spur of the moment decision. I thought to myself, “I had caught plenty of Speckled Trout there last night, I’ll see if anything is there on incoming tide on my way out of town.” I live in a tiny home / ford transit 250 so I pulled my home to the side of the road and ran to the spot knowing I only had maybe 15 minutes before the water would be too high.

IMG_0062

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fly: Small: maybe a size 10 clouser. I picked it because it did double duty; part shrimp looking and part bait fish.

Rod: Beulah 6/7 switch.

I thought for sure I was out gunned when it hooked. I had never put this rod thru such an extreme test. Would the rod snap? I had to keep changing the angle. The fish went where it wanted to go stripping line and I ran up the bank and followed. I had no idea what I had hooked. A Red would have been too good to be true. I thought it was a black tip shark and said, “fuck it, I’ll see how long I can keep it on.”  Then, the head and tail came out of the water and my heart stopped. Omg! My first Red and it’s a monster. Now I had to get it in and get a photo. But NO CAMERA WITH ME! I yelled to some guys passing in a small boat and asked if they had a camera. They said, “What the fuck are you some Hollywood celebrity, we ain’t got no camera. But whadda ya got there?” I ignored them and focused on the lug on the end of my line.

Fish: Red / Spot about 15 or more lbs and 30″. It’s hard to tell from the pict but look at my size 10 foot, the rod, and that huge 10wt Nautilus reel. < Yeah, I know it’s too big for this rod but I’m unconventional. No Rules.

*Note: Bogagrips just used to keep his head down for pict! #catchandrelease

I landed the fish and sprinted to my #vantagati to get my iPhone! Too big for a selfie but here you go. I was high for 4 hours after that, reliving every moment of the catch. I fish alone. I don’t have anyone to fish with most of the time so I got on the phone and sent a text to everyone and anyone I thought would care. I had to put it here too. This is why I fish. This is why I love it. Not just for big fish but for the entire experience and everything WE get to see while fly fishing that the rest of the world is missingIMG_0065IMG_0051!

For more on the van and life on the road:[ instagram sstevebbff ] I’ve been fishing my way from Maine to here and this was a highlight.

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Footer

Beulah’s Latest Catch

  • Nervous Water
  • Steelhead Magic
  • Christmas Island
  • Temptation & Weakness, Long Odds.
  • My Little Gem – Terje Bendiksby
  • Spring Break in the Land of Rain

(800) 537-7137

  • Warranty
  • Returns
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact Us

Newsletter Signup



Copyright © 2023 · Beulah Theme by Red Key Designs On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

MENU
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Rods
    • Lines
    • Accessories
    • Discounted
    • Cart
  • Dealer Locator
  • Media
    • Saltwater
    • Freshwater
    • Videos
  • About
    • Warranty
    • Returns
  • Blog
  • Contact