Getting Set
Hamlin usually has anglers set up two rods in the cockpit: one in the corner and a backup rod rubber-banded to the rocket launcher or chair. Generally, the first is a sailfish rod and the second a stouter rod for marlin. Both have a cast's worth of line stripped onto the deck or in a bucket ready to go. He'll have anglers practice going through motions with both rods.

His general bait-and-switch spread consists of three Moldcraft Four-Eyed Monsters fished off the starboard side (one short and one long, both off the outrigger, and a mid-length teaser fished off a conventional rod in the corner). Once a fish appears in the spread, Hamlin will make the call, and the crew will go about switching the fish over to the corner rod.

After teasing the fish in range, Hamlin will slide the engines out of gear and the mate will simultaneously yank the teaser away from the fish.
Then, the real fun begins.

Casting, Hooking and Setting Up
Once he calls for the cast, Hamlin likes anglers to present the fly to the side and beyond the fish. He uses a modified spey cast that allows anglers to shoot the 35-foot distance with one false cast.

"I'd recommend that people make the cast and then leave the fly in the water without moving it," says Hamlin. "The momentum of the boat sliding forward causes the fly to look like a teaser, and you want the fish to eat going away or at an angle. For that reason, you don't want to strip or anything. If the fish sees the fly, he'll turn and eat it."

Hamlin likes the going-away bite because the hook up percentages are the best.

"If the fish eats straight from behind, you only hook and catch about 10 percent of them," he says. "They'll sit there straight up-and-down, shaking their head like a windshield wiper and usually throw the hook. But if you get that going away bite and then set the hook by sweeping the rod across the fish's back, you'll hook and catch about 60 percent of them."

If it looks like you're going to get the come-from-behind bite, Hamlin wants anglers to actually tease the fish with the fly.

"Don't be afraid to take the fly away from the fish if you're not getting the bite or angle you want," he says. "It's a hard thing to take the fly away from a 10-foot-long fish, but your hookup ratio will soar if you retease and re-present the fly until you get the bite you want."

Fighting Fish
Once you've gotten the bite and applied the opposite pressure to hook the fish, the next step is to let the fish settle down. Much like a tarpon, when billfish jump, you'll want to give the tip slightly. After the initial series of jumps, the fish will settle down, and that's when the work starts.

"I had a chance to film an episode of The American Sportsman with Billy Pate on the Great Barrier Reef in 1978," says Hamlin. "We were fishing for black marlin, and that's where we learned you really want to lift directly down the side of the fish without any lag or belly."

The crew of the Captain Hook sets drags on their fly reels in the same manner as their conventional tackle. On 20-pound tippet, Hamlin looks to get 8 pounds of resistance from his drags.

If you are serious about chasing billfish on fly, Hamlin has one last, catchall piece of advice.

"Lot's of times, in the heat of the moment, people aren't really sure what to do, and the result is they don't do anything," he laughs. "No matter what — even if what you do is wrong — do something. The worst thing you can do when a fish eats or jumps or runs is not react. Anything is better than nothing."
But don't worry.

If you don't react — chances are — your captain will.