They are superb at grabbing the attention of fish and will trigger a natural reaction bite that Redfish can simply not resist. There's probably no reason to use larger than a size 2 hook on a redfish fly (I've caught kings on size 2 fly), and my go-to is size 6 for small shrimp and dock-fishing-size minnows. In fall and winter months, the Biloxi Marsh and the coast of Louisiana can properly boast the best redfishing in the world. Dupre Spoon Fly is one of those debatable patterns that some purists argue isnt a fly but more a lure. The result is a fly that is sleek and has little air-resistance during the back cast, but in the water it swims well with a blooming action. This is where the big boys live. A floating line will be just fine for most scenarios, but an intermediate line is excellent for the deeper water. These anglers are chasing red drum, the target of choice for a growing legion of fly anglers, thanks to the fact that there are more red drum in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters today than weve seen in years. Days a . The colors can be mixed and matched in an endless array, but here on the Texas Coast a blend of natural browns with orange flare seems to be a winning combination. But beyond that quintessential visual, if youre targeting reds in Texas, you might also hear the sound. The sound of a single red popping, gulping and smacking on shrimp. What are the top reasons to fly-fish at Bay Flats Lodge? The shrimp-tipped jig is the icing on the cake, and the redfish can't resist the smell. For larger species, you might try a 2/0 to 4/0. Earth-tone colors seem to work best, a sandy brown head paired with a striped light beige body that resembles the pattern of a shrimp. They eat with ease and love to chase the fly. As a general rule,the darker/muddier the water, the darker the fly should be; and, when the water is gin-clear you should pick flies that are more of a natural color such as tans, whites, and browns. The pattern excels in stained/murky water thats very common along the Texas and Louisiana coast. Out in the St. Johns River channel, the bull reds congregate. Traveling angler and world-record holder Meredith McCord lives in Texas and fishes its flats for redfish every chance she gets. Dustin's Destroyer, Chartreuse and White. 3 thoughts on " Redfish Flies " Scott Kor says . It just seems to work and change my day around. He used Gartside's Super-Secret Stuff as a flash material but here we will use Hareline's Ice Wing Fiber as a substitute. Find an area near any of the local inlets with clear water. Ten of the other 14 fly-tippet-class records came from Louisiana. My favorite colors are blue over white and chartreuse over white. In addition to redfish, we have the option to target inshore and offshore species such as tarpon, jacks, kingfish, cobia, bonito, snapper, etc when conditions allow in a 23 foot . While it was initially intended to target Redfish, it does equally as well for large Speckled Trout up on the flats. With all the grass around, a weed guard is a must to be in with a shot at hooking a Red. It is a day that will live forever in infamy for Americans: the date of Dec. 7. In the colder months having the waders is excellent to have to keep you warm and dry. While other colors are effective I have found these to be best . With hundreds of creeks, bays and tidal washes that abound in the area, this region is a vast labyrinth of dark-stained tidewater. For small redfish, we suggest that you use a #2, #1, or a 1/0 circle hook. It isnt uncommon for us to find bull reds in 20 to 60 feet of water while were chasing schools of busting albies, Gardner says. Microscopic Monsters of the Ocean: King Mackerel, Protect the Blue Key West: Remote Control. Most of the time fly-rodders are working from kayaks and canoes, casting to pushing fish or blind-casting to creek mouths. 2023All Rights Reserved -www.sightcastfishing.com - Sight Cast Fishing Company, Saltwater Fly Fishing - Apparel, Flies, and Tying Materials, Sheepshead, Fly Fishing, Sight Fishing, Sheepshead Flies, texas fly fishing, sheepshead fly fishing, how to catch sheepshead on fly, best sheepshead flies, sight fishing to sheepshead, sheepshead fly, best way to catch sheepshead. Like Charleston, certain parts in the South have what we call a flood tide. 1.1 1. To illustrate, he tells of the time he and another captain were wading a grass flat three years ago when he was first experimenting with the fly. Flies with lead eyes are going to sink fast and are best used in water depths of 2+ feet or when you want to crawl your fly along a sandy bottom. Fly Fisherman Magazine, 2015. Many anglers prefer an 8-weight fly rod for smaller redfish, but I usually throw big bushy redfish flies. When the cork pops in the water it creates a slurping sound, and this gets the fish interested. The fish reside in the lagoon year-round, making it the best area to target trophy redfish on the flats along Floridas east coast. If all goes as planned, hooking reds well over 30 pounds is the welldeserved reward.. Everglades National Park offers prime redfish habitat with miles of flats. Dustin's Destroyer, Bluegill. Spoonfly Good luck out there on the water! For a slow-sink fly, a bucktail tail is good. These fish fight strongly and stubbornly, but they dont make long runs and theyre usually caught in shallow water. Much like other flies designed for the flats, it lands soft and quiet, sinks slow, and when tied with a weed guard can be used in the skinniest of water. The Deceiver is another famous pattern known by many fly fishermen. The Spoonfly is made of flashy Mylar covered and sealed with clear epoxy on a long-shank 2/0 Mustad. We have a lot of folks ask us about the flies we are using while fly fishing the flats in Rockport and the surrounding area. Crab flies come in two different styles and can be fished two different ways. The fly is best used in the colder months when the shrimps and crabs are absent. As you move south and west to the Venice and Grand Isle areas of Louisiana, the fishing changes a bit. Southwest Fly Fishing Magazine, "Exposure" Photo Essay, April 2015. Most gurglers are built with a foam body with an aggressive front head and have a marabou, buck tail, or synthetic fiber tail. Montgomery designed the fly for chasing world-record-size reds around the clear waters of the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana, which he does with client Robert Cunningham Jr., who has boated several potential record fish wit this streamer. I like tans, greens, and lighter colors. Parks fishes the vast marshes around the town of Chalmette, Louisiana and uses a couple of poppers he says redfish go absolutely bonkers over. This fly is particularly good on the flood tide in those highwater grass areas. The good news is that Redfish are highly aggressive feeders and are usually not too picky. Port O' Connor. My hands shook. Most guides say the best fly rod for redfish is a 9-foot, 8- or 9-weight rod paired to most any brand of saltwater reel and spooled with a warm-water, weight-forward floating line. The fishing for trophy trout and redfish on Texas' Baffin Bay is nothing short of spectacular and our experienced guides can't wait to show you our neck of the woods. From the gulf coast of Texas to Virginia, redfish can be found along nearly 2000 miles worth of coastline. Just sales, new product updates, fly tying tutorials, and important news! Georgia also has vast areas of inshore spartina grass flats. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Fish often have trouble tracking their prey in these conditions. The best is to get the fish to see the fly, and you will generally hook them. Sheka Shrimps tied in subtle browns and cream colors perform best in stained water. Fiddler crabs, shrimp, and baitfish are on the menu, so its essential to have flies that imitate them. It always lands with the hook point up and away from snags; it swims very crab-like when retrieved; and most important, Ben says, it comes with a pair of small, redfish-attracting rattles. Leaders can measure 9 to 12 feet, with a 40-pound butt section tapering to a 15- or 20-pound tippet. Big Carolina bull reds can weigh up to 80 pounds (the all-tackle world-record redfish a 94-plus-pounder was caught in 1984 out of Avon, North Carolina), so obviously they prefer larger bait, such as smelt, bunker and croaker, which also attract bigger birds. Sarah Gardner, out of Nags Head on the Outer Banks, actually target them. Usually most crab flies you find in the big box stores are designed to target permit or bonefish. These omnivores, with their underslung mouths, scour the grass and mud for prey. We spent 3 days exploring the area in search of Redfish. Take a look at the Sight Cast Spoon, it comes after years of research and field testing. Silver Krystal Flash is used liberally on many patterns, snce its a long-range attractant in clear water. . Its for this style of hunt-and-cast redfishing that guide Ben Alderman (843-906-3630) devised his favorite redfish fly, the Zap-A-Crab. The fly is finished by tying in three dark but iridescent wild-turkey breast feathers that splay outward from the head over the hook point and bend, which makes it look very crab-like. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. They also have to know when to cast and how long to let their offerings sink. In reds and greens on a size #1, this pattern wiggles and swims like an injured baitfish or crab. Big bull reds love this fly. Leaving them with the "shell" on makes the filets look amazing too. A Redfish is a Redfish, no matter if you are in Texas, Florida, or Virginia. Most times, anglers fish shallow water thats clear enough to spot a 30-pound red, but it can quickly become quite murky after a cold front. The Merkin Crab is widely considered the most effective Permit fly ever conceived. Usually a wake is seen, or a small part of the fish is spotted breaking the waters surface. I like to have an intermediate spool ready to roll if needed, but it isnt necessary. The Redfish tend to like its smaller profiling in the colder months, especially on the clearer days. Let a good casts worth of line drag behind you and start wading in about a foot of water. Its perfect to use right up against a grassy shoreline where shrimp are plentiful. This is where the high tide pushes an extra few feet, flooding the muddy grass banks. He and his clients fish it slow, slower and slower still. Caudal and dorsal fins poking above the surface usually give away the fishs presence. For the leader, a standard nine-foot leader with a tippet rating of 15 to 20-pound test works best. Its a simple Superglue fly Ben can make in about 10 minutes. What a rush. Table of Contents show. The body is bulky, shrimp-like, made of bright cactus chenille. All rods, reels, tackle, and flies are provided- all you need is a current Texas fishing license, snacks, and polarized sunglasses. While flies with bead chain eyes (or no eyes at all) are best in water depths of 1 foot or less when you want your fly to stay out of the grass and near the surface. If I had to guess at the most popular coastal saltwater fly-rod fish in the United States, Id have to pick redfish. Located in the southern portion of the state, this river doesn't seem to belong in the desert. The basic shape of the fly tends to replicate many sources of the Redfishs diet, such as shrimp, small baitfish, and crabs. If you're not a Texas resident you need to purchase a non-resident one-day all water fishing license (code 214). Redfish fishing tips for fly anglers should include examples of the right gear for the job. It has a large head that pushes water and the head to tail contrast makes it highly visible and attractive to fish. These patters offer a solid profile and tied with the right materials and weight move beautifully throught the water. As you move farther north in the redfish's range, you may have to wait until later in the year to find reds in the surf. The carnage happens fast. Trinity Bay and East Bay. Its death on redfish, with gold and silver models remarkably effecive. Also, take note of the depth of the water and the type of bottom (grass, sand, etc)you are fishing in. For large redfish, you will want to employ a 3/0, 4/0, or 5/0 circle hook. There are many variants of topwater flies, the classic Gurgleris just one example. Location: Houston, Texas. Keep your leader short and straightforward. Most any color combination will work, but I like brown or white and hardly ever use anything else. In Texas,the redfish population was going into a serious decline in the80's..So with help of CCA one was started with later help of a $10mil.grant from Federal fish and wildlife.Now every year,they put 10-20 millions redfish fingerlings back into the water. Id heard stories about redfish in the Biloxi Marsh, but on my first trip to Louisiana for monster drum in 2006, I saw a golden tail the size of a shovel break the surface 50 yards ahead. The basic shape of the fly tends to replicate many sources of the Redfishs diet, such as shrimp and crabs, and can be tied in countless color variations to suit all water clarities. Just deals and news! Captain Jeff offers fantastic half day, full day, and multi day trips fly fishing for redfish along the Texas Coastal Bend. Northeast Florida anglers seldom see cruising redfish beneath the surface. It flashes and dances so well that its easy to spot even 100 feet out in thick grass and cattails. It has a unique wobbling action when retrieved thats identical to a Johnson wobbling spoon. We respect your privacy. This area is chalked full of bayous and canals, dotted with innumerable lakes, bays, ponds, and . The lakes, ponds and coves in these areas prove deeper, so you wont see too many tailing fish. March 14: Exec Mtg - ZOOM March 10-12: Bolivar Marshes March 24-26: Harmon Creek Outing March 28: Monthly Mtg. This pattern performs extremely well in murkier waters or on overcast days, and just like any other fly the spoon has many variants that can cater to any situation. Most reds top 20 pounds, and again, if they see your fly, theyll eat it. Tie on a bushy fly in either white or brown with bead or lead eyes, such as this Chernobyl shrimp. Often this sound carries across the marsh from two or three coves over. Size #1 and #2 are best. Dupre can make custom colors if necessary. When poling in the marsh, anglers look for wakes, tails and bodies near oyster bars and mud flats. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. McCord says theres nothing like the sight of redfish cruising a skinny shoreline with their backs fully out of the water, waving electric-turquoise spotted tails that can be seen from a hundred yards away. When retrieved with quick short strips it closely resembles a fleeing shrimp and the head pulses with bite-enticing movement. Its simple design is very deadly for many species, especially Redfish. This has all the characteristics of the Seaducer yet adds more of a shrimp look. Sight fishing with a fly on the coast is one the most challenging types of fishing. It needs to be small. So, get out there and get your rod bent, line stretched, and net wet. All five of the flies featured in this article are available in the Sight Cast Redfish Pack and are designed to target Redfish in the Gulf Coast region. I like the fly in the mud crab color of dark brown /green in size #2. by Ron Mc Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:18 am. Redfish are predominantly found in shallow waters, so a floating line will be just fine. The daily bag on redfish in Texas is three fish in a slot limit of 20 to 28 inches . The Electric Bunny doesnt seemingly resemble one particular redfish menu item, but they find its crabby silhouette irresistible. Its just a matter of selecting the right flies. The marsh features a series of shallow ponds connected by channels, all of which come lined with even shallower oyster bars and mud flats. Possibly the most unique redfish destination is Mosquito Lagoon in east central Florida. The deer hair body gives it the topwater element, and I love throwing these flies at cruising redfish trackers as they are often called. In the summer, mullet start to move through the surf, and that signals game on for fly fishermen. Rick Hartman, an expert fly fisherman and guide, poles a skiff in the Lower Laguna Madre while a friend casts for redfish. If needed contact info - HERE, Disclosure: "This site is owned and operated by River Traditions LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Michigan, USA. Texas Sporting Journal, "Light Tackling Tarpon", May 2015. A tailing red may be one of the easiest reds to catch, but they can be very particular at times as well. In the beginning, the most incredible, unexplained marks appeared on our bottom machines. With flat boats, casting can be done within 50 feet. Yes, there are a few minor differences, but they feed and act in the same way for the most part. Great fly-rod redfishing in northeast Florida can be found in the creeks and bays off the Intracoastal Waterway just north and south of the St. Johns River. In these conditions, its not so much the pattern, but rather how it swims that is important. It has a large front collar that pushes water and the head to tail contrast makes it highly visible and attractive to fish. Generally, the Deceiver fits into a open-water category as these flies are rather large compared to others. Get the latest up to date fly fishing report for Redfish, sea trout, tarpon, mackeral jack crevalle fishing in Gulf Coast with the top producing flies and recommended equipment to get you into fish. Floating on the surface, they pop, splash, and create noise when being stripped. You want to be in Port Aransas during the Fall Run to catch your next personal best sight casted Texas red drum on the fly. The great thing about redfish patterns is, for the most part, they are pretty darn simple fly and easy to tie. Normally, youll scout reds in less than 2 feet of water by looking for wakes, tails and bodies. The King Fu Crab swims hook point up, which is excellent, and the weed guard just makes double sure there arent any snags. A subtle fly or plug pulled gently in front of a . The defining characteristics are a Craft Fur tail, a few wraps of chenille, and then some type of brush to build the head of the fly. The bull reds, on average, top the 20-pound mark, and they seem to number in the thousands. Virtually every region of salt or brackish water in the greater Jacksonville area holds reds, according to local anglers. He will say, however, t wasnt easy to develop. Low summer tides mean baitfish being flushed into the shallows and the reds having a field day. Ford is a founding member of the conservation group Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, has held multiple IGFA world records and published two books on fly-fishing destinations. The fly is then adorned with a bit of colored hackle and a wire weed guard. Fished in the Gulf Coast region, you cant go wrong with a chartreuse and white color that has a large eye.