Head down south to the Louisiana fishing playgrounds in and around New Orleans and the Biloxi Marsh area, an estuary network of 210,000 acres of coastal wetlands located on the eastern side of Louisiana, which borders the Gulf of Mexico, you will find yourself in the mecca of redfish fly fishing. A Bonnier LLC Company. Also, take note of the depth of the water and the type of bottom (grass, sand, etc)you are fishing in. Follow Texas Flyfishers of Houston on WordPress.com Search TFF . Crab flies are deadly for targeting Redfish (and Sheepshead) in the Gulf Coast region. A Bonnier LLC Company. All you need is a nine foot long 7 or 8 weight rod matched with a floating line and a fly reel that can carry 150 yards of backing. But this doesnt always mean you will be successful. Sarah Gardner, out of Nags Head on the Outer Banks, actually target them. . When retrieved with quick short strips it closely resembles a fleeing shrimp and the head pulses with bite-enticing movement. It has a unique wobbling action when retrieved thats identical to a Johnson wobbling spoon. Add the sizes you fish most often too. No more sweat-soaked shirts the first hour into poling and smelling like a gym locker by the end of the day. Travel pristine Matagorda Island as you stalk redfish along 38 miles of uninhabited shorelines teaming with hundreds of species of birds, alligators, deer, and various other We respect your privacy. It is tied in in smaller sizes, so it doesn't make much disturbance when it lands. Sight Cast Saltwater Fly Shop. Everglades National Park offers prime redfish habitat with miles of flats. Short, quick, aggressive stripping will have the fly gurgling through the water and imitating a fleeing shrimp or wounded baitfish. Redfish can be found in the waters of Galveston where the depth is about 6 - 12 feet. The wind did what it usually does to a spoon-fly and sailed it several feet off target. Most reds top 20 pounds, and again, if they see your fly, theyll eat it. Watching a redfish try to suck a surface fly or popper into its underslung bottom-feeding mouth can be hilarious. I like tans, greens, and lighter colors. WYLD ON THE FLY - Corpus Christi Fly Fishing Guide Tie it on a 1/0 hook and use bead eyes, even though its a shallow-water fly. Table of Contents show. It rides high in the water column and will attract a red from some distance off. Virtually every region of salt or brackish water in the greater Jacksonville area holds reds, according to local anglers. The fish looks unnatural and uncoordinated, but its the most exciting surface-lure strike youll see. Use a 9- to 10-foot leader with a 50-pound butt section tapered to a 20-pound class tippet and add afoot of 30-pound fluorocarbon as shock tippet for insurance. It needs to be small. They will usually eat a well-placed fly with reckless abandon and can even be caught on topwater flies for redfish. The bulls chase baitfish in the shallows, and the Everglades Special is the key! Jim, note Prof Salt's recent use of size 8 hooks on redfish flies. This recipe is extremely fast and easy! Rick Hartman, an expert fly fisherman and guide, poles a skiff in the Lower Laguna Madre while a friend casts for redfish. A good deviation of this pattern that works well from Texas to Florida is the Brown-Noser fly. Sheepshead: Too Weird For Confidence In the summer, mullet start to move through the surf, and that signals game on for fly fishermen. Keep your leader short and straightforward. Here is a list of the best nine places to fly fish in Texas: 1. For large redfish, you will want to employ a 3/0, 4/0, or 5/0 circle hook. The Finest Coastal Fly-Fishing in Texas - Bay Flats Lodge So our guides have begun to compile a collection of our favorite patterns here, for all to see. 1.3 3. Getting the fly deep gets more bites, even when the reds are busting on top. This adds bulk to the streamer and allows the loose Mylar threads to catch and reflect light in every possible direction much like a spoon. Texas Redfish Limits. As you work up either Florida coast, the flats-fishing remains similar from a technical point of view. I like to have an intermediate spool ready to roll if needed, but it isnt necessary. About the Author: Now a retired Miami attorney, Pat Ford spends his time taking photos and writing about fishing destinations around the world. 9 Best Places to Fly Fish in Texas (Maps, Flies and More) 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. Possibly the most unique redfish destination is Mosquito Lagoon in east central Florida. 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. 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. Next the tubing is poked at liberally with a needle or ice pick to unfurl the mylar, giving it a frizzy appearance. But a fishing trip can also go terribly wrong without the right gear. Gulf Coast | TX Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions | Orvis Year-round you can fish redfish, but in the changing season, you also have black drum, sheepshead, sea trout, tarpon, and . Because redfish usually feed in grass and often cruise in murky water, fly anglers must throw something the fish can see. Therefore, tackle choices revolve more around casting and presentation ease than on fighting the fish. The Redfish will follow this fly until it commits. The angel hairs hollow body gives bulk, and the bucktail and long hackle feathers give the tail lovely movement. Blue-Collar Bonefish: Wading the Texas Coast for Reds A tailing red may be one of the easiest reds to catch, but they can be very particular at times as well. Turkey in the Straw Potential Freshwater Walk in outing - (from Rob McConnell's Fly Fishing Houston book) Feb 28: Monthly Mtg. Launch - Louis's Bait Camp 3510 Texas 6 / Hitchcock, TX 77563 / (409) 935-9050. Ive almost been tempted to tie some very small ones for trout. It is very productive in a root beer color with gold tinsel and redhead profile. Redfish are big crab and shrimp eaters, and the Ragin Craven does a great job of imitating both. Starting at $6.16. Its tied in a size 2 hook, with a dark Furry Foam diamond-shaped body and lead eyes tied on the shank top, just forward of the hook bend. Thanks to its heavy lead eyes, it drops like a crab, but its movement is more shrimp-like. 11 Best Flies for Redfish (Plus Fishing Tips) - Guide Recommended 3 thoughts on " Redfish Flies " Scott Kor says . Redfish, big ones, are abundant, with fish in the 20- to 30-pound class available at times on barrier-island shoals that kiss the entire coastline of the Peach State. However, the Electric Sliders dark coloration, coupled with the intelligent use of ingredients, gives it great movement, making it the perfect choice for the marsh. Cone-Head Wooly Bugger Experience world-class accommodations and cuisine. I fell in love with the Spoonfly the first time I held one. With a mix of unpredicted weather conditions, we were in for quite the weekend. I bump up to a 5- to 6-inch mostly synthetic yet very puffy white fly for the big bull reds. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. What makes the fly different from other crab and glue-body designs, however, is that its extremely weedless. And Id bet striped bass and salmon would go bonkers for em too. In addition, the predominant species you might encounter in Texas Saltwater Fly Fishing is the red [fish] and black drum. This makes the fly feel exactly like a crab in the fishs mouth, he says, so a redfish rarely rejects the fly before an angler can set the hook. 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. Fish often have trouble tracking their prey in these conditions. Video: Fly Fishing for Redfish on the Texas Coast Best Month on the Calendar - Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine The most common color is reddish-bronze. The Baffin Blue Crab fly pictured is just one example of how you can modify this pattern to fit your target species. It's one . Gjuro Bruer, maneuvered his skiff into casting range, and I managed to place one of my best redfish flies just a few feet ahead of this thing, which looked like a giant koi. Each area offers something to the fly fisherman. Fools Gold crab pattern is my first choice for tailing Redfish. The fly has a monofilament weed guard and burnt-mono eyes. These trips are great for 1-2 anglers of all skill levels. 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. That means using stout tackle for casting: Try a 9-weight for fish to 20 pounds and a 10-weight for heavier bulls. I love this! We spent 3 days exploring the area in search of Redfish. When handling and releasing any fish, particularly the larger bull reds, remember to hold them horizontally to support their internal organs. Mylar is tied on both sides of the hook and on top. How to Tie the Crappie Killer Fly Pattern, How to Tie the Film Critic Emerger Fly Pattern, How to Tie the Puterbaugh Foam Caddis Fly Pattern, How to Choose the Best Fly Rod for Bonefish, Sage R8 Core Fly Rod Series Review: Model-By-Model, How to Tie the Golden Retriever Fly Pattern. He wants the fly right on the bottom, where a redfish can find it. He ties several versions of it, making it suitable for redfish in a wide variety of waters and angling conditions. Current fly fishing reports and conditions for Gulf Coast Rockport in TX! Winter Redfish are often larger, especially Bull Redfish, and typically are fished with flies in the 1/0 - 2/0 size range. A local captain knows where the fish were yesterday and runs a proper skiff designed to navigate the target waters. In these conditions, its not so much the pattern, but rather how it swims that is important. Once they spot your fly, they will open up their mouth and take it. In reds and greens on a size #1, this pattern wiggles and swims like an injured baitfish or crab. Here is a brief overview of some hot fly patterns in vogue today among the in the know coastal redfish angling set. Leaving them with the "shell" on makes the filets look amazing too. As mentioned in the above setup section, fly rods, reels, and lines are entirely up to you. Just sales, new product updates, fly tying tutorials, and important news! The Kwan fly is a great fly for sight fishing to Redfish in a few inches of water because its light weight allows it to land softly on the water, is easy to cast far distances, and has a slow sink rate that suspends with great movement. Its death on redfish, with gold and silver models remarkably effecive. That expert also comes with a trained pair of eyes to help spot the fish before they spot you. These are all suggestions and please wear what you feel comfortable in. Tied on a #1 or 1/0 hook in the color that best covers your area. They will generally eat a second time if they spook or miss the fly. It's not uncommon to see Reds tailing in shallow water and some would consider sight casting to a 30+lb Bull Redfish the pinnacle of the sport. Just deals and news! The best colors are chartreuse and pink chenille, and I will fish this pattern if nothing else is working. These are the times when having an arsenal of flies that resembles all the prevalent bait fish in your particular location is a must. A popping cork is ideal when the fish are acting particularly lethargic. So, get out there and get your rod bent, line stretched, and net wet. Leaders can measure 9 to 12 feet, with a 40-pound butt section tapering to a 15- or 20-pound tippet.