The Fishing Experience at Baffin Bay! All rods, reels, tackle, and flies are provided- all you need is a current Texas fishing license, snacks, and polarized sunglasses. A local captain knows where the fish were yesterday and runs a proper skiff designed to navigate the target waters. When handling and releasing any fish, particularly the larger bull reds, remember to hold them horizontally to support their internal organs. The spoon fly excels by flashing and emitting low frequency vibration sounds as its being stripped. Thanks for signing up! The kinky muddler is excellent for these summer conditions. with Rick Hartman. Experience world-class accommodations and cuisine. When poling in the marsh, anglers look for wakes, tails and bodies near oyster bars and mud flats. Aransas Pass Fly Fishing. 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. They can be in water from 6 inches to 3feet, based on varying conditions of tide and temperature. Its a great pattern that has worked on many species for years now. Next the tubing is poked at liberally with a needle or ice pick to unfurl the mylar, giving it a frizzy appearance. Redfish are very forgiving in that they will eat again on a second attempt and often follow anything that looks like food. From throwing flies to tailing fish in the marshes to chasing large bulls in the surf, there is a place in the Lone Star State for everything. Once they spot your fly, they will open up their mouth and take it. Texas Fly Caster Location: Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX Waters: Lake Ray Roberts, Lewisville Lake, Trinity River, Other Local Waters Fish: Bass, Carp . The original was white and silver but the color combinations and sizes are infinite. If you find redfish feeding near the surface, a topwater fly works really well. . Its just a matter of selecting the right flies. Ive caught a lot of big fish in my day, but nothing like this. The bug is copper-colored, traditional bass-bug size, with a stainless hook and a Flashabou tail. Sometimes the bite is on and game fish will aggressively smack anything thats thrown in front of them. Also, take note of the depth of the water and the type of bottom (grass, sand, etc)you are fishing in. Fly fishing for redfish on the flats of Texas in a video from WildFly Productions. The Mylar tubing is folded over lengthwise, and secured to the hook shank. Dustin's Destroyer, Bluegill. The carnage happens fast. With all these factors in mind, lets go over five of the top producing Redfish fly patterns that every angler needs in their box. Days a . Leaving them with the "shell" on makes the filets look amazing too. The body is made from gold Mylar tubing with the cotton stuffing removed from the inside. 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. Its an excellent pattern for the muddier waters where some surface movement is needed to grab the fishs attention. If your interested in having true experts teach how to chase reds get ahold of INDIGO GUIDE SERVICE. I like it in the colors of tans, beiges, and reds with some crystal flash and legs. Guide Tip: My buddies Kevin and Steve run Indigo Guide Service, theyre proving out to be some of the best redfish guides on the Louisiana Coast. All the way from Florida to Texas anglers and tyers are hard at work designing patterns to fool redfish. Its tied on a size 1 through 2/0 Mustad 34007 hook, unweighted or with lead dumbbell eyes. Redfish are strong, hearty, and fight really good. Tie it on a 1/0 hook and use bead eyes, even though its a shallow-water fly. Sheka ties them on a size 2 to 1/0 Mustad hook. 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. 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. Redfish in the lagoon and Indian River systems of Florida's space coast have an obsession with this type of fly. In the beginning, the most incredible, unexplained marks appeared on our bottom machines. The bulls chase baitfish in the shallows, and the Everglades Special is the key! Michael Stravato for The . But, thanks in large part to the Coastal Conservation Association that day is long gone. During the winter months, the water on the flats clears. Sheka Shrimp come in weighted and unweighted versions, with or without weed guards. Most reds top 20 pounds, and again, if they see your fly, theyll eat it. Other examples include modified Divervariants and the Popcorn Shrimp. 1.2 2. Traditionally it's tied with two splayed hackles in the rear that act as claws, paired up with a wide profile body made of EP fibers intertwined with silicone legs that is shaped to match the natural profile of a crab, and topped off with some lead eyes to get it down to the bottom quick. Most of the fish weigh less than 15pounds, but every so often youll find a school of 20-pounders. All rights reserved. Bushy shrimp patterns and white or chartreuse Clousers work best, depending on how deep the fish hold. This small collection are the top flies for Redfish that we have found. March 14: Exec Mtg - ZOOM March 10-12: Bolivar Marshes March 24-26: Harmon Creek Outing March 28: Monthly Mtg. Eric Glass, @captainericg, 956-434-1422; Galveston Bay: Capt. The weighted versions can help in the deeper waters, and a weed guard is imperative for this pattern. Redfish are big crab and shrimp eaters, and the Ragin Craven does a great job of imitating both. It has a unique wobbling action when retrieved thats identical to a Johnson wobbling spoon. Most gurglers are built with a foam body with an aggressive front head and have a marabou, buck tail, or synthetic fiber tail. The Spoonfly is an epoxy creation of Capt. You do not want to miss your chance to experience the classic Fall Run along the Texas Gulf Coast. Surrounded by the crystal clear waters of Copano and Aransas Bays, and nearby San Antonio and Matagora Bays, Rockport, TX is our home and base of operations. Your fishing license can be purchased 24/7 online or over the phone (800) 895-4248 Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm central time. Redfish are a staple on fly down South, and many a fly angler love to catch these fish throughout the year. What the hell. I think the craft fur body profile moves so well and has all the triggers. Do some research beforehand by asking local experts and guides which flies are likely . The straight style, like the Straight-Shooter Crab pictured, has the hook shank positioned perpendicular to the crab body. The cost is $11.00 per person per day. They succeeded by producing a smaller, thumb-size fly version of the Johnson lure that every inshore saltwater angler worth his skiff owns. The Redfish tend to like its smaller profiling in the colder months, especially on the clearer days. There are many variants of topwater flies, the classic Gurgleris just one example. Yet it has good fish-hooking capabilities. We could fill a whole book with discussions of what Redfish eat in any given situation, but when deciding which fly to tie on,start with "matching the hatch". Leaders can measure 9 to 12 feet, with a 40-pound butt section tapering to a 15- or 20-pound tippet. Most have been well tested via the school of hard fishing knocks endorsed by the anglers who cast them and the redfish that eat them. Reds customarily feed on small crabs, shrimp and baitfish, such as mullet and mud minnows. The fools gold pattern is ideal for this as it sinks fast and has excellent movement in the water. SWS Planner: Texas Gulf Coast Redfish Action. Texas Red Fish Adventures. Anglers who dont know the areas can find a lot of trouble very quickly, but the fishing is amazing. Its time Florida starts similar program.Snook Flies must get deep quickly to appeal to upper Gulf Coast redfish, he says. Fish it near the bottom with slow and erratic retrieves for best results. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. A small orange grizzly feather is tied in at the head to look like a fiddler-crab claw, with a single stiff mono weed guard positioned from the head toward the hook point. The record red drum was 94 pounds and was caught on the East coast. My choice would be a medium to fast action rod with some backbone to roll over the larger patterns. It rides high in the water column and will attract a red from some distance off. True trophy fish can mean being in the right place, with the right flies, setup for success. Here is a brief overview of some hot fly patterns in vogue today among the in the know coastal redfish angling set. Along with the flies you like most, give us the general location (not spots but east Coast of Florida, South Carolina or Texas etc. 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. For deeper redfishing, Sheka includes lead under the chenille or substitutes lead eyes for nylon ones, and he ties it large to be a more visible target, usually with a marabou tail that absorbs water to help it get down. If you cant get the fly to the fish, you wont catch any, period. Texas Redfish Limits. Gurgler flies are the top waters of saltwater fly fishing. 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. If the fish arent committing fully to the fly, it doesnt mean they arent interested in it, and it could mean its a little big or isnt swimming correctly. Weed guards are beneficial when targeting reds in shallow and marshy water. But because tides run so strong, flats fishing can be difficult, more difficult than that found elsewhere in the Southeast, even in areas as close as Florida and South Carolina. It retrieves through pencil reeds, spartina grass, over rocks, oysters and through brush as well as any weedless lure. It's a great pattern for sight fishing. Most of the time fly-rodders are working from kayaks and canoes, casting to pushing fish or blind-casting to creek mouths. Its important to remember that thousands of redfish flies work very well. 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. The flats-fishing techniques and tackle for Texas mimic those elsewhere. My hands shook. No matter if you are chasing them in the muddy mangroves or off a pier amongst some weed banks, if you find the fish feeding, you should be able to hook one. Summer Redfish Flies. Crab flies are deadly for targeting Redfish and Sheepshead in the Gulf Coast region. The daily bag on redfish in Texas is three fish in a slot limit of 20 to 28 inches . Tailing fish set any anglers heart aflutter. Fools Gold Fly - a favorite for Redfish. 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 . Gene Montgomery (334-478-7440) is a Mobile, Alabama, high-school teacher with a passion for fly fishing. The key to this flys success is its slow sinking rate combined with the fluid pulsing motion of the hackles on the tail. Try a white or chartreuse pattern, and if that doesnt work, switch to something dark in black or purple. Saltwater fly fishing is another craze that has taken root from Texas to Florida, and for good reason. The lagoon runs from the southern tip of New Smyrna Beach to the north end of Merritt Island and encompasses more than 21,000 acres of shallow, clear flats with less than a foot of tidal flow. 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. The productive color combinations are plenty, but the pattern always remains the same, a dark back with a light belly. 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. At the eye a few turns of crystal-red chenille are wound on to produce a head. 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. Almost any fly that imitates such forage works well. I like the neutral colors for the Kwan in sizes #4. Many anglers prefer an 8-weight fly rod for smaller redfish, but I usually throw big bushy redfish flies. His favorite is the East-Cut Redfish Popper, made commercially by T.J. Neal of East Cut Saltwater Flies in Driftwood, Texas (512-461-4473). For the leader, a standard nine-foot leader with a tippet rating of 15 to 20-pound test works best. Furthermore, be aware of the water clarity as this will factor into the colors of flies that will tend to be more effective. Colors I do not leave home without are: Black/Purple, and Brown/Tan. The EP fibers really changed how we could tie baitfish patterns, and the advancements are spectacular. He called in Alderman, who cast, dropped the Zap-A-Crab 4 feet from one of the fish and waggled his fly rod to make the rattles pulsate, and instantly the red turned to the fly, rushed it and took. Almost every saltwater fly shop has a variation of the traditional Kwan fly, or sometimes referred to as the Redfish Toad. 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. For large redfish, you will want to employ a 3/0, 4/0, or 5/0 circle hook. Size #1 and #2 are best. It can be tied in sizes 10 - 20. Swan Point Landing Fly Shop Location: Rockport, TX Waters: Texas Coast Fish: Redfish Website. The Redfish Crack fly, or maybe youve heard of the variations Redfish Cracklin, Redfish Meth or Redfish Ritalin, is another fly with a proven track record. From baitfish to shrimp to crabs and almost anything in between, Reds are opportunistic feeders. The other captain stalked close to two big foraging reds and worked the fish with different flies for 10 minutes without a take. He ties the fly on a barbless 34011 Mustad size 4 hook, with a bright-gold cone head to help get it deep. Chartreuse and white is a well-liked option. This Louisiana classic is an easy and delicious way to serve redfish. In weedy water, the Sheka is tied with a monofilament-loop weed guard. We spent 3 days exploring the area in search of Redfish. From the shape of the spoon, to the angle of the hook, to the amount of material tied at the bend of the hook; it all factors in to how the spoon sinks, wobbles, and flutters in the water. But if youre targeting Redfish here along the Gulf Coast, usually over grass flats and skinny water, you want a lighter weight fly with a little more bulk so that it will slowly flutter down to the bottom and not rapidly sink into the grass where fish cant see it. The author, left, made his first trip to Louisiana waters after bull reds on fly in 2006. From WildFly Productions: "Back in November, I made it down to the Texas Coast for a DIY saltwater trip with my buddy, Bryant. For example, this fly can be tied with the standard lead dumbbell eye that will make the fly sink fast and will give you a jig action. Doors open up at 6 p.m. and tickets are $60 for individuals and $70 for couples. Fish this fly slow and allow it to sink,then with very small, crawling strips you will mimic the movement of a defensive crab. 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. Thanks for signing up! A Bonnier LLC Company. 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. Sheka Shrimps tied in subtle browns and cream colors perform best in stained water. The body is bulky, shrimp-like, made of bright cactus chenille. Potential Freshwater Walk in outing - (from Rob McConnell's Fly Fishing Houston book) Feb 28: Monthly Mtg. You might see individual fish or, in certain areas, schools of a dozen or more. 2. January and February is redfish time in the many sheltered potholes and ponds of the Biloxi, Mississippi, marsh. Conditions - 55-degrees. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. If needed contact info -, Snook, Reds and Tarpon can be found all over Florida.
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