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 The key is to use a fly-and-line combo that will drop down in the water column. While these large flies are still useful to have during the summer . The great thing about redfish patterns is, for the most part, they are pretty darn simple fly and easy to tie. I bump up to a 5- to 6-inch mostly synthetic yet very puffy white fly for the big bull reds. On the inshore saltwater scene the Spoonfly has few peers. The fly doesnt really resemble anything specific, but it catches fish. Fly Fisherman Magazine, 2015. Charlie Paradoski, charlieparadoski.com, 713-725-2401; Lower Laguna Madre: Capt. 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. What makes the Spoonfly so unique and such a fish-catcher are the same things that make the Johnson Weedless Minnow a hit for bait-casters and spin fishermen. Almost every saltwater fly shop has a variation of the traditional Kwan fly, or sometimes referred to as the Redfish Toad. The bug is copper-colored, traditional bass-bug size, with a stainless hook and a Flashabou tail. For large redfish, you will want to employ a 3/0, 4/0, or 5/0 circle hook. All of these flies are absolutely deadly for Redfish and big Trout up on the flats. A Bonnier LLC Company. Cone-Head Wooly Bugger One variation of this pattern is the Redfish Cracklin, it adds in tons of movement with legs in the tail and a super buggy brush head. Dure wont divulge exactly how he molds epoxy into just the right shape to produce a replica wobble of the Johnson spoon. Watching redfish forage for crabs in mud or grass, or hunt mullet on an oyster bar is one of the most exciting experiences in flats fishing. Along with the flies you like most, give us the general location (not spots but east Coast of Florida, South Carolina or Texas etc. Trinity Bay and East Bay. Back in November, I made it down to the Texas Coast for a DIY saltwater trip with my buddy, Bryant. Dupre can make custom colors if necessary. Check out, Picture Source A huge thanks to the great folks at, Some of the amazing redfish pictures were provided by my buddies at. The Spoonfly is made of flashy Mylar covered and sealed with clear epoxy on a long-shank 2/0 Mustad. Featuring a textured shell body and bright orange claw tips, they closely resemble a juvenile blue crab. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. If needed contact info -, Snook, Reds and Tarpon can be found all over Florida. A lot of times they'll eat a fly just because it's moving drop it close to them, one strip, and they engulf it. 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. Trident Fly Fishing is a full-service fly shop. 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. Zap-A-Crab My favorite redfish fly pattern is a fuzzy variation of Tim Borskis Chernobyl shrimp. . No spam. Fish it near the bottom with slow and erratic retrieves for best results. Gurgler flies are the top waters of saltwater fly fishing. 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. Fish this fly slow and allow it to sink,then with very small, crawling strips you will mimic the movement of a defensive crab. Offshore, in the surf, or next to deep channels are the ideal locations to use this fly. My hands shook. Additional tail materials can consist of marabou, bucktail, calf tail or Krystal Flash. A Bonnier LLC Company. The Redfish Crack fly is a proven and very successful fly increasing in popularity in the Texas and Louisiana fisheries. The EP Baitfish is a Gurgler-like pattern that moves water and pops on the surface to trigger an aggressive Redfish eat. Fly Fishing the texas coast. Choose some bright colors and Redfish won't be able to resist. The Kinky Muddler means business. Most of the fish weigh less than 15pounds, but every so often youll find a school of 20-pounders. Sign up to get the latest sales, new product updates, fly tying tutorials, and important news! Chasing schools of bull reds offshore is an entirely different operation than flats-, channel and surf fishing, but that spectacular scene happens from North Carolina through northeast Florida and in the Gulf from Floridas panhandle past Louisiana. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. Some even believe that this is an evolved strain of redfish, different from its relatives in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal waters. Texas Sporting Journal, "Light Tackling Tarpon", May 2015. Michael Stravato for The . Just sales, new product updates, fly tying tutorials, and important news! When poling in the marsh, anglers look for wakes, tails and bodies near oyster bars and mud flats. Next there is the side style like the Sidewinder Crab,this pattern has the hook shank parallel with the crab body. Floating on the surface, they pop, splash, and create noise when being stripped. They eat with ease and love to chase the fly. The Redfish Crack fly is a proven and very successful fly increasing in popularity in the Texas and Louisiana fisheries. The flats-fishing techniques and tackle for Texas mimic those elsewhere. Redfish weighing less than 15 pounds can be landed using most any fly rod. With flat boats, casting can be done within 50 feet. Sight Cast Saltwater Fly Shop. Description - Fly fishing for red drum in the shallow marshes near Galveston using kayaks right after a cool front. 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. I am a South African based fly fisherman who loves nothing more than spending a day on the water. Next the tubing is poked at liberally with a needle or ice pick to unfurl the mylar, giving it a frizzy appearance. Fly Fishing Laguna Madre on the Texas Coast. During the winter months, the water on the flats clears. The best fly choice: a good-size shrimp that sinks quickly. The dumbbell eyes can vary from tungsten to bead chain for weight changes. . Saltwater fly fishing is another craze that has taken root from Texas to Florida, and for good reason. This is where the high tide pushes an extra few feet, flooding the muddy grass banks. It has a deer hair head thats designed to push water and has a perfect baitfish profile that fish find hard to resist. In Georgia the water is dark and turbid, and the tides run hard and high. Anglers can accidently bump into these schools, but many guides, such as Capt. Swan Point Landing Fly Shop Location: Rockport, TX Waters: Texas Coast Fish: Redfish Website. To find the best guides, contact a local fly shop. It is tied in in smaller sizes, so it doesn't make much disturbance when it lands. When you select Wyld on the Fly as your guide for your next adventure, you can expect the . The bug is copper-colored, traditional bass-bug size, with a stainless hook and a Flashabou tail. Corpus Christi, Texas, guide Bill Sheka (512-991-7191) has fished Baffin Bay and lower Laguna Madre for many years and devised a bright-colored fly called the Sheka Shrimp. Weighted Gold Frizzies are very popular in Alabama, according to Wesley Parks of McCoy Outdoors Fly Shop (334-432-3006) in Mobile. He ties the fly on a barbless 34011 Mustad size 4 hook, with a bright-gold cone head to help get it deep. ), water conditions the fly excels in, and how you like to fish it. Miniard adds that when a red takes the fly and crushes down on it with its mouth, it feels the hard Furry Foam body coated with epoxy. What the hell. I like the fly in the mud crab color of dark brown /green in size #2. That said, Im an 8wt shooter myself, and I feel an 8wt setup is ample to target most reds in their environment. Just deals and news! Ive almost been tempted to tie some very small ones for trout. First there's the weather. Truthfully, there are a lot of different redfish fly patterns that all work well. Electric Slider Fly. The fishing is good, but different, and the type of fly required to dupe reds is different too. Sign up to get the latest sales, new product updates, fly tying tutorials, and important news! It would be great to book a fishing charter to fish for redfish. It is very productive in a root beer color with gold tinsel and redhead profile. Tied on a #1 or 1/0 hook in the color that best covers your area. Big Y Fly Co best fishing flies for Texas, for your next fly fishing trip. Its death on redfish, with gold and silver models remarkably effecive. In the southern parts of Florida and Texas, redfish generally run smaller than their cousins in other regions, and they spend most of their time on the flats. Gear up with giant Clouser flies and sinking lines that range from 450 to 700 grains. 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. Galveston. The Fishing Experience at Baffin Bay! One of the elements of fly fishing for reds that I enjoy so much is the variety of experiences it offers from one location to another. Sometimes the bite is on and game fish will aggressively smack anything thats thrown in front of them. From baitfish to shrimp to crabs and almost anything in between, Reds are opportunistic feeders. Longtime Georgia fly-fishing guide Larry Kennedy, owner of Bedford Sportsman Fly Shop (912-638-5454) on St. Simons Island, says that while a number of different flies work for Georgia redfish, his favorite is a small, all-black classic Wooly Bugger streamer. The Electric Slider is another classic redfish pattern designed for muddy and stained water. This is an excellent fly for tailing fish digging crabs out of the mud. This area is chalked full of bayous and canals, dotted with innumerable lakes, bays, ponds, and . All of these flies are absolutely deadly for Redfish up on the shallow flats of Gulf Coast fisheries. This Louisiana classic is an easy and delicious way to serve redfish. Need something interesting to read, so post up your favorite redfish flies. We promise we won't spam your inbox with stuff you don't care about. Whether stalking some grass flats, making your way through the Everglades, or heading to the marsh to try and land that big bull red, make sure your fly box is properly stocked. Carry an intermediate line for the deeper waters, just in case. However, once the guide finds fish, the rest is up to you. Stretching 367 miles from the Sabine River at the Louisiana border to the Rio Grande on the Mexican border, the Texas coast is a varied and unique fishery that is relatively unnoticed on the national level. These Texas reds demonstrate typical shallow-water feeding behavior. The good news is that Redfish are highly aggressive feeders and are usually not too picky. It has a large head that pushes water and the head to tail contrast makes it highly visible and attractive to fish. Redfish are opportunistic feeders and often forage in shallow mudflats with their noses stuck to the bottom, where they mainly feed on crustaceans. Plan a winter fly-fishing trip around an afternoon rising tide. This one-two punch is a tried and true classic for catching reds. Luckily, for coastal anglers in Virginia all the way to the southern tip of Texas, redfish, also commonly referred to as red drum, can be successfully targeted with a fly rod via kayak or stand-up paddle . If youre going to have an arsenal of Redfish flies at your disposal, then you need to cover the entire depth of the water column, and that includes topwater! We spent 3 days exploring the area in search of Redfish. Marsh grasses remain a favorite destination for anglers hoping to hook reds. Fly-fishing, Light Tackle, Sight Casting, Shallow Water Fishing Charters in The Lower Laguna Madre in South . Keep your leader short and straightforward. Turkey in the Straw 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.