Anybody fly fish for specks? If so, what weight rod do you use? Type of line? Leader? Flies?

Also, same questions on fishing for Redfish.

Most all I've ever done is fresh water fly fishing, but I have an opportunity to do some inshore fishing around Pensacola and Perdido Key. I have a 5 wt. and a 7 wt. I can use.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[This message has been edited by Panfish (edited 6/20/2011 8:09p).]

7wt.
Use a 10-12# leader, around Perdido Key flouro is probably needed
Flies- clouser, seaducer, deceiver, spoon fly, any sort of shrimp pattern, something that mimics menhaden/peanut bunker

Oh, missed the part about the reds.

Same basic things. But definitely add in some spoon flies, crab patterns, and some poppers.

[This message has been edited by Finn Maccumhail (edited 6/20/2011 9:54p).]

I agree with the above. Have used 7-8. I would add a spun deer hair mullet to the mix.

I disagree with only one basic thing and that has to do with fly selection.
Spoons usually don't catch trout. Use a big bait fish pattern and fish it with varying retrieves,

The guy on our coast that targets specs the most is probably Dave Hayward at Swan Point Landing Orvis Fly Fishing store in Rockport. It's on Cherry Street.

Call him and talk with him about it. He spends alot of time wadind around Rockport targeting them during the "off season".

Tom Horby and Scott Sommerlatte also are pretty adept at specs on a flyrod.

I don't usually mess with them because there is alot of blind casting.

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there is alot of blind casting

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That's the part that knocks the shine off of it for me too.

Also the wind.
Maybe right around sunrise it is OK but usually in just an hour or 2 the wind is up to a level which makes casting difficult.

I did pretty good in the surf with an 8 weight rod with a small gold or orange rattle rouser... (I have also caught Red's, Bonefish, Snapper's, Jack's etc. with this fly.)



I had my best luck near a bit of structure (my spot tended to be down near where the Balinese Pier used to be in Galveston) on flat days with clear water.

I would fish the fly about mid-level in the water with lots of short jerky strokes (to get the rattle to do it's job).

[This message has been edited by RobSawyer (edited 6/24/2011 8:14a).]

[This message has been edited by RobSawyer (edited 6/24/2011 8:15a).]

The blind casting and the wind are the reason I don't fly fish much any more. When I could fish a lot more, I did more fly fishing. Now that my trips are fewer and further between, I just use baitcasting gear (or occasionally spinning).

Spoon flies are more geared toward redfish, but I've caught trout on them. Granted, I was fishing for reds and caught the trout "by mistake," but they took it.

I re-read your post. I've had better luck with a weight-forward line. I nail knot a little butt section of monofilament with a perfection loop in it, and then attach a pre-made tapered leader with a loop-to-loop connection. Hand-tied leaders take a lot of time and the knots pick up grass.

A weight forward Saltwater line will give you better distance. Don't overlook fishing the surf. Smaller Clousers, Crazy Charlies, etc. will catch Pompano. Bring some wire leaders or bite guards. If you have flies bitten off, it is Spanish Mackerel. Put on a wire leader and go after them. Santa Rosa Sound can be good for Specks too.

Don't miss the Museum of Naval Aviation while you are in that area.

watched a show on the outdoors channel last weekend with a guy catching bull reds on flys. serious business.

Would someone here make me some small menhaden flies 1" long that could be used under the lights for trout? Needs to be super shiny and silver. If nobody will make them is there another source to buy them?

I have had excellent luck with just about ANYTHING small, white, and shiny under the lights on trout. I've kayaked around the truning basin at Port Mansfield and poached people's lights and it's awesome. Those trout have seen shrimp (dead and alive) every glowing artificial out there, spoons, speck rigs, you name it. Whay they haven't seen much of is flies. BOOM.

However, I have found that when someone has been fishing there without much luck and you paddle up and drag a few out of the edge of the lights they will get pissed and turn the lights off on you!

ETA - I am more considerate than that, I do try to wait until people are done fishing or gone inside before I start working their lights. I did see a guy one time watching me from the window of his cabin and when we caught a few he came downstairs and shut the party off.

[This message has been edited by Centerpole90 (edited 6/24/2011 10:34a).]

Here's what I have in mind.

http://southernrenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2011/03/menhaden-fly-patterns-weedless.html

tx4guns- I just texted you but you might be just as well off going to a fly shop and getting a handful of clouser minnows. Get them in white + virtually any color and some flash tied in them.

I popped my saltwater flyfishing cherry using white/chartreuse/flash clousers under the lights at my BiL's old family place on Copano.

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NW80
posted 6:53a, 06/24/11



I disagree with only one basic thing and that has to do with fly selection.
Spoons usually don't catch trout. Use a big bait fish pattern and fish it with varying retrieves.

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My rec of spoon flies was focused on reds.

Sorry Finn!
I thought the whole thing was about "gators".

Spoons work exceptionally well on reds.

Hell, I broke down and used one this morning . . . and strung two over 25"here in Port A. Yesterday, I hammered them on a "Gothcha Clouser".(12 fish to 26"

If I were into "blind casting", which I'm not, then I'd cast a big baitfish pattern OR a spoon, only looking to catch a passing red on the spoon.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

No worries.

I'm planning on doing some blind-casting this weekend. I haven't fished Lake Raven in Huntsville SP since I was a little kid but I hear it's a damn good small lake.

I'm taking the kayak, my 8wt, my 5wt and some bass & panfish flies to work the lily pads.

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Santa Rosa Sound can be good for Specks too.

Don't miss the Museum of Naval Aviation while you are in that area.

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We used to vacation on the Island once every couple of years. Museum is great, and it stirs the heart to be up early fishing on the bay side of the island and hear a Navy band strike up the Star Spangled Banner across the bay.

Finn,
Would love to get a report.
I haven't quite figured out Raven yet.

Sure thing. I'm busy tomorrow so it's likely a Sunday AM thing.

I just wonder if it was chock full of gators back in the 80s when we used to swim and wadefish the place...

Thanks for the replies. Good call on the Naval Aviation Museum - I have been there several times (I live in Mobile) - would strongly recommend it to anyone in the area.

I stopped by Bass Pro yesterday and picked up a #02 tan crab, #02 clouser, #02 gummy minnow, #04 brown and tan shrimp, #02 redfish minnow. I already had a couple of deceivers and a couple of poppers. Looked like someone had hit their selection pretty hard so I'll have to check back later. As soon as I can get a day off with good weather and conditions, I'll go give it a try.

Has anyone bought the Cabela's Redfish Fly Assortment? It's 16 flies for $45 - a little less than what I paid at Bass Pro - wondering about the quality of the flies from Cabelas.