Long rod in Jax???

[Redbeard]

Every time I fish a tournament, I toy around with the idea of bringing my fly rods to use at least while practicing. Always end up leaving them at home to gather dust, thinking that there will be another time. It seems to me that it would be just as productive to use a fly rod working the edges and oyster bars as it is to cast lures and jigs. I know of several times that I would love to have had one to blind cast to trout when they were feeding. I have about figured out that If I keep waiting on the next time, the next time will eventually never come!!! I think I will throw mine in this time just for kicks, might find out I like it better than slinging bait!!! Any recommendations for flies?

Redbeard

[3spots]

Sounds like a plan, I wish I knew about what flies. Ask Rich Santos.

[gabreamyaker]

i all ways take mine with me when i go fresh water fishing.and its not pretty when i try from the sitting down potion but at least its getting used and not collecting dust.

[troutman]

Clousers and deceivers

[kenmorrow]

Rattle Shrimp, Whistlers, bait fish sliders, and some small white/silver poppers.

One of the real advantages of the fly rod...even in tournament fishing...as a blind casting tool is that you can dial in the range you want to cover and re-cast as soon as you've fished the fly over that target area vs. having to retrieve the lure all the way to the boat before casting again. When done well, this allows the fly angler to cover targeted holding water far more quickly, precisely, and thoroughly than another skilled angler with spinning or baitcasting tackle.

[3spots]

Oct 5, 2011 16:49:55 GMT -5 kenmorrow said:

Rattle Shrimp, Whistlers, bait fish sliders, and some small white/silver poppers.

One of the real advantages of the fly rod...even in tournament fishing...as a blind casting tool is that you can dial in the range you want to cover and re-cast as soon as you've fished the fly over that target area vs. having to retrieve the lure all the way to the boat before casting again. When done well, this allows the fly angler to cover targeted holding water far more quickly, precisely, and thoroughly than another skilled angler with spinning or baitcasting tackle.

[Redbeard]

I already have plenty of Clousers and one Deceiver. Where is a good place to order saltwater flies from at a good price?

Redbeard

[kenmorrow]

Oct 7, 2011 8:10:52 GMT -5 Redbeard said:

I already have plenty of Clousers and one Deceiver. Where is a good place to order saltwater flies from at a good price?

Redbeard

Like the sign says at your mechanic's shop:

"You can get it cheap, fast, or done right...pick two."

A saltwater fly worth having isn't going to be cheap. Hooks, epoxy, eyes, and synthetics are all more expensive than the stuff that goes into freshwater flies in smaller quantities.

I charge between $5 and $10 each for my saltwater flies, and they are far superior to those commonly found in fly shops and definitely those ordered from catalogs and on-line for about the same price unless you order them in fairly large quantities. But the truth is that if you have really good saltwater flies you don't need large quantities of any single pattern/size unless you're fishing for Barracuda, billfish, sharks, etc. I never tie up more than 3 of anything in a single size for myself. Well, for a tournament I'd probably bump that up to 5 each just to be safe on account of snags and such if a certain fly got "hot."

Anyway, I do tie special orders for tournaments and pro guides. But that's about all the pro tying I do because folks who want them for those reasons are serious about them and don't mind paying for quality. Hit me up if you want. The whistlers are sliders are the only expensive ones on my list from the previous post. They involve a LOT of time, expensive materials, etc. The others are low-end.

[Redbeard]

Thanks Ken. I will let you know. I was interested in the list that you posted previously, some that I hadn't heard of before. I wish I lived close enough to dedicate several trips to just fly fishing. I probably would be hooked on it. My first real experience with fly fishing was in Montana a couple of summers ago. I spent a week floating the rivers with a guide and absolutely had a ball. I caught more trout than I could ever have imagined that week and all on fly tackle. Since then, I dabble a bit every now and then, but almost all of it has been on Lake Lanier trying for a striper and catching a few spotted bass. One of these days, I am going to leave everything else behind and go strictly fly for a while!!!

Redbeard

[Redbeard]

Ken, can you post a photo of your rattle shrimp fly? I have looked at several on the internet and all look different, most would take a stretch of the imagination to resemble a shrimp. I have seen one, however, that looks exactly like a shrimp. Sounds like a winner, but don't know what it is supposed to look like.

Redbeard

[kenmorrow]

You don't want the ones that look like shrimp! LOL

Oddly enough, they don't work that well. The one you want is Honson Lau's Rattle Shrimp. It is the most versatile and displaces the most water. Fishing around JAX, that will be the ticket!

[tugboat]

A black closer is your best friend!

[Redbeard]

Thanks!!! What kind of retrieve? Long, slow strips orshort quick ones?

Redbeard

[tugboat]

All the above. Just depends on what the fish want. There's really no wrong way to fish a clouser. Woolly buggers and all of their infinite variations have worked for me in the past too.

[Redbeard]

Thanks!!!

Redbeard

[flyfish1]

Kayak fly fishing the Georgia coast for a number of winters now, seldom if ever do I see any fly rods -- at least being used. I use the fly rod 99% of the time and overall do ok. My biggest issue is lack of areas and finding fish since I only get to fish 3 months when the weather and tides cooperate. Fortunately, many of you all have been kind enough to show me around.

There seems to be a lot of interest in getting into flyfishing, but taking the plunge is a big step and frustrating. I am fortunate to fly fish 75-125 days a year, primarily rivers and streams (tribs in the fall) but also get out in the Yak on Lake Michigan and some bigger rivers.

Kayak fishing does present a number of additional challenges, but are relatively easy to address. If you have interest, I have some articles I wrote for Kayak Fishing Magazine.net a couple years ago on my website -- this is not intended as a self promotion reply but rather just a place to get some information to those who have an interest.

www.peninsulafly.heliohost.org

I would also refer you to Rich Santos' website based in Jax -- he is a super saltwater fly fisherman.

Tight lines,

Steve O

[3spots]

Good tip Steve. Feel free to make posts or paste your articles on here. CGKF supports Kayak Fishing Magazine.