surf fishing with a fly rod

[chef]

any tips on fly fishing cape san blas, gonna be down there the 2nd week in june. would like to fly fish the surf at dawn and dusk, that is when i have had my best luck spin fishing, have waded the bay too this will be my first time throwing the fly rod down there so any tips would be helpful!!!
thanks
joel

 

[Paymaster]

Take some clousers with you.

 

[Streamer]

I have never fished cape san blas, but I have fished Destin a good bit, here is a few tips, they should work where your at also.

Surf- Walk the beach looking for fish crashing bait or just wade in and start blind casting. I like to use inter. line, you can use a floater, but it can get annoying when the waves are pushing you line around on top. I use 7-8wt rods, 9ft 12-15lbs leader, If you start getting cut off, put 12" of 30-40lbs bit tippet on, but check it for cuts after every fish.
For flies I use a lot of clousers, but the last few years I have started using EP's perfect minnow in chart., it works really good. Gummy minnows work well too. I have caught blues, ladyfish, spaninsh, and jack in the surf.

Bay- you can pretty much do the same thing in the bay that you do in the surf, but I like to throw topwater early and late in the day. Try a dupree spoon for redfish, red and gold is my favorite color, I always use a gurgler for topwater.
Hope that helps.

 

[crackerdave]

I've always thought a flyrod would be a blast in the salt - never tried it,but y'all are making me want to!
A friend on the Ga.Kayak forum sent me some really nice clouser-type flies he tied.They have circle hooks.I've caught bass,brim and crappie with 'em,but never tried saltwater.

 

[Tightliner]

I fished the Cape quite a few weeks back. The bay had lots of freshwater runnoff so the fishing was way off . The wind was kicking it so bad the sand on the beach would sting your face so you can imagine what the water was like . You should be there at a good time for bay fishing. Any trenches and bomb craters hold some good fish. I also like the flats East of Blacks Island. A trip out to the point is always worth while so is the old ship yard wall in town (it is always good for some blues). Surf fishing, you cant beat the stump hole. Indian pass just down the road has some good fishin as well. Just talk to the locals, they can probably key you in on what is going on.


Later.........................................

 

[chef]

thanks guys, i have fished all those areas with spinning tackle, gonna try to tackle it with the fly rod. my rod is a 9ft 8wt so that should work well. i will report back when i return! again thanks!!

 

[Win1917]

I don't have a lot of experience surf fishing in the gulf but spent years fly fishing the pacific surf. Here I mostly use a floating or intermediate line for sight fishing but I still take along my shooting heads to reach out and probe the deeper rips and such. Especially if the water is kicked up from the weather or just not seeing fish.

 

[slightly grayling]

Stay out of the wind! That is my only tip other than using chartruse clousers and gold spoons.......for me, surf fishing with a fly rod is an exercise in frustration...it has always bee windy when I tried it! Good luck!

any tips on fly fishing cape san blas, gonna be down there the 2nd week in june. would like to fly fish the surf at dawn and dusk, that is when i have had my best luck spin fishing, have waded the bay too this will be my first time throwing the fly rod down there so any tips would be helpful!!!
thanks
joel