Fly Fishing and Fly tying Tips
Picking the best saltwater flies for where you are planning to fish
If you are looking for a reason to buy more flies, this might be your ticket. When you are planning a fishing trip or when you are filling your fly box, it would be my recommendation to purchase or tie flies for every water column (top, middle and bottom). In this case, we will be metaphorically filling a box for a fishing trip for the East coast redfish or their larger Gulf Coast brother the bullred. We will start from the top water and work our way down.
Top Water:
When the time is right and you need to make a big splash or draw the big fish up to the surface, poppers are a great option. The foam head will keep the fly on the water's surface and the bright colors and movement of the material will entice those big fish up from the depths where they are hiding. We have the large double barrel poppers and our big head poppers that will really move water when you need them to. A strip- strip- pause- strip - strip movement will get the waves going and catch the attention of those big bull reds hiding in the muddy water. (If you just want a nice pack of the poppers, that is a great option too. We can help!)
Middle water:
This column could be broken up into two sections, if need be. Weighted verses non weighted. There are the non weighted flies that will mimic small mullet, pinfish, croaker or general baitfish. Our top preforming flies (and most popular) include our baitfish, foxy ladies (there are two options of the foxy ladies- one is a bit curvier than the other and better for going after bigger fish- notice the size), creamsicles or our custom spoon flies that will sit a bit below the water's surface.
You also have the weighted flies, these guys are fatties and might work your arm a bit more but they also make a killer splash and will defiantly get those salty fish worked up. These guys are big and swim well with their zonker or craft fur tails but because they have weighted dumb bell eyes, they sit deeper in the water column. These guys will be the flies that you will want to keep moving to give them motion without having them hitting the ocean floor like the crabs we will talk about in just a minute. For the middle/lower water column fishing along the coast we have plenty of fan favorites that we highly recommend. We have The Heavy Classic, The Booger Sugar (weird ass name but it does the trick), Tiger Bomb, tarpon toads... the list literally goes on and on- Best bet is to check out our Saltwater Fly section!
What the dumbbell eye weight does for the fly? Well, depending on the size weight you select, will indicate the rate of speed it will sink. The heavy weight, will naturally cause the fly to sink quicker than if you select the "light" weight for your fly! We just want to point that out to make life a little easier for you!
One of our recommendations is the Flashing Bunny : When you are in muddy or stained water, a darker bodied fly with a bright tail is a great option that many anglers go for.
The Bottom Floor:
Again, our example is with the very popular Gulf Coast Bullreds or Smaller but baller east coast Redfish. However, the principals apply to just about any species. The Reds prefer and naturally love to root around the sandy ocean floor looking for shellfish like crabs, oysters, or shrimp. So, it will be in your best interest to have some flies in your box that are weighted. This is important because you will want them to sink to the bottom and grab the attention of those rooting redfish. (Keep an eye on weed guards, if the fly is weighted, it will sink so if you tend to throw into brush or vegetation, you might want to have weed guards added to your fly to decrease the risk of getting snagged. We tie majority of our flies so it swims hook point up which is meant to help decrease the risk of getting snagged compared to hook point down. Now, this isn't fail proof but it is our special way to help you keep your fancy flies a little longer.) When you are looking for flies to "fit the bill" for the bottom of the water column when fishing for reds, I would recommend a few!
The Classic Blue Crab (Redfish love snacking on little blue crabs) or any of our crabs // We also have a great selection of Shrimp too! One of our first saltwater flies was the Classic Shrimp and it is a great option for you!
If you read nothing at all, just pay attention to the material the fly is made with. Foam will help it float, small flat eyes do not help the fly sink like dumbbell eyes, the density of material will cause the fly to be heavier to cast and probably will sink a bit. Just keep an eye on the materials and go with your gut. 99% of the time, I am picking flies because I think they are cool looking and I hope the fish will agree with me when they eat them.
If you have any questions or need any recommendations, let us know!
As always,
Tight Lines!
Custom Tied Flies Above All Else
We want to help you when you are filling your fly box to make sure you are selecting top of the line flies created and crafted by fishermen for fishermen. Details as to why buying from a independent fly tying company verses the large sport and game shops might be worth it's weight in gold. From fresh water bass packs to monster salt water flies, Steelie Bros has your back.
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