Heading to Pensacola FL Monday. Will be fishing from the beach. Was wanting to get some clues on fly patterns. Need to start tying them soon. Any help would be greatly apprieciated… I’ll be fishing a seven weight and a nine weight. I went last year but the weather was bad. I caught some smallish fish in the short period I had to fish. I fished clousers mainly, but was wanting something else to add to my fly box.
Thanks,
Gary
I can’t really help you on the saltwater front. I’ll be making my first trip to FL in September.
Can you tell me what the predominant species are you expect to catch there? Redfish, sea trout, snook, other?
Clousers and deceivers are a good start for anything in the salt and are relatively easy to fill a box with.
Thanks joe cool. As far as what I am expecting to catch I really don’t know. All I know is baitfish patterns seem to be the logical place to start. The very small window I had last year I caught ladyfish and a large panfish type of fish ( I forget the name). I’ve heard of blues and reds and snook but haven’t had the please yet on a fly. Just testing the waters.
Thanks,
Gary
If I had to guess I’d say the panfish type fish you caught was probably a pompano? If your just fishing the surf then just carrying a few baitfish patterns with you to keep it simple is a good plan. Maybe look at adding a popper of some type if your fishing early or late or if you see lots of bait boiling. Last option would be a shrimp or crab pattern if you feel like you need more options.
I wouldn’t worry about taking a lot of different patters. Take enough patterns to cover the entire water column. My selection would be gurglers for topwater, decievers or seaducers for suspending baits, and clousers or conehead bunnies for the bottom. Most of my beach fishing is for snook, but you will not find any up there. Speckled trout will hit gurglers and a top water strike can be a lot of fun. Macks tend to hit suspending baits, but be prepared, they will trash you flies. If you get into them use a fast strip. Pompano like crabs and sand fleas on the bottom, so use a heavily weighted fly and bounce it across the bottom.
Of course, my experience is around Tampa, so it could be a little different in Pensacola.
thank you for the info.
Gary
crazy Charlies, gurgle bugs, clousers and spoons for reds
Was in the area last week. I had the best luck with gummy minnows late in the afternoon and early morning.
In addition to what the other’s have said try the Penscola Clouser:
http://www.laflyfish.com/flies/pensa-clouser.php
one thing I’ve found with fishing clear water in FL is that the old adage “less material is more” really proves true there.
Did really well using a Salt Shaker down there a few weeks ago. Tie about 30 Strands of Flashabou on a size 1 or 2 Saltwater hook and then bend back about 2/3 of it and tie a head. Easy fly and I caught tons and tons of fish on them.
