Winter is here and before I get too busy I usually spend an
evening clearing out my fly box, which often turns into a neglected mess after
the slow months of the fall, and this year was no different. In fact, I wound up tossing out 2/3rds of
the patterns I had in there. There were
so many cool looking flies I whipped up myself and others had given me that had
never been tied on the end of a leader.
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe they could catch fish, I just trusted a
handful of patterns so much more.
So that’s the subject of this month’s column. For the big four inshore species that top
every local fly angler’s list, tarpon, snook, redfish, and sea trout, I’ve
narrowed down my four best patterns to use for them in the waters off Pine
Island.
We’ll start with the easiest and most cooperative species first,
the sea trout. There isn’t much this
year-round gamefish won’t hit and my choice of fly for them is also an easy
one, the Clouser Minnow. This simple
pattern was originally tied for smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River but
has been used to catch everything from bluegill to blue marlin. A hungry sea trout won’t hesitate to hit it
either. There’s no limit to the size and
color combinations for this streamer but the original chartreuse and white on a
#4 hook is by far the best bet. Clousers
are both effortless to tie and inexpensive to purchase, and that alone makes
them the perfect fly. If your entire box
is full of just this pattern in different sizes and colors, you’re in pretty
good shape no matter where you’re fishing.
Next up is the redfish, which is actually Florida’s most popular
gamefish since they’re found on every mile of the state’s shoreline. Like the sea trout, there isn’t much they
won’t hit but fly casting to tailing reds require a bit more effort. Spin anglers have used weedless gold spoons
with great success for more than a century and there are several modern flies
that do the job almost as well. My
favorites are the epoxy spoon patterns created by Capt. Jim Dupre. These are a great combination of flashy and
wobbly and rarely fail to get the attention of hungry redfish with its head in
the mud. They’re not cheap or easy to make
but they’re durable and last almost as long as their metal counterparts. That’s why the Dupre Spoon has become my
favorite redfish fly.
Snook are far from an easy catch on a fly rod, especially the
big over-slot sized fish that cruise our shorelines and beaches. These are a one of the wariest inshore
species and they respond to live bait far better than artificials, especially
flies. My favorite fly for working them
out of the mangroves is a bulky Deceiver, a decades old pattern that, just like
the Clouser, is effective on every other gamefish in our waters. The Deceiver is a beautiful looking baitfish
imitation that is also surprisingly easy to tie and cast. There are countless variations to this fly
but for snook I like mine to be almost all white.
Finally we come to the tarpon, my favorite species to catch on
any tackle, especially fly rods. These
massive fish eat almost anything but some of their most effective flies imitate
tiny worms. A red and black Tarpon
Bunny, which is nothing more than two pieces of rabbit fur tied to a 2/0 Owner
hook, has been my go-to fly for over ten years.
This is another effortless pattern to tie and I can whip one off my vise
in less than a minute. It always amazes
me to see a six foot long fish attack one of these three inch long flies. Their migration is still a few months away
but it’s not too early to start filling the tarpon box.
So those are my four favorite flies for Pine Island. Ask ten other guides for theirs and you might
get forty different choices. But if
you’re new to the sport these are a good place to start. Best of luck out there and feel free to call
me if you have any questions.
