“I am a die hard trout fisherman but I’ve never fished the salt. Do I have what it takes to catch a bull redfish on fly in Mississippi?”
I hear this question or some version of it dozens of times a year. My path in guiding has converged with the path of lots of freshwater fly anglers, most often trout anglers, who are looking for a new tug. Showing anglers something new outside their prior angling experience and comfort zone is one of my favorite parts of guiding.
Now, to answer the question: yeah, probably.
Some of the skills you gain trout fishing will give you a big leg up on the front of the skiff, but there is more to the story. The big adjustments to make are speed, casting bigger rods and bigger flies at short distances, and identifying fish.
Speed: the fish has the whole ocean to explore – he may not stick around long. Be ready to get the fly in front of the fish, before it leaves your casting range.
Identifying and delivering the fly to a huge redfish is a thrill unlike any other. It makes my heart pound and my knees shake on the back of the boat, too. It’s electric. In the moment, try to stand up tall and make a fly cast. Deliver to your target and make your fly’s path intersect the redfish’s path. The rest will fall into place!
Here’s some other things to consider as you’re getting ready to take the plunge into saltwater sight fishing with a fly rod.
How many shots can I hope to get in a day?
Consider this: the White River in Arkansas averages about 10,000 trout in a single mile long section. That’s a lot of fish checking out your fly! In the marsh, there might not be a single redfish in a one acre pond. There might not be a redfish in the next one you pole through, either!
A good day of redfishing in the marsh you can hope to get 15 or 30 or 100 or so shots at fish. “Shots” means seeing a fish, in casting range, with time to get the fly in front of him. Some days, rarely, it is fewer. Some days you only see fish 20 pounds or heavier.
Consider that for some tropical saltwater species, a good WEEK of fishing might mean 10 shots. Fly fishing in Mississippi is an opportunity to get some training reps in stateside, before breaking the bank on a permit or tarpon trip.
Bring a good attitude and your eagle eyes. Be ready to spot any telltale sign of a fish: a push of water on the surface, a tail that pops out of the water, crashing birds on a baitball, or even a mysterious fishy shadow a few rod lengths in front of the skiff. More on that later.
I have to be able to cast far to catch fish in the salt, right?
We catch a ton of fish between 15 and 30 feet away from the boat. You do not have to be able to cast 60+ feet to have success catching redfish on fly. Being fast is more important than a perfect cast: get the fly in the fish’s “zone”, hopefully out in front of him, and more often than not that redfish will take care of the rest.
It’s breezy! Casting with different wind conditions can make things challenging. Using a double or single haul technique to maintain line speed is very helpful. This is critical in a close shot situation, where any overhead movement like excessive false casts is alarming to fish that might be only a few feet away. Always let the fly rod do the work, load the rod, and show the fish the fly.
Bonus points: practice with a similar size fly rod outfit, leader and weighted fly. Vary distance and try to minimize time with the fly rod overhead- that means fewer false casts and lower rod angles. They think the rod tip is a bird. Minimize shifting your weight from one foot to the other while casting.
Is it warm there? Everyone wears flip flops to catch bonefish in the Bahamas.
Yes Mississippi is in the south. Yes it is still cold in the winter here. So, no, it is not always warm, especially through midseason (dead winter) of late December, January and early February. There is nothing worse than being cold and wet on the boat – pack according to the forecast, and let me know in advance if you need to borrow some rain gear. Gore-Tex rain gear is worth the money if you continue to find yourself in elements like this. My Grundens rain suit has held up extremely well. I always rinse salty gear with fresh water at the end of the day.
Layers and sun protection go a long way. I like a wicking base layer, fleece sweatshirt, down jacket under my Grundens Gore-Tex bibs and jacket on the coldest days. A fleece buff is worth its weight in gold. Bring the gear you need to be comfy in the worst possible conditions. Hopefully it never has to come out of the storage hatches.
Bonus points: it’s cloudy sometimes too, plus the sun is low in wintertime. Low light polarized lenses in a yellow or pink allow for glare reduction, without filtering out too much light from the sun.
Wrapping Up
Saltwater sight fishing with a fly rod is an awesome challenge for any angler looking to try something new and test their skills. The Mississippi gulf coast redfish fishery presents an opportunity rich proving ground, whether you’re looking for your first saltwater fish on fly, a 40 inch bull, or a pre-Belize tune up hunting for sheepshead. A background in freshwater fly fishing is helpful but doesn’t guarantee results. Capitalize on your opportunities and learn from every shot and success will come!