XL redfish are a real challenge on fly tackle, but with the right flies and the right gear, they’re doable if you can find a school. (Photo courtesy of Costa Del Mar)
January 07, 2025
By Frank Sargeant
So, if you’re not already catching plenty of redfish on spinning or baitcasting gear, the first tip is don’t try to catch them on a fly rod. It ain’t that easy … usually.
Although sometimes it is.
But basically, you need a good understanding of where to find red drum and how they move and feed with the tides to make things more amenable to fly-rodding for them. Of course, if you fish with a guide, he or she has all this already sorted out and then it’s up to you to put the fly in front of them.
Exceptionally clear water can make catching flats reds a challenge but a silent approach in an accurate first cast usually does the job. (Photo courtesy of St. Croix Rods) The Right Gear Unless you’re after “bull” reds of 30 inches and up, there’s no point in fishing with a heavy rod. An 8- or 9-weight 9-footer is much easier to handle and less tiring, and will readily throw most of the flies that slot reds happily eat. Use weight-forward floating line, maybe one size up so that you can load the rod quickly when a fish appears.
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A reel with a decent drag is important because when you stick an 8- or 9-pounder, it may go into the backing on the first run. An 8- to 9-foot leader tapering from 40- to 20-pound-test fluorocarbon does the job of turning over most redfish flies.
Just as important as your tackle will be a good pair of polarized sunglasses—Bajio , Costa and Hobie , among others, make multiple models designed specifically for spotting fish on the flats.
Quality polarized sunglasses are a big plus in spotting and catching flats reds—choose the color that works best on the waters you fish. (Photo courtesy of Bajio) The Right Flies Reds take all sorts of flies that imitate anything they normally eat—shrimp, crabs and small fish. In general, good casting and an understanding of how reds feed is more important than any particular fly pattern, though when you find them deeper or shallower, or in clear or murky water can make a difference on what works best on a given trip.
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Five basic patterns most fly-rodders carry are :
Gurgler—a topwater fly for those days when they’ll eat anything—it doesn’t get any better than this! Crab like the Merkin. Reds probably eat more crabs than anything else when available, so you can’t go wrong crawling this one along bottom. Shrimp—the Chernobyl shrimp or many variations thereof do the job. Baitfish streamer like the EP Pinfish. Most flats are loaded with pinfish, scaled sardines and other minnow-sized baitfish—choose colors and general size to imitate what you see. Seaducer, Deceiver or similar streamer—sort of an all around go-to when the other patterns don’t seem just right. Sizes can make a difference some days—carry these five flies in sizes from 2 to 2/0 and you’ll be ready for whatever rings the bell on a given trip.
Fat flats reds like this one are tough adversaries on the fly rod, and can often be caught by sight fishing. (Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Grassett) The Right Approach Fly-rodding for reds is usually a sight-fishing game, so that means you have to see the fish before they see you. A stealth approach on a push pole is best, and an SUP or kayak is a great way to get up close to them without them knowing you are there, as is wading. Go easy on the trolling motor—at fly-rod range, the noise even at the lowest speeds can spook them.
Reds typically feed up on the shallows, into the creeks and around marsh grass or mangroves on rising water, then drop back into nearby bayous, troughs and runouts as the water falls.
Poling is a better approach than using the trolling motor when fish are extremely shallow or when water is exceptionally clear. (Photo courtesy of Hells Bay) Seeing the fish before you cast is usually essential, and besides, it’s a major part of the attraction of fly-rodding. Sometimes the tell is just the tip of a fin or tail peeking through the surface, other times it’s a bulge of water as a whole school pushes across the flats. At times you may see individual fish just hanging in a pothole.
Height is your friend, as is a good pair of polarized glasses and an approach with the sun at your back. Just remember, though, that the higher you are, the easier it is for a fish to see you while you are seeing it—be as economical as possible in movements getting the cast out.
Potholes in the flats are always worth a few casts when exploring for redfish. (Photo courtesy of St. Croix Rod) Getting the Range Range is not so important in fishing for reds as in fishing for tarpon, for example—50 feet is a long cast in sight-fishing reds, and you’ll sometimes catch them at 30 feet or even less if wading. Needless to say, absolute silence and a slow approach is essential.
It‘s important, though, to be able to make that 50-foot cast without a lot of whip-sawing false casts—the fewer times you backcast, the more reds you’ll catch. Practice, practice, practice at home.
It’s also a good idea to use a line dressing like Loon’s “Line Speed” regularly to make sure your line shoots well.
Wadefishing is the ultimate stealth approach, and works well where fish are abundant. (Photo by Frank Sargeant) Making them Eat Sometimes you can’t stop a redfish from engulfing your fly, but other times they can be a bit contrary. What usually works is to lay the fly out about 10 feet ahead of their direction of travel, let it settle to bottom (or float at rest if a gurgler) and then when the fish is about 3 feet away, just strip it slightly to make it hop up off the bottom and move 3 or 4 inches, or if a surface lure, just create a bit of a ripple.
Much of the time, that’s all it takes—they are on it like a weasel on a mouse. Strip set with the rod pointed at the fish and you’re on.
However, sometimes they are not all that enthusiastic—they may stop and eye a fly but not attack.
That’s when you might need to do something more dramatic—a few short twitches followed by a couple 6-inch strips sometimes causes them to rush up and engulf the fly—although it also sometimes causes them to blast off for the nearest deep water. You can’t catch ‘em all.
One more thing—don’t panic and take the fly away from an attacking fish. Much of the time, you’ll see the white inside of the fish’s mouth when it actually grabs the fly—that’s the time to set.
Large flies are usually needed to attract the attention of XL redfish. Baitfish, crab and shrimp imitations are all effective. (Photo courtesy of Bajio) Fly-Rodding for Bull Reds Fishing for adult reds is a whole other ballgame, and you’ll want a 10- or 11-weight rod to do it. Big reds are often found in the big passes or just off the beaches and around the jetties, and you’ll want to throw a baitfish imitation big enough to interest them, maybe 4 to 6 inches long. The stouter rod and heavier line will ease the job.
You can sometimes catch bull reds by simply blind casting around bait schools—menhaden in northeast Florida, mullet on the central east coast and mullet or sardines on the gulf coast.
Heavier tackle is the ticket for “bull” or adult reds, usually found off the beaches or around inlets and jetties. (Photo courtesy of Costa Del Mar) But much more certain is to go looking for a school of the giants, which often show themselves by moiling around at the surface on cool but sunny days to soak up some sun. Anywhere large schools of appropriately-sized baits gather can be good—just remember these are 20- to 30-pound and larger fish, so they can eat big baits.
The more powerful rod will also help you whip the fish in reasonable time, good for their survival on release. And the sooner you get them to the boat, the less likely they are to wind up in the jaws of a bull shark in places like the jetties at Fernandina Beach or the mouth of the St. Johns or at Cape San Blas.
