I have heard that the copperhead was the go to fly for reds around here butnow I am hearing the reds are thumbing thier noses at them… What is a good pattern to use right now? I thought crab looking patterns would be good now but I was wondering what patterns would be good to throw at them now? I have plenty of clousers, ( red and white, blue and white, red and black, blue and black and olive and white) and the gonzos I tied up but I don’t know where to start… anyone???
My "go to " fly for reds is a gold Dupree spoon . It is weedless and very easy to cast. The fly is great for sight casting to tailers. It is the most productive redfish that I have used.
I have couple of the spoon flies. But I have never caught anything on the gold spoon here in S.C. I have, however caught a bunch of fish on the gold spoon in florida.
Here are a few of my favorites. Top to bottom are my “Tilly Tail” tied w/ a 3mm rattle and fox squirrel tail, a Dupree spoon modified w some fox squirrel tail and lead eyes for quick drop, my “Tilly Crab” (chinaback pattern) I originally tied to present to the tailing sheepshead I come across quite often, and a wool mullet, great for low tide around shells b/c of the suspending nature of the fly.
My favorite tied with dumbell or lead eyes…the Tilly Tail!
tailing sheepshead? i would love to see that. great looking fly’s. i am determined to use the loomis more this year. it’s the wind that usually deters me for breaking it out.
I feel your pain 6ft… every time I bring the long rod the wind is horrible… if I leave it home it’s laid down and perfect for fly fishing… I can’t get a break. I have a shrimp pattern that looks a lot like the Tilly Tail except the “tail” isn’t as full. I tied a pattern that looks a lot like a wolly bugger but it has some long hackle feathers for the tail, black and white striped, I put a rattle under the body but haven’t gotten a look or a bite on it yet. I’ll be on leave for June and plan on fishing a LOT. I am going to try and find some of these flats where I can get out of the yak and wade around and see if I can pull that off. We’ll see…
Tim Borski ties a Chernobyl Crab, Laid Up Tarpon Version, that is weedless and great for tailing, cruising and stationay reds. One of the most productive I have ever used. Works exceptionally well when prospecting with the long rod.
All the sheephead I have seen in the grass are around deeper, open, mud bottom pools that flood before the short grass…FYI.
Theay are very spooky and will bolt at a poorly presented fly. The only ones I have gotten to eat had the fly placed 8-10 ft ahead of them, dropped to the bottom, twitched 1-2 times. They both swam over, looked, tipped up and swam away with the fly. One spit the fly agter a 20 ft run and the other cut off after about the same run. Oh well, maybe this summer!!!
Cabilouge, thats weird. the ones i see get very close too you. I actually have gotten within 5 feet of one. But youre right about one thing, they wont eat flys very often. The most ive had one do is stop tailing and glance up at it. Im tryin’ a fiddler on the long rod this year.
wow. you learn something new everyday. i’ve been walking flats in the iop area for a very long time and have yet to see a tailing sheep. i’m not doubting it just have never seen one. sheeps are one of my very fav. fish to eat. would love to catch one i lees than 1’ of h20. i bet the haul ass when hooked.
wow. you learn something new everyday. i’ve been walking flats in the iop area for a very long time and have yet to see a tailing sheep. i’m not doubting it just have never seen one. sheeps are one of my very fav. fish to eat. would love to catch one i lees than 1’ of h20. i bet the haul ass when hooked.
IF you have a trolling motor you can work the jetties looking for sheeps. I wanted consider them tailing but it would be sight casting nonetheless. Saw alot of them yesterday
He took the bait like a jugbelly redfish on an olive and white clouser.
6ft, you probably have seen one. When there tailing pretty far off their tails look very similar to a red’s. You have to get pretty close in clear H2o to tell the difference.
wow. you learn something new everyday. i’ve been walking flats in the iop area for a very long time and have yet to see a tailing sheep. i’m not doubting it just have never seen one. sheeps are one of my very fav. fish to eat. would love to catch one i lees than 1’ of h20. i bet the haul ass when hooked.
IF you have a trolling motor you can work the jetties looking for sheeps. I wanted consider them tailing but it would be sight casting nonetheless. Saw alot of them yesterday
He took the bait like a jugbelly redfish on an olive and white clouser.
CrisV and I were fishing the jetties the day we saw you at Castle P. We were using the trolling motor along the rocks and saw a school of sheephead that had to be about 100 fish. They swam almost to the boat and got spooked.
Thanks OC and Remmy