Saltwater Fly Fishing

Shad

American shad are among the most exciting fish to catch on a fly rod. Shad are beautiful fish and extremely tough fighters, known for their ability to run and make spectacular jumps. Most recreational fishing for American shad occurs in the spring, when the fish enter rivers to spawn. Due to a decline in shad populations, shad fishing is now a catch and release fishery.

Summer Flounder

Fly fishing for summer flounder can be done along the shoreline, along inlets, jetties and other places where fly fishermen can find shallow water access. Flounder can also be caught with fly fishing tackle from boats, typically along flats and grass beds or places such as sharp bends where fish will congregate in shallow areas.Flounder bury in the sand where it can ambush its prey, feeding on a variety of small fish and crustaceans. Saltwater fly fishermen use patterns that mimic small baitfish, squid, shrimp, crabs and other natural prey, presenting them in key locations where flounder lurk at depths shallow enough to be reached with fly tackle.

Atlantic Croaker

Atlantic Croaker or "hardhead" are popular saltwater fish common along the Atlantic coast. The fish get their names because of the "croaking" noise the make when removed from the water. Croakers are hard fighters and prolific feeders. They are caught on a variety of fly patterns and are among the first fish that move into the shallows in the spring.

Striped Bass

Striped bass are among the most sought after fish by saltwater fly fishermen. Also known as "rockfish", these heavy bodied fish can test the limits of saltwater fly fishing tackle. Striped bass are active in cold weather, allowing fly fishermen to extend their season. Anglers seek out stripers along the shoreline, near inlets, from jetties, beaches, and in grass beds and tidal flats. Striped bass also chase baitfish to the surface, especially in the fall. This makes the fish very popular among anglers with boats as they can follow the birds to get in casting position of the school.

Bluefish

Along the USA east coast, bluefish can be found along shorelines, inlets, jetties, beaches and areas where rips form such as sharp bends or channel edges. Many of these locations are ideal for shorebound fly fishermen. Other fly fishing opportunities exist for boaters, including areas where bluefish congregate in large numbers. Bluefish often work bait the surface and their location given away by birds or when their backs or tails appear above the surface. Other fly anglers can anchor and chum with ground menhaden or mackerel in order to bring bluefish within casting range.

Mahi Mahi

Mahi Mahi, also known as dorado or dolphin fish are fast growing, pelagic fish. They are among the most beautiful of all fish.Younger fish school in large numbers, orienting to sargasso weed or floating debri. Larger fish are loners are travel in small groups, but sometimes still orient to floating structure.The males develop a blunt forehead and grow larger than the females.

Weed lines and floating lumber or other objects are excellent places to cast flies for dolphin fish . These fish sometimes orient to objects as small as a coffee cup. It's best to keep one fish hooked up at the boat until the next angler has one on. Anglers rotate so that there is always one fish hooked and swimming near the boat. This keeps the school at the boat. Fishermen can also keep the school enticed by chumming with scarps of skipjack tuna, false albacore or bonita belly. Frozen silversides can be another good bait.

USA Recreational Saltwater Fishing

Marine recreational anglers caught more than 468 million fish in 2007,
down slightly from last year's historic high of 475 million fish, but
still the second highest recreational catch total in the last ten
years. The overall number of fish caught and kept also declined
slightly, from 214 million to 196 million fish, according to NOAA
Fisheries Service.

The 2007 data demonstrates a widespread turn toward "catch and
release" among recreational anglers. While anglers are catching about
27 percent more fish than a decade ago, they are also releasing more
fish than they keep. Of the 468 million fish caught by anglers in
2007, 272 million or 58 percent were released alive. The percentage of
fish released into the environment has increased steadily from about
51 percent in 1993.

Spotted seatrout was the most popular catch among marine recreational
anglers. The species is caught in the Gulf of Mexico and the south
Atlantic regions, which have the highest combined concentration of
saltwater anglers in the nation. The top catches in other regions were
lane snapper (Caribbean), striped bass (North Atlantic), Atlantic
croaker (Mid-Atlantic), chub mackerel (Pacific), black rockfish (
Pacific Northwest), and bigeye scad (Western Pacific).

In many cases, the key to success in fly fishing is to present a lure that closely mimics the prey that fish are feeding on at the time.

This list includes some of the more common baits that saltwater fish feed on.

Menhaden

Menhaden are common from New England to the Gulf coast. These fish grow to 2-3 lbs and are preyed upon in all stages of their life cycle. In sheltered bays, creeks and rivers, juvenile menhaden school together. Menhaden of all sizes have roughly the same shape, having the classic herring type body and large silver scales. Atlantic menhaden have a prominent black spot on their flank. Younger fish appear very silver while adults appear more greenish along the back and silver below.

Atlantic Loligo Squid

Atlantic loligo or longfin squid are pink or orange and mottled with brown or purple. The fins are long, at least ½ the length of the mantle. The head has large eyes which are covered by a cornea. Maximum size: Up to 1.6 feet mantle length, although most are less than 1 foot.

More bait descriptions are coming soon....

Clouser Deep Minnow

The clouser minnow is among the most popular saltwater patterns. The fly is a lead-eyed style which uses bucktail hair. The lure acts like a small jig when stripped through the water, mimicing small baitfish such as silversides, anchovies and small menhaden. Its prime color combination is chartreuse over white. Clouser minnows work on everything from trout and bass to stripers and redfish, in sizes 2/0 down to 10.

Lefty's Deceiver

Lefty's Deceiver is a standard saltwater fly. It works perfectly well for bass, trout, and other freshwater fish, but the ties you'll find are all on saltwater hooks. And, of course, the pattern excels in saltwater for just about all big fish that eat small fish. The original design was created by Lefty Kreh. The long, trailing feather wing extends from the rear of the hook and is less likely to tangle while casting. Popular colors include white, chartreuse, or all black (for stripers after dark) in sizes 2/0 to 4.