WHICH
FLY WHEN
I will
not be able to tell you which fly to use in every fishing situation you
will run across
around
the world, but I will try to describe which of Dan's Custom Flys, were
designed
for
certain applications, and conditions you may face.
For more detailed
information on
which
of Dan's Custom Flys catches a certain species of fish,
I will
be adding more instructional pages written by pro charter captains.
I am going to start these instructions at the top of the water column,
and work my way down to the deeper water.
Top Water Flies
The most exciting part of flyfishing to me is seeing the strike!
Topwater flies don't always fit the bill. I like to use
a topwater fly that is versatile. One that can be chugged like a popper,
stripped slow to push a wake like a
slider or retrieved fast to make the fly go down like a diver. The Mullethead
fly
is the best fly for that situation,
I have fished. When to use a topwater Fly
? A topwater fly is great for searching for
fish. The noise that a topwater
fly makes, helps draw fish to the fly, which lets you cover more water
in less time than other flies, that don't make
so much noise. I like to use a topwater early in the morning for Seatrout
and Redfish before the sun is high
enough for sight fishing. For tailing Redfish, cast the fly ahead and past
the fish, then strip it slowly past the fish,
and then make another cast to the eating side of the fish. The
Soggyhead
is
a slider, diver type of fly, that is
good for that situation. This fly is the most snag free fly I ever fished.
It is also good for fishing right up against
the mangroves, docks or other types of cover.
Shallow Water Flies
Flies that are fished in the upper water column in the 1 to 2 foot range
( That doesn't mean you have to fish
them in 1 to 2 feet of water). Whether you are fishing for Redfish, Seatrout,
Snook or any other species of game
fish you will find in shallow water, these are the flies designed for this
purpose. The D.C.Wiggler is making it's way
into many charter captains fly boxes, on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and
with it's tantalizing, slinky action in the water,
fish just can't talk themselves out of eating this fly. It is the best
fly I have ever fished for tailing Redfish. It is also
great for Seatrout over the shallow grass flats and Striped Bass in their
shallow water haunts.
The Savajoe Shrimp is made for shallow water fishing. Twitch it
like a fleeing shrimp or retrieve it slow like
swimming shrimp. The Dan's Sava-Crab, made in the lighter weight,
is deadly for skinny water Redfish and Bonefish.
Everyone knows a Redfish's favorite meal is a crab. This fly imitates a
crab as well, or better than any other crab fly
ever invented, but this fly goes one better! You Can Cast This
Fly.
The Seaducer and Bendback Flies are long time favorites for
skinny water fishing.
Mid Depth Flies
Flies that are fished at 2 to 4 feet in depth. Most of the flies make for
saltwater, fit into this category.
These flies can be fished the way that they are, or made to go deeper by
fishing them with sinking fly lines.
While the list is very long, I will separate them by what they imitate.
Whitebait is minnow category that includes,
Pilchards, Shad, Herring, Menhaden and Sardines. These fish are usually
pearl to silver in color, with the back
of the minnow colored from light olive, green, blue or almost black. This
type of baitfish can by found all over the
world. They range in size from 1 to 12 inches in length. The most common
size of the baitfish is in the 2 to 4 inch
range. The flies that imitate these baitfish the best is the Dan's
Neerly Live Bait, Mr. Whitebait, Pot-Bellied Pilchard
and the hot new fly called the Flat Side Minnow.
These flies are
proven fish catchers for Snook, Redfish,
Striped Bass, Seatrout ,Cobia, Bonita, Kingfish ,Tarpon, Jacks and Snapper.
Glass Minnows, Rain Minnows, Anchovies and Silversides are small, slim
minnows found all over the world.
These small but abundant baitfish are cherished by almost every species
of game fish there is. The Dan's Epoxy
Glass Minnow imitates them all perfectly. Other great imitators are
the Reflecto Minnow, Epoxy Silversides and
the Savajoe Minnow. More great all around minnow imitations
are The Badger Buddy, Mackandy and of course
the Lefty's Deceiver.
Shrimp are eaten by any fish that swims and the salty water. The Sparkle
Shrimp is a great shrimp fly that swims
correctly in the water. The Savajoe Shrimp can also be fished in
deeper waters with the use of sink tip or sinking fly
lines. The BunE Mohawk imitates shrimp or baitfish, depending on
which color you use.
The Dan's Sava-Crab, tied with the heavier eyes, along with the
D-Crab,
are
great for the deeper flats that
Permit like, as well as for Bonefish and Redfish, on the edges of the flats,
or when the schools are mudding.
Deeper Water Flies
Fishing flies in deep water is really challenging. It is hard to wait long
enough to get your fly to the bottom,
and keep it there. Here are the flies designed to fish drop offs, pot holes
and deeper channels. The new
Flat Side Minnow can get down to the fish quickly and the fly is really
not that heavy. The Sparkle Shrimp
tied in the heavier size is great for fishing the drop offs at the edges
of grass flats and around the deeper boat
docks. Like I mentioned before, all of these flies can be fished in deeper
waters with the help off sinking fly lines.
I hope that this article will help you choose the right fly for the fishing
you do. Just be sure and cover all of the
water columns, by stocking your fly box with a variety of fly styles, and
you know, that if you only have one of
that special fly, the fish are munching on that day, you will probably
lose it.( So stock up )
For a more in depth guide to choosing the right
fly, for a certain species, click on the fish's name below.
SNOOK
REDFISH
These other guides are under construction
TARPON
SEATROUT
STRIPED BASS
PERMIT
BONEFISH