I’ve fished w/many newbies to saltwater fly fishing in tx. The majority are intimidated by the wind. Both your 8 & 6 will work fine. Plenty of fish are caught with a shorter than 30’ cast. Being able to cast further generally results in more opportunities & more fish.
A roll cast can work well. If the wind is howling, you will be surprised how far you can roll cast. Accuracy & presentation may suffer, but the fish are less spooky. I personally consider dead calm the worst of conditions. Fish spook 100’ away.
Consider using a popper. If you miss a cast by 10’, you can let it rest on top & hope the fish heads towards it. As it gets near, start stripping. This works well with floating flies. If over grass, a sinking fly tens to get fouled.
My favorite popper is a VIP. Small, easy to cast in wind, has a weed guard, & is excellent on reds, trout & ladyfish. Or you can use a bluegill sized popper that you may already have. Use your bass sized popper on your 2nd trip.
Talk to locals for walk in sight fishing opportunities. I use a boat.
Good fishing, might not be sightfishing, can be had at jetties, surf,& lighted piers at night.
Sight fishing possibilities to look into are:
- back side of spd . Find an access road and hike to water. May be 1 mile, but you will be in virgin clear water. 4wd will shorten hike. Check google earth for likely spots. This is generally white sand bottom.
- holly beach. Drive to beach, get in water, start fishing, head north towards Cullen bay/house with good wind direction, turn around when tired (you can hike ~10 mi. Fish close to dry land (6” water depth is plenty). This is generally hard bottom with grass.
Must have polarized sunglasses.
Shuffle your feet when wading to avoid stingrays.
Practice casting.
Have fun in tx.
Scott F