redfish/trout in galveston area

[jackh]

i live in houston and id love to start goin for some redfish around galveston/christmas bay/cold pass area but im not sure where to start or what to take. i just bough a clearwater II 8wt and a BBSIV from orvis so i could start throwin big bass bugs and so some saltwater fishing. i have a few chartruese/white clousers but not much else in the way of salt flies. any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

[dorian.ducker]

Depending on the time of year, you could get some shrimp and crab pattens fro Redfish. Those should work well.

 

[dorian.ducker]

BTW, I think BigCliff fishes for Redfish in the Texas area, he would be a good resource.

 

[arfishinbear]

I am sure some pincel poppers would do you good aswell
Bear

 

[peregrines]

Jack-

OK here’s your homework (there may be a quiz when Cliff weighs in):
GORP - Introduction - Fly Fishing the Texas Coast

As far as flies go, clousers would be a great start, as well as some deceivers and poppers. If you are interested in tying, you can crank out a bunch of easy patterns that don’t use expensive materials.

Although you’d eventually want to spring for a fly tying vise, you could even tie some up on a shop bench vise if you have one in the basement and wanted to play around a little. You’d just need a bobbin to hold the thread and a bodkin (or needle in a cork) for applying head cement. For a clouser, less than 20 bucks of materials would be:
Hook: A box of Mustad 34007 or 3407 size 2 (not 2/0) or 1/0 (eventually you’ll want big ones and little ones to match different size bait)
Thread: Danvilles Flat Waxed Nylon Chartreuse
Eyes: Lead dumbbell “small size” for size 2, “medium size” for 1/0
Bucktail: Chartreuse
Flash: Pearlescent Krystal Flash
Head Cement: Sally Hanson’s Hard As Nails

Once you have a few of those down, you can add other colors of bucktail, (white, olive, brown) some strung saddle hackle (white) peacock herl and cactus chenille (root beer), marabou (orange, brown), Body Braid (Pearlescent) preformed edgefoam popper bodies (size 2/0 and long shanked hooks for them), and you can make all kinds of stuff from deceivers to poppers to shrimpy/crabby looking stuff.

Anything you tie on SW hooks, you can throw at bass too, but not the other way around (FW hooks will corrode and rust in SW). So you may want to think about using SW hooks for a lot of your bass stuff down the road if you get into tying, even ones with spun deer hair, for throwing in SW.

Good luck.

Mark

 

[jackh]

thanks for the info guys. so basically most big bass bugs will work for reds, its just that the hooks will corrode over time? that makes it a lot easier! what are decievers?

 

[peregrines]

Lefty Kreh came up with Left’s Deceiver- a GREAT baitfish pattern.
Saddle feathers for tail, body of braid or mylar tubing, bucktail collar and topping with peacock herl. They can be tied in as many different styles, colors and sizes as you can dream up. In the water they compress into an elongated oval shape that is a ringer for most baitfish.
YouTube - Lefty's Deceiver Patter

A lot of patterns will do double duty in both SW and FW bass, especially clousers, deceivers-- some stuff like frog patterns may not do well in SW and stuff like crab patterns won't do well in FW, but there's a lot of overlap- anything that imitates a baitfish would be worth throwing in SW or FW for bass.

Mark

 

[Captjp]

Don't get too caught up in what fly to use. Presentation is way way more important than the fly. It's a whole lot easier to catch a red that does'nt know you are there so stealth is equally paramount. Once a red turns on your fly do not stop moving it. Short strips are usually best and be aware that he may follow for a bit before taking. If your fly line is on top of the fish, wait for him to move before picking up for another cast. As long as he is within casting distance keep throwing at him. I have had fish act disinterested on a couple of cast and then hammer the fly on the next one. Reds typically feed by sight so remember that he has to see the fly. If he is crawling the bottom then a fly that floats above his head will probably be ignored unless it makes noise or has a lot of flash.

Hope these few tips help. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions.

Capt. JP

 

[BigCliff]

BTW, I think BigCliff fishes for Redfish in the Texas area, he would be a good resource.

I do, and you've already got the best fly for the TX coast. Assuming you're going to seek out water that is knee deep or so, a size 6 beadchain eyed clouser in chartreuse and white is perfect. You might want to get some that barely sink like Decievers and Seaducers for fishing over grass, and some that are heavier to throw into deeper holes and channels. In general, redfish aren't picky, and will eat what you put in front of them if it looks alive.

Captjp has given you some great advice on moving the fly as well.

 

[BigCliff]

I am sure some pincel poppers would do you good aswell
Bear

Dood, your spelling is amazing.

(just bustin chops, thats all)

 

[arfishinbear]

Dood, your spelling is amazing.

(just bustin chops, thats all)

Hell I'll be the first to say my spelling sucks, still working on it though

 

[qualey99]

Jack,
In Louisiana the most consistent fly seems to be a spoon fly. I don't know if it works in Texas, as I almost never hear anyone from over there using it. They come in gold and red, and you can make them using either braid with epoxy or just fake fingernails glued on to the hook and painted.
Frank

 

[BigCliff]

Jack,
In Louisiana the most consistent fly seems to be a spoon fly. I don't know if it works in Texas, as I almost never hear anyone from over there using it. They come in gold and red, and you can make them using either braid with epoxy or just fake fingernails glued on to the hook and painted.
Frank

That's because Scott already showed it too all the fish here. We gotta wait for more dumb young'uns to show up. Flies

http://www.flyfishingtexas.com/

 

[jackh]

ok thanks for the info guys. so what about fishing spots, anybody know of good ones? ive heard christmas bay is hit or miss but youll spend months fishing with no luck because a good day is so dang good. the drop off at cold pass kinda freaks me out not gonna lie. i had a buddy take one too many steps and fall off the edge. he caught himself on the ledge but his waiders filled up. it was cold and he got really sick.

 

[BigCliff]

I've only ever fished the Galveston area via a guide on a boat throwing hardware, but we had our best luck in and around Lake Como. I believe there's a state park and some decent shallow flats to wade.

I'm allergic to greater Houston, so I don't go there by choice.

 

[jackh]

i grabbed a few more chartruese/white as well as dark green/white clousers, a dark green/white deciever, 2 spoons and a small crab from bass pro yesterday. now i just needa get out there!!

 

[peregrines]

ok thanks for the info guys. so what about fishing spots, anybody know of good ones? ive heard christmas bay is hit or miss but youll spend months fishing with no luck because a good day is so dang good. the drop off at cold pass kinda freaks me out not gonna lie. i had a buddy take one too many steps and fall off the edge. he caught himself on the ledge but his waiders filled up. it was cold and he got really sick.

That Gorp link posted on the first page of the thread will take you to a free ebook. Click on the table of contents and it'll take you to a lot of info on Upper, Middle and Lower coast flats, as well as some general info for fishing TX salt.

Mark