It’s August. It’s hot. If you live in North Florida it’s downright miserable. For fly fishermen, the options are obvious. Fish before sunrise, or don’t fish at all
by Mike Hodge, contributing writer
[dropcap]B[/dropcap]ut there’s hope. As fall approaches, the flood tides begin to caress the far reaches of the marsh and the redfish, once sluggish in summer, begin to feed. Tails are everywhere.On the northeast Florida coast, we live in a land of mud and oysters, not exactly sight-fishing nirvana, but that scenario changes with the fall flood tides. It’s a celebration welcomed by all who throw the long rod, from Florida to the Carolinas.
A nice red well after sunrise. This flood tide did not require getting up early. Photo courtesy of Tim Boothe of Old City Guide Service, St Augustine, Florida.
Here are a few tips to prepare for the first tail of the season
• Timing is everything. Get there early. Marshes in Jacksonville and St. Augustine typically require a 5.4 high tide to flood. You might have about an hour-and-a-half of fishing. Be on the flat before the fish. Let them come to you. If you roll in late, you risk spooking them.
• Know your winds. Wind direction influences tide level. A south wind, in some parts of Florida, decreases the tidal flow; a north wind increases it. You want more water, not less.
• The grass isn’t always greener. The color of the grass dictates where you can wade safely. The long, green spartina grass generally indicates a muddy bottom. Shorter, brown grass means a firmer, safer bottom. You generally want to stay in the shorter grass, if possible.
• Go weedless. Use a weed guard. Yes, they can be a pain to tie, but they’re essential to your sanity when fishing in the grass. You will get hung up if you fish the floods. You will get hung up a lot less with a weed guard.
• Think outside the box. Common sense says throw to within a few feet of the fish and finesse the fly into the feeding zone. That can work. Another option is to present the fly away from the fish, 10-feet or so, and strip fast and hard. Why? To get their attention. Redfish are predators. When they tail, they’re feeding. When the tail goes down and the head goes up, they’re on the hunt. Feed them accordingly.
I know you don’t have this one – Saltwater Fly Tyer’s Finn Coon Destroyer Copper / Orange. This burly baby is like a green light for marsh reds. Photo courtesy Saltwater Fly Tyers.
About Mike Hodge
Mike is a freelance writer from St. Augustine, Florida. His outdoors work has appeared in Fly Fisherman Magazine, The Drake and Florida Sportsman Magazine … among others.
Currently, Mike works at Saltwater Fly Tyers, Northeast Florida / South Georgia’s only full-service fly shop. Mike says: “Heading to the Bahamas? We have everything you could possibly need for the flats or offshore.”
NOTE: Featured Image by Tim Boothe of Old City Guide Service, St Augustine, Florida.
[information] Saltwater Flytyers314 S. Ponce DeLeon Blvd.
Unit C
St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours of Operation
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
10am – 7pm
Saturday
10am – 5pm
Sunday
12am – 5pm
Closed Tuesdays
Mike Hodge
mhodge7021@aol.com
352-672-2975
Website . . .
