Redfish are certainly one of my favorite fish on the fly rod as they aren’t too picky in terms of fly selection or presentation and they live in some really cool places. In my experience, the biggest factor that determines success is simply the weather and water conditions (not that different than any other type of fly-fishing) – the best days have a little breeze, clear skies, and water with more than 1-2 feet of visibility. Add a knowledgeable guide to the mix along with a handful of good flies, a powerful fly rod paired with a fly line with an overweighted head and things should get interesting – it does help to be able to stand up in the bow, see fish yourself, and to be able to quickly cast 20-30 feet! I recently returned from a week in Louisiana where we were treated with everything need to make for some great days on the water.
I have had the opportunity to fly fish for Redfish throughout Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Florida as well. As I mentioned earlier, weather always seems to be the biggest factor in determining how well the “catching” part of the fishing trip will pan out. Over our 3 days of fishing we faced some heavy winds, some periods of cloud cover, water with poor visibility as well as mild breezes, sunny skies, and great visibility. As you can guess, we did best on the days – or periods of the days – with the most ideal conditions.
When planning a trip for Redfish, I pick the dates that work for my schedule and then am always prepared to cancel the trip a few days out if the weather is going to be bad as there is no “workaround” for lots of wind, cloudy skies, and dirty water when you are planning on sight fishing in shallow water with a muddy bottom. Most fly-fishing guides in these coastal areas are 100% on board with this policy of cancelling a few days out if the weather looks bad. I have had some good days on those bad weather days, but I have had many more bad days than good ones when the wind is blowing hard under cloudy skies.
This most recent trip took me near Houma, Louisiana where we fished with Captain Ben Cooley of Muckin Marauder Fly Fishing throughout the marshes south of here. I have known Ben for several years as he in the General Manager at Cross Currents fly shop in Craig, Montana from April – September. Ben started exploring these marshes a few years back and has done a remarkable job of learning every facet of the Redfish game in Louisiana by putting in days, weeks, months, and now years running around these marshes learning the intricacies of this vast fishery. There is nothing simple about this fishery as there are navigational challenges around every bend and it is a vast area where fish are constantly on the move. His thoughtful knowledge and preparation set us up for a great experience on the days with less than ideal weather as it also did on the good weather day.
Most of the fishing on this most recent trip was concentrated around cuts through marsh islands and small lakes within the bayou system, where the water remains less turbid than the larger pieces of open water. Somedays we fished well inside the marsh while other days we were fishing areas with the Gulf of Mexico off one side of the boat and a marsh island on the other. We caught fish in water up to 5-6 feet deep as well as in water where the fishes backs were literally sticking half-way out of the water. Ben always had a “plan of attack” for each flat or “creek mouth” and more times than not – when the weather was cooperative – they came together seamlessly resulting in a double digit Bull Red or two coming to hand.
Besides the beauty of the area and the fish, I absolutely love fishing big, brightly colored flies that sink quick and that I can see in the water. Give me a 4/0 Chartreuse, White, or Light Tan fly with lead eyes with a big Bull Red to target and you will find me in my “truly happy” place. Once they hear the “plunk” of the fly and pick up on that color - they just can’t help themselves more times than not – the ferocity of the Redfish eat is put on in full display and should be a “must do” experience for every fly angler.
The “thing” with fall Redfishing in Louisiana is that this is when the big fish (Bull Reds) come into the shallow water marshes. Although there are large redfish from the Carolinas to northern Mexico, they tend to spend their lives offshore and rarely come into shallow water because of significant barrier islands and reefs. The Louisiana barrier islands have been heavily eroded by hurricanes, resulting in most marsh areas blend directly into the Gulf of Mexico. These big fish move into the shallow waters in September and can be found well into March. Although I enjoy fishing Redfish in Texas very much as well, Louisiana is where I head during my fall and winter Redfish travels as the lure of big fish in shallow water is just too much fun!
There can be a lot of challenges with putting a trip for fall and winter fly fishing in Louisiana as the weather is unpredictable, there are lots of areas to choose from, and good guides are typically booked well in advance. There is a real opportunity right now to “get in” with Ben Cooley right now as he is in the early stages of building his Louisiana business. He has put in the work to figure out his fishery in terms of both the navigational and angling aspects and is ready to begin taking his business to the next level – I would be surprised if he has any openings in 2024 (so book 2023 to get in the queue).
I would recommend reaching out to Ben to get some dates on the calendar for 2022 or 2023. You will want to fly into New Orleans, and plan on renting a car for the 2 hour drive SW to Houma. Ben fishes south of Houma and will be happy to help in terms of finding a place to stay during your stay which could include a hotel chain, AIRBNB, or marina cabins as well. There are limited food options close to where Ben fishes, so you will want to plan accordingly by either cooking your own meals or driving half an hour (depending on where you stay) for dinners (worth it most of the time). Ben will have gear, flies, water, and a great attitude with a desire to work hard at finding plenty of Redfish. Email Ben at muckinmarauderflyfishing@gmail.com .
REDFISH GEAR PICKS
As most of you know, I have owned and operated our fly shop, Fins and Feathers of Bozeman for the last 23 years, but have recently sold the fly shop to my friends at Yellow Dog Fly Fishing. So, I have always been hesitant to go “all in” on my gear recommendations out of concern for my information being perceived as “self-serving”. Well, those days are over!
REDFISH FLY RODS
For this trip our rods included a Winston Alpha+ 9 weight, Hardy Zane Pro 9 weight, Hardy Ultralite+ 8 weight, and G. Loomis Asquith 10 weight – all in 9 foot lengths. We primarily fished the 9 weights and both were awesome for this style of fly-fishing (short, quick casts with heavy flies and lifting power).
This was my first experience with the Alpha+ and I was truly impressed with this rod being true to the messaging from Winston as their best choice for big flies and big fish – it wouldn’t be my go to choice for Permit, but its up there for Redfish and I can imagine it would be awesome for Peacock Bass, Golden Dorado, and Carp. I’ll be adding a few more to my quiver and would encourage anyone to look at the Winston Alpha+ series for a Redfish specific fly rod.
The Hardy Zane Pro is just amazing to fish with in any saltwater scenario for it’s lightness in hand, durability, premium components, and lifting power. I prefer the Hardy Zane Pro as an all-around saltwater fly rod to the Winston Alpha+, but would lean towards the Winston Alpha+ for a dedicated Redfish rod.
I should mention that I have several models from every major fly rod manufacturer in my quiver these days, they are all really good and would work well – these were just the ones that I brought on this trip (the Alpha+ is the best of them all for Bull Reds…in my opinion)…but I didn’t say that!
REDFISH FLY REELS
A solid reel is essential when fishing for Bull Reds as they are big fish and generally make at least one pretty fast run that gets you into or well into your backing. As the leader I fish this time of year is typically just a few feet of 30 pound fluorocarbon, I like a reel with a string drag that I can completely shut down the fish with when it gets close to the boat.
I fished a Shilton SL6 and a new, yet to be released reel from SAGE on the 9 weights. Both reels were dynamite when it came to stopping the fish and allowing me to make quick progress of subduing them once they got within 10-20 feet of the boat. The Shilton is a brand that most people are unfamiliar with as they are South African made and have long been a mainstay at the various Seychelles destinations. They are well built with open drag systems using cork as the primary drag surface for ease of maintenance and servicing – they are well known for their durability and powerful drag.
The SAGE will come to market in January and features a sealed drag system, an innovative reel foot profile and a “show-stopper” drag system – keep an eye out for it in saltwater sizes and retailing between $550-$600.
Any reel you feel good about will work – as is the case with just about any fly-fishing scenario. However, I think that if I am going to go through the time and expense of traveling someplace cool to fish for something that I don’t have easy access to. I might as well have something that will “tip” the odds in my favor. Both reels do that, I would also add the Hatch Iconic 7+ and Abel SDS 9/10 to my list of reels that I would prefer for this style of fishing. I have a lot to choose from in the reel department as well and I would consider the Shilton, Hatch, or Abel to be at the top of the list. The drag on this new SAGE reel puts it up there as well – I can’t put it there for now as it’s not available yet!
REDFISH FLY LINES
I’ve done this long enough to know that the right line taper and core makes a big difference when it matters most. No, your saltwater Bonefish taper or Bass line will not work. Get a Redfish line from either Rio or Scientific Angler and your trip will go better. They have heavier heads with short front tapers to turn over heavy flies in close quarters. I have fished both the RIO and SA Redfish lines with equal satisfaction – get the RIO Premier or SA Amplitude Smooth series of these tapers.
The SA Grand Slam line is a great all-around saltwater fly line and works well for Redfish too – however, having that Redfish line is worth the investment, every time.
I don’t use tapered leaders for this type of fly fishing as the casts are short and the flies are heavy so you don’t need that taper to help turn over the fly during the cast. I rely on RIO Saltwater Fluorocarbon tippet for reliable use and carry several spools of 16-30 pound with me on every trip.
REDFISH FLIES
The guides will always have flies they like, so there is very little pressure on the angler to go out and put together an assortment. As I owned a fly shop for many years, I have amassed quiet the collection of flies. One thing I always noted however, is that we would sell gear to folks going for Redfish but rarely did we sell flies. Additionally, we sold lots of saltwater flies online but rarely did we sell flies that we stocked specifically for Redfish. My approach on flies in Louisiana is to take what I have and rely on the guide’s choices if mine don’t work (they usually do). If you want some of my favorites, go to Dirty Water Fly Company and get yourself some Smoke N Mirrors in 2/0 or 3/0 in the Chartreuse, Tan, and Black/Purple colorways to get started. They are heavy and less than ideal to cast at 50+ foot ranges, but they work GREAT in close when you need to get that fly in front of a cruising fish, quickly.
OTHER REDFISH ESSENTIALS
It’s no secret, I am a SKWALA fanboy – their waders and fly-fishing apparel is second to none in terms of design, technology, and function. I wear their Sol Pants in the boat, the Sol Tactical Hoody on warm days, the Fusion Hybrid Jacket during the ride out in the morning and the Carbon Jacket is my protection from the elements on those rainy days. This gear is as comfortable as it gets, but it has the unique technology story packed into each piece that makes them perfectly suited for any fly-fishing outing. I wear on-cloud running shoes when I’m on the deck as they are more comfortable and offer more support than any other fishing designed shoe (and they look cool too).
Bajio sunglasses with the Silver Mirror glass lenses cover a wide range of light conditions and better optical clarity than other glasses I have used. Plus their frames are made primarily of plant-based materials which is great for reducing the presence of plastics in our lives. I carry a pair of Smith low light ignitor lens glasses with me on all of my saltwater trips as they are game changers on dark, cloudy days.
Feel free to reach out to me via email at tobyswank@me.com for help reviewing your gear, vetting a guide service, or sourcing some new flies. Please visit the various links provided for more information and again, I strongly encourage you to get some dates on the books with Ben Cooley in 2022 or 2023 if fly fishing for Louisiana Redfish is on your list of things to do!
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