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WVUontheFLY

Gulf Coast Florida, Destin Area Help

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Hey guys, looks like I am going to be down in Destin, Florida for a week in May and am looking for advice on fly patterns to tie up before I head down there. I will be taking a 7,9, and 11 weight rods so I can throw at pretty much anything that swims. I don't know exactly what will be in the area at the time and was hoping for a little bit of guidance as to what patterns and sizes would be best.

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Hey guys, looks like I am going to be down in Destin, Florida for a week in May and am looking for advice on fly patterns to tie up before I head down there. I will be taking a 7,9, and 11 weight rods so I can throw at pretty much anything that swims. I don't know exactly what will be in the area at the time and was hoping for a little bit of guidance as to what patterns and sizes would be best.

you should be getting some tarpon through there then, fish by the piers with a chartreuse or black and purple tarpon toad tied on heavy shank hooks size 1/0 2/0. tarpon cockroach and bunny patterns With a 30 or 40 lb shock tippet

 

Also fish beaches for snook, reds with red and white sea deucer, clouser, borski slider, gurgler.

 

Dont waste to much time with crab and shrimp patterns unless you can physically see the fish which is hard to do in the surf at times,

 

you do get some surf on the beaches there though not like the atlantic side. Are you going to have boat access??

 

If you do that's a good time for big big Cobia and king fish

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More than likely I am going to be shore bound, but I may say heck with it and buy an inflatable paddle board to take with me and fish off of. Luckily I am getting plenty of practice from fishing my current paddle board for various species and in various water conditions, including some whitewater. Who knows I may just end up spending the money to spend some time with a guide for a day to put me on fish and then spend the other days trying to fend for myself. But thanks for the start for my tying arsenal

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One of the great features of Florida is, there is wade-able water almost all the way around the Coast, from the Alabama border to the Georgia border. 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline, the majority of which is accessible by wading or small boat.

 

If you're time on the water is limited, I would recommend a guide. You can fish shoreline and catch a ton of fish less than 20 inches long. But if you want to test those 8 through 10 weight rods, a guide will get you on bigger fish quicker.

 

takemefishing.org is the site I go to when hitting new destinations. local info, fishing license regs and links, access points and guides links ... you don't have to "join", just look for what you want to know.

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Just make sure you hire a fly fishing guide or your wasting your money. A full day 8 hour guide here will run you $500 plus tip.

Another option spend $20 and rent a kayak.

You will have plenty of species to fish for that time of year from shore and im going to disagree with mike about most of them being under 20" as I fish salt here regularly.And you could easily hook into a 100lb tarpon right there by the pier or a 40" snook both of which will test you and your gear!

 

Something to keep in mind is licence if you fish from shore or wading its free if you get in any kind of vessel its an expensive out of state licence, most guides though I think will have it covered though, if you want to book a guide do it soon as most guides between May and July are chasing tarpon.

 

A guide will put you on the most fish for sure but if they start talking about catching languish and jacks find another guide, some of these guides fill your day with these school fish so you feel like you got your moneys worth! Regardless what you do you'll have a blast!

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Okay ... then I'll rephrase my comment. I have never known anyone who caught something larger than 20 inches While surf fishing.

 

As for licenses ...

 

New regulations for salt water have been put in place, pretty much, nation wide. Here's Florida's.

Nonresidents

Nonresidents must purchase a 3-day, 7-day or annual nonresident saltwater fishing license when saltwater fishing from the shore or a pier, bridge or jetty attached to the shore unless fishing on a pier with a pier license.

 

Most Coastal States have adopted a Salt Water license to stave off the Federal Government. A few years back, Congress was looking to create a National Salt Water License. But the States all jumped up and declared that if anyone was going to get that money ... it would be them. When I traveled, where I used to fish salt or brackish for free, I have to get a license.

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Most of what josephcsylvia said was spot on, except about the snook. There are no snook in Destin, it's way too far north. I don't know much about the Destin area specifically other than the beaches but fish mostly a couple hours east of there in the Big Bend, and May is one of the best times of year to fish this part of the Gulf. Around this time pods of glass minnows start to show and with them the mackerel and bluefish, and everything else. Schminnows, clousers, surf candies, polar fiber minnows and other baitfish patters all work well. Top water can be fantastic so poppers and gurgles are a must. If I had to pick one pattern it would be a craft fur minnow, it absolutely slays them.

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Agn54, the craft fur minnow is a great recommendation for anywhere! Dont know why I didn't add that to my list,

 

yes you are correct about the Snook, I thought I had caught a 40" there in the surf so I went back and looked at my notes and I was in Dunedin not Destin, I was also wrong in my Tarpon recommendation, Its June July and August that I have caught them there by the Ocaloosa fishing pier, They show up earlier down central fl.

 

This is why I strongly suggest keeping log books if you fish enough it only takes a few min to look back over

 

There is a bass pro shops right down the road, doesnt have much of a fly shop but they should be able to get you some info on guides.

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A 40" snook is awesome, I have gotten 2 over 40 but they were both on live mullet. Couldn't imagine how awesome it would be to get those hogs on a fly. You actually weren't off on the tarpon up there, but I'm not sure the time of year they are there. We get them in the Big Bend in summer until early fall just like further south. I agree that if he has a boat, then the cobia run would be the thing to do off the beaches there. Tie up some black bunny leaches in large sizes to imitate eels would do the trick. But you better have a 10wt for those bruisers

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I have zero experience in fly fishing salt water but have done my share of spin fishing up and down the coast. If you latch onto a gag grouper a foot long, I can guarantee he will give your 8 wt a real test! Same for a small tarpon or snook in the 20 inch range. Salt water fish are a different breed altogether from panfish. I've caught gag grouper while wading in turtle grass right offshore. I agree you might have better access with a kayak.

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Yes a 40" snook on the fly is a heart stopper every time I thought it was going to Jump I got nervous and twice I thought it was going to spool me, i was only fishing a 7wt the tide was running hard making the fight that much more difficult.

 

Cobia= fly rod nirvana!

 

You hook into a grouper on the fly with no saltwater experience you are going to get your ass handed to you It doesnt matter how small he is!!

 

Ive had conventional gear pushed to its limits on 20lb fish what people dont get about grouper fishing is you cant let them run if you do the fights over, your in some kind of structure, me and my brother dropped a 15" lady fish down on a wreck in Hernando county using a 50 wide on

custom tuna rod running 100lb mono with a 400lb leader and hooked into a 250lb goliath grouper I was strapped into the rod and he had both hands on the forward grip, drag locked down as tight as it goes. We'd lift up he would kick and slam the rod on the gunnel we finally got to see him and cut him loose that was about half of the size of some of them.

 

Long story short the goliath grouper youngins live in the mangroves and pound for pound the hardest fighting fish you can catch imo.

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From what everyone is saying I am getting pretty pumped for this trip and actually started tying up some flies last night. Tied some snook snacks, designed by Cheech at flyfishfood, in a size 2 along with some everglade specials in various colors. Now for the sizes of flies and leader setup, what would you guys recommend?

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Everglades special is one of my favorite catch everything flies,

 

Your 11 wt I'd set up with a 9' leader with a 60 lb but section tapering down to 30lb with a 1' 40-60lb bite tippet, fly size 1/0 - 3/0

 

Your lighter rod, 9' 50 lb but tapering to 15-20lb keep wire handy incase of mackeral fly size 4- 1/0

 

Key colors red/white, black/purple, chartreuse, gold

 

This is how I setup

 

Dont forget some craft fur baitfish and at least a red head white body sea deucer

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I don't fish Destin but am from Pensacola, just a bit down the beach. This area is quite different from the rest of Florida, The water is usually quite clear, the sand is sugar white with minimal oyster/vegetation and we usually only get one high and one low tide per day. Also in this area the tides are quite sporadic in that a high tide today may be high two to three hours different than the next day or it may only vary by minutes. We fish the tides but since there is only one high and one low, we fish way beyond just a few minutes on either side of a tide change. Up here, while not my favorite, the fly of choice are closures in chartreuse/white, pink/white, tan/white and snd flea patterns. Also classic deceivers work well as do gurgles on top. When fishing the surf I suggest an intermediate sink and I always use a stripping basket.Walk the beach looking for cruising fish keeping the sun overhead or at your back if possible. Look for diving birds and feeding fish,often signs of mackerel or ladyfish. Study the water and fish the "cuts" or washouts by blind casting. Also contact the fly fishing club in Fort Walton Beach, great group of guys. And should the winds be out of the south, consider fishing the sound side fishing in either Destin or nearby Navarre. Navarre beach is beautiful and is bound to the west by a long stretch of national seashore that affords great accessibility to both the surf and the sound. This beach runs all the way to Pensacola where after passing through Pensacola Beach the national seashore continues for approximately 18 miles to Perdido and on to Gulf Shores Alabama.The sound offers some good spelled trout and redfish opportunities, as well as many other species. Hope this helps and good luck and enjoy your stay

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Fly Samurai knows his stuff. Listen to him. I fish Apalachicola, and what he says about his area would be applicable to my area.

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