# Have about a week @ Pensacola Beach



## pspahn (Jun 19, 2017)

Howdy All!

So nice to see some folks with saltwater fly fishing experience. I am with my wife and a lot of her family for a reunion here (many of them live in the area) but I am from Denver. I have had some experience throwing clousers in salt water in San Diego and North Carolina, but haven't been able to hook into anything. 

I've been fishing on a fly rod for a long time, but my experience out on big water isn't so hot. Fishing mountain streams, I've never had a need to work on haul casting, so I am not very good at that. 

I spent basically all day today driving around getting a rod together for myself. Ended up with an 8wt crappy rod kit (scientific angler) from Academy that I found was missing the correct reel (had a 3wt reel) and had no fly line or backing. After driving back to Pensacola Beach and realizing their mistake, I drove all the way back there and bought the only reel and fly line they had in the store. $20 5-6-7wt reel and some lousy $20 8wt line with some 20lb backing I picked up at Gulf Breeze. 

I brought a number of clousers and shellfish patterns that I use for cutthroats, and picked up a few extras while I was here. I know what to use, I know basically where to go, I just lack experience on salt water.

I plan on hitting the surf off our rental house on Pensacola Beach and figured heading down to Ft. Pickens and wading out on the sand bar so I can cast with the wind at back towards the channel would be a reasonable approach (the winds look like they'll be a little tough this week). 

I know it's a shot in the dark, but I think it'd be awesome to meet a local and be able to hang out for a bit and pick their brain a little. I'd certainly be happy to return the favor back in the Rockies. 

My wife's cousin is from Mobile and does have a small boat that we will be going out on at some point, but he's doesn't fly fish (I was kind of blowing his mind tonight at the dock with how presentable a clouser is). That will certainly be fun when we go, but the fly rod probably won't be too accommodating for everyone else on the boat. 

I'd love to just talk some fly fishing with someone that knows what's up. The guys at Academy didn't even know how to spool a fly reel so I feel like a bit of a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

You should wade the Sound side at night and concentrate on dock lights. As long as you are in the water you are not trespassing. Speck bite should be hot.


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## MaxxT (May 9, 2015)

Welcome to Hurricane Central...lol


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## pspahn (Jun 19, 2017)

Yeah, that forecast changed quite dramatically since my post last night. Sitting here looking at the swells grow and a Trop Storm Warning has been issued. Everyone else is the house seems to think business as usual. 

Oh well, maybe next time Pensacola.


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## pspahn (Jun 19, 2017)

Ended up staying up late last night and standing in a cyclone at the end of the dock on the sound and pulled in a few speckled on an olive/white clouser. That was a completely unique experience for me and it was a blast. I've fished in the rain, I've fished from a dock, but never have I fished from a dock in a tropical storm with rain coming in sideways at midnight and had the fish refuse to leave my fly alone. I couldn't keep them off it. They spooked out after awhile, but while it was on, it was certainly ON. My buddy was getting hits on his little spinning rig with an artificial shrimp. He's from Mobile and knows the area well, his words, "I had no idea this was even a possibility."

Thanks for the tips, now I'm just hoping Thursday or Friday get nice enough to go out. I am thinking Big Sabine Bay will be my target as long as the rain lets up some.


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## 69Viking (Oct 30, 2008)

So tell me more about this clouser you speak of if you don't mind!? I'm new to Fly Fishing having just learned hot to cast a Fly Rod last week when I went on vacation to Gatlinburg. My son and I bought a couple of 6 wt. White River Fly Rod kits from Bass Pro before our trip and for the most part they work well for a Bass Pro brand fly rod kit. Now that we're back here I'd like to try fly fishing saltwater, I guess I just need to get out to the dock and give it a whirl. I'm just not sure what works in Saltwater and there doesn't seem to be a lot of tackle shops around here that know much about fly fishing either. Glad you found some success despite the weather!


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## pspahn (Jun 19, 2017)

If you head to Gulf Breeze bait and tackle, go to the first aisle as you walk in that is just opposite from the drink coolers and sunglasses. There is a pretty nice selection of flies from USMC Fly Guy, there should be some clousers in there.

It is imitating a small bait fish (or I suppose a shrimp or squid based on it's action/color, but that feels like a stretch). It has barbell eyes to give it nice sinking action. I found a good approach is to cast out and either start stripping it in right away (as quickly as you can basically) or let it sink to the bottom and have it sit there for a minute or so and then strip it in quickly. Adding a jig type action with your rod can help also.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

pspahn said:


> Ended up staying up late last night and standing in a cyclone at the end of the dock on the sound and pulled in a few speckled on an olive/white clouser. That was a completely unique experience for me and it was a blast. I've fished in the rain, I've fished from a dock, but never have I fished from a dock in a tropical storm with rain coming in sideways at midnight and had the fish refuse to leave my fly alone. I couldn't keep them off it. They spooked out after awhile, but while it was on, it was certainly ON. My buddy was getting hits on his little spinning rig with an artificial shrimp. He's from Mobile and knows the area well, his words, "I had no idea this was even a possibility."
> 
> Thanks for the tips, now I'm just hoping Thursday or Friday get nice enough to go out. I am thinking Big Sabine Bay will be my target as long as the rain lets up some.


They bite well in rough water/conditions under the lights. Here's a tip - don't cast until you see the big shadow, then go for that fish. Usually the big girls are eager to eat in the rough water. Once you land a fish, let the water rest for 10-15 minutes and the fish will be back. It's not that they turned off, it's that they left because they got smart.


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