# Sight Fishing Questions



## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

I've gotten interested in sight fishing for specks and reds. It's the neatest thing in the world...as many of you know, I'm sure.

My question is this: I've only been to Louisianna but I'm sure the water clearer over ya'lls way. Are there some general areas ya'll could point me to? We live over in Fairhope (somebody on here once said Fairhope = dirty water and overpriced antiques (G)...but anywhere from the Destin area back west would be perfect.

My problem is the boat I've got for this is just a small skiff with a 6hp motor...obviously, I don't have much range. We also have a 17ft Whaler w/ a poling platform but it's hard as hell to pole. I'd rather just use the little boat if there are some viable areas I could get to...that wouldn't take me three days to get to with a 6 horse 

Obviously, not asking for anybody's honey holes...just a few starting points. I'd rather catch one or two reds sight fishing than ten just blind casting...guess I'm just an odd duck.

Thanks so much!


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## chasin-tail (Oct 8, 2007)

Go to Big Lagoon by the beached sail boat....Wear good sunglasses too!!!


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

*Thanks much...is that Galvez St. ramp the closest?*

Also...when would they/do they move up onto the flats? Is it time yet?


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

Bill, is that You?????


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

*It's me bro......*

How in the heck are you? Well, I hope. Heading out, unfortunately, to a funeral.

Yep, our buddy Jack Teague got me interested in this sight fishing deal. I like it best, however, when I go with him and he poles me all day 

I really don't have the right boat for it but do have a small skiff I bought 30+ years ago. It doesn't draw much water (flat bottom) so I'm thinking I could make do with that. I took it over to WGL one day and it did fine...just took me half a day to get back in there with the 6 HP.

Talk to you soon...let's go fishing!


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Sight Fishing*

The next best thing to sight fishing is fly fishing for them. It's a ball!

The above posters are spot on. buy yourself some good Polaroid sunglasses and a floppy 'go to h****'' hat. JMHO C2


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## JonnyT (Dec 2, 2007)

Specks really start moving onto the flats in late March and heat up through June. Summer is still good fishing in the morning and sunset (dusk and dawn), but night fishing by docklights (by sight) is awesome in the summer. Occasional redfish show up at the shallow water lights, and are all over the deeper water lights. At night, I like to observe and wait for the big gator trout that is inevitably in the shadows to show herself and try to temp her with a fly. Once you hook a trout, the rest of them will spook for a while and you probably wanna move on to the next light before coming back to the one where you hooked up.

Tight lines.
JonnyT


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## roundman (Dec 30, 2010)

Off Innerarity Point in Mid April or early May, sometimes the there bare spots in grass beds. Pick your days with clear sky.


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## OP-FOR (Jan 23, 2010)

I found that my little pelican with a 4 hp is a sight fishing machine. So I would use the smaller boat. As far as sight fishing I look for the shadow more than the fish itself.


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

OP-FOR said:


> I found that my little pelican with a 4 hp is a sight fishing machine. So I would use the smaller boat. As far as sight fishing I look for the shadow more than the fish itself.


Thanks to all for the feedback. I've got a little...I guess it's 12ft....Kennedy Craft that I bought back in the mid 70s when I was still in college. It doesn't draw much water and I'm guessing would work. The downside is it doesn't have a poling platform, of course, but I can stand on the seat and pole it. I know I wouldn't have as much visibility as with a traditional flats boat...but maybe enough.

You know what's funny about that little boat? I almost never use it that somebody doesn't ask me, "Hey...how much you want for your little boat" or "I wish I had something like that..is it for sale?". With our other boat, I never get that.

I took it to get the bearings replaced and was telling them about how people always ask if it's for sale. When I picked it up, they laughed and told me that somebody stopped in to see if it was for sale. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, huh?

The good thing, also, is I can put a few gallons of gas in the little tank and fish all summer.


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## mjfishin (Oct 4, 2007)

*Kennedy craft*

This is what I did with my Kennedy Kraft made it into a flats boat. Sight fishing is awesome, its small and quiet. I have a 25hp on mine with a 40 lbs thrust trolling motor, put a live well, front and back decks, and even with two people in the boat I can still draft in 6 inches of water. Gulf Breeze is a good place to sight fish anywhere around the docks, just take it slow and you will find em. Last week we came across several trout and a 2 schools of reds, easy pickens.


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

*Thanks for the picture.*

I'll try to post a picture of mine on here. I think it's a little shorter than yours...but with a different hull. It's a flat bottom so it doesn't draw much water either.

I moved the front seat back a tad and put a trolling motor on the bow. The extra leg room from moving the seat made it easier to run the trolling motor foot controls. I love it for bass/bream fishing and fishing the lights at night. One fun thing with that boat is bass fishing. I tie the bugs with wire weed guards and throw them up in the back of brushpiles. You can slip and slide them over limbs real slowly...it's a blast. Then all you have to do is figure out how to get the fish out of the brush.

Like I told you, I'm thinking it would be great for getting up in shallow water for specks and reds. It can't draw more than 5-6 inches...even with my fat azz in it. 

This spring I'm going to focus on sight fishing. I appreciate the tip on a starting point to look for fish.


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

*Kennedy Kraft*

Hey mjfishin (and others)

Here's my humble little Kennedy Kraft. I bought it in the mid 70s so I guess it's 30+ years old now. I measured it and it's 13 ft. OK for two people...but no more

As you can see, it's more of a jon-boat design than yours. I'm not sure how much it draws...but it ain't much. The only problem, as you can imagine, is there is zero tolerance for rough water and it's really slow with a 6 horse. Still, I've caught a lot of fish out of it.

I moved the seat back a tad to give me more room for the foot controls on the trolling motor. I put on running lights...don't think they're required but I do feel safer when night fishing. 

BTW, the rating plate thing has fallen off but I seem to recall it was rated for up to a 20 HP. Doesn't that seem awfully big? Maybe my memory fails me. I don't think I'd want to be in it with a 20 HP wide open. :no:

Just thought I'd pass this along.


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## jeubank3 (Oct 2, 2007)

nice setup, where in al do you live fly fisher?


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

*Thanks*

We're over in Fairhope but I much prefer ya'lls water. Somehow, many of my trips start out on 98 or I-10 heading east.

How about yourself?


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## jeubank3 (Oct 2, 2007)

live in montgomery. over the years i have drifted further east in my fishing. started around pensacola and now go mostly to st joe bay. very good sight fishing there in the grass flats on the bay. good with a boat and a lot of areas wading or kayaking.


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

jeubank3 said:


> live in montgomery. over the years i have drifted further east in my fishing. started around pensacola and now go mostly to st joe bay. very good sight fishing there in the grass flats on the bay. good with a boat and a lot of areas wading or kayaking.


Totally agree about SJ Bay. I can't think of another place that I pick if I only had one spot I could fish the rest of my life. I cut my saltwater flyfishing teeth with that little Kennedy Kraft back in the 70s drifting those grassbeds for specks. I've been in love with that place ever sense.


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