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Inshore Flies? For Trout/Redfish/Striper

Saltwater 
8K views 52 replies 11 participants last post by  Fly2bTied 
#1 ·
I have a 9 wt fly rod I used in Inagua for bonefish about 8 years ago and have not used it since. Thinking about trying it down on the Pungo/Pamlico for the local species. Any recommendations on over-the-counter flies, how to fish etc? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Would love to see some pics of recommended flies. Consider me a newb to inshore fly fishing. :eek:
 
#30 ·
ok - you all convinced me - going to try it - Any recos on starter set up? I will try not to get addicted - my wife would kill me - especially because i am getting ready to start building rods again... it has been 20 years since i have used my rod machine and i just broke it out and dang, it still works!
 
#31 ·
I bought all my tying equipment piece by piece, so other here could tell you better than I about tying sets. I have a Peak vise, but was looking at a Renzetti Traveler when I got a good deal on the Peak. The vise you buy should depend on how much you feel you can put into it and how heavy a fly you'll be tying. There has been threads on tying vises on ncangler, so you may want to do a search to see what you can find.
 
#32 ·
I agree. I am not a huge fan of "kits" myself, bot for some people it works. You wont need half of the tools they come with, and the vises usually arent great. You can spend anywhere from $50 to $5000 on a vise depending on budget. I started with a Peak, and in my opinion, its still one of the greatest vises are any price point avaliable today. I sold it and got a different style vise. I found I rarely used rotary feature. It makes flies look messy....I like to use both hands to control the material on the hook. Now I use a Stonfo Kaimen.

You have to decide on what style/size fly you are going to tie most often, what type of vise you want (rotary? cam level? jaws? base style?) and you have to decide on what your budget is. When I bought mine, I already knew I would become addicted to tying. I have always been sorta artsy-fartsy in a way, so I decided to get a good vise that would last a lifetime. Others are hesitant to do that which is very understandable.

If you want to "try" fly tying out without alot of cash....I would actually reccommend the cheapest kit you can find (amazon has some for $20ish). If you are fairly confident that you will be using it alot, dont skimp. You will only regret it. Im not saying you have to spend $5000 on a vise, after all....its just holding a hook for you, while you smash some hair and feathers on it.

There is an enourmous amount of good information on the internet about vises. If you are around a fly shop, or even some big box stores, go inside and ask questions and play around with the display models.
 
#36 ·
ok - Here are 4 clousers. I have tied 11 so far and these are the latest 4. I realized i needed to just slow down and not try to be all quick like all the videos i have been watching. these are not great but my confidence is building. I know this is supposed to be an easy fly but it really takes some getting used to. ANY advice or critiques are welcome. i have thick skin. also, anyone have advice on other color patterns? I only bought a couple different colors.
Artificial fly Bait Fishing bait Automotive lighting Fishing lure
Fishing bait Bait Feather Wing Tail
Bait Artificial fly Fishing bait Wing Tail
Fishing bait Bait Feather Fishing lure Wing
 

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#53 ·
ok - Here are 4 clousers. I have tied 11 so far and these are the latest 4. I realized i needed to just slow down and not try to be all quick like all the videos i have been watching. these are not great but my confidence is building. I know this is supposed to be an easy fly but it really takes some getting used to. ANY advice or critiques are welcome. i have thick skin. also, anyone have advice on other color patterns? I only bought a couple different colors.
View attachment 71703 View attachment 71705 View attachment 71706 View attachment 71707

Those look really nice, good job!
 
#39 ·
Looking good, especially for your first few attempts. Are you using the hair from the bottom of the bucktail, or the top of the bucktail? The bottom hairs are hollow and float, and also flare out when you synch them down on the hook. The top hairs are thinner, not hollow, and dont float. They also dont flare out when you synch them down. For clousers I use the top hairs. Clousers work in all kinds of colors, try some pink.

You are on the right track for sure, especially when you say "i need to slow down". Thats what everyone's problem is. I constantly tell myself to chill out, im not in a rush. It will make a much better fly in the end, trust me.
 
#40 ·
No problem with those flies. They will catch all day.

If I may offer one tip though:
When you chose the hair from the bucktail, go about an inch or two up from the bottom of the tail and start there (work up from here). The hair at the bottom of the tail is hollow and will flair when you tighten down on it causing it to flair. Its almost the same consistency of deer body hair which you can see in Daniel's flies that he spins. You can also see the flair in my first flies that I tied because like most people I started at the bottom and worked up on the tail.

When you finish tying, dab some superglue over the thread on the front of the fly, also put a drop where the bucktail goes over the eyes. This goes a long way for the durability of the fly.
 
#43 ·
Good looking flies for sure!... Study that Clouser video and I think you'll see that he doesn't wrap the "belly" (white) hair real tight around the dumbell eyes. Instead, he ties it in with a more gentle slope in front of and behind the eyes....so it doesn't create such a pronounced bump over the dumbell. If you want a sleeker more slender fly e.g. imitating silversides or glass minnow, you can wrap the thread around the white belly hair a little further toward the bend of the hook....and don't make the last few wraps too tight. Then, instead of flaring, the hair will go almost straight back, maybe even bend slightly in the direction of the hook bend. It will create a more streamlined, slender look and help keep the white hair close to the other color.

Some folks like to use clear monofilament fly tying "thread." That way you don't have to worry about matching or contrasting colors and the color of the hair will show through the clear mono thread. But mono can be a little annoying until you get use to tying with it.

Looking good. Enjoy tying!
 
#45 ·
Those dogs will hunt. Keep a couple as your first ties and then a year down the road compare them. You will find you have better thread flow an a better idea of materials. I tie multiple flies of the same and it helps develop your skills.

Good luck, this is one we used to catch blues, albies and bonito this spring. Its a little ragged but matches the hatch pretty good.
Insect Arthropod Fish Pest Invertebrate
 
#46 ·
Folks! I can't thank you all enough. All this advice has been just great! I took a free class at my local bass pro last night and learned some really good general tying techniques as well. We tied several wooly boogers(buggers?) in the intro class. An now of course i already have close to $300 invested in equipment and materials. i think i am set for a while. haha yeah right. Going down to our river house on the pungo Sunday through Wednesday and hope to christen a clouser on whatever hits it! tying flies is more addicting than imagined...
 
#48 ·
My advice would be to go somewhere where you know there are some fish. Bluefish are great to start on. Those Clousers you tied will definitely work on them. See what works and doesn't work as far as casting and retrieving are concerned. Blind fishing for reds and trout in the Pamlico will get frustrating really fast. Finding feeding fish and seeing what they will eat is the best way to determine what you are in for. I don't know where you live but generally if you can get to an inlet on the coast during an outgoing tide you will have a nice chance. One more thing, go ahead and get a stripping basket. Makes life worth living. Good luck. There's a lifetime of constant learning in the sport of flyfishing. I've been doing it for over 30 years and I learn something new every time.
 
#49 ·
now that is great advice! no need for the frustration for sure - if i get on some striper in the Pamlico/pungo this weekend i will try some blind casting but not just to start off with. If i even fly fish - will have a couple buddies with me and it may get a bit crazy on the boat with fly casting. i am pretty good at but would prefer not taking a trip to the washington urgent care. lol. we'll see what happens.
 
#50 ·
a bit crazy...
That can certainly happen....a good reason to make sure everyone is wearing sun glasses and hats for some protection from flying hooks. And, it's not unheard of for an excited spinning rod angler to fire off a cast with a Stingsilver etc. and snag or ding the tip of a long fly rod....which may "end the life" of the fly rod for a while. Also a good reason to consider pinching the barb down on flies...which makes them easier to remove from clothes (and skin). A good pair of pliers and cutters which will snip a stainless hook is also a good idea.

These are just suggestions I've heard....I don't have any first hand experience with these issues. :rolleyes:
 
#51 ·
I just read ( at my local Barns & Noble ) Orvis Fly tieing for beginners, found a lot of useful tips for new tiers. Like when you want to wrap the shank hold the tag end of the thread at a 45 degree angle an let each wrap slide down the angle thread, makes a perfect wrapped hook shank without any extra thread or bare spots. Never knew about the floating and sinking bucktail hair, great advise !
 
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