Destin in Late July

[Czar]

I will be at Seaside/Destin the last week of July. Does anyone know how good the redfish fly fishing on the flats is at that time of the year? Blue Bay Outfitters charge about $450 for guide and boat for the day. If the fishing is supposed to be good, any recommendations for a guide.

[Bocephus]

Czar, I do some redfishing on the bay side by just wading out. There are some good catches right now. I live in the condo overlooking the sandestin Hilton hotel so you should be sure to hit me up when you are here, I would be interested in doing a guide trip as well. Let me know, I'll keep you updated on the fishing until then.

[btreeves]

The great Bocephus has emerged from his hibernation!? I figured you had moved onto some new hobby and joined some new message board. Sorry to bump in on this thread, but we haven't seen this guy in a while.

[jamessig]

You might post on the Fl Sportsman board and get some more info.
http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zeromain?id=1
Try the panhandle and FFing forums.

[Steve Hudson]

The last few years I've had a good many chances to fish that area -- the most recent being last week! -- and I'll be glad to offer specifics on fishing in that area.

Depending on the conditions when you're there, you should find plenty to keep you busy in the surf and in the bay.

In the surf: You may well find ladyfish on the beaches, maybe some big jacks, and maybe much more -- one of the joys of saltwater flyfishing! Last week, son Nathan and I landed ladyfish, blues, and jacks, among others, and even a nice pompano fishing the surf from Sandestin east.

Look for baitfish jumping from the water or for areas of "nervous" water. The schools of ladyfish chasing bait literally make the water look like it's boiling -- something that must be seen to be believed. Jacks will do the same thing, as will many others. Don't worry about hitting the boiling water -- fish around it, even some distance from it, and hold on! Try blind casting if you don't see fish.

If wind doesn't make things too choppy, try to get the first or last couple of hours of a moving tide. Our preference was for crack-of-dawn fishing, and we'd fish for a few hours then go eat breakfast. I could get used to that! But we also had great success in the evenings...and even midday if we got away from the swimmers and the wind wasn't bad. In any case, you might want to make your first excursion around low tide, as the bottom won't be quite so mysterious then.

The fishing off the beach can be good most anywhere in the area. There is public access at a number of state parks, though Henderson Beach is often crowded. For more solitude and reduced risk of encounters with swimmers, you might try some of the other less-used beach-access parks to the east.

You'll find similar places west and east from Ft. Walton Beach to Panama City and beyond. In any case, no need to wade to the outer bar -- fish close to the beach and cast parallel or out, depending on what's happening. Watch before casting for walkers and sunbathers, though, as they'll sometimes sneak up behind you to watch. It's especially neat to land one with a parent/child watching -- the child invariably gets all excited, and you have a great opportunity to do a little fishin' promotion!

As for flats: In the Destin area, there are good wadable flats on either end of the Mid Bay Bridge (toll); which you pick is mostly a function of the wind. There is public access on the northwest end of the Mid Bay Bridge at White Point, though you'll need to purchase a parking pass at the Jackson Guard office in Niceville (reasonable) or you may get ticketed. Access on the southeast side of the bridge is via private property, but you may be able to get permission. Where you target will depend on wind as much as anything, but as you'll see when you look at local maps, it's possible to find somewhere that gets you out of the wind in most cases.

The flat on the south end of the bridge hasn't fished as well for me since the hurricanes rearranged much of the sand and wiped out much of the grass. We tried several times at various tide points with only limited success (by Destin standards). Given slow fishing on the flat or fast fishing in the surf, we chose the surf. The north-end flats at White Point were so rough and windy each time we had the chance that we didn't fish them this trip, though they're sometimes very nice the first couple of hours of the day.

One more north-end site is Rocky Bayou SP in Niceville. There's a large and fairly deep flat extending from the park's boat ramp. Good, but boat traffic can be significant.

Fly-wise, take chartreuse and white cloussers -- this will be your mainstay --plus brown and white cloussers. All white works well in the surf too. I tie 'em with lead eyes and with chain eyes to work various depths. If you want more variety and are targeting certain species, take various shrimp patterns. The water can be gin clear this time of year, and a little extra flash will help draw the fish's attention.

I like cloussers during the day, though if I'm ever lucky enough to get in the midst of many fish there's nothing like topwater. I especially enjoy switching to topwater flies early morning or late afternoon when the wind lies down. Gurgler-style flies, with foam backs folded over palmered hackle and with body-length or longer tails, are easy to tie and bring tremendous strikes.

Regardless of the fly, make sure your hooks are sharp! Gamakatsus are sharp out of the box; most others (especially the large-box hooks from Mustad) can benefit from a stroke or two of a fine file. Once sharpened, they're fine.

I use a simple leader consisting of about 5 or 6 feet of 30 to 50 lb. mono or fluro and another 5 or so feet of 15 to 25 lb. mono or fluro. The fluro is likely overkill, since these fish aren't leader-shy -- Nathan used straight mono and did as well or better than ol' Dad here. In any case, add a foot of 40 lb mono for a bite tippet. Ladyfish and blues will shred your tippet otherwise...with the bite tippet they'll still shred it, but you'll go longer between tippet changes.

If you've not fished salt before, you may want a net to land the fish (till you get a feel for what you can and can't/shouldn't hold), plus heavy-duty hemostats to unhook them. Underline the heavy-duty part. Also, tie your fly box to your belt, lest a wave float it out of your pocket and off into the great watery beyond. Don't ask me how I know!

On the flats and in the surf, you'll need to be aware of the presence of stingrays. We saw a bunch last week. If there are jellyfish, consider that too and use caution. They hurt.

In the surf, and sometimes on the flats too, you're going to see sharks sooner or later. Sometimes it seems that they may actually come toward you to see what's going on. It's a spooky experience. Be careful.

I have found most of the locals met on the water to be very helpful.

Tight lines, and please drop me an email or give a ring if I can offer further suggestions or more specific info.

Steve Hudson

[Bassman]

Steve, great fishing report. You need to contact the AJC and start writing a fishing report each week for us.

[biggatrout]

Hey kids how about a three way fishing day. I will be in Destin July 22-29 in a Condo almost across from Bass Pro. Last year I went out behind the marina with the large muriel (asked for permission) and caught a few fish, nothing of size but fishing none the less. Would be nice to meet fellow NGTOers doing some salt water fishing, and since its vacation we can share a beer or two.

Bigga...

BigGaTrout@comcast.net

Steve, I am looking forward to giving my new rod a salty workout. It has been bending here in TN on bass and GAR.

[ASago]

I'll miss you guys by a week or I would have loved to join ya.

[biggatrout]

Aaron...your just going to have to change you trip dates to meet up. What kind of founder would not fish with his people. just kidding you going before or after, we may need a report.

Steve...just re-read your post, the thing about sharks. Ummm.....Ahhhhh....Ummm......UUmmm....Uummmm....AA Aaahhhhhh do they make a shark spray that works a lot like bear spray. I have some sea dye from my Air Force survival days should I just put that out to scare them off. Sharks, just arent like snakes, at least with snakes I can beat them with my flyrod. I fear it wouldnt have the same effect though....

Bigga...

[Czar]

Steve, thank you for all the information. Bigga, I would enjoy meeting with you and any others while in the Destin area. I have a house rented in Seaside from July 23 - 30. Probably need the 23rd and 24th to get settled in and could meet and fish any day after. Clarke