Unfortunately I don't get that many opportunities to fish saltwater. About 95% of my saltwater fishing occurs in Galveston. I love Galveston, and the fishing there can be very good. But I have had very little luck fly fishing there. My best guess as to why is simply that I suck. My second best guess is that the murky water is not conducive to blind casting a fly rod. I am wading, and the only fish I have been able to see are literally within my rod length, and generally I pick them up about a second before they spook. I've gotten lucky while blind casting, but it has been few and far between.

Because of all this, I have pretty much given up fly fishing in Galveston and switched over to conventional gear. The main secret of success to conventional gear there is the venerable popping cork. You don't have to be right on top of them with the popping cork. The sound and splashing actually attracts fish to your bait even when they can't see it.

A few weeks ago as I was tying a shrimpy gurgler, I found myself wishing there was a popping cork that could be used with a fly rod. I got on google and found this link, but I don't like this one because it looks like a wine cork that will splash, but not make any other noise.

Lightbulb.

I pulled the cork from a 1/2 empty bottle of wine and drilled a hole down the middle of the cork, then strung a length of 50# mono and some beads on either side. Shaking it around it just didn't make much noise, so I rummaged around the garage and found the smallest washers I could and added those against the cork. The washers clink and clang against the beads just like you want to hear. I test-cast these about midnight last night standing out in the middle of my street (remember 2 bottles of wine had to be emptied to make them!). They were handled pretty well with the 8WT rod. Granted it will feel different with the dropper fly attached and an ocean breeze, but I doubt there will be any issue casting.

I feel like a clouser or deceiver, or any other baitfish pattern will work pretty well under these. I'm also working on a shrimp gamechanger that should be good. More to come on that later. Anybody else try something like this on the fly?

Interesting idea!

I would love to see a side by side test of that and just a standard saltwater popper (ie. bob’s banger) with the same trailing fly.

I fly fish the salt at night a lot. At night noise and water pushing is more important than color, much like your stained water. A few years ago I made a 6" fly out of black hair combed from a mare's tale. I just shoved all the hair that would fit through the eye of a hook, doubled it over and threw on some wraps and a couple knots. It catches the heck outta' specks. It's jet black, no way they can see it. The big fold of hair at the hook eye really moves some water though. I think they hit it out of anger. It's so heavy once it's wet I have to cast it with a 9 or 10wt rod, and it's slooooooow.....really have to change your casting game.