Might get to tag along for a teal hunt around matagorda next weekend. Hoping to get to cast for some reds and maybe speckled trout too. Any suggestions for flies? I have zero experience on the coast.

Blind chickens in chartreuse/white and pink/white for the trout and reds. Borski sliders in olive, natural and black (match the water clarity) for redfish.

All of the above. My bottomline goto is this neapolatin GULP colored Clouser - stainless steel hooks brass eyes. Catches all fish, not all fishermen though!

Thanks for the info guys. I know I could tie up some of those clousers. Will stop by dirty water to see qhat they have got also. Thanks!

Clousers work great if you are blind casting in deep water. If your are sight casting on the flats however, i like shrimp patterns. But, as txww alluded to, you should match your flies to the water conditions. You don't want to throw a heavily weighted fly on a low tide with a grassy bottom. Conversely, you don't want to throw an unweighted fly on a high tide with a sandy bottom. Darker colors in darker water and so on. Bottom line is, if the fish are feeding and you get a fly out in front of them, on the level where they can see it, the odds are in your favor. That's about all you can do. Good luck! I hope you sight cast a fat Red on a fly. It'll change your life.

Thanks for the Reply Capt.
I hope so too!

I like shrimp flies also.

Ooh, I like that. I'm thinking about tying something very similar to that but with an epoxy back.

An epoxy back would be good. The fly doesn’t hold up very well when you throw it behind a shrimp boat.

Does the turbulence behind the shrimp boat cause the problem?
I think the trick will be making an epoxy back that does weigh down the fly too much.

In the bay the problem is redfish, trout, and flounder. Behind a shrimp boat it is tuna, king mackerel, cobia, and sharks.

Gotcha! Don't think an epoxy back would help much with that. But, for what i'm after, I think it will work fine.

A couple of shrimp-y flies I’ve tied for my son’s business / website, Bite and Fight Angler.

JR

Those are awsome!