Hey All,

I got invited on a trip down to Lake Pontchartrain in 2 weeks
to fish for reds and specs in the marshes. I was told that this is when the school trout make their runs and big packs of bulls can often be found.

My gulf coast fly fishing experience is limited to casting off a dock under the lights at night.I would love to take anyone up on any free advice. I think I have the makings of a halfway decent gulf saltwater set up. I have an 8 weight Winston Vapor and matching Okuma Helios reel. I'm going to try and get line, leaders and flies next week and any recommendations on these or any other must have gear would be most welcome and appreciated!

Clothing wise I'm going to be in Columbia pants and shirts, buff, hat, Costas, chest pack and flats booties. If it look like its going to turn cold I'll probably pack my chest waders and additional layers.

Thanks again to all!

stop in at talk with Matt and the guys at Tailwaters in Dallas they are a wealth of info and will set you up right

Will do if I make it over to Dallas. I've stopped by twice, but they were closed both days. Heard it's an great store. Backwoods in Fort Worth is great too. Stephen Woodcock knows his stuff there.

Gold Spoon flies are reliable, not all spoons are made equal - make sure you get the good ones.

Crab patterns in sand/grey/neutral and gold(shiny) tones work well also.

Best of luck, let us know how you do! Jose.

Practice your double haul.

Thanks Steve and Spiny! Much appreciated. Headed to Backwoods today to pick out line and have been practicing daily. I've been watching every youtube video on the hall and double hall. I grew up trout fishing and still don't get quite get it. I mean I think I understand how it works, but I am not seeing the advantage to it being faster or "more efficient" , Hopefully Stephen Woodcock is there today and can give a pointer or two.

If you can make to the Fall Fling tomorrow there will be several instructors available to help with your double haul. I may be there too.

Timing is the key to the double haul. When you get the timing right, you will definately notice a difference in the cast.

In extremely simplified terms:

- Start your rod hand moving
- About halfway through the stroke, pull the line down with your line hand
- Stop the rod (just like you normally would do)
- AFTER the stop, raise your line hand back UP to the rod and "give the line back" (similar to shooting the line but without letting go of it)
- Repeat the same timing on the forward and back casts (it is easier to learn on the back cast)
- On the final forward cast, shoot the line when you give it back

In general, match the speed and length of the haul to the casting stroke. Fast cast = fast haul. Slow cast = slow haul. Long cast = long haul. Short cast = short haul.

Tips for a more efficient haul include:
- Pull the line straight down in alignment with the rod; not perpendicular to it. (Less friction.)
- As a general statement, you can not haul too fast, but you can haul too early which can cause a tailing loop. Learn the timing of the double haul first and then focus on learning to haul faster to get more distance and power in the cast.

Good luck!

Thanks much for the excellent casting instructions. They are printed out already and will be referenced heavily over the next few days.

Thanks for the invite! Would love to make it out, but I'm afraid my Honey Do list is a mile long tomorrow. Sounds like a very fun event. I would love to get involved with FWFF, but I'm a perpetual over-committer. Hopefully some day soon.

Went with Rio Redfish 8wt line and Rio 16 lb leaders. I've only casted in on the lawn so far, but seems like it will be great for quick short casts, but after about 35+ ft, I haven't gotten the hang of it.

I haven't had a chance to cast the Rio Redfish line yet, but I've heard good comments about it from folks I trust. It should be a good choice.

Have fun!

RexW/Winchester44
Here in the Rockport/Fulton area (flats) the fly fishing community uses the Rio Redfish line. When sight fishing as you know your shots are usually 30' and under. You just pickup an shoot. If you have to reach out touck a redfish at 60 feet there is no problem. I use this line for blind casting also.
I don't double haul. You should at least try one. If you come to the Rockport area you can try my Rio Redfish and Bonefish line. George G and I talk all the time about pickup and shoot.
Winchester44 just practice and you will be able cast the Rio Redfish over 60'.

Thanks Beto,

I practiced for an hour Saturday and actually took it out to a small lake by my house Sunday for about 3 hours). After an hour Saturday when it was dead calm I made several perfect hits on a paper plate at 45 ft. I'm starting to think my problems are more with my rod (Winston Vapor 8wt) than with my line. I've been fishing with pretty flexy 3-5 weight rods all summer and this Winston is stiff. All in all though the line is slick and I was impressed with it's ability to punch right into a 5-7 mph wind. By the end of the day Sunday I was really just thinking where I wanted to put the fly and 3/4 of the time that's where it ended up. No 60 ft casts yet though.

Stephen at Backwoods talked me into sticking with some darker colors as they will be eisier to see in the dark water. I'm brining a few toads, crab and shrimp patterns and a bunch of clousers in every color. Saw this video and think I might have to bring some poppers too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CvFFF2jmvQ

Thanks again for all the help.

Thanks Beto, have you had a chance to use the Rio Redfish line in colder weather?

I'm just wondering if this is just a hot weather line or does it cast well in cooler weather too? I'm looking for a general purpose, year-round line that can be used in both a Texas summer and a Texas winter. Not sure it exists.

Just got some gold spoon patterns per Capt. Zissou. Guide said these are killer.

rio redfish is a wonderful line. I use it on two of my rods, and its a really easy line to cast with. you don't need a whole lot of line out to to load up the rod, and its decently accurate in wind. i think it comes down a little harder than the salt water lines just because it has a short meaty head. but you should like it. also for reds, i like to use EP Minnows