# speckled trout on the fly



## My Spot (Mar 30, 2012)

After 30 years of the fly rod hanging on the wall its time to get it out.I live on a bayou in the city limits of lake charles la and at times like rite before all the rain the redfish and trout follow the shad and bannana fish to my backyard.The first day with the fly rod i caught and landed a 26 3/4inch red. So i ordered a new rod and reel and before I recieved it the flood came and washed fish out and mud in. Dang the luck. The question is do many people catch many trout on the fly. I have the winter time big trout corky bite down on calcasieu lake but want to give the fly a shot. Any advice on what bait to start with .It seems like the redfish are caught site casting. Do many people blind cast for trout and reds. Hope the rain stops soon before the fish go to the gulf . Can not wait until winter gets here love that bite. Thanks in advance. jeff


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## RedFly (Mar 22, 2010)

Jeff,

Well it's good that you've already got a lot of experience catching fish and can obvisouly cast well enough to spot and catch a really nice slot red. I would say the easiest way to transition into catching trout on the fly would be to blind cast just like you would with conventional tackle. 

The best flies to start with would be minnow patterns like Clouser Minnows or Deceivers. The size and weight will depend on the weight of your fly rod. The larger your fly rod, the easier it is to cast flies that have a little weight and size to them. Small lead eyes, on a longer minnow shaped fly (3" - 4") on a size 2 hook in your favorite color for the conditions will fish and suspend more like a Corky than a plastic on a 1/4oz jig head. Great strategy for fishing common wading depths. I would use an 8 weight (7 or 9 would also work well) for this kind of fishing. 

I've also caught plenty of trout on 10 ft drop offs with a "sink tip" fly line and a more heavily weighted lead eye minnow fly. This combo would fish more like a plastic on a jig head. Fishing much deeper than that with a fly rod takes a lot of patience.

If you are fishing the flats in less than 2 feet then you probably won't need weight on your fly at all. The hook will be enough to get it down a little. This is a good thing as a lighter fly is always easier to cast than a heavier fly on any set up. But remember even hollow bead chain eyes on a Clouser are enough for the fly to fish hook up (#4) which is a more weedless presentation, whereas a Deciever always fishes hook down. If you are lucky enough to spot a trout before you cast in clear water I've had the best luck casting 5' or so in front of the trout and just past it, and tease the fly by a few feet away. They will come 5' - 10' to a fly they like whereas a Red more likely will only pounce 5" - 10".

The benefit to fly fishing for trout is that the lighter fly moves more naturally in the current than heavier conventional tackle which helps make up for the smaller bait that you are using. The other big benefit to me is in sight casting. I'd much rather have a fly rod in hand if I can see the fish because I know I can make a more accurate and delicate presentation. Sight fishing for Trout is normally much harder than sight fishing for Redfish or Drum. However the current State Record Trout was sight fished with a fly rod in the LLM and weighed over 14 pounds. 

Give it a shot and post pics of your success!


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## My Spot (Mar 30, 2012)

REDFLY
Thanks for the info. We have off colored water here so sight casting for trout does not realy present itself unless we see nervous bait being chased by trout.I saw big schools of reds today along a grass bank while wading but they were moving to fast to get to. I purchased an 8wt rod and reel should be here monday. The thought of casting a lighter weight bait being easier than a heavier bait seems backwards. I understand the process just different than the bait cast mentality. I am going to a local fly club meeting next week so I will hopefully learn from the locals. Beautiful day on the lake today calm winds and sunshine even got bit by the fish but not on the fly. I know it will happen soon.Glad to have a forum for fly fishing . Dont feel so alone.


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