# New to flies/West Bay



## tbooth87 (May 22, 2012)

All,

Putted around Green's Lake in West Bay on a super windy Saturday last weekend.
I ended up setting the fly rod down and opted for the baitcast when the wind made it too unbearable.

I'm fishing an 8wt rod/reel combo with flies Bayou City Angler told me will do the trick for reds.

Should I only bust out the fly rod when the winds are tolerable and when I can sight fish?


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## Tx Shallow H2O (Apr 7, 2014)

tbooth87 said:


> All,
> 
> Putted around Green's Lake in West Bay on a super windy Saturday last weekend.
> I ended up setting the fly rod down and opted for the baitcast when the wind made it too unbearable.
> ...


Pretty much, that's my rule of thumb as well. Fly rod when under 10 mph and clear water with sun. Otherwise, the old bait caster and blind casting.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Itâ€™s really just a choice. I like fishing fly more than baitcasting gear so I go with the fly rod unless something prevents me like being on a boat full of people. Iâ€™ve had some really productive days fly fishing when itâ€™s windy. I like fly fishing and enjoy sight casting, casting to sign and fly fishing structure like reef margins, marsh drains, points, etc. Everyone I fish with are all in on casting lures and soft plastics. We fish the same water and both enjoy it, fly rod or baitcasting rod.


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## RUFcaptain (Aug 12, 2011)

Always cover all your bases, take conventional gear (bait caster and/or spinning) and your fly gear. I learned this a long time ago from some pros down in Florida, keep your options open, a good fisherman is adept at all types of fishing as conditions dictate.


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

tbooth87 said:


> Should I only bust out the fly rod when the winds are tolerable and when I can sight fish?


If just catching fish is your end goal and you don't mind being mediocre at fly fishing the rest of your life, then yeah pack up your fly rod when it gets windy.

If you actually want to learn and grow and get better at fly fishing then leave your conventional tackle at home, even on the windy days. Will you get skunked some days? Probably, but take notes and use those days as learning moments.

Greens is almost always fishable, even when it's windy. The exception to this is if it's really really windy like 20+mph or if the wind suddenly changes directions and is pumping. You'll probably want to opt for more protected water on those days. But on the majority of days, you can find somewhere back in Greens with decent water to sight fish in. If you want water you can actually see fish in you're going to have to find the creeks and smaller back lakes in the back where it's more protected or find the areas that have sandier bottoms, which isn't a big area, but it's there. You can usually also find at least half decent visibility on some of the protected shorelines of the bigger back lakes. You won't see the fish until you're close to them but the water is stained, so they also don't see you all that great either. Other option is to go really shallow where the reds can't move without it being obvious. Fish that shallow are generally really spooky, but with the wind up, they tend to let their guards down.


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## Bird (May 10, 2005)

Pretty much what southpaw said. You just have to throw the long rod to get good at it. Ultimately, when I've had my baitcasters and my fly rods on the boat, I've always ended up throwing the Chronarchs. A few times last year we made fly rod only trips, the weather be damned. I got a lot better fly casting. I didn't catch any fish but we learned a lot and still had fun.

As far as whether or not you should bust out the buggy whip only when it is the right conditions, well that depends on you. Even if you spend the entire day blind casting with your fly rod, you will at least get better at casting. Unlike throwing conventional tackle, good fly casting is a perishable skill. Use it or lose it.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

A person can pretty much fly fish as if they were using Arties with a low profile baitcasting rig. Say thereâ€™s no fish showing and to make it more fun, I pick a target like a foot from the cordgrass or a clump of shell and try to put my fly on target. I always do this before I even commence to hunting for fish. I donâ€™t like my first cast of the day to be at an actual fish. I want to get a feel for the rod and my arm first. 

Sight casting can be pretty intense and it will wear me out. It can be really hard to keep a fish sighted in muddy, windy conditions. Sometimes, I know the fish is still there and I stake out and try to get another glimpse or if that doesnâ€™t work Iâ€™ll commence to casting the zone. That will often get the fish. Thereâ€™s obvious fish like tailing or backing fish, but there are also a lot of far less obvious targets that might be like a brief wake or bait moving out of the way of something. These things are great targets for a fly.


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## tbooth87 (May 22, 2012)

Southpaw and Bird with the purist truth-bombs!

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

~TB


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## SKIFFSTIFF (May 8, 2009)

*Skiffstiff*

Flyfishing for me has always been about the challenge.The worse the conditions the bigger the reward.I do have my limit though,and it is heavy cloud cover while poling in a foot or more of water.If the fish are in a foot or less then you have a chance to put eyes on them ,but any deeper and you have no shot.So,it is either switch tackle if you feel like the fish are out there or move into very shallow areas.I have done both at different times of the year.99% of my fishing is with the fly the other 1% is with baitcasters ,topwater,spoons,plastics,usually in that order.Think of the conventional stuff as insurance ,as it might save the day for you if you need it.
Good Luck
Things are looking better every day now.


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

Leave the other gear at home and just take a fly rod. Practice casting when it is windy because it is windy here a lot of the time. If you are hungry and need meat then leave the fly rod at home, but you will never know, what you could of done.


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