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All, I will be heading to St Marks after church on Sunday with my family for a week of flats fishing. As a native of South Georgia I have caught bass and bream, jacks, etc all my life on a fly rod, but salt water is turning into a bit of a challenge. Currently fish a Sage Xi2 and Ross Canyon reel in 8 wt and have a fairly good selection of Clausers, spoonflys, deceivers. Based on the current state of the flats what would guys suggest? I do know the bay very well from Panacea down to Keaton, but need some coaching using this flyrod. Up until now I simply have not been able to catch fish even after locating them via drifting.

Thx!

Good pair of sunglasses and fishing in a place with good water clarity and feeding fish is all you need....being quiet and still - kind of like hunting on a boat. Sounds like you have a good setup and the right flies...you said drifting - poling or trolling into the right place will help you get in tight...drifting leaves you at the mercy of the current and wind. Like a fighter pilot keeping the sun to your back helps you see the fish

Good advice from Chalk. Staking off within casting distance of ambush points like creek mouths, oyster bars and natural funnels helps with the stealth factor. A Stick-It Anchor pin, Power Pole or even slipping the anchor off the stern (if sea conditions allow) will hold the boat in place. Height advantage helps as well. A casting platform or standing on top of a cooler (provided it's stable and will support the weight) are ways to accomplish this.

Finally, put your time in. Sounds like you have the tools and skills. Now it's just a matter of practice. Good luck.

Thanks - we will see how it goes. Regards!

As someone said above height is critical for you to spot the fish, but being able to stop the boat quietly is nearly as important. Also work on being able to go from fly in hand to 30-40 feet with minimal false casting(3 or less). Also learn to roll cast well. On second thought, cut the learning curve down some and pay the 50-75 bucks and have a good casting instuctor give you some pointers.

Barhopr wrote: On second thought, cut the learning curve down some and pay the 50-75 bucks and have a good casting instuctor give you some pointers.

or take a road trip, contact The Fly fisherman in Titusville. Get a lesson with Flip Pallot. The lesson is supposed to be an hour long for $100. My daughter got it for me and I met up with Flip, the lesson was over 3 hours long. He doesnt worry about time, he enjoys what he does.

Thanks for all of the information. Based on your experience I got a host of issues. First, I am fishing from a 21 ft bayboat so no pushing this beast with a push pole and very difficult to stop quietly. No elevated surface at the moment, but that will be fixed before leaving home - going to attach a cooler to the casting deck. Specifically, casting the fly rod aid the problem - I can unroll the line out to 50-60 feet and make very little disturbance on the water. I have not been able to see fish to cast to. Sounds like I am a bull in a china closet - maybe it is time for a skiff intended for flyfishing! On other note thanks for the information on the Stick It - got one on order and should have it by Thursday this week. Regards, Allen

Don't dismiss the big boat for fly fishing, just use it to your advantage. You can use the big boat on the outside to look for cobia, kings etc...But If you really want to fish inshore with the fly rod I would go a little smaller.