Corpusfishing.com

[bulldog1935]

fly fishermen get weird about their fly boxes. Long ago, I tied all kinds of flies.
I've culled my patterns to 6 for coldwater (I prioritize 2), 4 for warmwater (counting a topwater slider), and 3 for saltwater.
http://www.corpusfishing.com/messageboard/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=37808
Especially in the surf, something like my hi-tie is all you need.

[lagunaflyoutfitters]

i second jeffs advice on both.

[Donnie]

[Donnie]

[bulldog1935]

Donnie, on an earlier post, mentioned I've caught jacks on Lydia Ann beach on the hi-tie.

[Donnie]

[ziacatcher]

Here are some flies that I caught Jack's on in the surf



And fishing has been tough for me lately so I've been trying to get some divine intervention

[Donnie]

Thanks for the pics, specially of the ties on to the fly - and of those small weights. When I get tired (way past) of pounding the keys, i am going out in the park to see if I can still put that line out - I was going to say reasonably, but 'at all' is more appropriate.

Yesterday was - while a beautiful day - was frustrating - about 3 throws of the cast net and a bucket of fingerling. (it was too windy to try the fly rod) - but anyway, put those finger mullet - out close , out far, out medium, and lost a few baits - but no hook ups. So I agree with need for divine intervention, but what I remember from the nuns back at St Teresa, that God - no matter how hard we prayed, wouldnt help the Cowboys, and I take that to mean, he wasnt into helping fishermen either, though He was known to find a few fishermen new occupations.

Thanks Z . Hope to see you soon.
_________________
Don - permanent prescription of salt water therapy.

[bulldog1935]

There are two problems fishing weight on a fly rod - both are related.
Fly lines aren't made to turn over weight - instead, they're made to pull along a weightless air-resistant fly - the weight hinges when you're trying to cast. Be careful not to hit yourself in the head.
Second, the action of stripping line on your retrieve naturally causes a weighted fly to yo-yo up and down, which bait never do.
(think of the action of dog-walking lures, which mimic a bait evading side-to-side)
When you're retrieving a weighted sinking lure on a spinning or bait rod, your steady retrieve makes the lure hover at a given depth. Tougher to achieve stripping line on a fly rod.
You can tuck the rod handle under your armpit and strip continuously with two hands, which I call a chernobyl strip - very effective on Spanish macks.

I fish flies with no more weight than bead chain. If I want to fish mid-column or deeper, I'll go to a sinking line, either a monocore intermediate density line (slime line), or TS-250 spliced sinking shooting head.
Aside from much improved cast distance, another advantage to sinking lines, they let you use 5' leaders.

[Donnie]

[bulldog1935]

btw, a neutral density sinking line could become your favorite in the surf - they're my favorite on the flats, and I fish them most of the time - I'll only go to a floating line in knee-deep grass redfish water.
Hovering a fly in mid-column is what intermediate sinking lines do best.
There's an Airflo line called Beach Intermediate Sinking.
The line is clear, which is why we called them slime lines when they first came out.

[Donnie]

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[Donnie]

[ziacatcher]

That's the way Billy Sandifer rigged up these flies when I went fishing with him down at the surf. It seemed to work okay in that I did catch some Jacks. Definitely had to be careful about hitting myself in the head. Takes a little more patience to let the fly reach its farthest point back before smoothly bringing it forward. You have to have a real deliberate smooth cast