On The Fly Saltwater
July 2024
Article and photos by Ed Mashburn
Lots of families come to the white beaches and gentle surf of the Alabama Gulf Coast for vacations in summer. For flyrod anglers, it would be a very good idea to pack and bring along the long rod, because the Alabama Gulf Coast and surrounding waters are fine places to get into some great redfish on the fly.
And let us assure you, if you want to have a really exciting time, just hook up with an Alabama redfish and hang on. Even the little puppy reds are fun on a fly rod!
The author with a big summertime Bama red.
Where to Start
Fly anglers looking for Alabama redfish action will want to think small and they will also want to think large. Let us explain. Redfish of all sizes live in Alabama’s inshore waters, and some truly big redfish live just offshore in the open Gulf.
Small creeks and bayous
Visiting fly anglers should explore any of the many small bayous off massive Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound on the western side of Mobile Bay. Look at the easy to access waters of Bayou Le Batre for some good redfish action. Over in Baldwin County east of Mobile itself, there are many smaller bayous and creeks that harbor lots of slot-size redfish. Look at Wolf Bay and Wolf Creek, Fish River, and lower Magnolia River on the east side of Mobile Bay.
The big water
For some truly world-class big redfish, fly anglers can’t do much better than to put a line on the water over Dixey Bar, which lies just off massive Mobile Bay’s pass to the Gulf. Also, schools of big reds will chase bait to the surface anywhere along the coast at various times during the summer.
Regardless of their size, these redfish put a fight!
Gulf Passes
Fly anglers can have a ball casting the waters of both Mobile Bay Pass from Fort Morgan or Fort Gaines and also the fast-moving waters of Perdido Pass over toward the Florida border. Along with redfish, fly anglers will no doubt meet up with a range of other hard pulling fish that will bend a fly rod.
Barrier Islands
Off the mainland coast of Alabama, Dauphin Island and several other smaller barrier islands are grand places to find redfish of all sizes. These barrier islands are great for both wade fishing and boat fishing for fly anglers.
Tactics
How to Catch ‘Bama Reds
Rigging for redfish is not hard. The rod and reel need to be tough enough and strong enough to handle these hard-pulling fish. Eight-weight fly rods are good – fishing for redfish is not a situation where a fly angler wants to come under-gunned. An 8-weight with a 9-foot section of 20-pound-test monofilament leader will work for most redfish encountered. For the truly big reds of the open Gulf, a 12-weight rig might be a better idea for these are brutally strong fish.
Trying to catch redfish on a too-light flyrod will be frustrating. First, a light rod probably won’t cast well with the flies used, and if a red is hooked on a light rig, it will probably just run and keep running until something breaks.
A fly reel needs to have a decent drag system and a hundred yards of backing is needed. A big red can peel off line very fast when it runs.
Shrimp-look flies are the ticket for redfish. Reds love to eat shrimp, and any fly which even vaguely resembles a shrimp is good. Fly anglers will want to let their weighted streamers sink a bit before starting a retrieve, and the retrieve does not have to be too fast. Reds like an easy to catch meal.
A selection of redfish flies for the Alabama coast.
For maximum fly rod fun, you can cast a popper over feeding reds. When a school of actively feeding reds is found, there it is obvious, with lots of massive blow-ups and wakes. A white, yellow or pink popper will attract a lot of redfish attention. I like simple foam poppers, of either crease fly or gurgler types. A redfish topwater take of a fly is something an angler will remember for a long time.
Tips
Fish bayous from a kayak
For fly fishing the small creeks and bayous, a kayak is a great choice. The smaller water of Alabama’s coast are not good wade fishing places. The bottoms tend to be deep, sticky mud, and there are some impressively large alligators that call the bayous and creeks home. A kayak keeps the mud on the bottom and the gators away.
Beach fishing at passes
Anglers who prefer wading will love the sandy beaches of the two main Alabama passes to the Gulf at Mobile Bay Pass and Perdido Pass. Fly anglers can walk the beaches with rod in hand and when something shows in the surf or just past the breakers, a good cast can be made to the fish. Distance casting is a required here, as the reds sometimes hold off the surf break-zone.
Hire a guide for biggest of the big
Fly anglers in Alabama who want to go after the biggest of the big redfish will probably want to hire a guide who knows the area and who can safely transport a fly angler to the water. Captain Yano Serra of Coden, Alabama is a veteran guide and excellent fly angler who can put you on big reds on the Dixey Bar or around the many barrier islands which separate the Gulf from the mainland. Give him a call at (251) 610-0462.
