Flats/Backcountry Fly Fishing | Lower Florida Keys Fly Fishing Charter

Flats/Backcountry Fly-Fishing Guide Service

Capt Luke Kelly - lowerkeysflatsfishing.com

Fly-Fishing in Saltwater - Key West and the Lower Florida Keys

First and foremost, the double-haul casting technique is a must know whenever attempting to fly-fish the flats of Key West. For those unfamiliar, the double-haul is a casting technique that enables fly-fisherman to cast against a wind, heavier lines and flies at longer distances with less effort. The fact that the double-haul allows you to do all of this with less effort is irrelevant. It is simply the only way to achieve a casting distance needed to successfully fool these gamefish while fly-fishing the various conditions that the lower Florida Keys and Key West have to offer.

Unfortunately, somewhere down the line this double-haul cast became known as a difficult task to achieve for reasons only serious fly-fishers would know. This thought is entirely not true. The double-haul cast can be learned by any fly-fisher who therefor has handled a fly rod before. A description in words of the double-haul cast is hard to accurately achieve, someone must physically feel and witness the momentum created from this cast to truly understand it. Simply put, it is an initial pull of fly-line in hand prior to a back cast, then followed by a second pull of fly-line in hand prior to the following forward cast. The momentum in fly-line created by doing this correctly enables for a further and more powerful loop cast.

In most cases, someone new to this cast can pick it up and begin aiming their new found skill at fish in less than a hour of time when properly shown how. This is not saying that anyone can stick a fish with their fly on the flats within a hour of their first attempt. Although they will be on their way to getting their fly where it needs to be in-order to get that first unsuspecting look from a gamefish, while using proper technique. We must remember that most of the challenging aspects found in saltwater fly-fishing come from the species of fish targeted and conditions given day of. The cast and techniques used prior to hooking a fish on fly are only parts to the whole equation. The lower Florida Keys offer a wide array of choices when considering saltwater fly-fishing. From easy, to darn right challenging, it’s all here.

Bonefish Fly-Fishing

Requiring a 30 - 50 ft cast, bonefish are sight-fished and demand accuracy from a fly-angler. Normally seen in a very shallow depth of water, an angler must do anything possible to remain quiet prior to presenting the fly. This includes few false casts, while not hitting the water with fly-line or fly before final presentation. Bonefish have strong vision and can be very sensitive to noise, the sound and sight of fly-line can send them swimming if not taken into consideration. Once a bonefish notices a well placed fly, small consecutive strips of fly-line in hand must tease the bonefish into taking the fly. Once taken a strip-set will ensure hook-up, while the challenge then becomes clearing the remaining tangle free fly-line from the deck or stripping basket and into the remaining line left on the reel. Bonefish leave in a hurry when they realize they are hooked and always clear a fly-rod’s reel well into the backing. The same can be said for any lower Keys sport and gamefish when hooked in shallow water.

*** 6 - 9 wt fly rods, floating line, tapered fluorocarbon leaders, and shrimp/crab pattern flies are proper gear. ***

Permit Fly-Fishing

Requiring a 40 - 60 ft cast, permit are similar to bonefish in how they are sight-fished in shallow water, but differ greatly in terms of fly-fishing difficulty and technique. Permit are highly intuitive and can pick up on the slightest of vibration. With little room for error, fly-anglers must be precise and stealthy during their first attempt as there are no second chances when fly-fishing for permit. Considered by many as the ultimate accomplishment in fly-fishing, permit demand the very best from fly-anglers. Proper technique found successful in hooking permit on fly varies greatly with any given situation. The only way to understand these techniques first hand is by doing so while on a lower Keys permit fly-fishing charter.

*** 9 - 10 wt fly rods, floating line, long tapered fluorocarbon leaders, shrimp/crab pattern flies are proper gear. ***

Tarpon Fly-Fishing

Requiring a 30 - 60 ft cast, lower Florida Keys tarpon inhabit a wide array of habitat and therefor can be fly-fished in numerous ways. In shallow water and deeper water, tarpon can be ferocious eaters and often require speed and a strong strip-setting from an angler once a fly is taken. Known for clearing the backing from a fly-reel, tarpon offer mind blowing runs and spectacular aerial displays when hooked on a fly-rod. Sight-fishing the flats for large tarpon on fly makes for a very exciting form of fly-fishing. Although, we must consider the overall health of tarpon when fighting them on a fly rod. It is possible to land large tarpon on fly, though proper measures must be taken to do so. A tarpon battle should never exceed 45 minutes, as this is to ensure the survival of tarpon after release. Fly-fishing stories about landing large yet exhausted tarpon after a two hour long fight should be seen as taking the respect right out of this sport. Use fast-rust hooks and break them off once they begin depleting their reserve energy. This allows for more tarpon fly-fishing experiences in the long run.

*** 10-12 wt fly rods, floating/intermediate lines, heavy fluorocarbon leaders, shrimp/crab/small fish patterns. **