I have fly fished many years for bass and other southern species.. When I came to the coast some years back, I looked out over a portion of Baffin Bay near Corpus Christi Texas and ask a friend (I was guiding quail and deer hunting at this time ) if there were fish in this water. His reply was, "there should be". I had to find out. I did not know there was a world of enjoyment beyond the bank where I was standing.

A few days later I returned to the bay to see what I could find, while taking a break from deer and quail hunting. Standing at the edge of the water looking at all the fish swimming here and there, wondering what the bigger commotions were in the shallows. Down the bank there were two "V" shapes swimming toward me, and I was anxious to see what they were. It didn't take long to find out. Two old buddies swimming along looking for me. As they swam by I saw a spot on their tails and they were a beautiful color of gold. Redfish ! Having never fished saltwater before, you could say I played it by ear. I waited until they had passed before I flipped a fly some distance in front of them, and sure enough both of them wanted it but only one could have it. My redfish hunting was on. I started having the time of my life sight casting redfish and trout.

Having tied many bass bugs in the past, back to the vice tying flies and bugs that hopefully would work. I first tried a gray (crab color) fly. To this day it is still my best color for reds. Nothing like tying and trying, failures and success.

Some days reds are like stalking a deer in an open slick field, and other times they are bold and brave. I have walked the bank beside a swimming red, cast in front of him and not bothering him at all, other times it will put him into southern Mexico. I've also seen times when wiggling your fingers would put them into another world.They do have good vision. They are exciting to search for and cast to.

These fish feed on small critters of the bay and love small crabs. So your flies and small bugs will work well for these fish.

My first fly rod was bamboo and I still remember its curving left hand set, and that was many moons ago. I will never forget a young man once said to me he would like to fly fish the coast but he only had a five weight rod. I told him as far as I was concerned he was well equipped. A five weight is the rod I enjoy using the most. This rod will handle a 34 inch red with out any problem, although it is good to have a reel with plenty backing. If you don't, a large red might show you the reel arbor in a hurry. I've looked at my reel many times to only see a few turns of backing left.

The Mansfield coast is a great place to fly fish with any level of experience. You might think the coastal winds are too strong for flyfishing, not so at all. In many instances the wind is a big help . With a good breeze you can make longer casts and with a ripple on the water you can see the fish better without them seeing you. The sun also plays a big part in sight casting. For the angler on his first trip to the coast sight casting, the sun and tailing fish will make it much easier for he or she. (Don't forget the girls, we have some good ones in this sport). If you have no sun you can look for other things to detect fish. Water motions and ripples. Even the slightest of these there may be a big redfish or trout beneath it. While fishing an area that I have fished many times and there was no sun this day, I saw a portion of the water that had a redish tint. I knew there wasn't any redish grass here, and sure enough I made a cast to the area and bang I had a red on. A large group of fish.

Seeing a big red swimming toward you and knowing you have a shot at him, first thing that crosses my mind is not to miss this opportunity. For what it's worth, any time you think you can get by with one more cast before a fish will see you, more than likely you can't. If your mind tells you no, "listen". This is a very good rule to use. Also, while looking for fish don't ever think the water gets too shallow. Look at some of the photos and you can see where the fish roam and how shallow the water is.