What you can expect fly fishing the Vero Beach and Fort Pierce area.
The Vero beach and Fort Pierce area of the Treasure Coast is perfect for fly fishing enthusiasts. Fly fishermen can catch speckled trout, snook, tarpon, redfish, permit, jacks, ladyfish and many other amazing game fish.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the grass flats, mangroves, beaches and docks all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years.
My fly fishing charters cater to advanced and intermediate level fly fishing enthusiasts.
In the article below, I will cover the best tactics, tackle and flies for different seasons and conditions. That way when you come to do some fly fishing, you will know what to bring and have a great day on the water.
Let's get started.
The Vero beach and Fort Pierce area of the Treasure Coast is perfect for fly fishing enthusiasts. Fly fishermen can catch speckled trout, snook, tarpon, redfish, permit, jacks, ladyfish and many other amazing game fish.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the grass flats, mangroves, beaches and docks all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years.
My fly fishing charters cater to advanced and intermediate level fly fishing enthusiasts.
In the article below, I will cover the best tactics, tackle and flies for different seasons and conditions. That way when you come to do some fly fishing, you will know what to bring and have a great day on the water.
Let's get started.
What to expect during the winter months fly fishing the Treasure Coast.
The winter months are full of cold fronts on a 7 to 10 day schedule. Some of the cold fronts are more severe and will affect your fly fishing results. Other fronts are weak and really won't affect the fishing at all.
The day before a cold front hits can be excellent fishing. The fish will eat as much as they can before the barometric pressure and temperatures drop with the arrival of the cold front.
The day after the cold front the bite will be tough but by the second day the fish will usually begin to feed again.
You can expect at least 10 mph winds during the winter months as well. The great thing about the Vero Beach area is the numerous spoil islands that we can hide behind during our fly fishing charters.
The fish species that you can expect in the winter months are speckled trout, jack crevalle, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, redfish, ladyfish, pompano and bonefish.
*Fly fishing charters in the winter months start at 10 or 11 am to let the water temperatures warm up. One or two degrees can make all the difference in the cold months.
What flyrod weights should I bring for winter fishing?
Most of the fish species prevalent during the winter will weigh 5 lbs. or less. You can use a 5 wt. set up and have an absolute blast catching these fish.
If you want to bring two rods a 7 wt. is a good 2nd choice just in case we run into some big redfish or speckled trout sunning in the shallows. Winter fly fishing around Vero Beach and Fort Pierce can be amazing.
You will also want to fish with a sink tip and a clear, intermediate sinking line because the fish will be anywhere from 2 to 8 feet of water depending upon the water temperatures and weather conditions.
You will want to have a few tippets ranging from 10 to 15 lbs.
What flies work best in the winter months along the Treasure Coast?
The most prevalent bait fish in the winter months will be glass minnows about 1 to 2 inches in length. Any minnow pattern fly will have good results. Bring a few shrimp patterns too.
White and other light colors will work the best when the water conditions are clear. If the water is stained or murky, then a darker color pattern will work the best.
It is a good idea to bring some deep minnows as well as shallow minnows so that you can cover the water column effectively.
Below are good examples of the minnow patterns to bring with you during the winter months. There is a Bass Pro Shop in Port St. Lucie, off of Gatlin Blvd. It has all of the flies that you see below.
What to expect during Spring, Summer and Fall fly fishing the Treasure Coast.
The big game fish start to show up during the Spring and will stick around until the first major cold fronts drive them south. Big game fish include tarpon, snook and permit. You will still have plenty of speckled trout, redfish, jacks, and ladyfish to catch this time of year too.
The tarpon will show up in late April and early May. These fish range from small 5 pound juveniles up to 100 lb. monsters.
The larger snook will move in from offshore or the deep waters where they spent the winter and move onto the shallow flats and around the docks and mangrove islands around April.
The permit up to 25 pounds will be cruising the flats and spoil islands starting in April as well. (The best permit months are May through July).
*Fly fishing charters will have an earlier start in the Summer and early Fall because the water gets too hot and drives the fish from the flats into deep water by 1130 am each day.
What flyrod weights should I bring for Spring, Summer and Fall?
Tarpon are the apex of sportfishing inshore. There are just no other fish that compare to the tarpon when it comes to intestinal fortitude and fighting abilities once hooked.
I am a tarpon specialist and my target size is 10 to 30 pounds. I call these the fun sized tarpon because you can fight them for 5 or 10 minutes, get 6 or 7 jumps out of them and be done with it.
There are 100+ pound tarpon around but I do not target them on the fly. It's just too hard on the tarpon and some won't survive the encounter.
An 8 wt. set up is perfect for the fun sized tarpon that I like to target. You will want to couple this with a 20 or 30 pound tippet. An 8 wt. is also perfect for targeting large snook and redfish around docks and mangroves during the higher parts of the tide.
It is a good idea to have a floating line set up for snook and redfish in the shallows (2 to 3 feet deep). Tarpon will also be feeding in the upper parts of the water column early in the morning and move deeper as the water gets hot.
Bring a sink tip and a clear, intermediate sinking line along too for fishing in deeper water scenarios up to 8 feet deep.
During the Spring, Summer and Fall it is a good idea to bring a 7 or 8 wt. for the larger fish that we may encounter.
If you can only bring one fly rod and reel, then a 8 wt. is probably the best all around choice this time of year.
A 20 to 30 lb. tippet is sufficient for most of the fish that we will encounter.
What flies work best during the Spring, Summer and Fall along the Treasure Coast?
All of the minnow patterns that work in the winter will work during the rest of the year. BUT we have different bait runs that will require some larger flies to match the hatch.
March is the beginning of the menhaden, a.k.a. bunker, a.k.a. pogy run followed by threadfin herring, scaled sardines and mullet runs through the Spring, Summer and Fall.
Mullet and bunker imitation flies are a great choice from March through October. These are usually 3 or 4 inches long.
Larger top water poppers will also work for snook, redfish and speckled trout sunning in the shallows early in the morning.
Shrimp imitation flies are another good choice for most of the fish species this time of year.
Below are some of the bunker fly patterns that mimic a mullet and larger bait fish. All of these flies can be found at the Bass Pro Shop in Port St. Lucie.
Are you ready to do some fly fishing on the Treasure Coast of Florida?
How do we lock in a fishing charter with your company?
1) You can email contact@fishyourassoff.com or call 561-339-2317 and leave a message about the date you want to fish. I will call you back and confirm the availability of your charter date and take a $100 deposit to lock in your spot.
2) The balance will be collected at the ramp before the charter begins in cash.
See you soon! Capt. Mike