COVER STORY

Ever since I was a young boy (which was a very long time ago), I’ve always been intrigued by spotted seatrout.

Don’t get me wrong. My love for redfish has remained strong over the years. But there’s just always been something about trout that calls to me.

Take a fishing trip I went on several years ago with an old friend from Greenville. We were out sight-casting soft plastic baits to hungry redfish in shallow water. After we caught a half-dozen nice reds, I told my friend that I knew where a hot trout bite was going on nearby and suggested we head there.

“You damn Geechee boys beat anything I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Y’all are the only bunch I’ve ever seen who would pull away from a school of 10-pound reds to go catch 2-pound trout!”

Well, it made perfect sense to me!

Now that the signs of winter are upon us — heavy frosts, duck season, oyster roasts, knowing which bowl games Clemson and Carolina are playing — I know the speckled trout are headed into their cool-season feeding frenzy. For many Lowcountry anglers, this is one of the best times of year to be on the water with family and friends, casting and trolling soft plastic baits and experiencing great “catching” days. Indeed, the winter trout season is one of the treasures that makes living in the Lowcountry so desirable.

Here it is early December, and I’ve already had some incredible cool-weather trout outings using topwater lures, soft plastic baits and artificial shrimp. And as the winter trout season really kicks in, I’ll soon turn to one of the most productive, overlooked, and rewarding ways to fish for trout: On the fly!

It’s true that when Lowcountry fishermen refer to fly-fishing, they’re usually talking about stalking tailing reds in the grass or sight-casting to schooled up reds on the cold-water mud flats. But fly-fishing for trout, an entirely different and mostly overlooked fishery, can be deadly.

I’ve had many days when a fly seemed to be the lure of choice for trout, when they preferred the gentle, seemingly easy-to-eat motion of a sinking fly. On more than one occasion, folks fishing nearby with soft plastics and live bait have not done nearly as well as I did fly fishing.

Rods, reels and line

Fly rods come in different sizes, or “weights.” A 6-weight outfit is probably the best for trout, though an 8-weight might be a better choice if the rod will be used to target both redfish and trout. But fly fishing for trout is not a heavy-duty endeavor. I have friends who are avid and skilled fly fishermen, and they use rods as light as 3-weights.

Though there are many varieties of flyfishing reels on the market, remember that for this type fishing, a reel simply serves as a line holding and management system. The reel isn’t as critical to casting, hooking, playing or even landing a fish as you might think. Keep in mind that most hooked seatrout will be stripped in (hand-lined), and the reel almost never comes into play during the fight. So it’s not necessary to buy top-of-the-line reels with the smoothest drags.

But it is important to get a quality reel intended for saltwater use. The two reels I own are more than 3 years old, cost less than $150 each and continue to function perfectly with minimal care.

As it seems these days with any sport, the choices and quality of gear available seem endless. The amount of money that can be spent on fly fishing gear also seems endless.

Beginners might consider simply buying one of the combo sets offered by major manufacturers, which can cost as little as $250. These “beginner sets,” are by no means junk. They are quality rods that cast well, and include good reels , fly line and backing. Just pick up several pre-tied trout flies and a leader, and you’re ready to go.

The most popular fly line in our area is a “floating, weight forward line” with a 9- to 10-foot leader attached to the casting end of the line. When trout fishing, I never use a tapered leader. I simply tie on 2x-strong fly leader material (a fancy name for good monofilament) in 10-pound-test. To this I tie my sinking fly.

Flies and fly tying

Trout will strike a variety of flies, from topwater poppers to weighted clouser minnows, and everything in between.

The most popular trout flies are bend-backs and clouser minnows. The colors and styles are as unique and varied as the selections of soft plastic baits available. My all-time favorite colors are olive and white and of course the ever popular chartreuse is always effective.

I tie my own clousers, and tell people that I tie 67 versions of the same fly. Everything is variable, from the size and color of the material to the weight of the eyes. Of course, I try to remember the fundamentals of fishing with artificial baits, and tie light colored flies for bright days, darker colors for cloudy days, use less weight for small currents, etc.

While I try to be as meticulous as possible when tying many types of flies, I find that isn’t necessary for trout flies. A decent fly tying vice is essential. I use quality hooks that are specific to fly fishing. A size “1” with a straight eye, stainless, and extra stong is what I use for my sinking flies to catch trout and reds with . Eyes are very important as they are the weight that gets the fly down in the water column. They come in many colors and weights. I have a good selection of different weighted flies so I’ll be able to fish according to that days conditions and depths.. The weights I use are 3/32oz to 1/16oz. Add a handful of different colored super hairs, some flashabou, a bobbin of thread and you’re on the way to tying trout flies!

I’ll often sit down in the evening with a toddy and tie several clouser minnows for the next day’s trip. Making this one a little longer, that one a little brighter, more copper in this one, and so on. It’s amazing how many of them will catch some trout, and so very gratifying when one catches a lot of trout.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that once you make the initial investment in materials and equipment, tying one’s own flies is one of the most economical ways to fish.

Casting, presentation, and the fight

Many people are intimidated by the prospect of precisely casting a fly, and rightfully so. Becoming an accomplished fly caster is an art and takes much practice and dedication. Fortunately, precise casting and extreme accuracy isn’t critical with seatrout fishing. Keep in mind that fly fishing for trout involves fishing an “area”, not an exact “place”. The winter-time bite offers anglers a great way to learn to handle a fly rod in a low-pressure situation.

When you get down to it, the methods used when fly fishing for trout are not that different than those used when fishing soft plastics. Simply cast upstream of where you think the trout are, and let your fly swim back with the tide as it sinks in the water column. If you do it right, the fly will reach the proper depth as it swims through the strike zone. In many trout hot spots, this depth is about 6 feet -- the same depth at which these fish are usually caught with bait or soft plastics.

As in any fishing involving a current, it takes a little while to learn how fast the fly sinks in relation to its movement downstream. Once you’ve got that figured out, you’ll know where to cast. If that sounds totally simplistic, that’s because it is! Often, you’ll only need to be able to cast the fly about 25 feet upstream, which should allow enough time for the fly to reach the desired depth as it drifts back toward your spot.

Keep in mind that after an upstream cast, you might sometimes need to “mend” or lift the line in order to keep the drift manageable as the fly sinks, and to maintain a tight enough belly in the line to feel a strike, react and set the hook. And as the current swings the fly past or behind the boat, try to resist the urge to immediately strip in and recast. Let your fly swim all the way back, do a couple of small strips, let the fly settle and wait a moment. Sometimes just a tiny strip will draw a strike. Done properly, this series of techniques really do a number on the trout. We call it the “Drift of Death!”

Just remember that it’s not critical to impart erratic action on the fly. In fact, doing so often results in fewer strikes. When it comes to the presentation of flies, the old saying “less is more” definitely applies with seatrout. I believe that a sinking fly’s greatest attribute is a slow, natural, unassuming action as it makes its way through the water column. From a trout’s perspective, this gentle motion makes a fly look like something that’s easy to catch and eat. When they’re really smashing the flies, it’s not unusual to draw strikes from just holding a fly at a certain depth in the water column. Sometimes that’s all you need to do.

When you do hook up with a nice seatrout, take your time and enjoy it! One of the things I enjoy most about flyfishing is the actual fight. I “strip in” almost all the trout I hook – you almost never see any experienced flyfishermen “reeling” in a trout. I hold the fly line tightly between the thumb and index finger of the hand holding the rod and use the other hand is used to “line” the fish in. When the fish runs or makes a hard pull, it’s important to “bow” to the fish, and when needed, let line slip out between your fingers. Apply too much tension and the tippet can pop. Let line out too quickly and the fish can easily throw the hook.

This angling technique is a very delicate way to fight a fish, and you need to be tuned into the fight and use the length of the rod to your advantage.

Where to fish

I don’t really have any secret areas to fly fish for trout (well, I suppose I have a few). Mostly I rely on good knowledge of the areas I fish using conventional methods. I just apply what I’ve learned over the years to fly fishing.

Sometimes I fish around docks and structure, other times at deeper holes in creeks, around oyster rakes. On pretty days, I may head to the jetties.

My best day flyfishing last winter produced 35 trout and 30 reds. All the trout were longer than 15 inches and the reds were between 14 and 20 inches. Not huge fish, but pretty darn good for being anchored in one place in a small creek and catching fish on almost every cast for three solid hours!

A friend of mine even caught 70-plus trout one day last year while fly casting from the bank!

So you don’t need a fancy flats boat or a lot of specialized equipment to be a productive fly fisherman for trout. Just incorporate the knowledge you already have, hit the areas you already know well and you should do well.

Plenty of help

Lowcountry anglers are fortunate to have plenty of quality tackle shops and outfitters to choose from, all staffed by seasoned and enthusiastic anglers. Any of these shops will gladly listen and help you get started.

And as I mentioned earlier, there’s no reason to break the bank getting started fly fishing. (And you could mention to your loved ones that fly outfits make great Christmas gifts!) Tell the guys at the tackle shops what you have in mind, and they should be more than happy to help you choose equipment and show you how to rig for fly fishing. They will also help you learn the basics of fly casting, giving you more than enough knowledge to get started catching trout on the fly.

Give it a shot!

Hopefully I have piqued your interest in a fun and often overlooked way to fish for our beloved trout.

I don’t flyfish for trout all the time, just as I don’t fish the same way for any species every time (although I have caught trout on the fly in every month of the year). But I’m sure we’d all agree that we can never have too many weapons in our fishing arsenals!

Here’s a good piece of advice a very accomplished local fly fisherman gave me several years ago, when I told him I was getting a fly outfit for Christmas. He said I should practice casting until I felt ready to head out on the water. But when I went out, I should leave my spinning and bait-casting rods at home. If I did take other outfits with me, he said, I would become frustrated, put the fly rod down, pick up the spinning rod and never learn to fly fish!

His advice was spot-on, and I took it seriously. If I had taken a spinning rod, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to learn to catch fish on the fly. There were times when I grew frustrated and had to put the rod down for a while and just chill out for a bit (actually that still happens every now and then). After gathering up for a minute I would start casting again. But because his advise, I began catching seatrout and reds on my fourth trip out with my new fly rod.

So consider giving fly fishing for trout a shot. You might be surprised how effective it is, how easy it is to get the hang of, and how much fun you can have. ... You will be even more surprised when you lift your rod to set the hook on that 18-inch trout and a 28-inch red lets you know he isn’t happy about having that pretty olive-and-green clouser stuck in his lip!

But that’s another story.

Capt. Julian “Hoppy” Hopkins guides inshore fishing trips out of Charleston and Mount Pleasant with Dirty Blonde Charters. He can be reached at 843-864-3303 or jfh3rd@comcast.net. For more information, visit dirtyblondecharters.com.