The Top Saltwater Fly Rod Game Fish?


Milkfish are the hardest to get to eat and one of the toughest to land, no teeth

Inshore I like big bones

Omilu, bluefinned trevally are abundant and great fighters

Ahi this size are fun on a flyrod, big ones suck and I don't care what Silverfly dreams of
I have not caught a sailfish yet, but that is on the list
Happy New Year to all
If things work out we might be back on CI in April, first group, keeping our fingers crossed.

You should occasionally post pictures of yourself holding fish.
 
Ok Ok, it seems as if some folks don't know just how amazing surf perch really are.... :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

2PlNDU7.jpg

919q7EY.jpg
 
Dime check out this story I found on flylords. I have caught triggers and they are fun, but they like to go into their hole and then it is over. The guy catches long nosed emperors and we call them sweetlips on Christmas Island but he catches some other sweetlips in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Albula don't read the article you won't like it, the guy is holding fish.
 
Dime check out this story I found on flylords. I have caught triggers and they are fun, but they like to go into their hole and then it is over. The guy catches long nosed emperors and we call them sweetlips on Christmas Island but he catches some other sweetlips in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Albula don't read the article you won't like it, the guy is holding fish.
Cool article Don! I've caught titan triggers, yellowmargin triggers, Napoleon wrasse, spangled emperors, and long nose emperors. Most are a challenge to feed a fly and Napoleon wrasse are super powerful. I would love to have shots at some blue bastards down in Australia! I've generally overlooked parrotfish, except bumphead parrotfish, and will give them more casts on the future.
 
Triggers are fun, they love crabs. On Christmas Island they spook easily. I think it is because everyone throws flies at them all day long. The waiving tails make them super easy to spot.
Sweet lips there are a surprise they come out of nowhere and look like rocks with pink lipstick, but man are they good eating.
Parrot fish, here we call them uhu are delicious but have only seen guys spearing them. I have heard guys have caught them with pieces of coral on a hook.
Hooked one bumphead out by Korean Wreck on CI with a crab fly but it ran over the edge and was gone in seconds. Super strong fish.
Best place I have been for triggers was Palmyra. Must have been the lack of pressure. Surgeon fish are crazy strong and fun to catch.
Post some pics of your triggers, those teeth are crazy.
 
Yellowmargin Triggerfish.jpg
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Sweet Lips.jpg
Here you go Don. Yellowmargin trigger, Titan trigger, and a long nose emperor. Triggers are moody, so I don't target them seriously unless the tide is slack and their body language looks hungry. Emperors are fun. Very common in the Seychelles, but over harvested for food in other atoll locations.
 
I'm sure a few folks on here will tell me I'm wrong, and I honestly haven't done this fishery yet... but I know a handful of people who have gone after makos and all say it's rarely as exciting as the videos and pictures make you think. You basically sit around with a chum slick waiting for one you're interested in targeting to swim up. Once they eat, you let them run and eventually drive the hook home. It's mostly just a slog to get them in and not the 50mph flips you see on youtube. At least not as commonly as you'd think.

When I asked two of my good buddies if they'd do it again or would recommend me going, both emphatically said "definitely not."


As far as my favorite saltwater fish on a fly rod, I really, really like dorado. They just have it all, and the fight never lasts so long it becomes a chore. They're a great size, have spectacular aerials, and don't sound/dive down deep.
And grilled make tasty tacos…
 

Milkfish are the hardest to get to eat and one of the toughest to land, no teeth

Inshore I like big bones

Omilu, bluefinned trevally are abundant and great fighters

Ahi this size are fun on a flyrod, big ones suck and I don't care what Silverfly dreams of
I have not caught a sailfish yet, but that is on the list
Happy New Year to all
If things work out we might be back on CI in April, first group, keeping our fingers crossed.

I have to agree about the awa…I speared one many years ago and it took off like a rocket…I felt it in my shoulder later…
 
Ok Ok, it seems as if some folks don't know just how amazing surf perch really are.... :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

2PlNDU7.jpg

919q7EY.jpg

They abolutely have a spot on my list. Red tails might not be huge, jump, or provde visual eats. BUT, they're aggressive, fight hard, are beautiful, and delicious. I think the best part though, is experiencing and trying to figure out the surf as fly fishing venue. There's a lot more going on than what one see's at first glance. Beautiful fish in a beautiful place. What's not to like?
 
They abolutely have a spot on my list. Red tails might not be huge, jump, or provde visual eats. BUT, they're aggressive, fight hard, are beautiful, and delicious. I think the best part though, is experiencing and trying to figure out the surf as fly fishing venue. There's a lot more going on than what one see's at first glance. Beautiful fish in a beautiful place. What's not to like?
actually, very true....it's also a workout....
 
Flats:

Milkfish
Bump Head Parrot Fish
Permit (A)
Trigger (T)
Permit (I)
Golden T
GT
Trigger (YM)
Barracuda
Blue Fin T
Bonefish
Jack

General:

Tarpon (migratory)
Red Fish (Drum)
Tarpon (resident)
Rooster
Snook
Mahi
Striped Bass
Tarpon (juvenile)

Unicorn:

Napoleon Wrasse
GT (100+)
Picasso Trigger
Sweet Lips

Trolling:

Bluefin marlin
Swordfish
Sailfish
Wahoo
Mackerel

FW species that compete with SW big game:

Siberian steelhead
Pnw Steelhead
Muskie
Payara
Peacock Bass
Tiger Fish
Golden Dorado
Paku
Sea run brown trout

Salmon:
Is fly fishing for salmon even really SW fly fishing?
 
At the very beginning of fall King season, the fish will start nosing into rivermouth at incoming tides and then leave on outgoing. So for over a decade my buddy (RIP Gaz) and I would make runs to the rivermouth in his sand running Ranger P/U 4x4 equipped with over sized tires.
Once there Gaz would toss hardware into the pool inside the mouth while I positioned myself in my waders at the outside edge, swinging big Clousers into the pool with a Guideline 12' 9 wt, integrated sink tip and 20# Max tippets.
Our take rate was about the same between Clousers and the multi-colored spinners Gaz favored, his land rate better using gear and trebles.
Clouser takes were savage, and If I could keep them inside the deep channel that extended 50 or so yards into the ocean, I had a chance to land them. If they made it past the channel to the waves they'd usually unpin. So deeply bent rod, aching arms and sweat running down the face.
The jokers in the mix were the friggin sea lions that liked to hang around the mouth. A hand to hand brawl, fish just about ready to come to hand, than a sudden blur, an immense tug, and another of the bastards had dinner at my expense.
It remains the most fun I've ever had with a fly rod.
 
Having been fortunate, being in the "bidness," to fish a good many saltwater destinations worldwide, including weeks at a time on a mother ship on the Great Barrier Reef, by far the greatest thrill for me was guiding a competent angler for large tarpon in Homosassa and the Keys. Especially if it was a friend or young family member who had never caught one before. The visual aspect and explosive nature of the fish make for some indelible moments.
 
Flats:

Milkfish
Bump Head Parrot Fish
Permit (A)
Trigger (T)
Permit (I)
Golden T
GT
Trigger (YM)
Barracuda
Blue Fin T
Bonefish
Jack

General:

Tarpon (migratory)
Red Fish (Drum)
Tarpon (resident)
Rooster
Snook
Mahi
Striped Bass
Tarpon (juvenile)

Unicorn:

Napoleon Wrasse
GT (100+)
Picasso Trigger
Sweet Lips

Trolling:

Bluefin marlin
Swordfish
Sailfish
Wahoo
Mackerel

FW species that compete with SW big game:

Siberian steelhead
Pnw Steelhead
Muskie
Payara
Peacock Bass
Tiger Fish
Golden Dorado
Paku
Sea run brown trout

Salmon:
Is fly fishing for salmon even really SW fly fishing?

Nice compilation of species, you've gotten around. Yes, salmon are absolutely saltwater fly fishing targets. Coho, chinook, pink, and chum salmon are routinely caught on flies in Puget Sound, BC coast, and SE Alaska. It is my favorite "local" fishery.
 
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