Learning Saltwater Fishing on the Gulf: Gear Notes from the Gulf of America

I never grew up doing much saltwater fishing. Sure, I did some chartered trips, but I never had the opportunity to try other types of saltwater fishing. My father-in-law, however, is a true saltwater fisherman, from trolling to surfcasting. This late summer, my wife and I took a trip down to the Gulf of America to visit my in-laws. During the trip, I asked around about what fishing gear I should use. I received various rods, reels, and other accessories to try for saltwater fly fishing, trolling, and surfcasting.

Saltwater Fly Fishing

As I have mentioned before, my wife and I have been enjoying freshwater fly fishing, so we thought it would be cool to learn saltwater fly fishing. For the excursion, we received the Hardy Marksman Z 9′ 10 wt with Hardy’s Fortuna 10000, plus Scientific Anglers’ Amplitude Smooth Grand Slam Taper line as a general-purpose line. We met up with Capt. TJ Saunders of LuckyFly Charters and fished around the bay near Port St. Joe for redfish.

We didn’t catch anything, but TJ was a great guide and instructor. Besides riding the bay on his skiff, we spent some time wading around and “stalking” fish to catch with the Marksman. Having used Hardy before (plano link), I found the 10 wt rod a solid choice for the trip. I enjoyed using it and practicing.

Surfcasting and Trolling

Besides saltwater fly fishing, we spent several days fishing with my father-in-law, doing a variety of surfcasting and trolling. For surfcasting, I used the PENN Carnage III Spinning Surf Rod with PENN’s Spinfisher VII Spinning Reel 4500 and Berkley’s X9 40 lb braid. We also used Berkley’s Gulp! Saltwater Surf Bytes, along with minnow bait. During our surfcasting, the fish seemed interested in the Surf Bytes, but I never managed to hook a fish with them.

Even though my Carnage III is 10′ long, it was lightweight, so we could cast more times without tiring. I caught and released both a catfish and a small shark. My father-in-law and I were also impressed by the X9 braid, which cast well. We also did a quick shore test: my father-in-law cast the braid with the Carnage rod in a crosswind to see how far he could cast it. He reached 89 feet in that crosswind.

For slow trolling in the Gulf, we used the PENN Warfare Star Drag rod-and-reel combo with Berkley’s Prospec Chrome Fluoro Leader. We also used the PENN Carnage III Conventional Boat Rod with PENN’s Fathom II Lever Drag 2-Speed reel and X9 braid. While trolling, we found that the fluorocarbon leader was great, but the braid was harder to see because it was so thin.

Final Thoughts

While I wouldn’t say I killed it out on the Gulf of America, I enjoyed learning new skills and trying out new gear. I also appreciated the chance to spend time with family on the shore, salt flats, and the Gulf. And if you ever want to learn how to saltwater fly fish, contact TJ!