Pensacola Beach Fly Fishing

There is nothing like the tug of saltwater fish on a fly rod. For a first timer it will make them forget about fishing anywhere other than the salt! Beginning fly fishing lessons should start once you master the basic Pickup and Laydown cast and extending line out to 50’. Think about covering water, the more you cover the better your chances of enticing a fish to take your fly. This trip is designed to put together the land skills and apply them to fishing. Additional instruction will include casting in the wind, line management, casting to and fighting fish. This is all designed to get you to the ultimate, sight casting to individual fish. This a 5-hour trip with 1 hour of lessons and then 4 hours of fishing.

I teach around Pensacola, FL area and have clients from Orange Beach, AL to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. I am a Fly Fishing International certified casting instructor and have been spreading the fly casting/fishing love for more than 20 years. I provide top quality equipment to learn with (Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods) and as long as we have an open area to cast I will get you casting in no time. Lessons for most begin with “lawn” casting, which allows for ease of instruction, caster stability, and control of wind direction. This lawn casting soon leads to the boat and what everyone comes here for, the FISHING. As a U.S. Coast Guide licensed “captain” I can quickly transition casters to anglers. For beginners (caster dependent), I recommend at least 3, 1-hour lessons on land before heading to the boat. Group or Corporate lessons are also available. Learning to fly cast is perfect for those on a Corporate get away. I work with guys at Gulf Coast Fly Fishing School to provide excellent group schools.

I fish the beautiful clear waters of Pensacola Bay and inshore Gulf of Mexico. The water is so clear and the beaches so white you will think you are in the tropics! Your fishing trip will be catered to your fly casting skill level, from sight casting to spooky redfish (yes spooky redfish) and speckled trout on the grass flats to fun casting to highly aerobic, eat anything you put in their path ladyfish (the only cousin to tarpon). Not a fly angler, no problem we can spin fish with the best of them. As a certified fly casting instructor one of my favorite things to do is take a beginner to an accomplished fly angler that lands their first fish. The joy that comes over them is second to none. Few fly guides are willing to accept beginners on their boat, but I love it.