# Fly Fishing Guides in Louisiana?



## Tdekle2 (Oct 15, 2016)

Looking for recommendations in Louisiana for the best fly fishing guides. Open to going to any of the various areas …. especially to fish with the best guides. Thanks in advance.


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## VAFlyordie (May 7, 2021)

Tdekle2 said:


> Looking for recommendations in Louisiana for the best fly fishing guides. Open to going to any of the various areas …. especially to fish with the best guides. Thanks in advance.


U might try the search. There is a a good thread on this from 2018 that helped me recently. Going this November myself. Cheers


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## RGSIII (7 mo ago)

You might do well by staying at the Woodland Plantation Woodland Plantation | Louisiana Bed & Breakfast Inn and asking them for recommendations. It is a wonderful place to stay with great food. Foster Creppel is the owner and a nice fellow. He could certainly give you an up to date idea of who was doing well guiding.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Ron Ratliff - MarshDawnflyfishing
Hell of a guy - absolute blast to fish with.


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## Greenwave (8 mo ago)

Tdekle2 said:


> Looking for recommendations in Louisiana for the best fly fishing guides. Open to going to any of the various areas …. especially to fish with the best guides. Thanks in advance.


Miles Larose, shallow south. 
Michael Pittman, SoLa guide service.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

The problem answering this kind of question is that the guide - client relationship is so based upon the two personalities and desires of each party. Here's a simplistic example. Guide A is intense, has terrific knowledge of the fishery and has high expectations for his clients. Client A is very experienced, a great caster, has great eyes, and is a strong willed person.
Client B is fairly new to the game. Gets flustered if pressured. Guide A and Client B might be a great fit but Guide A and Client B are a disaster waiting to happen.

Now Guide B is solid worker, knows his stuff, and is a patient teacher. He would be a great fit for Client B. May still do good with Client A but Client A may prefer a more go go go guide.

Tell us a little more about your experience and what you consider "best" and we can give you some better suggestions.


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## Tdekle2 (Oct 15, 2016)

ifsteve said:


> The problem answering this kind of question is that the guide - client relationship is so based upon the two personalities and desires of each party. Here's a simplistic example. Guide A is intense, has terrific knowledge of the fishery and has high expectations for his clients. Client A is very experienced, a great caster, has great eyes, and is a strong willed person.
> Client B is fairly new to the game. Gets flustered if pressured. Guide A and Client B might be a great fit but Guide A and Client B are a disaster waiting to happen.
> 
> Now Guide B is solid worker, knows his stuff, and is a patient teacher. He would be a great fit for Client B. May still do good with Client A but Client A may prefer a more go go go guide.
> ...


Thanks ifsteve - great points. In this particular search, we are looking for a guide that fits your Client A scenario . . . but more like an A- . . . a guide that has a fun side as well and understands that we are fairly experienced, but not professionals.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

Notice that all the names mentioned so far are all local Louisiana guides - not transient ones from all over. I would certainly try and book a local guy if at all possible.

You have been given some good names already.

I could add:
Dave Best
Bailey Short
Greg Moon


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Ok then here you go:

Greg Moon
Bailey Short
Greg Dini
Miles LaRose


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## Chilibone99 (Jun 5, 2017)

Capt. John Iverson has put me on many redfish. 
Very hard working guide. 
Mostly fishes Hopedale area,


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

coconutgroves said:


> Ron Ratliff - MarshDawnflyfishing
> Hell of a guy - absolute blast to fish with.


This.

Fished with Ron for years now.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

That Ron guy.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> That Ron guy.


Who?
MarshDawnflyfishing


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

fatman said:


> Who?
> MarshDawnflyfishing


No, his daddy - Redchaser........ 


All jokes aside, sounds like Capt Ron gets a lot of votes. Tell him Corey said Hello.


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## Tdekle2 (Oct 15, 2016)

Thanks for all of the great input!!


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

kjnengr said:


> No, his daddy - Redchaser........
> 
> 
> All jokes aside, sounds like Capt Ron gets a lot of votes. Tell him Corey said Hello.


Tell Corey to "Suck It"


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## MSFLIES (10 mo ago)

A guy ive fished with a couple of times out of Wilmington NC goes down there for a couple months out of the year. Hes a good guide and can run a boat like nobody ive ever seen. His name is Allen and his company is sightfish NC


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> I cant add to the fly fishing guides, but i durn sure know if i was in Louisiana id schedule a ride with the airboat guys at night to bow fish,after you get burnt out on sun, this would be a good alternative 👍 i was watching a video and they was shooting some large gator gar and Red bass at 40 inches...awesome fun and yes they can shoot up to 5 each over 16 inches i believe ...


 Seriously ?


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

There are plenty of great "transient guides" only liuisianna native I've seen mentioned is Miles.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> What part you dought? Maybe the reds but i looked it up and sure enough they can shoot 5 each over 16 inches hard to believe myself ...


It’s probably just me but I have an aversion to airboats and bow fishing as well. Not bashing those that like that stuff but it just doesn’t excite me. 

now paddling a canoe out and casting a rope fly to monster gar would Definitely float my boat.

to each his own.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> It’s probably just me but I have an aversion to airboats and bow fishing as well. Not bashing those that like that stuff but it just doesn’t excite me.
> 
> now paddling a canoe out and casting a rope fly to monster gar would Definitely float my boat.
> 
> to each his own.


“Float my boat” or tow my boat?😁


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Silent Drifter said:


> I cant add to the fly fishing guides, but i durn sure know if i was in Louisiana id schedule a ride with the airboat guys at night to bow fish,after you get burnt out on sun, this would be a good alternative 👍 i was watching a video and they was shooting some large gator gar and Red bass at 40 inches...awesome fun and yes they can shoot up to 5 each over 16 inches i believe ...


Please take your damn night bow fishing and ....well never mind.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

Silent Drifter said:


> What part you dought? Maybe the reds but i looked it up and sure enough they can shoot 5 each over 16 inches hard to believe myself ...


if you see a few 15 3/4" reds floating belly up in your favorite fly pole spot, it has a tendency to leave a bad taste in your mouth for this activity. Or not, I suppose.

Not to mention that it tends to kinda make those left a little skittish...


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

ifsteve said:


> Please take your damn night bow fishing and ....well never mind.


Not sure if you’re being sarcastic, but I have never been into the indiscriminate killing for killing’s sake! Do the bow shooters eat their kill? As Fatman just posted, it does make me a “bit skittish”!


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

Fishshoot said:


> There are plenty of great "transient guides" only liuisianna native I've seen mentioned is Miles.


Ratliff is about as native as they come. although he's the first vegan Cajun I've ever met....


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

fatman said:


> Ratliff is about as native as they come. although he's the first vegan Cajun I've ever met....


To be fair he still eats feesh and skrimps. I think he would get run off the bayou if he didn’t eat that stuff.


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

Damn , my ears were ringing lol I see why


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> now paddling a canoe out and casting a rope fly to monster gar would Definitely float my boat.


We beach the canoe and do it on foot. It's a blast. We landed a couple spotted gar last summer that I'm pretty sure would have been records.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Finn Maccumhail said:


> To be fair he still eats feesh and skrimps. I think he would get run off the bayou if he didn’t eat that stuff.


I think he gets up in the middle of the night and secretly eats cheeseburgers.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

DBStoots said:


> I think he gets up in the middle of the night and secretly eats cheeseburgers.


it's also rumored he has a thing for chicken wings....


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

The Fin said:


> Not sure if you’re being sarcastic, but I have never been into the indiscriminate killing for killing’s sake! Do the bow shooters eat their kill? As Fatman just posted, it does make me a “bit skittish”!


A lot of the gar get shot indiscriminately for killing's sake. However, most of the other such as redfish and sheephead do get eaten. The problem most people have is that 

A) Redfish have a slot size limit. What happens when you shoot a fish over or under the slot because its length got mis-estimated? 

B) What about the fish that get hit but the barb doesn't fully penetrate and the fish still gets away and doesn't count towards your limit but still dies nonetheless? 

Floating redfish noticed while fishing on the flats during the day with a hole in their side is either caused by either A or B. 

C) The pressure that gets put on the fish is unreal. I know it's easy to say for me considering that I choose the least intrusive way to fish, but bowfishing puts a tremendous amount of stress on the fish (but so do the tournament anglers that burn flats just looking for fish). 

D. How many other saltwater species are taken illegally?











Look, I know it's fun as I have done it a couple times a long time ago, however, I choose not to fish using that method because of the reasons listed above.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

I heard if Cynthia tells him where the fish are the night before, you'll have a good trip. JS 😉


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

kjnengr said:


> A lot of the gar get shot indiscriminately for killing's sake. However, most of the other such as redfish and sheephead do get eaten. The problem most people have is that
> 
> A) Redfish have a slot size limit. What happens when you shoot a fish over or under the slot because its length got mis-estimated?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the clarification!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Capt.Ron said:


> Damn , my ears were ringing lol I see why


I heard that if you get a buddy to pee...oh never mind...


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

What kjnengr said. Look taking a limit of fish is taking a limit of fish regardless of the means, but bowfishing doesn't afford the opportunity for catch and release and it's just stupid to allow it for species with size/slot limits, and yes you can tell if you're fishing a pond that's being bow fished. The fish are skittish as hell. Add to that the behavior of a lot of the bowfishing guide services and I just hate it. Notice the clip from the regs that khnengr posted, then go look at the social media pages of a lot of the bowfishing guide services. They're shooting sharks, triple tail, trout when they have the chance and more, which according to the regs isn't legal.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

Silent Drifter said:


> @ifsteve and @fatman i totally agree with yall i Do Not support shooting the reds or other sport fish only invasive species!
> 
> I couldnt believe they can shoot the big 30 to 40 inch reds thats the Breeders ! The law need to be changed ! But if you dont know you cant vote against it!
> 
> For the record i dont keep no reds release every one i catch they are to fishy/Strong tasting to me ! If i want fish to eat i prefer whitting and sheephead my favorites 👍


Smallish redfish (sub 23 inches), cut out the blood line and all red on the meat = delicious. That said I kill and keep very few, usually a single small fish for ceviche the same day it was caught.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

fatman said:


> Ratliff is about as native as they come. although he's the first vegan Cajun I've ever met....


Uhhhhh, I took him a half brisket from Texas one time. Not sure how vegan he was at the time.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

coconutgroves said:


> Uhhhhh, I took him a half brisket from Texas one time. Not sure how vegan he was at the time.


He's still not that vegan. But don't tell Cynthia.


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

Every woman wants a man that will look at her the way Ratliff looks at a chicken wing.


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

redchaser said:


> Every woman wants a man that will look at her the way Ratliff looks at a chicken wing.


Redchaser isn’t my father….. but we argue a bit..


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> @ifsteve and @fatman i totally agree with yall i Do Not support shooting the reds or other sport fish only invasive species!
> 
> I couldnt believe they can shoot the big 30 to 40 inch reds thats the Breeders ! The law need to be changed ! But if you dont know you cant vote against it!
> 
> ...


The limit is 5 per person, minimum 16". Only 1 over 27".


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

omegadef said:


> The limit is 5 per person, minimum 16". Only 1 over 27".
> 
> 
> View attachment 207478


Fuck bow fishing


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

Capt.Ron said:


> Redchaser isn’t my father….. but we argue a bit..


Search your feelings Luke.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Capt.Ron said:


> Fuck bow fishing


Amen, and pot lickers.

I was going to bring you another brisket next time I see you. Do I need to bring you some quinoa instead? 🤣


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> @ cap ron
> 
> Yeah wow im tired of being kicked around bump him!
> Im a big man can take care of my own ,he aint nothing but A punk behind a key board with a loud mouth !
> ...


English please. 
no habla assholeanese


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted!


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> Yeah Capt Ron is as my old boss said, he had a nick name for new employees he called them hemorrhoids because they was a pain in the ass.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> Your point is 🤔 you tryng to sweeten the deal or what ,🤔


nope

you jelly !


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

S


Silent Drifter said:


> Capt Ron Yeah we can all kiss up to capt rona's ass but that dont make him the political choice to follow 😂🤣😅
> 
> Just cause you dont like bow fishing dont mean other dont ! Its a awesome way to eliminate invasive species 🖕weather you like it or not! Bump you Wanabe captain Rona ....


Drunk or on Oxy? And like Capt Ron said, fuck bowfishing.


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

redchaser said:


> Search your feelings Luke.


Never forget 😂😂


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Silent Drifter said:


> Like father like son 😉 i got your bow fishing hangingin 😘
> 
> And im drug free per job i lift thousands of pounds per hr with peoples lifes at stake so suck it up butter cup 😋


Hey, hey guys ! If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was watching an exchange between me and smack! 😂


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Get this bow fishing trash out of the fly fishing section. None of the fish they are stabbing over there are invasive so let’s not hide behind that.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Silent Drifter said:


> Like father like son 😉 i got your bow fishing hangingin 😘
> 
> And im drug free per job i lift thousands of pounds per hr with peoples lifes at stake so suck it up butter cup 😋


Runnin the elevator for tips ?
Clever gig.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Deleted!


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

well. that escalated.....

(PS: fuck bowfishing...)


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

fatman said:


> well. that escalated.....
> 
> (PS: fuck bowfishing...)


I actually enjoyed sd’s “deleted” responses!


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## Bajabob (Jul 15, 2018)

Let em eat carp


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

Tdekle2 said:


> Looking for recommendations in Louisiana for the best fly fishing guides. Open to going to any of the various areas …. especially to fish with the best guides. Thanks in advance.


I look forward to the trip!!! Thanks for booking with me!!


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

Sublime said:


> I heard if Cynthia tells him where the fish are the night before, you'll have a good trip. JS 😉


Don’t tell people my secret lol she always ends up with huge fish though lol


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

Also I stand by my comment, no matter how childish the insults are. So I won’t be deleting what I have to say. Because I stand by it, and full heartedly want to end it in my state.


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

The Fin said:


> Hey, hey guys ! If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was watching an exchange between me and smack! 😂


But you probably don’t delete your comments……..😉


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Capt.Ron said:


> But you probably don’t delete your comments……..😉


Actually, sometimes I do. Some comments are over the top and I decide it’s just not worth the hostility?


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## KimmerIII (Feb 9, 2017)

The thread is strange. I havent seen so many deleted posts on a thread in awhile. Then when the response shows the original post from silent drifter, the grammer is so bad you can't read it.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

^^^^^ Your correct i do struggle with grammer and word Pronunciation,mostly due to my hearing impairment, i will try to do better infact ill try to read more than post ,thanks for your observation 👍😎🙏


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## KimmerIII (Feb 9, 2017)

Typing a period or using an apostrophe on an internet forum has nothing to do with a hearing impairment.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

texasag07 said:


> Get this bow fishing trash out of the fly fishing section. None of the fish they are stabbing over there are invasive so let’s not hide behind that.


Agreed. Silent Drifter forgot that this how he started the conversation. Like @texasag07 said, alligator gar and redfish are not invasive species.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Here's a hint. This is a FLYFISHING section. If you post up about 'stuff" like bow fishing expect to get some pretty negative commentary. LOL


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

His title listed Louisiana which is probably the best place in world to bow fish ,hence my recommendation!!! but i can understand a Daytime captain having negative feelings towards it ,as im sure it messes up the fishing ...hence spooky fish !


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Since this is fly fishing what weight rod do you need for drum that big ? From my reading id think a 10 ?spool capacity obviously plays a Big part in sure he pulled off some line ...


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

You know the worse part of all this ,my wife read a lot of the replies, she said i needed to find another fishing fourm sad but true, i love microskiff.com !


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)




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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Note to self: this is the Flyfishing section no other topics fly only 👍😎


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> One guide here pats you down and checks your bags for gps devices and checks your phone after the trip. No joke.


He's just trying to cop a feel.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

Silent Drifter said:


> Since this is fly fishing what weight rod do you need for drum that big ? From my reading id think a 10 ?spool capacity obviously plays a Big part in sure he pulled off some line ...


Unless you are targeting jack crevalle or offshore species, an 8 wt is all that is needed. You often see guys using 9 or 10 wt rods in the winter chasing bulls but that is more for the wind and bigger fly size than anything. 

Truthfully, black drum usually don't even pull off a lot of drag. Sure they pull and are tough to turn due to their body shape, but drag screamers they are not. Think of bull dozer vs sports car. 

Going back to the rod size necessary to tackle these fish, if you fight the fish with a relatively straight rod like you should be, you're pulling on the reel and line more than rod itself.

Think of Andy Mill's pulley and sand bucket practice technique.


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