Top 3 Flies

If you had to narrow down your fly box to just 3 patterns for Texas inshore fishing, what would they be? Let's make it more interesting and assume you don't tie flies so you'll be forced to buy them from a fly shop. What are your choices now? My picks for top 3 flies are: 1) the spoonfly, 2) the bead chain Clouser Minnow, and 3) the East Cut Popper." Here's why:

The Spoonfly

The first spoonfly I ever saw was a Cave's Wobbler. It was stuck in the railing of a porch at the old Port Motel in Port O'Connor. As I recall it was around 1993. I don't know if the Cave's Wobbler was the original spoonfly, but it was one of the first to gain notoriety. Made from a flattened piece of epoxy-soaked Mylar tubing and outfitted with a stiff wire weed guard, the Cave's Wobbler was a super-cool fly.

Over the past decade spoonflies have really caught on. Their designs have slowly changed making them cleaner to tie and easier to cast. These days most spoons are crafted from a football-shaped piece of Mylar tape rather than tubing. For improved action, they are built on curved hooks like the Gamakatsu shiner hook and in general they are smaller than the original Wobblers.

One thing however has remained unchanged- spoonflies catch fish. Man do they catch fish! The spoonfly is a fantastic redfish pattern and works wonders on nearly any other fish on the flats, including specks, black drum, and sheepshead. Spoons often trigger strikes when nothing else will and they are great patterns to throw when the water gets cloudy. My favorite spoonfly color is gold.

Bead Chain Clouser Minnow

What can you say about the Clouser Minnow that hasn't already been said 1000 times. It is just plain and simply one of the best flies ever period. If you are angling on the Texas Coast, or anywhere else for that matter, you're a fool not to carry of handful of Clouser Minnows in your box.

There are a ton of color variations and sizes to choose from but if you have to pick only one, make it a chartreuse and white Clouser with bead chain eyes. In fact, if you have only one fly in your box, make it a chartreuse and white bead chain Clouser Minnow.

This fly is perfect on so many levels. It is weedless, easy to cast, durable, looks like all sorts of things a predator might eat, and it is inexpensive. A bead chain Clouser is a great flats fly and is equally at home probing channels and guts. Nearly any fish that swims will eat it. Make sure you have this fly in your box.

East Cut Popper

The diminutive East Cut Popper gets the David and Goliath achievement award.

Although this pea-sized popper looks small and harmless, it routinely puts the slam on shallow water redfish.

There are several reasons it works so well. The first reason is that poppers in general have a low "pain in the butt" factor. Anglers can see them, keep them out of the weeds, and watch fish eat them. When casting a popper to shallow redfish however, a small fly and subtle presentation are often required. This is where the East Cut Popper really excels. It lands lightly on the water and makes just enough gurgling sound to draw the attention of lurking redfish without spooking them. And, when a redfish goes for this fly he can get his lips around it. That may sound crazy, but redfish really aren't built to pop the top and it takes the right fly to consistently hook them. East Cut makes their popper in several colors. Red/white is perhaps my favorite with solid chartreuse a close second.

There you have it – the spoonfly, bead chain Clouser Minnow, and East Cut Popper. They are my three "must-have" flies for fishing the Texas flats. You can buy these flies at most fly shops and if you keep a few of each stocked in your box, you'll be prepared for nearly any condition and any fish the flats dish out.