Does anyone on here target jack crevalle on the fly? I’ve been interested in catching them ever since I found a large school of them “tailing” in deeper water and wanted to know what line to use for them. Currently I have a 10wt setup and it has an intermediate/floating line on it and I don’t know if I should be using a pure floating line or not. I believe it is a rio outbound short but it’s heavy and holds a ton of memory in the line. I had my first shot of the year the other week after hours of searching for these fish and as they were making their way towards me my line knotted and wouldn’t shoot through my guides and I could not get it out before they ran into the boat and spooked.
A little bit about where I find them. I am in South Carolina and generally these fish are in anywhere from 25-60 feet of water but on the surface when I get shots. I cruise around looking for birds, nervous water, or their sickles and tails out of the water before I try to cut them off. As they’re heading towards the boat is when I try to present a fly to them but they are on the surface so I feel like the intermediate tip may be sinking too much and spooking them with the weight.
I would like to get a line I can use for bull redfish in the bay, LA trips, and maybe permit also if possible. The lines I am looking at are the cortland tropic tarpon taper, cortland tarpon clear (same line just clear), the tropic redfish, and the cortland tropic all purpose taper. I narrowed it down to these lines (excluding the redfish line) due to the longer bodies that I imagine would make longer casts easier.
If anyone fishes for these fish in the same way or has used any of these lines I would appreciate any insight and tips! Really looking to get one of these jokers before they leave and move back south. I have been throwing a larger EP baitfish fly that resembles a mullet/menhaden.
I love hooking Jack Crevales. It a great brute of a fish. In the Panhandle where I am, I dont think we have enough to target them. When they show up, you go after them, more of an opportunistic fish.
Sounds like your onto something in your area. Just keep refining in small increments. Personally, I dont like sinking line to cast with, but that may be what it takes for where they are in the water column.
Good Luck and post pics of the success!!!
Those lines are pretty different. Sounds like those fish are up top so I’d go full floater and you don’t need clear for jacks. I go for the regular tarpon taper. The redfish line is a short head for close shots and that doesn’t sound like the scenario you have.
A small half pound jack crevalle was actually my first saltwater fish on a fly rod 12 or 13 years ago blind casting for trout somewhere in Florida. There really aren’t a ton here either, at least when it comes to sight fishing, but I know a few guys have gotten good at it. I may stick with the intermediate and just try blind casting more in the water column but I know these fish are always on the move so sight casting seems like it would give me a better chance. If I make it happen I will definitely throw up a picture on here! Going to give it another try Sunday morning.
Yeah I think the only reason I was considering the redfish line was for when I go to LA but I’m sure I could get away with the tarpon line there just fine. Generally I am casting a bit further to give me enough distance to not spook them so the tarpon line is probably my best bet. I will try that and see if it’s more comfortable to cast and holds less memory than the intermediate line I have been using.
Hooked this bruiser the other day on my 12wt. I was dredging for Tarpon and he took the fly. 26 or 28” I’m drawing a blank..but anyhow, a damn fun catch. I never seen him though. He was in cut I was dredging in which is about 30’ deep, so I’d say if you are seeing them on the surface floating would be fine. I’ve done the same thing you mentioned with busting bait balls, but with my 8wt, in shallower waters. The fish weren’t big though.
My 12wt setup is floating Rio WF floating Elite Tarpon with a 12’ leader. 20/50lb. That line gives me zero issues and I have no problem getting it to backing.
As to Cortland lines. I have Cortland on my 8 and 9wts.
These are my experiences.
All purpose (8wt) is just that. It’ll get out there, 70-90’ but takes a few extra false casts to get it there. It’s not a fast, up close shooter. But does well all around.
Bonefish. (9wt) Nice tight loops, gets out there in 90’ range pretty quickly, does well up close, shoots well into the wind, but seems to prefer lighter flies.
Redfish. (8wt) I’ve just recently put this on my Coast. I honestly wish I would’ve bought it sooner. It shoots fast and works great for those 30-40’ shots, but will stretch out as well.
Getting out to 70’-80’ is pretty effortless. I haven’t been able to push much more distance than that out of it though.
Yesterday I was banging grass lines and oyster bars with it, in 20mph winds, and it was loving it.
Into the wind, 60’ tight loops were no problem. Cross wind shots in the 70-80’ were light work for it as well. I’ve got a fairly short leader at 7’ on it, with 20lb tippet, as I tend to keep heavy flies in it.
Jacks of every size are a treat… They pull hard, never quit fighting, and when they’re blitzing (killing everything in sight) just entirely too much fun. They school by size, might be only six inches long - or weigh well in excess of thirty pounds… Down here in south Florida some of my anglers call them “canal tuna” since they love to trap mullet and other bait up against seawalls at dawn and just slaughter them… Hook a twenty pounder and I guarantee you won’t get a good look at him until at least 30 minutes later… They like bright colored flies worked quickly and are suckers for topwater poppers or big bait fish patterns that push water. Unlike many other species - they drive baitfish, often to your disadvantage. You’ll have a blow-up that you can see - but by the time you get there the school of jacks driving the bait might be hundreds of yards away. Plan accordingly and make sure to add seawalls, ocean inlets, etc. to your prospecting list - particularly right at dawn down here. Hope this helps…
My favorite time of year and tide for big jacks? Had to be in the coldest part of winter and a high tide at dawn. I’ll bet that any seawall near an ocean inlet at dawn then will have a blow-up or two. Downtown Palm Beach was a particular favorite -but back then we weren’t in boats - just sneakers, a heavy fly rod with a big sailfish popper and a willingness to run as quickly as possible down that seawall to where they were blowing up to get in on the action.. No we didn’t ever land many - but it was all you could stand when it was on… Local kids back then (only fifty to sixty years ago…) would cut sections of broom handle with treble hooks screwed on as their “mullet plugs” and probably thought us odd for using fly rods…
That is super cool! Unfortunately here in SC they only show up for a couple of months and when they are here they are not super easy to find. I was on the boat from 6-10am today and we never did find them. Still a beautiful morning on the water nonetheless.
Whenever we do our bi-annual Bahamas trip we fish for them also. We stop at West End on the way back home and cross back to Boca Inlet from there which helps us break up the trip some from Elbow Cay. At the West End marina it is all concrete seawalls and rocks before open ocean. At sunset we walk down the seawalls and look for the blowups and cast giant plugs at them and try to catch them. We haven’t landed any either but man is it fun! I could take the treble hooks off those poppers and still have just as good of a time watching them blow up on the lures! Nothing beats a topwater explosion!
I suggest the Grand Slam line. I use it for jack and reds on my 8wt and 10wt, and it throws well with my rod (NRX S+).
We encounter large Jacks from March to November with summer / early fall being prime. They show up in a variety of scenarios shallow over sand, cruising the outer marsh and in open water - usually always around mullet and menhaden. I prefer to fish them shallow over sand, but they are completely different animals compared to the open water schools. I usually catch 2 or 3 a year, then I‘m on to other fish. They’re usually lower on the priority list too.
Suggest wulff lost tip, have it on my 11 and it’s perfect for tarpon and jacks. The intermediate head works great for big poppers and large baitfish patterns. 9-11 wt is perfect
8wt can be a little sporty for the larger fish but doable from a skiff…
8wt jack in the pic
I sight for them then get in front of them for a shot.
I use a 11wt grand slam because I exclusively throw poppers to them.
Put the popper in the middle and be stripping as the fly is landing. They will spook when the fly lands but as soon as you pop it they will start to chase. It’s very fun
They are bycatch on the beach when walking for tarpon. I use a 10wt full intermediate line and a deceiver
Never understood why people fly to the ends of the earth to chase GTs but turn their noses up at jacks
I think WF floating works great. Those Jacks aren’t picky even though I say the fly I tied caught them. I think your searching the right way but you almost see them when your fishing for something else. My biggest is in my avatar picture. It was about 55 lbs I couldn’t stand holding it. I caught mine searching for Tarpon. They where crashing bait of the beach to about 5 miles out. I used an articulated ■■■■ fly cause it was on my rod for Tarpon
Most of the times I do see them it’s when I’m leaving flats and don’t have the gear needed for them. You’re right, it’s always when you’re not prepared that you see them
Well I went out in pursuit for jacks this weekend and found them within 30 seconds of putting the boat in idle. 3 casts at the school and on the 3rd cast I had one eat my fly. It was pretty short lived, it didn’t seem to know it was hooked, and after about 30 seconds of fighting my line went slack and I stripped my fly back in. Had a few more shots after this but the fish were weary. After inspecting my fly we came to the conclusion that my hook was about as sharp as a spoon. Lesson learned and I will be back. Enjoy this picture of these pesky canal tuna tailing to oblivion
Great pic. Love it when they are tailing.
I have seen them doing that off the beach here- an acre or more of those bruisers, but that was before I got into fly.
Want to do it now, but I am just far enough away from the coast as to not kick my own butt into gear.
Get those hooks sharpened and get one on the deck.
Jacks typically find you as opposed to searching for them though yes as Capt Lemay says certain conditions and especially walls offer target areas. Fishing with “crazy” Charlie Smith he showed me one day that a long strip with rod pointed and held far forward and a fast pull as far back as possible provides a faster strip than quick short strips or even two handed. Made a difference for me. Usually jacks aren’t too picky but I have fished them when they are incredibly picky requiring matching their target bait
