BaitfishbeginnerFlorida Keys & South Florida
EP Baitfish
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Regional source directory
Forgotten Coast Fly Co.
Matched on Florida Keys & South Florida, baitfish flies, redfish. Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast shop lead for inshore saltwater patterns.
Salty Fly Tying
Matched on Florida Keys & South Florida, baitfish flies, redfish. Drew Chicone's saltwater tying catalog and learning hub, strongest for saltwater pattern validation.
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on baitfish flies, redfish, shrimp. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
Orvis Fly Catalog
Matched on baitfish flies, redfish, shrimp. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.
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The EP Baitfish is the Swiss Army knife of the Keys fly box -- not because it has a corkscrew, but because it does seventeen things adequately and several of them brilliantly. Tie it in olive/white and it is a pilchard. Tie it in tan and it is a shrimp. Tie it in chartreuse and it is whatever chartreuse thing the fish are eating today. The synthetic fibers outlast natural materials by a factor of embarrassing, and the translucent profile in the water is genuinely beautiful. Form follows function, and function follows fish.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
Biscayne Bay
FL · Flats
Florida Bay
FL · Backcountry
Key West Harbor
FL · Channels
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Related Reading
species science
The Silver King: Understanding Tarpon
Tarpon breathe air. They've survived five mass extinctions. They migrate thousands of miles, daisy-chain in mysterious circles, and when they eat your fly, they do things in the air that no other fish can do. Understanding what makes them tick is the first step toward actually landing one.
hatch guide
Saltwater Forage: Matching the Bait
In saltwater fly fishing, there are no hatches — there is forage. Mullet, shrimp, crabs, baitfish, and worms drive every feeding event on the flats, in the surf, and along the mangrove edges. Understanding the forage base and matching it precisely is the difference between a fish of a lifetime and an empty line.
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