Though many of the glamour species have retreated to warmer depths of the Gulf, plenty of good flyfishing remains for the hearty soul visiting the Emerald Coast in the winter. The mouths of freshwater rivers, creeks, springs, in fact any warm water outflow attracts huge numbers of our basic fly fishing targets, trout and redfish. While these guys often average only a pound or two, hookups are generally interspersed with four to five pound jacks, one to two foot ladyfish, even catfish up to seven or eight pounds hit a fly in these conditions. These fish are usually down so sink tips and barbell clousers in size 4-6 are generally the fare. Seaducers and frizzies for the reds often work well too.

The panhandle will often have a spell of "Indian Summer" during the dead of winter with warm days in the 70's and light and variable winds. When that happens the flyfishing is a real treat. The crowds are gone and the fish are congregated. Christmas time is really just fine.