Fly Fishing In Gulf Shores, Alabama- Part 3- Figuring it Out

At the conclusion of the last post, I was feeling pretty good about how things were going.  I had caught a few fish and had built some extremely important confidence.  I think, a lot of the time, whether you think you will or you won't, you are probably right.  I was riding a wave of confidence and felt like I could keep catching fish if I continued with my technique.  While that is true, and as with most stories, there are always a few bumps in the road.  Life is never that simple.

After my morning of fly fishing in the surf at Gulf Shores, Alabama, I decided to keep fishing the mornings and see if the evenings could be productive as well.  I also started to dig a little deeper into understanding how tides influenced fish behavior and thus, fishing productivity.  What I learned was that fishing was best two hours before a tide and two hours after a tide.  As luck would have it, the mornings and evenings that corresponded with the tide charts aligned with the days that we were going to in Gulf Shores.  In other words, each morning was going to have a high tide and each evening was going to have a low tide.  That meant that I had a window to fish each morning and each evening!

As I fished each morning and a few evenings, I learned that I had a 30 minute window to catch fish with the technique that I was utilizing. Outside of that window, the bites were nonexistent.  However, within that window, the fishing was fantastic.  While I missed a few fish on each outing, I landed at least three fish each time.  This was WAY beyond my wildest hopes and I felt fortunate as well as blessed.

Aside from the joy that came with the takes and hero pictures, I marveled at the fight that these fish had.  I caught one Pompano and the rest were ladyfish.  Even the small fish put up incredible fights.  One ladyfish even got into my backing and I wasn't sure if I would ever land the fish.  Thankfully I did land it as well as a newfound appreciation for the strength and stamina that saltwater fish have.  I had always heard about how strong saltwater fish were, but being from the Show Me State, I had to see it firsthand to appreciate the fact.

Aside from the fishing, I was also fortunate enough to witness a lot of other amazing sights.  I saw some sea turtle nests during the day and my sons hunted ghost crabs at night.  Wendy and I both saw dolphins at various points which was something we both wanted to see.  On a lesser note, everyone on the trip got stung by jellyfish multiple times.  It sounds worse than it was though.  It was somewhere between a bee sting and a mosquito bite and my sons described them best as "annoying".  I also saw Gulf Shores' version of Trout Park Opening Day at Gulf State Park.  Those folks were packed together like sardines!  Finally, I saw my first shark in the wild.  I appreciated the fact that it was about 200 yards away...which was good for both of us!

I want to emphatically state that this will NOT be the last time that I fly fish in saltwater.  Between the scenery, the unpredictability, and variety of species to catch, I am smitten.  Even when some locals told me that they felt bad for me since I only caught ladyfish, I couldn't have cared less.  Even the "bluegill of the gulf" were a thrill to catch and I cannot imagine chasing bigger fish in more scenic areas.  I love aggressive fish that are willing to take down a streamer.  Since everything in the ocean seems to be trying to murder everything else in the ocean, I might have found a new passion!

Fly Fishing In Gulf Shores, Alabama- Part 2- No Clue What to Do

Announcement: I apologize for the lack of posting lately.  I started back to work recently (I'm a middle school teacher) and my time to dedicate to writing has become limited.  I will keep posting, I promise, and after things slow down a little bit more for me, posts will become more regular.  Please hang in there with me and posts will become more consistent!

So there I was.  Standing on the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama, with a white clouser minnow tied on to a 10 pound leader which was attached to an 8 weight fly rod.  I had never done anything remotely close to what I was about to attempt.  My goal was to catch one fish over the course of the 4 days that we would be on vacation.  I didn't care how big or what species.  I just wanted to catch a fish, in the surf, in the Gulf, on my own.  

I got to the beach around dawn.  While it was pretty much deserted, I noticed some other anglers that were fishing from the beach.  While I knew that they could cast further and that I could not beat the live bait that I assumed they were using, I took a little solace in the fact that I might be fishing where fish were located.  I assumed that these folks knew what they were doing and if that was the fact, they knew that there were fish in the area.  That's all that I was asking for.

As I cautiously stepped into the water, I proceeded with caution for a couple of reasons.  Everyone in the group had been stung by jellyfish on the first day.  It sounds worse than it was.  The stings we got were somewhere between a mosquito bite and a bee sting.  It wasn't that bad and more annoying than anything.  I also have a healthy respect/fear of the ocean.  I understand that everything in the water is trying to eat everything else in the water and I didn't want to be on the menu.

I had been told by some folks to just "cast into the surf" but I still wasn't sure what to do.  I'm a details-oriented guy and I felt like I was missing some info.  Was I supposed to cast into waves?  Was I supposed to cast between waves?  Was I supposed to only cast to schools of fish that were actively feeding?  How far was I supposed to walk out into the water?  Was I supposed to walk past the breakers and fish the deeper water on the backside of the breakers?

After a little trial and error, I settled on fishing the trough on the backside of the breakers and to cast between waves.  I arrived at this conclusion because I know fish like transition zones from shallow to deep.  I also did not see any fishing swimming through the waves so that told me to not cast into the waves.  Casting into the waves also tossed my fly around a lot and I felt that was a less natural presentation.  Fish know how to swim and handle current.  They don't just flounder around (pun intended) like a dizzy person in a bouncy house.

To my utter shock and amazement, my first bite came about 20 minutes into the morning.  I missed it, of course, because I always miss the first of the day.  I wasn't disappointed in the least though.  I knew it was coming and it gave me hope.  I knew that my strategy and fly would work on one fish and if it worked once, it should probably work again.  As fortune would have it, the strategy did work again.  I had a fish hooked and it was fighting so hard that it was peeling drag pretty quickly.  Like the first fish, it came unbuttoned and I didn't land it.  It also took one of my two white clouser minnows.  While I was disappointed, there wasn't any time to pout.  The fish were biting so I rerigged quickly to get back to chasing my goal.  One fish.

It took very little time to get back to fishing and my third bite came almost instantly.  I gave this fish a proper strip set and it felt like it was solidly hooked.  It fought hard but I could tell it was smaller than the previous fish.  All I could think was, "Please don't come off!"  Eventually it tired and I saw that while it was small, it was indeed a fish that had been legally hooked and not foul hooked.  I let the waves bring my prey onto the beach and just like that, I landed my first fish while fly fishing in the surf!

I had no idea what I had caught.  It wasn't big but I was impressed by the strength and stamina that it fought with.  I later learned that it was a pompano.  I suspected that I would be catching a lot of these as the vacation went on.  There are a lot more small fish in the ocean than there are big fish.  Oddly enough, this was the only pompano that I caught on this trip.  That's fishing for you though.  You never know what is going to happen and just when you think you have things figured out, nature teaches you a new lesson.

After that, I started to build some confidence in my strategy and some confidence in my skills.  Before I move on, let me stress that there are few things as important as confidence on the water.  Confidence breeds focus and faith in success.  If you have confidence, you're going to do better on the water...in my opinion.  The edge that this fish gave me bred a mentality that lead to more success!

On this particular day, I landed two more fish!  I cannot stress my utter amazement and joy to this.  Both fish were ladyfish (as I found out later) and were caught on the same fly in the same spot.  Both fought with the ferocity of lions and were appreciated to a degree that few fish in my life have rivaled.  While some locals later told me that ladyfish are the bluegill of the gulf and that they were sorry that I didn't catch anything else, I didn't care.  I loved them for what they were.  They were a sign of success in a situation that was filled with nothing but hope.  The confidence that I gained from these fish fueled me for the rest of the trip and lead to even more catches...but that's a post for another time.

 

Fly Fishing In Gulf Shores, Alabama- Part 1- Preparation

Earlier this year, my wife and I decided that we were going to take her son as well as my two boys on a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  We hadn't taken a vacation as an entire group in a long time and knew it was time to do something special.  Wendy's son is 18 and gaining his independence quickly.  My oldest son is 15 and will have his driver's license in a few months.  We weren't sure if or when a family vacation opportunity was going to come along so we decided to take this chance.

None of us had ever been to Gulf Shores before and didn't really know what to expect.  Some of our friends gave us some tips, which was helpful.  Of course we looked at interesting things to do in the area on the internet and on social media.  Even with our research though, nothing really prepared us for being there in person.  

During our planning, I told myself on multiple occasions, "This is a family vacation, not a fishing trip."  I decided to not even look into hiring a guide or a charter because that was going to take me WAY over budget so that helped keep the fishing temptation at bay.  However, when Wendy and I stumbled upon the fact that fishing is permitted anywhere along beaches, my attention was piqued.  I started asking some of my fishing buddies and doing a little research online and found out that fly fishing in the surf was productive in that area.  Wendy not only gave me the green light to bring a rod and some flies, but actually said, "I just assumed you were going to fish."  

Next, came the planning phase.  I'll be honest, I had no idea what to take at first.  I settled on an 8 weight rod with floating line and a reel that looks like a wheel to a Toyota Prius.  When it came to flies, I grabbed a few flies that gave off saltwater vibes.  I figured I would go to the local fly shop at some point but wanted to have a few options ready to go when we arrived.  Everybody I asked said the white clouser was my best bet so I decided I would lead with that fly.  My goal was to catch one fish during our 4 days in Gulf Shores.  I didn't care how big or what species.  I just wanted to catch a fish, in the surf, in the Gulf, on my own.  Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next!

 

Catching Hybrid Stripers with My Dad and My Son on Different Trips

Life is funny.  It gives you opportunities and sometimes you don't even notice them.  Sometimes, you don't appreciate the gravity of an opportunity until you look back on it.  Please allow me to give you three examples.  First, one fateful day, I watched a guy catch hybrid striped bass at Watkins Mill Lake with chicken livers.  If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I might not have ever employed the strategy and would not have grown as an angler.  Second, if I had not learned to catch hybrid stripers with chicken livers, I would not have been able to give my dad an easy, but solid day on the water.  Finally, I would not have been able to give my youngest son a similar experience.  

In mid July, my dad was preparing for a pretty major surgery.  He needed to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm fixed and it came along with some risks.  He could have ended up paralyzed, or even worse, he could have died on the operating room table.  Thankfully, neither occurred.  Prior to his surgery though, I invited him to hit the water with me.  He is 75 years old and gets around really well, thankfully.  

I decided to use my new fishing strategy to try and give him a good morning.  I wanted a simple fishing method that would be productive.  One thing my dad loves is having a fish on the line that pulls drag.  He doesn't eat fish and only fishes for the sport.  For him, the tug is the drug and it has always been that way.  In a strange twist, I ended up being the guide rather than him tutoring me!  We caught a lot of fish that morning and I was happy to do the baiting, casting, and netting.  It felt a little strange to have the shoe on the other foot, but it felt good to give him a good trip after all of the fishing experiences that he has given me.

Last Sunday (August 3, 2025) I got to play the role of guide again, but this time I also played the role of dad.  I took my youngest son, Cody, to the same lake and used the same method.  I showed him how to cast, how to hook, and how to fight a hybrid striper.  He took my instruction really well and only lost 2 fish while boating 5 hybrids completely on his own.  I also let him reel in most of the fish that I hooked and we landed somewhere around 15 fish that evening.

It is difficult to describe the emotions that I felt watching my son that evening.  It wasn't pride and I wouldn't describe it as some sort of ego boost.  The best word that I can find is delight.  It was delightful to watch my son learn to do something new and be successful in a short amount of time.  The sound of his laughter and the sight of his appreciation for the fish (and all of the nature we observed) brought me joy that is particular to being a parent. 

Life is funny and what I really mean to state is that fate (which I wholeheartedly believe in) can change your life.  Only while writing this post was I able to understand the gifts that I had been given.  My life would be different if I hadn't watched a guy catch hybrids with chicken livers.  If that had not happened, I never would have been able to return a small favor to my dad that has taught me so much.  He was, admittedly, skeptical of my plan but, in the end, he learned something and had a fun time doing it.  And finally, I was also able to pass along some knowledge to my youngest son and give him a (hopefully) solid memory.  

None of those events would have transpired if I hadn't been in my boat on Watkins Mill one day and within eyeshot and earshot of a guy catching hybrids with chicken livers.  My life would have been different without that moment.  Instead, that moment gave me a gift that I was able to pass along to a couple of guys that I love with all my heart.  One man has been an example to me for my entire life.  It is my hope that I have been an example to the other fella.  This is what the outdoors/nature/fishing/hunting/hiking/camping can do for people.  These activities can change lives because they are real and genuine.  We all need to be careful though!  Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Disclaimer: That last philosophical nugget comes to you via the movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  If you haven't seen that movie, watch it.  If you have seen the movie, watch it again!  It is just that good!

Hoots Custom Flies and Guides

Link: https://www.hootscustomflies.com/ 

“Don’t ever judge a book by its cover.”  The older I get, the more this metaphor makes sense to me.  Whether it is someone that I just met or a student in my classroom, I have to constantly remind myself that it is difficult to really understand what someone has been through and what makes them, holistically, they way he or she is.  Take for example Alex Gibson, also known as Rooster.  I met Rooster at the Frontline Fly Fishing Fly Tying Gala earlier this year.  While I followed Rooster on social media, I had never actually met the guy.  It was nice to hear about his guide service and see the flies that he tied.  He invited me to go fishing with him, which was really nice of him, and we concluded our first meeting that way.

At some point, Rooster asked me if I could share his story with others.  He gathered that I like to write and asked if I could help him clean up some writing that he wanted to send me.  Without hesitation, I agreed to help him out.  I didn’t know what to expect from him but my curiosity was piqued.  Nothing could have prepared me for what he sent my way and I was reminded of the aforementioned phrase, “Don’t ever judge a book by its cover.”  I had no idea what Rooster had been through in his life because I didn’t know him that well.  The following is his story, mostly in his words, but spoiler alert: this is a roller coaster of a read!

The Story of a Broken Boy Trying to be a Fly Fisherman

I don't really like talking about myself very much and I don't really remember why this makes me me feel uncomfortable.  Maybe it is the horrible decisions I made in my past like misplaced passions, addiction, or heart that I broke.  Or maybe it is the feeling of being judged.  I feel like I'm not that good of a person anyways so why should I care?  I care because I'm trying to be better than what I have done and where I have come from.  Maybe there is a part of me that feels like a dog that needs to be pat on the head and told he is doing a good job. 

I have always believed in God.  When I was younger, I was angry at God.  I wondered why things were the way they were and why my life had turned out like it had.  I questioned why I didn’t have this and why come I can't have that.  I would sometimes scream, in a drunken rage. “Take away your cup!  I don't want to drink from your cup!  I don't want live!”  I have tried to kill myself multiple times.  Eventually, I  almost got to the point where I was beginning to think I was invincible or immortal.  At other times, I begged for his love.  Some days I would wake up in the morning with a hangover and crying “Forgive me Father.  Fill my cup.  Let it overflow.  Your will is my path.”  

A lot of people tell me, “God must have a big plan for you.”  I wanted to believe this.  Eventually, something happened to me that made me believe that God did have a plan for me.

On December 12, 2012, I was having trouble with the wonderful mother of my two amazing daughters.  It destroyed me because of how much I love my children.  My friends saw my pain from the situation so they invited me to party with them.  At the point that I was at in my life and the way I was living, partying to avoid the pain was how I dealt with the hurt.  I should have went home and read the Bible to look for guidance to fix things and should not have been so darn selfish.  Instead, I went to a party with a handful of pills and some pot.

Before the party, a buddy cut me up some morphine pills that I snorted.  When I got to the party, I handed shots out to everyone.  It seemed like everybody was feeling bad so I tried to put that smile on that very seldom leaves my face but I couldn’t.  It was gone.  In an effort to bring it back, I started doing a bunch of, what they called “rooster bombs”.  This entailed taking a hit of weed, snorting a pill, taking a shot, and then exhaling.  This was an excellent combination to black out and make bad choices.

Eventually, the party started to settle down.  My buddies headed to different rooms of the house to crash and I was sitting all alone. I was alone with my thoughts.  This was the most dangerous thing in the world.  When my mind starts to wander, the darkness sets in and causes the most painful rages.  It felt like I was trying to fight Mike Tyson because I didn’t have a chance to win.

After wrestling with my thoughts and emotions for long enough, I decided to go eat at the Taco Bell that was just across the street.

I started to walk across the yard and hopped the fence.  I called the mother of my wonderful children and started crying, “Please let me see my kids tomorrow.”  In my condition, it did not register that she was trying to tell me that I could see my kids, but just not at the house that I was partying at.  I don't remember hanging up the phone.  I don't remember the drunk driver that hit me at 65 mph as I crossed the street. I don't remember the two college students that called 911 and dragged me out of the road.  I woke up in the hospital but I don't remember that either.  At some point I was moved out of the intensive care unit. That was when I really woke up.

I was asked who the president was.  I said Bill Clinton, which was wrong.  They asked me where I lived.  I actually lived in Arkansas at the time, but I gave them a South Dakota address where I lived when I was 14 years old.  I eventually gave up answering questions and said, “Well give me the right answer and I'll tell you that!”  Instead, they told me the date and then told me what happened.  

I had a fractured skull and looked like someone took a baseball bat to my skull.  You could see a spot as big as a quarter from where the antenna of the car had hit me. After the accident, they found a chunk of my hip bone in my pocket.  I got a metal rod in my back and one in my hip.  I had some wire holding my pelvis together and some fancy kind of glue holding my other hip together.  The seriousness of my injuries still didn't really register at that time.  I didn't see the seriousness behind it and I laughed it off.  The severity of my situation eventually set in.  Days passed and I remained in the hospital.  My birthday came and went regardless of my condition.

My family from California and Kansas came by to see me. By then, I had gotten pretty good with using the wheelchair that I was confined to.  I also started to raise a lot of hell and started to become ornery in my new home.  I needed something to keep me occupied both physically and mentally.  As fate would have it, my uncle came by and he gave me a fly rod.  It was a Cabela's Stowaway five weight, which I still have today. The fire was lit right then and there.

It was six months after that I started walking.  Being in a wheelchair that long makes you look like a cartoon character.  Your upper body looks excellent but your lower body looks thin and weak. As soon as I could, I started picking up the fly rod and casting in the backyard.  I stayed close to home because I was too scared to cross the street.  Out of necessity, I found a route to Walgreen’s that didn’t cross a street. 

On one particular day, I saw a trailer drop a big pile of brush in the middle of a road right after my dad left on his Harley.  I stood there and looked at the mess.  I wanted to get the clippings out of the road so when my dad came back through, he wouldn't hit it and get hurt.  Folks called my dad Hoot.  I hesitated for a good ten minutes.  I looked like a crazy poor person walking back and forth on the road deciding if I should get the mess out of the road or not.  I eventually built up the courage to run out on the road and clear the brush out of the way so he didn't hit it with his bike on his way back.

One of my biggest fears is feeling.  I don't like to have feelings.  Growing up, most of my feelings were negative. I was given Ritalin and had to see a psychologist.  I wasn't stupid, I just knew there was something different with me, but I didn't see it as bad.  I could understand and work with people which helped me with my jobs and made me successful.  My other biggest fear is living.

After I got out of my wheelchair, I had a lot of bills to pay.  Disability couldn't move quickly enough and child support was piling up.  I dug a lot of ditches which tore me up.  I did a lot of manual labor against the doctor's wishes.  I started tying flies and guiding.  

Fly fishing is not a business that you make millions from.  On a good day, $50-$100 went in my pocket.  Regardless, that thought of helping somebody catch a fish or helping a parent create a memory with their son or daughter with their first fish on a fly was my main drive. I have invested all my money (after bills) and time to fly fishing.  Some days I eat once a day and three times on a great day. But it is the sacrifice you make to help others.

A Quick Follow Up

These days, Rooster is guiding folks for trout as well as selling flies and merchandise online.  I am included a screen shot of his website and a link as well.  I know that he would appreciate any support that folks can send him whether it is just checking out the site, a follow on social media, or any sort of patronage.

Link: https://www.hootscustomflies.com/ 

The Largest Custom Fly Order I Have Ever Compelted!

Email: showmeflyguy@gmail.com

Online fly shop: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

I have tied A LOT of flies this summer and could not be more appreciative of all of the purchases.  I've completed some custom orders and sold a lot of flies in the online store but one order stands out.  A friend of mine contacted me and asked me to complete couple of identical orders.  He said that he was going out west to fish with some guides that he had fished with before and wanted to give them a special gift.  I believe that his exact words were, "Tie up whatever you fish with and what works for you.  I want to give them a little taste of the Midwest."  

The idea of tying flies for guides, taking some Midwest out west, and being asked to play such a special part in my friend's experience felt pretty darn good.  Before our conversation was over, I was already excited to start putting something together.  My friend asked me to put each order in a fly box as well.  At this point, I started to go trough my list of fly box options.  That thinking lead me to wonder and the ask my friend, "How big of an order are we talking here?"  My friend replied, "I don't know.  Whatever $300 will get me."  

$300 DOLLARS?  MY FRIEND WANTED $300 DOLLARS WORTH OF FLIES?!?!  

At this point, my head started swimming because I tend to sell about $300 dollars worth of flies over the course of 2-3 months most of the time!  I then started to run through a series of obstacles that this order had just created.  How many flies was that going to be?  What flies would I include in the order?  What kind of box was going to fit this order?  How long was this going to take?

Eventually, I found a solution for each challenge and the order got done with a couple of days to spare in regards to my deadline.  I was happy to have completed the biggest order  and also receive the biggest single payday that I have ever received of my fly tying career.  (I say career but it's more of a side hustle as I am not quitting my teaching career to become a commercial fly tyer).  Most importantly, my friend was happy with what I had made and was excited to gift the flies to his guides.  

As we started to part ways, I told him that I would love to take him fishing sometime after his trip out west.  He liked that idea and asked me, "Do you fish all of these flies?"  I said, "Yep.  I fish every single one of them.  I have also caught fish on every pattern that you see because I only sell flies that have worked for me!"  His response was, "Well they look great.  Can you tie another order up for me and I can get them from you after I get back from my fishing trip?"  I told him that I could absolutely do that, and then ran home and hopped back on the fly tying bench!  

If you find yourself in need of some flies, feel free to check out my Etsy store.  If you need a custom order completed, feel free to email me!  I would be happy to send some flies your way and be a part of your fly fishing journey!

Email: showmeflyguy@gmail.com

Online fly shop: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com