Fly Fishing for Rooster Fish off the Beach

By Sam Wike

The first three days of our trip we fished alone off the beach-no guides-no boats. The beach isn’t easy and takes a lot of dedication-- I took off with my backpack at 7 am after breakfast at Rancho Leonero with no idea what to do and alone.

Looking for Roosterfish: Where I Found Them

I started heading towards the point across the bay from the ranch looking for water where I could see roosterfish cruising. It helps to have white sand flats, and the best place to look is where there is a deep area near one of these flats so you can see the roosterfish crashing the baitfish. In about the first 100 yards I landed two ladyfish. Ladyfish are actually a really fun fish as they are similar to a baby tarpon and acrobatic when they are hooked up.

Lots of ladies around, and you won’t hear too many guys complain about that. Got to the point after 2 hours. No roosterfish. It’s hot. 100 degrees. Humid. I realize I have no water. Luckily I stuck with my high school Spanish classes through college and although it’s not perfect I know enough to get by. A local family is out on the beach just past the point and I ask, "Puedes tener una botella de agua?" The alpha male stares me down like I’m an endangered species.

Unsure whether I was going to get robbed of my new Scott STS 11 weight and Hatch reel I took a step back, the man went to the back of an old Toyota and poured me a large bottle of water with a smile. I like that guy, I was really thirsty, and it is a super dumb idea to head out in the desert with no water.

Hook-up and Seeing the Comb Coming

The comb rises out of nowhere. With the only knowledge of roosterfish that I have being from Felt Soul Media’s Running Down the Man DVD, I strip as fast as I can hunched over.

The rooster follows so close in to shore it is half way out of the water. Didn’t eat it. However, now I have confidence in the small mullet pattern I had tied up prior to the trip. 3 hours later I have 3 more follows and have seen a few fish. I found a small river with a flat in front of it. Blind casting in front of the flat, I land a Mexican Look Down.

I start heading further down the beach and see a rooster crash the beach in front of me on a cloud of mullet. I run down in behind the school and launch the 11 weight over the school. At this point I’m glad no one is around to watch me because I can’t imagine how ridiculous and frantic I look. I’m hooked up on the first rooster of the trip... not a large fish but I’m hooked up on roosterfish.

Sick.

Rooster Vision

After the first one is out of the way, the stress and frantic behavior  disappears and I turn to the methodical casting I know will deliver results. Not 20 minutes later, I’m hooked up again in front of the next town. This time there is a man and his wife watching me so I try to act normal, and that’s not happening.

This is a larger rooster this time, I estimated it to be in the 20 pound range... so if KK or Erik were next to me they'd call it a "10-15 pound standard". The man that is with his wife on the beach comes running over. He evidently fishes, too and is as excited as I am; we are both freaking out as the pez get within tailing range.

Got it.

The man offers to take my picture, so I try to get in the water to take one of those sweet "in-the-water-with-your-nice-rooster-off-the-beach" pictures. I adjust my pose, and drop the fish. The guy gets me a cerveza from the cooler; I ate that for dinner.

KK came and met me on my way back and we hooked up a few more fish on the return to the ranch.

We got to Rancho Leonero about 8:30pm and the guys assumed I must have gone to jail, they were so concerned they were all experimenting with local Margaritas and Pacificos.

Total body count for the day: eight Ladyfish, two Mexican Lookdowns, three roosterfish, one Jack Crevalle, and unlimited Needlefish, as well as losing or breaking off a number of others.

For 12 hours, no food, sunburnt feet, and one bottle of water... it was a good start for the week.