If you live in the Pacific Northwest and haven’t treated yourself to fly fishing the salt you really should. It is some of the funnest fly fishing you can do out here and there are virtually no other anglers out there. This is also a sustainable fishery for catch and keep so you can finally bring something home and prove to your friends and family that you do catch fish and you’re not weird for throwing your fish back.
I think the largest form of friction that anglers have when thinking about starting to go out on the rocks is, “what do I need to fly fish off the jetty?” Below I am going to give a detailed list of the fishing gear, flies, tackle, equipment, and PPE you will need to get out there on the rocks and catch rockfish on the fly. And spoiler alert you probably already have most of this gear already.
Fishing tackle
Rod: You need an 8wt fly rod. I know you heard from a guy who read a story in a magazine from 2004 that you can get out there with your 9’ 6wt and catch black rockfish. That may be all true but from my experience out there over the last 5-6 years you want an 8wt. This is for a couple reasons; first, you need the strength of the rod to fight fish. 1-2 pound fish can break a 7wt fairly easily. You are also trying to stop these fish from going back into the rocks you are catching them in. You have to put the wood to them. The other reason is you need the mass of an 8wt line to help you punch through the wind and shoot line when the wind isn’t as intense. More mass in your fly line is the best way to do that.
Reel: Any reel will do as long as you service it. I use a freshwater reel and have used it for a number of years. The reason it continues to work flawlessly is because I rinse it fresh water after every trip, no exceptions. I take it apart and rinse it in the sink. I know some anglers will just take it into the shower with them when they get home. However you wash it it just needs to be within a few hours of you being off the water and sooner is better. This still applies for saltwater reels too. Don’t think you can forget about them just because they have a sealed drag. As a side note do not put any of these fish on the reels. They are too strong. Because of that the drag system is irrelevant.
Line: You want a decent line. Get yourself a type 5 line that is tapered to shoot. I love my Scientific Angler Titan Sonar I/3/5 line. I love it so much that when I needed to replace it I just bought it again. Now if you like Rio better or another brand go with their equivalent. Don’t use sinking leaders or jerryrigged lines. They cast terribly, don’t shoot out, sink unevenly, and have too many joints. You will have a better time with the proper line.
Leaders & Tippet: This does not have to be complicated. I run a butt section of 1’-2’ of 25lb fluorocarbon to a swivel. I use a unique swivel called an invisaswivel and it is a fully fluorocarbon swivel. I just buy the clear ones. Then my tippet is typically 12lb fluoro carbon at 4-6’ long. I usually start at 6’ but throughout the fishing I cut it down to ~4’. If you fish in an area that has some rough rocks or little back casting space I’d up to 15lb or even 20lb to help with the abrasion resistance. Don’t over think it, these fish aren’t leader shy at all. Just don’t exceed the breaking strength of your fly line because then that becomes your weak point
Other gear: I have pliers for starters. You can get the dollar tree kind that lasts a trip or less or you can get the nice saltwater safe pliers. I think the Dr. Slick ones are the best in the market for the price. I also have some spare swivels and fly snaps.You have to have a stripping basket, non negotiable. It keeps your line protected and out of the rocks. I’m a big fan of the Ahrex one but Loon has one that is very similar too. You can also make one but it won’t work as well and will be uncomfortable. I like having spare nippers and I like having a comb to brush out tails on flies after a fish. Synthetic flies tangle real badly so you need to brush them out. You should have a backpack and mine is a roll top waterproof one but anything is better than nothing. Finally, a lantern or flood light can help draw fish in closer if you have trouble casting.
Safety Gear
I have an article already on the site that you can read HERE, but just to cover the basics here is what I always bring. I wear pants to protect my legs from the rocks and other sharp bits out there. I wear a pair of the Korkers wet wading shoes but any closed toe shoe is a must out there. This is not the time nor the place for crocs, birkenstocks, or flip flops. I also wear a PFD. I have one that has lots of pockets so that I can use it like a fly fishing vest. I keep a glow stick and whistle on it in case I actually go in. It hasn’t happened yet and to be honest I have never been actually all that close to going in but I, and my loved ones, would rather be safe than sorry. I keep a head lamp in my pack with extra batteries or now because my current one is rechargeable so I keep a second one in my pack. I also keep some basic first aid in my pack. Nothing crazy, just some medical tape, gauze, and a disinfectant. I’m so close to my car and the civilized world you don’t need to moonlight as an EMT. The last thing I have is two types of eye protection. We all wear sunglasses but If you’re out after the sun sets then your sunglasses are worthless. Don’t forget your prescriptions in your car and if you don’t need your four eyes like me, pick up a cheap pair of safety glasses when you get your head lamp.
Flies
The moment we all have been waiting for. The flies don’t have to be a puzzle. Clousers are a great place to start. A 2”-3” bucktail clouser will catch all the fish you want. They only last about 10 fish on a good day. If you are a tyer and want to up your game you need to have a synthetic clouser in your box. I like the SF blend from Renzetti. You need hardly any material at all. The sparser the better. I also use brass eyes on my flies to help increase their durability. Nothing makes them bullet proof, but you can make the bullet resistant.
The jetty worm is my favorite pattern out there at the moment. It just plain catches fish. I like mine in the peach or white colors but I have had success on a baitfish blue color as well. I use some subs on materials but you can get a kit from Spawn Fly Shop or you can have your local fly shop order all the materials from Hareline for you. I catch loads of fish on these flies.
My next favorite pattern is a finesse game changer in white. When rockfish are pushing bait they can’t keep off this fly. I catch some of my bigger and feistier fish on this pattern. It is an expensive fly to tie and to buy so I understand why you may shy away from this pattern but the only other thing that comes close is a long bunny leech and those cast like a wet sock.
Those are the flies I have in my box but variations of those flies and other baitfish looking streamers with blue, chartreuse, tan, olive, black, and shrimp peach would all be winners at some point or another. You can also look at Jay Nicholas’ books and videos if you are wanting some more inspiration.
That covers the basics and a little beyond. So look through the gear you have. You might have the rod because you already fish for bass or steelhead, you might have the line from salmon fishing, you probably already have the flies, and I bet you have a spare head lamp somewhere in your tool kit. So get out there and hope to see you on the rocks!
