I took out a new friend this morning. He has been flyfishing for a while. Mainly trout, bass and panfish. Making the transition to the salt is still a big jump for most people. Here are some things to think about. 1). Casting. Casting. Casting. Get that double haul down. You really need to be able to cast 60 feet with two or three false casts with some degree of accuracy. When flats fishing under 8 inches of water, they get kind of bumpy inside of 50 feet. 2). Flies. Pattern does not matter as much design. A knowledgeable tyer will tie the same pattern in multiple variations depending on what it is going to be used for. Flies for reds need to have weed guards. Flies for speckled trout don’t need weed guards. Etc, etc, etc… 3). These fish are going to be stronger than any fish most people have caught on a fly in freshwater. A 27 inch redfish is going to pull hard and can break 10 or 12 lb. tippet pretty quickly if your drag is not set properly or if you try to hold him when he wants to run. Unless you have caught salmon, steelhead or muskies (or something in that class), these fish will be stronger than any you have caught before. So be ready when you head out to the salt with your fly rod. It is hard but the rewards are worth it.