There’s something primal and poetic about standing at the edge of the sea, casting into the unknown. Saltwater fly fishing isn’t just about the thrill of the fight or the salt on your skin, it’s about surrendering to the rhythm of tides, wind, and season. Just as spring calls trout from cold streams, the ocean’s fish follow their own celestial dance, migrating with temperature shifts, breeding cues, and ancient instincts passed down for millennia.

Just like our freshwater friends, the vibrant world of saltwater fishing dances to the rhythm of the seasons. Last month, we journeyed through the best freshwater catches each time of year. Now, prepare your sea legs, my fellow anglers, because April beckons us to explore the glorious bounty of the saltwater realm! Get ready to feel the pull, the fight, the sheer joy of landing some incredible fish. And trust me, having the right fly, perhaps one as unique as the custom art gracing our walls, can make all the difference. 

As the landscapes transform with each passing season, so too does the underwater world, with different saltwater species thrive in varying temperatures and conditions. Knowing what to target and when is key to a truly rewarding fishing experience so we can cast our lines into the seasonal currents to discover the saltwater treasures that await. We’ve gathered our favorite saltwater species to target in every season, along with fly and art picks to match the hatch. Let's dive in!

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Winter: In the Stillness, Giants Swim

Don't let the frosty air fool you; the winter sea holds its own experience! This is a time when some truly magnificent fish come closer to shore in search of warmer waters or to spawn. Bundle up, brave the elements, and you might just be rewarded with an epic catch. There’s a haunting kind of beauty in winter fishing. The waters are quiet, the air crisp, and the bites subtle. You learn to move slower, feel deeper, and trust your instincts. For many fly anglers, this season becomes a meditation.

Best Saltwater Fish to Target:

• Redfish (Gulf Coast, Carolinas, Southeast Atlantic)

• Speckled Sea Trout

• Sheepshead

• Striped Bass (Mid-Atlantic Coast, Northeast)

• Snook (South Florida backwaters)

Winter in saltwater fly fishing is a quiet rebellion—an act of patience and devotion. While tourists leave the beach, you walk into the wind, scanning the flats for tailing redfish or seeking striped bass that chase bait along wintry shorelines.

RRFC Winter Fly Picks:

• Shrimp Patterns for spooky sheepshead

• Clouser Minnows in muted tones for redfish

• Minnow streamers for chilly striper mornings

All in all though, we acknowledge that winter fishing by the sea is not for the faint-hearted.

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Spring: The Comeback Season When the Ocean Breathes Again

The rivers come alive in spring—not with noise, but with movement. Ice thaws, insects hatch, and fish begin their slow dance back to the surface. This is a season of hope, growth, and joy. You feel it in every cast. For best results, pair your flies with lightweight salt gear that lets you cast far, stay agile, and feel every tug in your fingertips.

Best Saltwater Fish to Target:

• Striped Bass (returning up the East Coast)

• Cobia (Florida to Virginia)

• Redfish & Sea Trout (getting aggressive)

• Bluefish (late spring runs in the Northeast)

Spring is the great inhale. The ocean stirs, and everything changes. Bait schools pulse through shallows, stripers surge north, and Cobia glide like ghosts under rays. It’s a time for anticipation, joy, and those first barefoot casts of the year.

RRFC Spring Fly Picks:

• Surf Candies and Deceivers for early-season stripers

• Crab Patterns for cobia cruising the surface

• Topwater Gurglers for active redfish

RRFC Art to Inspire:
Celebrate spring’s momentum with our Crab Art Prints, echoing the chase and the catch.

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Summer: The Season of Fury in the Tides, Fire in the Sky, Salt & Sunburn

The sun burns, the bait boils, and the oceans are alive. This season is unapologetically bold, it is when memories are made, when kids catch their first fish, when fly reels scream louder than seagulls, when we chase silver in the surf and hold our breath with every cast.

Best Saltwater Fish to Target:

• Tarpon (Florida Keys, Gulf Coast) – The ultimate summer thrill in Florida

• Bonefish & Permit (tropical flats)

• Mahi-Mahi (Dorado) offshore dragonfish – Flashy, fast, and fun

• Sharks (blacktip, bonnethead, lemon—nearshore) – For those who like adrenaline in their casts

• Roosterfish (if you’re traveling farther south)

• Tuna (Yellowfin & Bluefin) – Offshore excitement

Summer is for soul-stirring pursuits—the long-anticipated tarpon run, morning chases on the flats, and sunsets spent chasing silver beneath pink skies. This is saltwater fly fishing’s golden hour, where every cast could land a legend.

RRFC Summer Fly Picks:

• Tarpon Toads and EP Baitfish for silver kings

• Gotchas and Crazy Charlies for bonefish

• Shark flies with wire tippets for close encounters

RRFC Art to Inspire:
Our Tarpon Collection brings the silver flash and timeless flight of tarpon to life on canvas. Perfect for celebrating your summer hero fish. Our Redfish Sunrise Series, both in fly form and hand-painted art, was inspired by these fiery summer days.

And don’t forget polarized sunglasses—you’re sight-fishing royalty in this season.

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Fall Saltwater Fishing: The Grand Farewell before the Cold

If summer is wild, fall is wise. This season is a gift wrapped in wind and gold, where the temperatures are cool, the baitfish gather, and the predators gorge themselves before winter arrives. Fall fishing is fast, fiery, and emotional. It’s the season of blitzes, heartbreaks, and fish that hit like they know time is running out. For many coastal anglers, this is the highlight of the year—and it shows.

Best Saltwater Fish to Target:

• Striped Bass (southward fall migration) – Fall run down the East Coast

• Albies (False Albacore) – Speed demons for hardcore anglers

• Redfish Bulls (gathering in schools) – Big bulls come inshore

• Flounder (moving from inshore to offshore)

• Spanish Mackerel (late runs)

• Bluefish – Frenzied schools on the move

• Sea Trout – Cooler water means more action

For the saltwater angler, fall is not an ending it’s a crescendo and a bittersweet poem. It’s the last dance before winter stillness. Fish are fattened, feeding, wild with urgency. The light softens. Your hands remember summer, but the air smells like change.

RRFC Fall Fly Picks:

• Albie Whores and Epoxy Minnows for fast-moving false albacore

• Big Redfish Shrimp Patterns for aggressive bull reds

• Flatwing Baitfish for those magical striper blitzes

RRFC Art to Inspire:
For those sentimental about the season, we recommend our Redfish fine art piece, an ode to fall’s golden hour light and rushing tides. Hang it where the salt lives in your heart.

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Each season brings more than just a new species to chase, it brings new emotions, new challenges, new stories. And in the salt, those stories stick like dried spray on your sunglasses and sand in your reel bag. At RRFC, we create handcrafted saltwater flies and custom art that celebrate these fleeting, perfect moments. Whether you're tying a fly, planning your next coastal trip, or simply staring at a watercolor tarpon on your office wall, know that you're part of something ancient, moving, and beautifully alive.

Saltwater fly fishing isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of listening. To the tides, to the winds, and to instincts. To the way your heart races at the sight of a push in the water, a flash in the surf. And when you tune into the seasons, you become part of a story much bigger than the cast.

We are here for that story. With handcrafted flies and original art that echoes the wild heart of the ocean, we invite you to fish not just with gear—but with emotion, memory, and meaning.

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Whatever the season, cast with intention. And don’t forget to tag us in your salty adventures to be featured.

You may not fish every tide, but you’ll always carry the sea in your soul.
— Ragati River Fly Co