Saltwater Fly Fishing: How To Catch Cape Moonies On Fly
The Cape Moony is a beautiful, oddly shaped fish that is quite aggressive and gregarious. I have been targeting Cape Moonies and other species on fly for a while now and I have had a lot of success recently, and I believe I have figured the Cape Moony out.
Cape Moonies prefer structure, whether it
be in rivers, estuaries or inshore. Rocky ledges, overhanging trees,
bridges, rocky gullies and weedy areas with deeper water are the
best
spots to start your quest for the Cape Moony on
fly.
I suggest, when targeting Cape Moonies, to fish as light as possible with your setup, but not too light in case a Garrick or Mullet picks up your fly. A 4 weight fly rod and reel seems to be the perfect outfit. You can go with any line type here, floating, intermediate or sinking. The Cape Moony will take a fly deep down, or on top of the water.
From my experience the Cape Moony seems to favour white flies with a
bit of flash on them. Most of my success has been on the White Fritz. I
have tried different colours and imitations but this is my go to colour
and fly for the Cape Moony. The smaller the fly, the better, a size 12
or size 14
saltwater fly is perfect for catching Cape Moonies.
Cape Moonies favour a short fast retrieve, but can also be prone to take on a short and very slow retrieve. Short strips seem to work better for the Moonies than longer ones. When handling the Cape Moony please wet your hands and be careful of their sharp fin points.
