All hail the reds
Hard-fighting redfish are one of the world’s great saltwater sport fishing species
Pound for pound, I rate redfish as being one of the strongest-fighting fish that I have ever caught. Very much an American species, redfish have a natural distribution that extends from roughly the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern seaboard, south to Florida, and west to include all of the southern states bordering the Gulf of Mexico.
While redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus) are abundant throughout much of Florida, notably the 10,000 islands’ region south of The Everglades, they are rarely found in the Florida Keys. Elsewhere, a few redfish are occasionally caught just south of the Rio Grande, the border with Mexico.
Also widely known as red drum, channel bass, spot tail bass or when small, puppy drum, redfish can be caught on all popular angling techniques. Best of all, targeting redfish often involves sight fishing in shallow water, casting either baits or lures at cruising or tailing fish, and always, from my experience, amidst the most beautiful of surroundings.
LOCATION
Redfish are often found in brackish, estuarine-type areas, notably those with lush expanses of sea grasses, and especially in the vicinity of oyster bars.
They love foraging among mangrove roots too, hence their proliferation throughout the 10,000 Islands region of the Everglades.
Larger redfish, that is fish weighing upwards of 20lb, are mostly caught along open beaches, notably the barrier islands off the coast of the Carolinas, Texas, and the other Gulf states. The inter-coastal waterway running up the east coast of Florida is another noted hotspot for trophy redfish.
TOP TECHNIQUES
You can catch redfish on almost any angling technique, including fly-fishing. Light-tackle fishing with baits such as live shrimp or crabs is deadly.
Sight fishing for redfish is as challenging as it is for other species in shallow water, but when redfish are actively feeding they are not nearly as spooky as bonefish or permit. Cast a bait or fly in front of a feeding red, and it’ll most likely charge it down and inhale it with gusto.
In coloured or deeper water, fishing with cut bait such as chunks of mullet or other bait fish can be extremely effective.
A livebait such as a shrimp, crab or baitfish, either freelined or presented under a float is another popular technique.
Anglers use all types of lures to catch redfish, notably soft plastics rigged on jigheads, stickbaits retrieved ‘walkthe-dog’ style, and small surface poppers.
One especially effective technique is to fish a bait on a short trace immediately behind a float, which is then cast out and retrieved with a slow action, using the rod tip to make the float ‘pop’ in the surface film every few yards. The disturbance of the float attracts the fish, the bait invariably sealing the deal with any inquisitive fish that responds.
On open beaches, anglers use surf-casting outfits to present big baits in the breaking waves. In several areas, redfish of 20/30lb-plus and even in excess of 50lb are caught. The current IGFA All-Tackle record is held with a monster redfish that weighed 94lb 2oz and was caught off the coast of North Carolina in November 1994. Imagine hooking a fish like that on a surf rod.
BEST DESTINATIONS
Clearly, if you want to catch a redfish your quest will start by booking a flight to America. Self-guided opportunities for redfish are available throughout Florida and other states, but local information, which is readily available at any tackle shop, should always be sought in advance.
I have fished for redfish at several locations along the Gulf Coast of Florida during family holidays, and I have found the areas around Naples, Marco Island and Clearwater to be especially good for this species in late summer and autumn.
Fish where any of the many passes open up on to the beach, or try and wade inland to access sheltered lagoons amid the mangroves, always looking to fish near oyster bars, which always attract reds. The inter-coastal area around the Indian and Banana Rivers, near Cape Canaveral, are noted redfish hotspots, especially in May.
You’ll find many guides located throughout Florida that will take you fishing for redfish. Those based around Everglades City and Naples along with those in the northern Panhandle section of the state around Panama City do particularly well.
I have never surf fished for redfish, but this is something I intend to do at the very first opportunity.
The various barrier islands located off the Carolinas and Georgia, especially in the vicinity of Ocracoke, along with many of the beaches in Texas, produce plenty of big redfish. The Laguna Madre waterway in Texas is another productive area, especially popular with anglers fly-fishing or sight casting using bait.
If you want the ultimate redfish experience, you should head to Louisiana. Here, the coastline consists of vast areas of tidal marshland crisscrossed with an endless network of narrow waterways, which contain plenty of big redfish. This is the place to go if you want to fly-fish for 20/30lb-plus redfish in ultra-skinny water, with the autumn being absolute prime time. ■