Sight Casting Redfish
Many aspects of our life come and go, somethings we remember and others we forget. Catching a redfish in skinny water at the break of dawn on a beautiful summers day is an unforgettable experience. There is not another fish in the marsh that I would rather do battle with. Choices of lures, baits and flies are endless. Not to mention the hundreds of rod and reel companies and each one can suit you differently, so its more of a personal preference. I say if it gets the job done then it doesn’t matter what it says or looks like. Of all of those lures, a topwater on a slick morning getting blown up by a tailing redfish is hard to beat. Once he grabs your bait you should be prepared for a fight of a lifetime. Spooling drag and darting left to right to avoid being caught, they will not give up until netted. One of my favorite things to do is take my kayak or boat in to the back of the marsh and slowly start walking and stalking the grass lines for a hungry redfish. Whether you like to use artificial baits or live, if you stumble across a hungry fish you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting him to bite. Unless there is a cold front brewing and then you might find them having lockjaw and just following but not taking it. Some of the most productive places I find them is on the flats once the sun has come up over the horizon and the temperatures start to rise in the shallow spots. Finding yourself a good pair of polarized sunglasses is going to make a world of difference between seeing and not seeing a redfish. Personally I use Redtail Republic. Make sure that you tread lightly while searching because they can sense the slightest of vibrations and noises. If your careful and do it right you should be able to cast at and then watch the redfish slam your bait, allowing you to vary your retrieval speeds by the way the fish are reacting to your bait. When you cannot get a bite for the life of you I would retreat to using cut skipjack, as I have come to learn it is like candy to them. Just cut off a healthy 5 inch piece of filet and hook it in the corner of the meat, fresh is best in my opinion. Hopefully just hearing about how much excitement a nice redfish can cause will get you to begin your search for that magical bite. Grab yourself a medium light rod and a good Penn reel to start your adventures. I wish you the best of luck and until next time, tight lines and sharp gigs.