Sight Fishing For Redfish.

One of my favorite types of fishing is sight fishing. Fishing the shallow water offers a great opportunity to sight fish. I fish a lot in Centipede bay where there are many winding creeks and redfish. But if you look at most of the west coast of Florida, Centipede bay looks about the same as most other areas. So this sight fishing methodology would apply to almost any shallow water area in Florida.

The number one thing you have to remember when you are sight fishing, is that you are really stalking; not fishing. This means you have to be very quiet and stealthy. So before you begin, take a look at your boat and see what you can do to make it more stealthy. Some things you will want to look are;

• Where you keep your tackle. Your tackle should be easily accessed with out having to open any hatches or move anything to get to your tackle. I use a small divided box with a lid that will hold everything I need and keep near my casting platform.
• Tools should be kept in a safe but easily accessible area. One thing that many anglers will do is to toss their pliers down on the floor. This will spoke most redfish that are near by.
• Where you stand while fishing, you will want to make sure that there are no creeks when you move around in this area. You may need to tighten screws or put down a foam mat. I built a casting platform and attached the deck using rubber cushion to limit any noise.
  
• Rocking the boat, this is almost as bad as bang the side of the boat. Fish are pressure sensitive and when your boat rocks it sends out pressure waves that the fish can pick up. While they may not take off running, they may spoke enough to make them wary of any bait you offer them.
• If you are going to use live bait, make sure you can get to the bait easily without making noise. Also make sure you have a net near the live well. On my live well I have a latch that will hold the hatch door open and out of the way.
• If you are using lures, have a couple of extra lures in a small box to keep with you while you are fishing.
• Keep the deck clear, you will want to be able to move from bow to stern without having to step over or on anything besides the deck.
• Your landing net should be out and ready to be used.

Now that you have stealtherized your boat, you are ready to sight fish. The best bait to use is shrimp. They are easy to keep and redfish love them and you do not need a live well. You can put them in a bag or small bucket with some ice and they will keep for hours and still be lively a few minutes after you take them off the ice.

The best place to start looking is in the creeks.

View Sight Fishing in a larger map

As you start to move in to the creek, take you time and go slow. If you rush through you will only see the redfish running scared. If you have a trolling motor set it to the slowest speed, or if you're lucky and can find someone to pole you around, make sure they are quiet. Typically I look for areas where there will be grass between the boat and the area I want to look.
This is an area that is not too far in and will typically hold fish. Once hooked the redfish will run out of this cove, so you will need to be ready to move which ever direction the redfish takes you. Other areas are much larger and still offer a protected spot you can peak in and see if any redfish are home, with out the redfish seeing the boat. You do have to be careful they can see you and if you make any fast movements and the redfish will run.

Next time you have a few hours to fish, pick up some live jumbo and give sight fishing a try. Once you experience sight fishing it's hard to go back to the bait and wait method.

Good Luck
Zippyjr

Interesting Day Fishing for Redfish

I had the chance to go check out an area that I know holds redfish near the top of the tide. There is nothing really special about this place and it looks like a hundred other places. I went back at low tide (1.3ft L) and there was about 4 inches of water. Which means this place is dry on dead low tide (0 ft L) for years I wondered why the fish always show up here.

High Tide

Low Tide (1.3 ft L)

This is where I usually anchor the boat. The boat drug the bottom, but I got it anchored up in the same place as always.
Just as I thought there where no redfish, typically they hang in the back near the saw grass. At low tide there was a raccoon wondering around where the redfish hang around at high tide. But I also noticed there where big schools of mud minnows swimming around out in the open. And that answered my question about why the redfish always show up here when the tide is near the top. The way it looks is the red fish hang out in the back. When the tide is near the top the mud minnows go deep into the grass and that's why I do not ever see them at high tide. As the tide begins to drop the mud minnows have to leave the safety of the grass and the redfish positions themselves to take advantage of the situation.

Once the tide started moving in so did the redfish and this one wanted to come home for dinner. And it was an outstanding dinner guest.



Good Luck
Zippyjr

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Tide : 1.3 L 1:00pm Rising
Water Clarity : Clear
Moon Phase: 68% Waning Gibbous
Temp: 92 F
Water Temp : 84 F
Wind: W 10 mph
Bait: Mud minnows
Results: 1 - Auto Release, 1 - 24 Redfish

How to Find Redfish

I thought I would try to add some tips, tricks and how-to blogs about once a month. To start with and the most helpful for the novice angler is How to Find Redfish.

I moved to Hernando County from Palm Beach County, where the fishing was very different. The only shallow water was at the boat ramp. So I had no experience fishing for redfish, but I love to fish. I picked up a few tips like locations and baits. You can see a blog ( Redfish ) with a map of this area and known locations of where redfish tend to be. To see the blog click here

Before you start out, you need to have the right tools and some information.
You will want to use a 10# class set up, similar to what you would use for bass fishing. For redfish, trout, snapper and snook, I use same out fit, a Hurricane Calico Jack IM6 rod with a Shimano Stradic 2500 reel, spooled with 15# power-pro braid. This is not to say, you need to spend $200 on an outfit to catch redfish. There are many brands to choose from, some more expensive and some less. Find an outfit that will fit your budget, and buy two, one for you and one for your wife (or at least tell her that...;-)

Reel:
The reel needs to be smooth, have a good drag system and is easy to cast. And most import able to handle saltwater. If you plan on use it for more than a few months, wash it every time you take it out. Strip the line off every few months and clean the spool and the line.

Rod:
I like a one piece, they have better actions, stronger and over better performance than a two piece rod. Also look for a rod with a hook keeper near the handle, this will save the guides from becoming a the hook keeper and eventually breaking. The rod also needs to be washed every time you take it out.

Line:
I use Power Pro braid, this is the best line, it is durable and cost effect. Even through it has a higher starting cost, over time it is actually cheaper to use Power Pro than using mono. Here's why; When you have monofilament line at best it will last about 5-8 trips before it needs to be replaced. Mono is about 1/2 the cost of Power Pro, yet Power Pro will last 50-60 trips or about 10 times as long. Therefore you would have to buy 10x mono to every one spool of Power Pro, making mono 5 time the cost as Power Pro. Out of all the braids I have used them all and the one draw back to braid lines is the ability for the line to tie, wrap and tangle within itself. Power Pro seems to be the easiest to untangle and tends to knot up less than the other braids. There are other benefits, such as futher casting distance, and you will never get a hook set like you will with Power Pro. Not to mention is make a really cool sound when fish is taking drag. Ok I think you get the picute, I'm a big Power Pro fan. While I am not sponsed or endorsed in any way by Power Pro, but if you are a Power Pro rep, I sure could use a new spool 15# moss green... LOL

Hooks:
Circle hooks work the best, 3/0 or 4/0 circle hook. No need to set the hook the hook will set itself. When the rod bends over just pick it up and start fight.

Leader:
I use 20# fluorocarbon leader tied direct to the Power Pro with a Uni to Uni Splice to connect the leader to the Power Pro.

Bait:
Pick up a dozen or so live jumbo shrimp. You can use smaller shrimp but they tend to get pecked off by the pin fish and they do not provide the weight for long cast. If you can not get the distance needed you can add a split shot to the leader. I hook the shrimp using a 3/0 circle hook, inserting the hook through the tail coming from the underside through the top of the tail in the second from last tail segment. This allows the shrimp to sit upright with the hook pointing up. It reduces snags and increase hook sets.

Trolling motor is also an important tool, however you can use the currents and wind if you do not have a trolling motor. However it will require a lot more work and provide less opportunity.

The approach is also very important. Typically when I am going to a new spot I take a look at Google maps and zoom in on the area to plan the trip. Checking the winds to decided my approach. A light wind I may travel against the wind, and stronger wind I'll go with the wind. I also try to plan the trip on a rising tide, since redfish like shallow water, I want to make sure I can get out and I tend to leave about an hour after the top of the tide.

Now you have your approach, the tide and wind is in your favor, your are ready to find the redfish. The basic concept is pretty simple, you want to use the trolling motor to pull you along the shoreline, following the creeks and bays. You want to keep casting distance from the shoreline and cast the shrimp towards the shoreline. Key targets are points, small areas of grass, small island, etc.

Cast the shrimp forward and let it sit until you approach the area (never more than a minute), then reel it in. Repeat, repeat repeat, once you catch a redfish, note the location and tide phase. Continue to work along the shoreline until you catch another and note the tide phase.

After a while you will notice a pattern and learn what type of area the redfish are seeking. Each area will be somewhat different. When you catch a redfish, it was there for a reason, remember redfish fish for a living and not by choice. Chances are the reason had something to do with the tide phase and the role the tide plays with food supply. What does this mean, there is a good chance that you have found a place where the redfish will continue to visit for years. I have a location that hold 3-5 fish, yet I have grilled at least 30 over the last 10 years, from that very spot. Most of the time when the tide is right, there will be 3-5 fish the same area, under the same mangrove, facing the same direction.

If you happen to take some pictures of redfish do not mind it I post them on this web site, please send the pictures and a brief story about the fish to zippyjr123@gmail.com and I will put them on the Redfish blog.

Good Luck.
zippyjr