http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-Water-temperature-ideal-for-redfish_166699928
Redfish are primed and ready for action. The water temperature is ideal. The numbers are decent, but you need to be inventive to find them. Redfish patterns changed about four years ago, and they’re being located in places they didn’t frequent years ago. Redfish are a prized game fish, no question about it. Go light with the leader and lures: 20-pound fluorocarbon leader and ?-ounce jigheads. I like to use paddle-tail-style plastic tails on the jighead. The rod and reel should be medium-weight outfits that cast a long distance. Locate redfish in water that is 2 feet deep or less. At the highest tides, concentrate efforts up against the trees. On lower tides, find the troughs on the outer edges of the flats. On intermediate tides, you will find redfish somewhere in the center of the flats. Approach very quietly. Any noise eliminates your chances of catching them. I haven’t killed a redfish in close to four years. A personal choice. Every redfish released is still out there to be caught again multiple times. If you desire a redfish to eat, impose a personal limit with a minimum size of 21 inches. Anything smaller doesn’t have enough meat to be worth the effort.
Neil Taylor charters kayak fishing trips in the Tampa Bay area and can be reached at strikethreekayakfishing.com and (727) 692-6345.
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
