They’re arguably the most sought-after coastal fish in Florida, the largemouth bass of the saltwater world.
They’re aggressive, hard-fighting backbay bruisers that strip line off reels and give anglers heartaches. Red drum, or redfish as they’re often called, hold a special place in the fishing capital of the world’s lore. For some anglers, they’re the perfect target: strong bodied fish that strike artificial lures with tenacity.
Plus — and this is a major factor in the species’ popularity — you can sneak up on schools and sight-cast to individual fish. They typically feed on the bottom, flopping their spotted tails above the surface. Anglers key in on the tails, casting within a few feet of the exposed fish. Some days redfish will refuse to take a lure, even when perfectly presented only inches in front of their mouths. You can do everything right and still not hook a fish.
But when it works, it’s almost magic. It happens like this: cast, twitch, wait, twitch, wait, boom!
Sight-casting a hefty 8-pound red is an accomplishment near the apex of the Florida fishing world, just a notch below landing a tarpon on fly. It’s a skill that tests even seasoned anglers. Cast too soon and you’ll miss the target. Cast too late and you’ll spook the whole school.
“It’s all about the pursuit,” says David McCleaf, a Fort Myers guide who specializes in kayak fishing in places like Pine Island Sound, one of the top redfish spots in the country. “It’s kind of like hunting. You’re poling along and waiting for the fish to make a mistake.”
Habits
Redfish can be found just about anywhere along the coast — from the open Gulf of Mexico, where you can battle 50-plus pounders, to freshwater portions of rivers and creeks, where the undersized reds (also called rats) hide and feed. The best place to find them consistently is in estuaries and bays. That’s also where keepers are typically caught (redfish must measure between 18 and 27 inches to be legally taken). Redfish are found in schools over grass flats during the mid-tide phases. If it’s really low water, reds tend to seek deeper holes near the grasses. When the water is high, they’ll often retreat to the shade and safety of the mangroves (remember, all fish are prey at some point in their lives). They also congregate around oyster bars and structures like pilings and docks.
Redfish are bottom-oriented.
They plow through grasses at nearly a 45 degree angle, their thick heads and shoulders prowling for shrimp and crabs and their tales flapping above the surface. When in this feeding mode, redfish are often called tailers. It’s when sight-casting is possible. The idea is to get as close to the fish as possible, cast in front of them, wait until they get close to the lure, and then twitch the rod slightly to make the lure look like a shrimp that’s trying hide in the grass.
They also cruise around bays and open water, looking for baitfish schools or just traveling to a new feeding ground.
“The schools that are more willing to eat are doing what we call ‘belly-rolling’,” McCleaf says. “If they’re swimming along and turning on their side, they’re feeding.”
Techniques
Chasing redfish combines fishing and hunting techniques. First, you have to find the school. Approach with stealth and caution. Some anglers swear redfish detect tiny wavelets slapping against a fiberglass hull from 50 yards away.
Once you’re close, skill becomes a factor. The ability to cast a lure as small as two inches a few boat’s lengths away is critical. And you need to be able to hit a target the size of a Frisbee in order to attract the fish you’re targeting while not chasing off the whole school.
A wide arsenal of angling abilities is needed to regularly land reds, but it’s worth assembling all those tools. The reward is not just the trophy red you land today, it’s all the reds you’ll catch in the future. And after 10 hours of casting for redfish you can see a couple dozen yards away and still coming up with nothing, patience will take on a new meaning.
Like most fish, reds are suckers for a live shrimp. Put one on a hook under a popping cork, toss the rig into a pothole and wait. You’ll catch something, although you may haul in more of the dreaded saltwater catfish than prestigious reds. Most serious redfish anglers use artificial lures. It adds a degree of difficulty, but the rewards are equal to the effort. It’s not real hard to fool a fish into biting a live shrimp or pinfish. Convincing one to gulp down a piece of plastic with a hook in it is much more difficult.
“It’s not the type of lure. It’s how you present it,” McCleaf says. “Don’t cast right on top of them. You never want to have your line to land on the fish. Ideally, you want a presentation where they’re swimming toward you. We call it the 10 and 2 o’clock presentation.”
Many anglers have successfully snuck up on a redfish school, only to cast and see fish scatter as soon as the fishing line lays down on the water. Redfish in most coastal areas of Southwest Florida are heavily pressured. Like other coastal species, redfish may stay in one body of water for several weeks, or longer. During that time they may see hundreds of boats and learn the difference between a soft piece of plastic and the real thing. Anglers from the southeastern coastal states where redfish are common have often been quoted as saying that Southwest Florida is the toughest place in the country to catch reds. That’s how many anglers are chasing them here.
Internet message boards on sites like floridasportsman.com are filled with information on catching redfish. You can log onto the site, post questions or photos and get input from hundreds of anglers around the state. Or just read through old posts until you find a topic that’s unfamiliar.
Tackle
Just about any large, stiff rod will work when fishing with live or cut bait. Artificial lures require a lighter rod-and-reel and smaller diameter line. McCleaf uses a 7-foot medium action rod (he uses a medium for fishing near mangroves and a medium-light on open grass flats) and a 2500 or 4000 series reel, depending on the season. During cooler months he uses the 2500 because it’s big enough to land reds and small enough so that you can easily cast small lures. If it’s summertime and snook are a likely bycatch, he goes with the 4000, a heavier reel that’s capable of handling large snook. Most coastal anglers here use braided lines like PowerPro. McCleaf prefers 10 to 15 pound test braided line and a length of 15-pound fluorocarbon leader. He uses upwards of 30 pound leader for the 4000 series reel.
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Red drum facts
-- Copper to bronze in color with a large spot on the tail, sometimes several spots or none at all
-- In comparasion to other fish, mouth looks almost like an overbite
-- Large scales and a thick, large head
-- Juveniles are found inshore, up to 30 inches or 4 years of age
-- Adults spawn offshore and can grow to 50 pounds or more
-- Anglers with a Florida saltwater license can keep one 18- to 27-inch redfish per day
-- A 27-inch redfish weighs about 8 pounds
-- The Florida record is 51 pounds, 8 ounces
SOURCE: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Red drum lingo
-- Bull: A redfish larger than 27 inches
-- Rat: One smaller than 18 inches
-- Sight-casting: Casting a lure toward a fish that’s visible in the water
-- Belly-rolling: Schooling reds, like many fish, sometimes turn on their sides when feeding
-- Tailers: Redfish in shallow water that are feeding with their tales above the surface
-- Popping cork: A Styrofoam float that’s used to suspend live bait off the bottom. It also makes a “pop” sound when jerked across the water
-- Pressured fish: Reds that have become accustomed to fishing techniques, anglers and lures
-- Cut bait: Chopped chunks of fish like mullet and ladyfish used as bait
On the Net
-- floridasportsman.com
-- myfwc.org (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
-- hightailincharters.com
-- redfishcup.com
-- redfishtour.com
