By Cam Staff
It’s a special time of year for anglers who specialize in redfish on fly tackle. For the next couple of months, bull reds from the Carolinas to the Texas Gulf Coast will be on the move. Invigorated by cooling waters and the spawn, they run inshore to stack up in the passes and along the beaches. They’ll even push up into the marshes to feed with their smaller cousins.
It’s the time of year to trade your 7-weight fly rod for a 9-weight, because the chance of hooking into a 20- to 40-pound redfish is better now than at any other time.
In the South Carolina Lowcountry, big reds are herding adult shrimp on shallow mud flats. In the world famous Louisiana bayous, bulls are visible cruising and crunching crabs on the bottom. All along the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts, anglers seek diving birds with binoculars. The schools of hungry redfish pushing baitfish from beneath are primed and ready to eat a fly.
Those new to saltwater fly fishing will find that redfish are a very good place to start. Although the pursuit requires some stealth in terms of boat handling or wading, the fish are not leader shy and rarely spook at errant casts or line hitting the water. These are not wary bonefish that run from shadows. Catching red drum does require quick, accurate casts, but this time of year generally provides anglers with numerous shots at fish.
One of the great thing about reds is they are aggressive and opportunistic feeders. Fly selection is a matter of matching the predominant forage where you’re fishing, but generally they will eat most anything that runs away. Crab, spoon, shrimp and baitfish patterns all work, and the local fly shop will clue you in to the top producers. These flies are frequently tied in highly visible colors with flash and rattles.
The key is put your fly in front of a redfish and then get its attention. You have to provide action for the fish to take notice, and seeing a fish react to your bait is extremely exciting. It’s one of the things that make reds on a fly so much fun, even for veterans of the mud flats. As a rule, you’ll want to keep the fly moving with short, quick strips. Let sinking flies bounce on the bottom to kick up mud.
Whether it’s a waking dorsal fin, the violent parting of marsh grass or a shadow streaking across the bottom, you’ll know it when a big redfish homes in on your fly. At that point, you can slow it down, but keep that bait twitching. Let the rattles, flash and undulating feathers do their work.
Strip-set hard on the take and let the fish put a bow in the rod before giving another jolt to make sure the hook is home. You’ll soon realize why you needed a large arbor reel with a smooth drag and 100 yards of backing.
A 20-pound bull red is going to seriously test a 9-foot leader tapered from 40 down to 15 or 20 pounds. It’s the kind of struggle that’ll bring you back for more.