[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ell, spring is here again and all you can read about is the upcoming fishing season and all the new great tactics to use for fishing this time of year. For some reason this year, winter weather has tried to poke its head in a few more times. I think we are finally on a real warming trend and our reds are going to shake off those winter blues and start hitting with some regularity. I guess they can get cabin fever too!
This year, with our extended winter weather, the water is not quite up to the temperature that it should be at this time. Now, I feel that this is going to change very quickly, so what should I do now? First, I like to fish for reds in the afternoon. My plan is to first check the tides…I want a mid-morning low tide so I will have a late afternoon high tide. My reasons for thinking this is the morning and early afternoon sun will warm up the areas with a dark mud bottom. So when the tide rises that warmer bottom will in turn warm the incoming water. This will give you a better shot at hooking up to a red.
One other advantage to fishing this tide is that you will have a chance to see the reds in the shallow water, perhaps even tailing. This is always a good sign becase it means they are actively feeding. If you kayak does not give you the ability to stand up to spot the fish sooner, just move into the area slowly and quietly, scanning the water and looking for signs of fish as you go.
For the bait portion of this spring fishing run-down, this time of year you cannot beat a gold Johnson Spoon. When I fish a spoon at this time of year I work it super slowly. I basically point the rod tip to the water and then reel the spoon in as slowly as possible. Remember, these reds are still a little sluggish from the winter and you don’t want to make them work too hard for their food. Another great bait I have used with some luck is one of the new shrimp patterns like the Voodoo shrimp. I had some great luck with the three-inch shrimp this fall, catching both reds and trout. I prefer the smaller shrimp lures at this time of year because that matches the size the live shrimp will be. Think of this as matching the hatch, like in fly fishing. I generally do not use topwater this time of year. If we get a good stretch of warm afternoons and the wind has not turned up the water, I will also fish topwater. You can never go wrong with suspending baits either.
If you want to try for these reds on a fly rod, a spoon fly is my first “go-to.” Other great flies are again a small shrimp pattern and even a small crab pattern. Fly fishing for spring reds has a great advantage… your fly will make a quieter presentation and you can fish them even slower because you can control the line more. There is nothing like a tailing red taking a fly in shallow water!
If you take the time to look ahead in the tide schedule, keep an eye on the weather and do a little planning, you can kick off your spring fishing from your kayak in style. Remember the water is still pretty cold, so dress for what you are doing, wear your life jacket and enjoy the ride this spring (being pulled by a red!)