It’s time, my friends! Spring has worn off, and the redfish are tailing. To the uninitiated, a tailing redfish is one that is found feeding or searching in extremely shallow water. Six to 18 inches of water is the preferred depth for hunting for crabs; and in such shallow water, when a redfish head goes down, the tail pops up.
These shallow depths where redfish feed – known as the flats – are fairly easy to find. Scouting missions at high tide will reveal flooded areas of shorter grass and open spaces where they will be easy to track. Websites like google earth and Bing maps will open up everything. Look for areas of lighter colored bottoms without much color variation. Areas around small islands often have harder bottoms and will reveal the color you’re looking for in your cyber scouting. The grass flats in the surrounding area will be very close to that color. Find a new spot or know of an existing flat? Fly around the area and find that bottom color.
In these shallow areas, flies are king. They land super softly and often mimic crabs and shrimp much better than spinning tackle. In addition, since most are tied with natural flowing materials, they create the image of movement, even when they are sitting still. This last point is critical. Most, if not all crabs, will try and hide rather than flee; so a jumpy hoppy crab fly will look strange and won’t get nearly as many bites as a stationary breathing fly. Once you’ve cast and have the fly in the right spot for a fish to spot it, just wait. Keep your rod tip pointed at the fish, and keep the line tight. When it eats, resist the temptation to lift the rod – as it’s too flimsy to set a hook well, strip hard with your non-rod hand, and keep tension on the line. Good luck! They’re strong fish and don’t give up easily.
The SC coast is blessed with huge numbers of grass flats; so if you see another angler walking or poling a flat, be courteous. Find another flat. Trust me; there is another one very close you may never have fished. Like mamma said, “Do unto others, as you’d have them do unto you.” It’s a playground here, and tempers don’t need to flare.
Fly fishing is often intimidating at first for the novice fly fisher. So, head to a fly shop and ask as many questions as you need; hire a guide and pick his or her brain; read articles and books; and then go try it! Nothing beats on-the-water experience. There are no masters of fly fishing; everyone is always learning and everyone started somewhere, so don’t worry about having to ask questions. The beauty is you are here now, and there is no better place to start than the SC coast!
Capt. Scotty Davis
(843)388-5337
www.lowcountryflyshop.com
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