 By Joe Sheaffer
Where can we find Redfish? Many of my friends and fellow anglers ask that question quite often. Honestly, redfish can be found in many places in Southwest Florida. Finding them can depend on the time of year, the area that you like to fish, along with a few other factors. We are in the middle of summer and that plays a role in finding redfish. This time of year, they like to be around or under structure, especially during the heat of the day. Mangroves, docks, hard structure around bridges and even offshore structure will hold redfish. During August and through October, our redfish will school up for spawning. A very impressive sight, hundreds of fish pushing water as they swim in tight schools. Obviously, they can be easier to find when they are schooled up. I have learned since I moved down here 10 years ago, redfish like to be near grassy areas, especially if large schools of mullet are around. It really doesn’t matter the time of year down here in southern Florida. If there is grass and mullet in the same area, it is almost a guarantee there will be some reds hanging around them. The mullet working the grass flats will inevitably spook critters like shrimp, bait fish and worms from their grassy hideouts. The redfish are there to take advantage of an easy meal. When I see large schools of mullet and they are up shallow on grass flats, I will position my boat upwind of the mullet schools and drift or use my trolling motor to keep myself in good casting distance. Long casts with a small swimbait or weedless spoon, retrieved slowly will resemble a small bait fish. If there are reds around you will have a good chance of hooking up. Grass + Mullet can equal redfish. Good luck and keep casting!