[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s that time again…. school is already back in session… Redfish will be schooling up as well this month. Not the flats fish but the giant deep water “Bull” redfish will be stacked at the inlets and other deep water spots. Fish around the slack tides at the inlets for the best results. I like to use a fish-finder rig with at least a 60lb. leader and a 5/0-7/0 circle hook. One major key to hooking up is to keep your bait on the bottom. This usually means using at least 6 ounces of weight and up to even 10+ ounces depending on the current flow. Some favorite baits are pogies (alive or halved), medium to large sized mullet (also live or halved), and halved blue crabs. Just remember to take the time to revive these big fish as they are our breeders and the more baby reds around the better!
September brings one of the most unique and exciting ways to catch redfish to the First Coast. We will have some great “flood” tides this month and the reds will be up in the grass tailing away. You can use a trolling motor to scout out the best grass flats but wading or poling your boat is usually the most effective way to catch the tailing reds. Start looking for the fish before the tide gets too high (usually at least an hour or two before the high tide depending on how high it will get). Small soft plastic baits like those made by Salyer Inc. will work great in the grass. Rig your lure weedless on a Slayer Inc. Penetrator hook and try to present it well in front of or past the fish and then slowly drag it towards him. A direct hit to a tailing red will usually send him darting off the flat like an out of control torpedo.
Sometimes they are so focused on finding food that they seem to never look up to find your lure. That’s when a small glass rattle inserted into your soft plastic will do wonders to get their attention. This is also a great time to test your fly rod skills. I like to use a small shrimp or crab pattern and again attach a small rattle to the fly.
September brings us some great fishing behind the shrimp boats for tarpon, sharks, jacks, etc… This summer’s beach fishing, especially for tarpon, has been great and they should stick around for a while as long as the water doesn’t get too chilly. We have really been able “sight-fish” for the tarpon this year behind the boat as it seems they have been so hungry they’ll eat just about anything you toss at them. They will be gulping down the by-catch dumped by the shrimpers so grab a by catch fish and then put it in front of the silver king and hold on!
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