One of the best times of the year to fish for redfish as a kayak angler is in the later months of winter.
I know you are thinking I must be off my rocker to even think about fishing in February or March from a kayak! Crazy? Yes, crazy like a fox!
When it gets cold one of the places that you can find reds and not just one or two but schools of them are back in creeks, especially small ones with deep holes and mud flats.
When I find these schools of reds way back in a hole what I DON’T find is an angler in a 18ft center console trying to crowd me off the spot because I’m in a plastic boat!
Finding redfish back in small creeks is one thing, getting close enough to get a good cast to them becomes the challenge.
The water is small and every little sounds carries thru the water like it was blasted thru a megaphone.
Moving slowly becomes key to getting close to the reds; if you are a power fisher type who likes to run and gun this type of fishing will drive you nuts.
I will share a couple baits that have been getting it done for me lately
But if you can slow down move quietly and observe intently the water in front of you the reward can be great.
What do I throw at the redfish you ask to get them to bite? Okay, you twisted my arm.
I will share a couple baits that have been getting it done for me lately.
When the water is in the mid to upper 50’s a great search bait for me has been the Johnson sprite gold spoon.
It’s a tried and true lure that gets the job done and the single treble hook gives me a great hook up rate.
When the water gets colder, a slower presentation close to the bottom is key.
A weedless Vudu shrimp or a Berkeley gulp shrimp on an Eye Strike weed-less jig head works great!
In the mornings before the sun has had its chance to warm up the water on the mud flats throw a shrimp into the holes you can find in the creek.
Once hooked, the fight you know and love about the red is there
Let your bait sit, then crawl it along ever so slowly and be ready for the take, which will most likely be more subtle than you are used to feeling from a redfish.
Once hooked, the fight you know and love about the red is there, the challenge becomes controlling the fight.
In such a small space while dodging crab traps and keeping the fish off any oysters or other hazards to your line.
I hooked a 29 inch redfish on the rising tide so far back in a small creek that I could not turn my kayak around.
I had to back paddle about 10 yards till the creek was wide enough to turn around! Small skinny water can be very productive for all sizes of redfish!
Good Luck and Tight Lines,
Mike Kohler
LKA Tournament Director
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