Tis the season to target Tampa Bay’s redfish on fly. As cooler temperatures bring cleaner water to the flats, sight fishing will be at its best.
During the winter months tides play an enormous factor, some of the year’s best red fishing will occur around the extreme morning low tides. Look for schools of fish to congregate just off the edges of flats as they anticipate the crustacean buffet sure to commence once the tide rushes onto the flat. If your favorite flat has the right bottom and depth, chances are good that you will witness fish tailing.
There are several schools of thought when it comes to fishing for tailing redfish. I have two approaches that I’ve found to work well depending on the bottom composition. For soft mud bottoms, I prefer a heavily weighted crab pattern. Typically these flies are weighted with a medium dumbbell eye to help get the fly down in front of the fish quickly. Keep in mind, the chances of spooking the fish are greatly reduced when their heads are down and tails are waving above the surface of the water.
Once an accurate cast has been made and the fly has settled in front of the fish, a proper strip must be executed. The biggest mistake an angler can make is stripping the fly too quickly, thus removing it from the fish’s cone of awareness.
Patience is paramount to ensure the feeding redfish notices your fly. I’ll often have my angler “bump” the fly once or twice in hopes of creating slight mud puffs similar to a crab burrowing for safety. Typically this will get a reaction, but if your fish is still oblivious to your efforts switch to a long, slow strip. The slower the better as you’re ultimately attempting to mimic a walking crab taking up a defensive position. Often, the fish will inhale the crab. If you fail to recognize the take, the long strip will increase your chances of a solid hookup.
Tampa Bay redfish commonly tail over shallow grass flats, this requires a completely different approach regarding fly selection, casting techniques and stripping patterns. In these moments, I will select a weightless and weedless shrimp or small baitfish pattern.
Once a fish is engaged in tailing behavior and the target is visible, I’ll have my angler cast just beyond the fish utilizing a 10-12 foot stealth leader. While the fish’s head is down, slowly slide the fly in front of the fish and hold. You may be forced to continue to pause the fly for a few seconds while the fish has his head down, blind to your actions.
Once the tail disappears below the water, its head and field of vision will be level with your fly in the water column. This is when we strip the fly and hopefully come tight once the fish sees a potential meal fleeing for its life.
Through preparation and study, seeking out ideal flats and using these techniques, I’m confident you’ll be successful in taking advantage of numerous winter redfish opportunities.
Capt. Shawn McCole’s specialty is inshore fly fishing and light tackle. You can contact him by calling 863-608-3758 or CaptShawnMcCole@gmail.com. Visit his website: CaptainShawnMcCole.com. or visit Capt. Shawn at Bill Jackson’s on weekends.