The winter red drum fishery along the beachfront offers anglers a unique experience, with thousands of fish in skinny, gin-clear waters.
Even though their vision is poor, each of the fish in these extremely large schools still have two eyes to detect any dangerous activity. Additionally, their lateral lines give them the ability to detect vibrations. With natural predators just a few feet way in deeper waters, red drum will always be on the lookout for danger. Anglers should keep their distance and make every effort not to alert the school.
Capt. Ricky Kellum recommends staying 50 yards away from the school at all times, if possible.
“Use a combo with quarter-ounce jighead or larger and 10-pound braid so you can toss a country mile,” said Kellum, who said that long casts are the name of the game under these conditions.
As popularity grows, more anglers show up to catch these wintering red drum. In order to keep plenty of fish happy and catchable, anglers should respect others and keep their distance from the fish and other boats, as well.
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