Redfish rodeo

It’s time for the running of the bulls

August in the Carolinas can be pretty hot. The weather is hot, the water is hot, and if you’re looking to catch a big adult redfish, the fishing can also be hot. Once a redfish exceeds the slot limit, these fish tend to take on a different pattern than when they were just pups. For one, bull redfish, known in some circles as old drum, spread out more. That’s not to say that adult drum don’t still school by size and class, but it’s a looser association, at least until the fish move out of the inshore and nearshore waters for the winter.

It’s also pretty common for adult redfish to roam deeper waters, hold around larger and more complex structure, and become more wary when it comes to taking either artificial or live/natural baits. 

One of the first ingredients of a successful redfish rodeo is finding that cooler, deeper water where there’s more available oxygen to support bigger, heavier redfish. No matter which state you’re fishing in, the following types of areas will help you define your search and refine your tactics so that you can hook a big one. 

Rock jetties are fairly common on either side of major inlets in both Carolinas. Jetties serve to preserve the inlet channel depth that they guard, to enable boat traffic to move through the inlets. Jetties typically start out wider at the bottom and may be 10 yards across, working their way to single points of rocks jutting above the water line.

Predictable nature

South Carolina native Tommy Price makes it a point to pull his boat on vacation, and finds that no matter what destination he’s fishing, redfish become pretty predictable around the rocks.

“Those big rocks provide a perfect current break and hunting ground for adult redfish,” said Price. “When water temperatures climb up above the 80-degree mark, the big bull reds, fish in the 40-inch plus size, move along the base of the rocks and feed on whatever is available.” 

As the tide rises, water from the incoming side rushes over the rocks, creating eddies and current breaks. Tide currents along the Carolina coast do not go directly in and out, but rather sweep up and down the coastline. The result is a lee side and a current side of the rock structure. 

Currents play a major role in where redfish feed on the rocks. One of Price’s favorite setups is to anchor the bow of his bay boat on the up current side of the tide and cast baits into the edges of washes, bends and other holes in the rocks.

“As the tide moves in, water will begin spilling over the jetty in different areas” said Price. “The moving water dislodges baitfish and crabs, and the redfish will lay down-current waiting for the food to come to them.”

Capt. Jimmy Skinner of Fontaine Charters on Edisto Beach, SC loves to fish for adult redfish as the summer turns to fall. Skinner relies on his lifetime of experience fishing the waters around Edisto to hone in on those locations that are more likely to hold big redfish.

The bends

“A bend in a river or creek is always going to be a great potential redfish holding spot,” said Skinner. “Add in a downed tree or two, an undercut bank, or a rock wall and sooner or later, redfish will show up to feed.”

Skinner’s favorite tactic is fan-casting cut baits around likely fish-holding structure. He’ll offer redfish a choice of cut mullet, cut crab, cut menhaden or any other whole or cut fish he can find.

“You can often get by with lighter tackle if you use the current to your advantage,” said Skinner. “Let’s say there’s a big, nasty tree laying in the water that you think is holding a fish. Cast the bait up current and let it carry the bait’s scent into the tangle. When he gets hungry enough, he’ll move out of that tree and eat the bait. But if you aren’t on your toes, he’ll turn around and head right back into that tree, and you’re not likely to get him out.” 

Skinner prefers a falling tide as redfish move out of grass flats to retreat to deep holes, or a rising tide before the grass flats become accessible to the fish. He will rig several 20- to 30-pound class rods with Carolina rigs. A 4/0 – 5/0 circle hook completes the rig so that when a fish picks up the bait, it has a chance to move off and position the hook before he begins reeling against the fish.

“I give each location about 30 minutes,” he said. “If the tide is moving and there’s fish around, it shouldn’t take long for them to find the bait. You might not have any action for a bit, and then some fish will move in and you’ll have several bites in a row.”

Check sandbars

One thing the entire length of the Carolina coast has in abundance is sand. Despite the general appearance from the beach, not all sand is flat. Starting just a few feet off the beach and extending a mile or more off the coast, sandbars, crevices, channels and holes in the sand are present. Each of these features is created by currents and shifting tides. Redfish and other predators understand this, and will use these variances and fluctuating currents to hunt food.

Capt. Justin Carter from Charleston’s Redfin Charters explains that fishing sand structure is largely dependent on watching your sonar unit. Carter looks for sandbars as stand-alone structure, either related to the mouths of inlets, or a hundred yards or so off the beach. He will scan the bar with sonar to see if he can find how fish are oriented. They may be holding on top of a bar in just a couple of feet of water, or along a crevice at the foot of the bar along the bottom.

“If they’re on top, chances are you might see them rolling. In this case, I’ll be sight casting artificial lures to them,” he said. “If they’re somewhere along the drop, I’ll cast live or cut menhaden on a Carolina rig and let it roll down the slope. If they’re oriented to the bottom, I’ll drop back to a fish finder rig and soak mullet, menhaden or cut crabs for them.”

Carter said calmer days are better for fishing sandbars than those with heavier winds or tides. His preference is to fish sandbars on an incoming tide when he has cleaner/clearer water to work with. Scent plays an important role in redfish finding his baits, so he makes sure he’s using fresh cut baits, and he may even throw a few pieces of leftover bait into the water for good measure. 

Venting may be required

Fishing for overslot redfish is a catch-and-release only endeavor, for obvious reasons. You should know and be prepared for a few things if you’re planning on catching and releasing a bull redfish.

Some areas may require the use of wide gap circle hooks when intentionally fishing for redfish. Either way, circle hooks are the way to go, especially when fishing with live or cut bait. The additional bend in the circle hook allows the hook to pull free from the throat area and then catch in the corner of the jaw, making it easier to remove without undue injury to the fish.

Due to the generally hot water conditions in August, the use of heavy tackle is recommended to get the fish in quicker before it can tire beyond the point of recovery. The use of a large landing net is preferable to reaching into the fish’s gill plate to lift it into the boat for hook removal.

At times, redfish caught from deep water will suffer from rapid expansion of the swim bladder due to sudden pressure change. The side of the fish will be tight, as if it had swallowed a balloon. Other times, the swim bladder may actually extend into the fish’s throat.

When this happens the bladder needs to be released, also known as venting or fizzing. This is done by laying the fish on it’s side on a towel and inserting a small hollow needle under the scales just behind the pectoral fin (about 1½ inches), at a 45-degree angle and puncturing the bladder, allowing the gas to escape.

Insert the needle only until you hear the gas release. Inserting any further could injure the fish’s vital organs.