
Redfish are ganged up in creeks
Some of the best days to catch redfish, according to Capt. Cameron Pappas of BlackBird Guide Service in Wilmington, NC, take place during the cold weather months.
“Honestly, winter is probably my all-time favorite time to fish, and I believe for good reason,” he said.
One reason Pappas (910-547-9353) likes this time of year is because the redfish gang up in huge schools.
“The biggest reason I love fishing for redfish in the winter is because they school up, and by school up, I mean really school up, like in the hundreds on occassion,” he said.
Other reasons include that fewer anglers are on the water to compete with, he’s not sweating all day long, and the water turns clear as gin.
“Combine the gin clear water with a large school of redfish, and you are set up for a good time,” he said. “If you like sight fishing with a spinning rod or fly rod, this is one of the best times of year for you to have a day you will remember forever.”
Pappas said the redfish don’t have much to choose from when it comes to prey this time of year. Most of the shrimp and baitfish have moved out into the ocean, seeking warmer, deep water.
“These fish are especially eager to eat because there is not much bait around, and the bait that is around is very small, like little fry bait,” he said. “So when a well-placed fly or soft plastic makes its way into the path of a large school of redfish, it will rarely be turned down.”
Another factor that many anglers find attractive to catching redfish right now is that they don’t have to get on the water at first light. It’s best to let the water warm up, at least slightly, as the sun gets up. Those warm inlets and flats are what attract the redfish.
Also, since this is a sight-fishing game, anglers need some light to be able to spot the schools of redfish.
Anglers do need to be prepared for cold weather, so Pappas suggests layering up. And he said even in the dead of winter here, we do have some days that aren’t too cold.
“We have plenty of days in December through February that are in the 50s and occasionally into the high 60s,” he said. “So while we will freeze our butts off on some days, it’s definitely not always the case.”
Casting to the leading fish in the school, or those on the outside edges of it, is the best practice. Casting into the middle will surprise a lot of the fish, and the school will scatter, and they will remain wary for some time.
Hold the pressure
A long string of brutally cold weather puts a hurting on this type of fishing, because the redfish will usually move into the surf or the open ocean, searching for warmer water.
“If the water temperature drops off significantly and quickly, many red drum will move into deeper water to find that cushion at a certain depth where the water temp is not as affected by cold air temperatures,” he said.
But once the air temperature begins to warm up again, those fish will usually head right back into the small creeks and inlets.
“They’ll head to their shallow water loafing areas because that shallow water will heat much faster than the deep water,” he said. “And that shallow water is right where we want them.”
One thing that Pappas cautions anglers about is putting too much pressure on these schools. While fewer anglers are on the water this time of year, many of the ones that are fishing will target these same schools. So they see a lot of boats and a lot of lures cast their way. And unfortunately, some boaters simply run right over them without even seeing them, and this can bust the schools up, push the fish out to deep water, and make them especially wary.
“Fishing pressure is becoming something that is increasing year after year,” he said. “I have no problem with that at all, but I would suggest anglers try not to push the fish around like crazy. I am guilty of accidently poling right into a large group of fish that slipped out of deep water onto a flat and ran right into the boat. And it was like someone dropped a bomb in the water.”
Pappas said sometimes that is simply unavoidable. He also said anglers shouldn’t get too greedy with a single school.
“I am fine with catching four or five fish out of a school,” he said. “But if you sit there and catch 30 or 40 of these fish, that is an incredible amount of pressure. This can lead them to locate in deep water where you won’t be able to find them again.”
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