Sight fishing for redfish

Cold weather, clear water, good fishing

Many anglers give up fishing by December, and that’s just the way Capt. Cameron Pappas of Blackbird Guide Service in Wrightsville Beach, NC likes it. For him, it’s the perfect month for redfish.

“If you like to catch redfish that you can see in the water before casting to them, this is a great time of year,” said Pappas. “I have always been highly addicted to sight fishing for reds. So the winter months will always take the cake for me.”

Using spinning gear, Pappas prefers a 7-foot rod and a spinning reel spooled with 15-pound braided line. He uses a variety of lures, including gold spoons, and 3-inch paddletails on jigheads, and suspending lures like the MirrOlure MR17.

He changes colors based on the water color and the color of the bottom.

“One thing to keep in mind for this time of year is the presence of snot grass pretty much everywhere,” he said. “Using lighter jigheads like 3/16 to 1/8 usually does the trick.”

The retrieve

When retrieving your lures, Pappas said you want to experiment until the fish show you what they’re looking for, and that can change daily depending on many factors. One constant, however, is you should keep your lure from touching the bottom.

“Generally, you just want to use a constant retrieve so that the jighead never touches the bottom,” he said.

Many different lures will work this time of year, but keeping that grass off is the main challenge.

“We have unlimited options for lures that will work in the winter, and that will keep you out of the snot grass,” he said. “Many times, it comes down to not just the lure, but also the way you work it. Finding the right mixture of weight and speed of retreive, along with the water depth, is the equation to be solved.”

When using fly fishing gear, Pappas recommends a 7- or 8-weight rod paired with a floating line.

“I’ll generally have a 10- to 12-foot leader with 15-pound tippet,” he said.

That’s slightly longer than he uses during the summer because the water is usually very clear in December.

“When they are in schools,” he said. “If one spooks, they all spook.”

Just like the soft plastic lures, Pappas uses a wide range of types and colors of flies.

Watch the weather

“A wide variety of flies will work this time of year for redfish in the Wilmington Area and surrounding beaches such as Topsail Island, Surf City, Wrightsville Beach, Bald Head Island and Southport,” he said. “The color of flies are mainly chosen based on the water color and bottom.

“If the water is tanic and the bottom is muddy, I will gravitate to darker flies such as black, purple, dark brown and copper,” he said. “If the water is very clear and the bottom is sandy, I’ll use tan or white flies. And if the bottom has a ton of green snot grass, then I’ll use something with some olive.”

Pappas said weather events that include lots of wind and rain can make the fishing difficult. But as long as the weather remains stable, the cold shouldn’t keep you off the water.

“Winter remains my favorite time of year for fishing due to the gin clear water and schooling redfish,” he said.

To book a trip with Pappas, book online or give him a call at 910-547-9353.