Where to find summer redfish

Here’s 7 places to find hot weather redfish

The path an angler takes through his career is much like that of a migrating fish, moving from one location to another depending on the season, the tide, and maybe even what’s good to eat along the way.

While food may not be his biggest motivator, Charleston area fishing guide Justin Carter has certainly had his share of migrating through the seasons of saltwater fishing, beginning first as an avid angler, then moving through the ranks as a professional kayak angler and fishing guide, and on to guiding clients both inshore and offshore as a powerboat captain, now a veteran charter captain with RedFin Charters.

During his time on and in the water, one fish has influenced his path more than any other – redfish. Carter said the month of July may not be his favorite month to chase redfish, but it is definitely the month with the most variety, offering opportunities to catch fish from as far as 5 to 10 miles offshore to 10 or 15 miles inland, or from water as deep as 60 feet all the way up to just inches of water.

Accordingly, he was happy to run down his favorite patterns and locales for finding both large and small redfish this time of year.

Nearshore Wrecks

Although not a high priority location, Carter said redfish can be found hanging around wrecks, mixed in with a variety of migratory species that move up the Carolina coast during the summer.

“I don’t use a lot of live bait on a wreck simply because you lose a lot of baits to other fish,” he said. “If I’m targeting redfish on a summer wreck, it’s probably going to be with a 1- to 2-ounce jighead paired with a 5- to 7-inch plastic bait or maybe the same size bucktail jig with a big trailer.”

Carter said for some reason, redfish on wrecks want the bait hopping along the bottom rather than just swimming through the water column or being retrieved in a straight line. He also said he relies heavily on side-scan and down-scan sonar to mark how the redfish are orienting to the wreck before he starts casting his lures.

Sandbars

A common feature both inshore and nearshore, Carter looks for sandbars as stand-alone structures 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 the seam between the foot of the bar and the bottom.

“If they’re on top, chances are you can 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. The upside to his sandbar strategy is that he has a pretty good chance of hooking into a tarpon with any of his three approaches.

Jetties/Inlets

The good thing about jetties or even inlets with defined channels in them is that they tend to hold redfish of all sizes from under-slot fish to bruiser-sized bulls. The smaller fish will hold tighter to the rocks while bigger fish will roam the outskirts, just like any number of large predators.

“A great tactic for redfish when the tide or current is spilling over the top of the rocks is to cast a live shrimp on a split shot rig or maybe under a popping cork and let it wash over the submerged rocks,” he said. “You have to remain alert because those fish will grab the bait and hang you up quick if you’re not paying attention.”

If using menhaden for bait, which are plentiful in nearly all the inlets, he suggested making sure to match your hook size to your bait size in order to provide a more natural presentation.

Rivers

When Carter speaks of fishing rivers, his intention is anywhere from the mouth of a coastal river to several miles upstream. His focus is on the variety of bottom structure and current that is found in many of the river systems in both Carolinas.

“Rivers get fished heavily this time of year so I don’t try to fish a spot unless I mark fish on it first and can get a fix on how they’re orienting to the bottom structure,” he said. “Most of the time I’m going to be soaking live or cut menhaden and it’s going to be on medium-heavy, fast action, 40-pound tackle. So we can hook the fish, get him off the bottom, have a decent fight, then get him in the boat, and then released in a timely manner.”

Carter said heavy tackle, including 80-pound braided main line, is necessary to prevent wearing out the fish, nearly always big adult breeding stock, which can put them into a state of shock.

Inshore

While the adult drum are usually found in deeper water, Carter heads inland when looking to catch slot-sized reds. He said this time of year, redfish in the marshes and creeks are keyed in on baitfish and their top quarry is often finger mullet.

“All summer you’ll see finger mullet swimming along the grass lines and oyster bars. The redfish sit back and watch them go by,” he said. “The water is warm and the fish are lethargic. So they’re looking for that fat, slow, or injured mullet. When you put one on a hook with nothing but a ½-ounce weight to hold him in place, that’s exactly what it looks like.”

He starts daybreak trips throwing 3- to 4-inch topwater baits around pilings or other structure. As soon as that bite is over, he heads for productive stretches of bank and may fan cast five or six lines up against the bank, especially one that has ditches or chutes intersecting it.

Docks

Around lunchtime on a sunny July day, temperatures, both air and water, begin to soar. That’s when Carter targets shady areas for redfish. The most common shady areas are piers and boat docks.

“A boat dock provides shade, structure, and bait, which makes them great ambush sites,” he said. “A solitary boat dock that sits close to a deeper ditch or channel can be a gold mine. Don’t expect to catch tons of fish. But if you can string together enough docks and catch two or three fish from each one, you’re going to have a good trip.”

Carter also suggested returning to boat docks after dark if night fishing for redfish is your thing. If the dock has lights on or around it, or if it’s a full moon night, redfish find it hard to resist a black topwater bait silhouetted against the surface.

Don’t forget the flats

Fishing for tailing redfish on the marsh flats is great fun, especially for fly fisherman. In July, flats fishing is going to be limited to very early and very late in the day, or that blessed overcast day when a summer rain lingers over the area.

Fishing guide Justin Carter said it’s best to pick your days when fishing these areas.

“Shallow water on the flats is hot and that makes the fish really lethargic,” he said. “You need low sun, cloud cover, or rain to make flats fishing viable in July. But on those days when it comes together, especially with the right high tide, it’s a style of redfishing that’s hard to beat anywhere else.”