Redfish - Year Round
Our State Fish may go by many names, Redfish, Red Drum, Puppy Drum, Bull Drum, Channel Bass, etc….but one thing is for sure, it’s one of the most sough after saltwater fish in the state. Redfish are available year round in North Carolina. In the spring these fish spread out through the marsh, where they will spend the summer in search of crabs, shrimp and baitfish. They can be found working the shallow bays and creeks, searching the mud bottoms and oyster reefs for an easy meal. During these warm months, they will readily take a topwater plug or fly. In the fall, they feed hard on bait as it schools up to migrate to warmer waters. During the winter, the Reds will school together by the hundreds and congregate in areas that hold higher water temps to help keep them warm through those cold months. In the winter, algae dies off, turning the water crystal clear and making for excellent sight fishing. We prefer to fish for Redfish strictly by sight-fishing for them in shallow water. Sometimes we can actually see the fish, and sometimes we are casting to wakes, pushes and muds. Contact us and we can discuss the best dates and times for sight fishing for Reds.
Tailing Redfish are without question, one of my favorite sight fishing targets in the Carolinas. So much so, that I named my guide service after them. May through September, Redfish will consistently tail on the Spartina Grass flats on the extreme high tides around full and new moons. Some years they may start as early as April and last until October. The moon's gravitational pull causes large tide swings, flooding water up onto what is normally dry land, flooding out the homes of the tiny Fiddler Crabs. For those couple hours that the grass flats are flooded, Redfish will push into 5-15" of water in search of these tasty crabs. When they find one, they will go nose down and kick their tail above the water surface. And then you have a target that can be seen from a hundred yards away. Do you have what it takes to sneak within casting distance and gently place a fly six inches in front of his face without spooking him?
