Bull Reds

Seems like fishing has been pretty good for bull reds the past month or so, what is the typical fishing season for these bigger reds from the surf and pier? Thanks

A general guide line is Labor day to Thanksgiving, this year the water to me is warm so Im thinking it will be extended for a couple of weeks , it felt like summer the last time I went out, havent even had to pull the jacket out yet Im hoping/praying to get in another trip or two if Im lucky, I went out last week and they were still out, this weekend a wedding so im going to miss out:frowning_face: God I want to go fishing so bad. Hell Ive caught them while I was breathing smoke and shivering. Welcome and good luck cubby.

Thanks for the reply. Yea, fishing for them is awesome. Was able to catch my first big one last week.

Do they come back around in the spring when the water warms up?

I caught my biggest this year March 21, the water was freakin’ cold, you never know. I would not expect to catch a big Red in the “warmer” water months though. Probably couldn’t get past the stupid Sharks!

They are still there you just have to be in the right spot. I was out this past Thursday and Saturday trying some different spots and only had one each day, Thursday was a 39 incher and Saturday was a 36 incher.

Walkman, still putting up the big boys, seems like all you catch are big ones off that beach, nice job.

I have caught them years back all the way into mid-December. I think they stay around until the water gets somewhere around 60 or below.
I know that 64-72 degrees is almost perfect for them. Some of the best days I ever had up on the N.C. Outerbanks were Thanksgiving week and it was cold. I mean waders, coats hats and gloves cold and we caught them like crazy. I think the water temp right now is at or just below 70 here. Should have until the end of the month at least. I’ve been working 6 days a week for the past month, but hope to get out Sunday morning.

Jack Taylor

There are big reds here year round they are residential fish and are hard to find and catch during dead winter but they are here. I was swimming wading and fishing this morning, we are having a warm year and it looks like the water will likely stay in the 60’s till January. I’ve had readings from 68 to 73 between rivers and surf. Fall to early winter is when the migration occurs with many bait species and the large migratory fish follow them, but from what I can tell the bait schools seem to be less prevalent then in years past.

Yea weve had some screwy weather this year tons of rain and ne winds have been an issue-but the plus is its looking like our season is going to roll into December , who knows we might have not even peaked yet, my last outing I pulled the most I have all year . I agree with what Jack and 40 said, last year had multiple weekends that I had jackets and stocking caps and then I had days in july when it was triple digits outside, the reds are pretty resilient , its amazing how they are capable of coping with that broad range of temperatures, every month I have tried whether it be freezing or smoking hot Ive been able to land a couple, admittedly its me who stops showing up not the fish, come December I usually shut down with a bad case of blue balls, it gets sooooo cold.