looking for a redfish

Saltwater Inshore Reports
1

Hey! this is my first post so any help on finding fish or anything a novice needs please post well anyway i went looking for some reds around folly river caught no reds but i did catch a small bluefish just thought it was ironic catching a bluefish while looking for a red saw lots of fish but all spooked and left well thanks for any help u can give me and im glad to join the forum

2

that member name is dangerously close to my email username! no help from me on the reds i havent seen any in a while, then again i havent really gone. i know this can be a hard time to find a good pattern. keep at it.

3

thanks im glad to get a reply

4
quote:
Originally posted by surfwrangler

that member name is dangerously close to my email username! no help from me on the reds i havent seen any in a while, then again i havent really gone. i know this can be a hard time to find a good pattern. keep at it</font id=“red”>.

best advice i can offer

Karma is 360 degrees

Some got to win, some got to lose…

5

Best opportunity to catch reds is at low tide. When the water hits the grass the reds move up in it. Look for creek mouths or oysters at low tide. Cut mullet/ finger mullet on a Carolina rig or a popping cork are usually a great bait. Shrimp is good too, but you will go through a lot more of that with the crabs and trash fish. If you don’t have a boat you should look into a kayak or paddle board. I think there is a forum for that type of fishing on this site.
Keep at it.

6

I haven’t had any luck recently either…but it should be getting better as the water clears up a bit. Try some deeper water docks, that’s the only place recently that I’ve seen anyone catch a red.

“kentfish” is also pretty close to “kantfish” as in can’t fish!!! …bad karma…:smiley:

7

Definitely easier to find the reds at low tide, but you will have better luck fishing either side of the low. One hour before and after the low, the bite slows down considerably as you approach slack tide. Also the reds will move into the marsh once the water hits the grass, but there are many that will hang aroung the side of the docks well into higher tide stages. Some docks are very good at high tide. These are typically shorter docks adjacent to deep water that have additional structure close by like oysters causing current breaks and eddies.

Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14

8

I am certainly no expert, but here are some thoughts that might help you.

  • They like a moving tide - slack tide is usually a slow to dead bite.
  • They like structure - docks, marsh grass points and oyster beds. If you are not hanging up / loosing some rigs then you need to get closer :smiley:
  • I very much agree with the previous poster, the lower half of the tide is easier to fish just because there is less area for the fish to be in. At hight tide many of them are up in the grass feeding on fiddlers (great fun to go after them, but a challenge as well).
  • Bait
    • my favorite is a quartered blue crab.
    • next is finger mullet. If you cut the end off their tail before you hook them it lets out a nice blood trail and gets them to swim ‘funny’ and attract predators. I think of it like the smoke from a good bar b q.
    • next is mud minnows - they are so easy to catch. I sometimes cut the tail off of them as well. Not sure it works as well, but I think it does - so I keep doing it.
    • last (for me) is shrimp. Everything loves shrimp and that is the problem. I loose a large percentage of bait to trash fish / crabs. It is great bait, but my last choice most of the time.

*Rigs
I like circle hooks. I am sure you know, but don’t set the hook with these, just let the fish run and set it himself. Tends to get 'em in the corner of the mouth and not injure them.

  • Carolina rig. Tried true and it works.
  • Popping cork
  • simple leader with split shot

I like to fish upstream from the structure and let the scents / bait drift back to the target area. Fish tend to face up current, so you want you bait facing the same direction.

My 2 cents - good luck!

9

^ What a wealth of information! I can’t think of anything to add. This is all great advice.

Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole

10

floundergig, Thanks so much for sharing this info. I believe you are dead-on target with fishing upstream from the structure!

2012 23’ Carolina Skiff
238 DLV
Yamaha F150

11

wow i didnt think i would get all this info thanks alot guys

12

Thanks Floundergig. Post like yours is what makes cf.com great.

13

Let’s eat Grandma. Let’s eat, Grandma. Punctuation saves lives. :slight_smile:

If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.

14

great post from an experienced new member… jan