Dayum that’s some good stuff Newman.
when the water touches the grass edge- rising or falling- the fish will be there.
all they want is 6 inches of water.
OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BECOME THE ENEMY OF FREEDOM.
Thanks guys. With all of this grass to choose from is there a type of flat or flat location that if you were in new water that you’d start searching for first? What I am thinking is do I want to find a flat that’s near deep water so it provides a quick retreat when the tide pulls back out or does it matter? I understand that like bass, reds like a hard bottom which is a good thing to help me narrow down some areas and eliminate some water.
Any particular structure that reds favor? A point leading in to a creek as a staging area for example or a ditch in a grass flat or do they just get up in the grass and get after whatever is there and not follow migration routes? I see these trails or deeper water winding through the flats and can get my boat up in there pretty easily and then basically have to go “off roading” with the TM to get over in to the grass or “the field” as I call it which is where I ran in to those shallow sheephead.
what can you recommend as far as types of flats to explore? Thanks so much again guys. I really appreciate you taking mercy on a total greenhorn.
In the world of bass fishing I’ve always encouraged new anglers who have come to me over the years to fish with as many guys as they can to learn from and also to fish tournaments as co anglers which is an investment in their education. Does redfishing offer the same through tournaments or is it an established team deal where a new person would hurt an otherwise seasoned redfish anglers chances of winning meaning the weight is for the boat not an individual? How about fishing clubs where guys have club tournaments and share information and experience with new anglers? That’s how so many of us got good at bass fishing; club level and then having the desire to take it farther. Thanks again.
Chuck D - Hilton Head, SC
Ranger z21 Intracoastal
Merc 250 ProXS
Power Pole Pro’s x2
Lowrance Gen2
You’re on the right track about the harder bottom. Also they will use those routes you are seeing. IMO a flat that has enough water for them to stay at low tide is more important than deep water.
Look at flats with irregular grass/oyster points along the back edge. If it’s close to a creek mouth, even better.
you might want to try over by plumb island i went fishing over in those flats with cut and live bait top and bottem and i was getting all kinds of hits and the reds were schooling and they were all over the place on the out going tide …
good fishing
smitty123
When I paddle to my fishing grounds I troll a 1/4 oz jig head with a grey/glitter grub. You get caught on structure occasionally, but you also catch a lot of reds and trout on your journey. The grub is also durable as it bounces on the bottom.
When I get to my favorite spots I feed the fish what they are looking for.
If you see a school of reds busting on some finger mullet… present them with a distressed live bait(fighting a hook throught the lips) and let the fish use its instinct …
why throw a chunk of plastic and hope you fool them?
Get a cast net and learn how to use it. It will change your approach to fishing.
Same reason we fly fish, the challenge. I’ve got nothing against using live bait when I’m fishing for my dinner but when I’m sport fishing or tournament fishing part of it for me is to mimic what lives there and try to get em to bite. Been doing it that way for many years in the bass fishing world and know the IFA Redfish Tour guys are 100% artificial as are the serious fly anglers and want to learn how to pattern them with artificials is all. A grub is a great bait and one that I am using now. The gulp swimming mullet is a single tail that seems to work pretty well on many species. Caught that bonnet shark on one of those last Saturday.
Biggest challenge I see right now short of finding fish is that there is a TON of bait in the water and that makes it pretty tough to compete with the real thing. We have the same situation in bass fishing tournaments in Summer and also Fall. we often resort to mimicn’g balls of fry with micro umbrella rigs (Alabama Rigs) or just using individual small swim baits and dart heads depending on the regs of each state and where we are competing. Tough to compete with mother nature when she’s filling them up with the real stuff for sure.
Casting net is an art and I fully appreciate it. Looking forward to learning how to do that and planning a “meat fishing” trip where I go with the intent of bringing home a meal. Got a recommendation on a net size for a green horn?
Chuck D - Hilton Head, SC
Ranger z21 Intracoastal
Merc 250 ProXS
Power Pole Pro’s x2
Lowrance Gen2
Excellent read. Thanks to those that responded with the great info.
Chuck, sounds like you have a pretty good clue as to how to fish and definitely the desire. Enjoy the low tide scouting. It is AMAZING what you’ll see and it helps 1) find fish and 2) understand why fish like it so you can find more fish.
All I would add is buy a tide log. Note conditions, tide stages, etc every time you go whether you catch fish or not. You may think you’ll remember everywhere you went and at what tide, but I know I couldn’t. They may stack up like cord wood at certain tides and be totally absent at another.
Good luck!
Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda
5’ cast net I’d good size to start, I’m moving up to a 6’ for catching bait and then a Betts green or old salt 7’ net for shrimping. Redfish on artificials is a whole nother challenge. The only reason I caught my first 2 is because I was with a captain on the flats in winter. Sometimes they like one arty but a totally different one the next day. The capt told me to UAE a black jerk shad and I casted that and worked it through a school of about 100 reds and they all refused it. Then I put out a zman Houdini paddlerZ and caught 2. He said he has more luck in jerk shads but its just not what they wanted today. Last week I found a little “canal” about 4’ deep and 12’-15’ wide. I thought it was fresh and we were throwing 7" finesse bass worms on 2/0 j hooks rigged weedless with split shots to make en sink. Caught 3 redfish on those! And not some saltwater tackle… it seems though that you’d have better luck on a white lure ib summer bc of visiblety, but supposedly electric chicken are the easiest to spot with fish eyes… good luck my friend! Also try to book a charter it will help you incredibly!
I’m a high class redneck.
Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in pfgs and buffs.
quote:
So far I've only been fishing with artificials. Jerkbaits, flukes, grubs, crank baits, lipless crankbaits, gulp swimming mullet, topwaters, jigs, crawfish imitations, etc but not a single bite other than a 4' bonnet shark which spooled me yesterday.I’m doing my best to avoid going to live bait but I’m not having any success. Just ordered the Berkley Gulp Jerk Shad in nuclear chicken and will try that next as the Zoom flukes I use for bass fishing so far have been a total bust.
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>Chuck D…although I use my fare share of live bait, you can catch reds all year 'round on Gulp! baits as well as other artificials. I prefer the Gulp! because it’s simply a superior bait. It’s expensive…for good reason…it works!
I use three types of Gulp with great success:
- Fall through early summer…Gulp jerk shads in Sardine, Anchovy and Sapphire Shine. Blue Pepper Neon is a distant fourth. Rig on a weighted hook. I refer the 1/16 oz. Mustad Ultra Point for light, moderate winds and current and the 1/8 oz. for windy days or more current. After inserting the hook keeper in the head, lay the hook along side the bait to determine the right position, then push thru the bait and let the hook point protrude, but lay along side the bait for a weedless rig. The hook MUST NOT be buried or you won’t hook up. This is a great stealth bait…enters water quietly. Toss out ahead of moving fish (look for the telltale push), when fish pass over if they don’t pick it up from dead-stick, give the bait a little wrist twitch. Fish the same way when fishing blind without seeing push. Fish this bait in front of oys rakes, and over shell & sand very shallow duruing last of outgoing and first of incoming. A KILLER winter bait in the big schools! Great in spring fished into “pockets” in the grass incoming or outgoing near high BEFORE fish go way
Great information! Thanks so much for sharing this. Getting the same information on baits and techniques helps build confidence for certain. Very much appreciated guys.
Chuck D - Hilton Head, SC
Ranger z21 Intracoastal
chuck I read you asking about the scent, charleston angler carries shrimp flavored procure for sure, another great bait of red’s, flounder is the gulp jerk shad sardine color. Gulp shrimp work well also but I’m not as successful with them yet. Throw that jerk shad while the water line is at the grass and work it back letting it sink. Work it with split shot or with out but you’ll catch fish if they’re around.
1996 Key West Sportsman
112 Johnson
Thanks and that sounds good. I’m all rigged up and have a big ol’ jug of jerk shads marinating in GULP! here at the house. Just gotta get some time now and get around some fish. I bought the “nuclear chicken” color but will add to that with the sardine color for sure.
Certainly like hearing that the split shot idea works as well, we call that a “Petey rig” in bass fishing after Peter Thilveros of the BASS Elite Series flat SCHOOLED the world on that bait up at Lake Oneida in NY with that rig using the zoom super fluke around sumberged grass lines.
What size split shot do you guys use? #2 enough or do you have to go heavier? Thanks again!
Chuck D - Hilton Head, SC
Ranger z21 Intracoastal
Well I got 1 yesterday out of a salt water lagoon that feeds in from the marsh. I finally got to see some redfish tailing although they were pretty small it was good to watch them and learn about them. I had to forego the big boat for my more nimble rig that allows me to cover ground and water.
Here’s the first on the electric chicken gulp jerk shad.
Here’s the rig I’m using to get around and scout these lightly pressured holes with. Good for exploring and hauling tackle. Got 2 stainless rocket launchers on it and a rack for the tackle bag. Works good and I can hit the golf course ponds for bass too.
Chuck D - Hilton Head, SC
Ranger z21 Intracoastal
only thing it’s missing is the power pole! congrats on the fish… i am guessing you will see many more in your days to come. good luck!
Split shot is your preference chuk , how fast you want em to sink, and also did have luck pitching pylons with gulp shrimp finally, flounder not reds but its all the same
1996 Key West Sportsman
112 Johnson
Glad to see you finally caught some! Makes you want some bigger ones! Get a super light rig for those and to keep on your boat for trout and other small fish
I’m a high class redneck.
Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in pfgs and buffs.
I hear a lot about the Gold Spoon for catching reds. How is this fished and do you attatch anything like a plastic grub with tail?
- A bad day fishin’ is better than a good day at work!
I fish them bare most of the time. Occasionally I will tip them with the very tip and tail of a curly tail chartreuse soft bait for a little more action…and have been having success with tipping with a white or chartreuse Gulp curly tail…smallest you can find and “bite” off the end 
. I have tipped them with mud minnows with good success also…but be sure to fish that combo really slow.
So is it just cast and retrieve?
- A bad day fishin’ is better than a good day at work!