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The morning sun has yet to reveal itself over the brilliantly lit horizon. Almost as if it we’re intentionally waiting as long as possible before having to be forced to unleash its wrath of heat upon us on this typical, and already extremely warm, August day. The low tide, lack of wind, and the presence of flat water, offer’s a message of caution to all of us. We exit the boat at a noise level symbolic to that of a pin being dropped on the carpet. A mere few, but quiet words are spoken as I instruct the members of the party to position themselves in a straight-line formation parallel to the adjacent shoreline. Today's large party has lent us the luxury of presenting a vast arsenal of select artificial baits to our awaiting quarry. Some are rigged with their top water-of-choice, while other members have chosen the Norton Margarita Bull Minnow to serve as their initial offering. As our line is now perfectly formed, all begin to engage their reels as they prepare to advance on today's endeavor. The day is now underway as we embark upon our wade into the coastal grass beds covered by knee-deep water, in pursuit of the broad-shouldered, crimson-backed Redfish of August.
August is my favorite time of the year to target red fish due to their predictability. Let’s now talk about why this month offers red fish angler’s unmatched opportunities. No matter how hot the water is or low the tide, you can effectively locate hunting reds near pods of nervous mullet. OK, let’s discuss what to look for when targeting red fish. I prefer a push (which is a small wake in the water) to locate my red fish. Other signs are small mud boils that are created by their noses while foraging for food. If you keep seeing large boils in the water while slowly wade fishing, most likely you are in red fish country. If you have any of these signs coupled with fleeing mullet or nervous baitfish, its like betting on “Smarty Jones†at the Kentucky Derby, it’s a sure thing.
The best lure for chasing red fish has been, hands down the margarita bull minnow by Norton Lures. In shallow water, use a moderate straight back retrieval with a slight rod pump. I allow the red fish to take the lure, but once the fish has popped the jig head, and shows resistance, I suggest setting the hook. It is not uncommon for me to set the hook twice on reds. These fish have an incredible hard mouth, and this double hook set will secure the hook. When the broad-shouldered red fish starts pulling drag, don’t allow this drag pulling to continue for a long time. It’s in my opinion and with many experiences, if you keep allowing the fish to make long runs, you’re asking for trouble. These fish will aggressively swim through heavy grass beds while trying to escape. This heavy grass may put extra weight on your line, and can cause the lure to come loose. What I’m trying to say here, when the red quits pulling drag, give him the business and don’t mess around. Remember to keep a moderately loose drag, but not too loose. When we get into a school of large red fish, I personally will tighten my drag up a bit. If you allow the red fish to pull drag for a long distance; the fighting fish is now swimming way ahead where you need to wade, thus alarming other fish. Heck, I have even seen other red fish knock the lure out the fighting red, which caused me to loose the red I was challenged with.
Just the other day, I had the pleasure to fish with a group from Houston during a late afternoon session. Our plans were to fish from 4:30 PM till dark. The beginning of our trip was uneventful at first. While easing out of the boat, each person commented about how hot the water was. The water felt like one of those boiling tubs you had to sit in when you got hurt playing high school sports. The bottom surface was a mix of grass and soft mud. Our water conditions were dirty. The wind was howling out of the Southeast. But, the one thing that kept our attention was the boiling bait and jumping mullet. After about 10 minutes of no bumps, hook up’s and many cast, I told the guys I would get the boat and go down about 800 yards. Knowing this, I wouldn’t have to wade back through the soft mud. After setting the anchor out, I didn’t have to look back at the others. I could listen to the excitement of 4 grown man laughing and joking as they were playing on the schools black top before class. Well, these guys never really made it to the boat. They planted their feet and kept landing one red after another. August, you’re a wonderful month for landing broad-shouldered, crimson-backed red fish.
August is my favorite time of the year to target red fish due to their predictability. Let’s now talk about why this month offers red fish angler’s unmatched opportunities. No matter how hot the water is or low the tide, you can effectively locate hunting reds near pods of nervous mullet. OK, let’s discuss what to look for when targeting red fish. I prefer a push (which is a small wake in the water) to locate my red fish. Other signs are small mud boils that are created by their noses while foraging for food. If you keep seeing large boils in the water while slowly wade fishing, most likely you are in red fish country. If you have any of these signs coupled with fleeing mullet or nervous baitfish, its like betting on “Smarty Jones†at the Kentucky Derby, it’s a sure thing.
The best lure for chasing red fish has been, hands down the margarita bull minnow by Norton Lures. In shallow water, use a moderate straight back retrieval with a slight rod pump. I allow the red fish to take the lure, but once the fish has popped the jig head, and shows resistance, I suggest setting the hook. It is not uncommon for me to set the hook twice on reds. These fish have an incredible hard mouth, and this double hook set will secure the hook. When the broad-shouldered red fish starts pulling drag, don’t allow this drag pulling to continue for a long time. It’s in my opinion and with many experiences, if you keep allowing the fish to make long runs, you’re asking for trouble. These fish will aggressively swim through heavy grass beds while trying to escape. This heavy grass may put extra weight on your line, and can cause the lure to come loose. What I’m trying to say here, when the red quits pulling drag, give him the business and don’t mess around. Remember to keep a moderately loose drag, but not too loose. When we get into a school of large red fish, I personally will tighten my drag up a bit. If you allow the red fish to pull drag for a long distance; the fighting fish is now swimming way ahead where you need to wade, thus alarming other fish. Heck, I have even seen other red fish knock the lure out the fighting red, which caused me to loose the red I was challenged with.
Just the other day, I had the pleasure to fish with a group from Houston during a late afternoon session. Our plans were to fish from 4:30 PM till dark. The beginning of our trip was uneventful at first. While easing out of the boat, each person commented about how hot the water was. The water felt like one of those boiling tubs you had to sit in when you got hurt playing high school sports. The bottom surface was a mix of grass and soft mud. Our water conditions were dirty. The wind was howling out of the Southeast. But, the one thing that kept our attention was the boiling bait and jumping mullet. After about 10 minutes of no bumps, hook up’s and many cast, I told the guys I would get the boat and go down about 800 yards. Knowing this, I wouldn’t have to wade back through the soft mud. After setting the anchor out, I didn’t have to look back at the others. I could listen to the excitement of 4 grown man laughing and joking as they were playing on the schools black top before class. Well, these guys never really made it to the boat. They planted their feet and kept landing one red after another. August, you’re a wonderful month for landing broad-shouldered, crimson-backed red fish.
