Outdoors

Captain's Corner

What's hot: Redfish can be had with the right approach.

By ED WALKER
Published February 13, 2007

What's hot: Redfish can be had with the right approach.

Tactics: With cold, clear water covering most of the flats in the North Suncoast area, sightfishing has been the best way to catch redfish. The general movement patterns of the reds are fairly predictable: They move toward the shoreline as the tide rises, then follow a particular depth back out toward the edges of the flats as the tide recedes. The rest of the equation is less defined. Their meandering route in and out of the shallows varies from day to day and is dependent on many factors. One of the most important is the strength of the tide. We usually look for tailing fish when the tide is all the way out and during the beginning of the incoming. As soon as there is enough water for the fish to feel comfortable on the flats, they begin to trek shoreward. During the new and full moon phases the water rises rapidly. When this occurs, the move from outside edges, across the open flats, and to the shoreline happens in a short period of time. The opposite is true during the weak quarter-moon tides when the incoming water slowly creeps on the flats. When this happens the reds spend much more time feeding in the middle of the shallow grassy areas and may not even get close to the shore.

Pro tip: Subtle changes, sometimes as little as a few inches, make a difference to redfish working onto or off of a shallow flat. Once you figure out what their preferred depth is, following it accordingly as the tide shifts should help keep you close to the fish.

Ed Walker charters out of Tarpon Springs. Call 727 944-3474 or e-mail info@lighttacklecharters.com.

[Last modified February 12, 2007, 22:49:21]