There’s no better reminder that winter is behind us quite like the sight of a upper slot brute with it’s back or tail protruding through the water’s surface. A waving tail or a crusing back is like the homecoming of a close friend after a long time away. It brings back memories of good times, but you can’t help but think about the fun that lies ahead.
I hit the water a few times this past weekend and the fishing was slow overall. Not all was lost though as I experienced two firsts for the year, tailing and topwater redfish; both signs that the redfish have moved skinny. The only thing preventing them from moving into their normal shallow water haunts regularly is the low water levels. As soon as the tides return to normal levels consistently look for the redfish to reign over their favorite domain. There has been plenty of newly hatched bait in shallow water for weeks now, and it’s only a matter of time before numbers of redfish start to discover the buffet.
Main bay shorelines have still been the ticket lately as there still not very many fish or water in the marsh. With the low tides the fish have been close to shore and easy to spot but they have also been just as easy to spook. Most of the fish I have seen have been on shorelines with mud and patchy shell. Water clarity has been excellent on protected shorelines and early in the morning before the winds pick up.The few fish I have seen in the marsh have been in lakes that are slightly deeper and have quick access to the bay. I’ve also seen a fair amount of redfish in deeper canals and drains.
I have been using TTF Flats Minnows on 1/8oz jigheads when sight casting and a Rapala Skitterwalk in redfish pattern when drifting or covering water. The topwater bite hasn’t been very reliable as of late. The only success I’ve had with a topwater has been away from shorelines during the middle of the day once the winds have picked up. Lots of blowups but the hookup ratio (about 1:3) has been rather low. No fish over 7lbs but I’ve seen bigger fish milling around that have been reluctant to eat.
Slightly under 7lb red that inhaled a Skitterwalk.
Greg aka “Draino” with keeper flounder
