Winter Reds: Prospecting and Sight Casting
Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean the fishing can’t be hot. Here’s how to catch redfish off North Carolina and beyond throughout the winter months.
Redfish remain a perennial favorite of anglers throughout their range.
Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean the fishing can’t be hot. Here’s how to catch redfish off North Carolina and beyond throughout the winter months.
The marshes in the Mississippi River Delta host epic bites, even when the temperatures drop. Here’s how to find the fish.
Located near the easternmost protrusion of the Outer Banks, the Crystal Coast offers inshore opportunities and a relatively easy run to the Gulf Stream.
Use these old-school baiting tactics to catch large drum across the Southeast.
With distinctive coppery coloration, large scales, a diagnostic black tail spot, or spots, and a voracious appetite, red drum–also called redfish, channel bass, puppy drum for the smaller ones, bull reds for the bruisers–remain a perennial favorite of anglers throughout their range.
While found in the Atlantic from Long Island, around Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico, redfish are primarily a southern fishery with many great fishing destinations.
Caught by still fishing, drifting and casting, they are a favorite sight-fishing target for shallow water light-tackle anglers. They’ll hit almost any natural bait and a full range of lures from spoons to topwaters, as well as flies. Most run under 15 pounds, are commonly caught to 30 pounds and can reach in rare cases nearly 100 pounds. Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina hold dependable populations in inshore waters as well as in passes and channels leading to the ocean. They make fine table fare.