Calm winds, low tides and crystal clear waters make wading the way to go this time of year. So, after many emails back and forth on everything from lures to paddles, Greg and I set out. The plan was to find the schools of mullet hanging on the outside of sandbar that runs the entire length of the south shore. During these negative low tide conditions all the fish that inhabit the flats must move out to deeper water and remain there until the tide comes back in. If you know where the deeper depressions are on the outside of the sandbar, it can be like shooting fish in a barrel. They will be stacked up in these holes. Another good area to look for is gaps and troughs in the sandbar. Again, the fish will hold up in these areas until they can move back onto the flats.
Greg with his first Tampa Bay redfish. While it wasn’t all that big, I think he was pretty proud of it. I think I created a monster as he continued to catch redfish after redfish, so many in fact we got too busy to take more pictures. Greg is an excellent fisherman and I believe he has fallen prey to the kayak angling bug.
Exude Darts and DOA Jerk baits in Golden Bream rigged on a Slayer Inc 4/0 1/8 oz weighted jerk bait hook did the trick for us today. Slowly bounced along the bottom, always making contact with the bottom is the key to working these baits.
Another thing that I found that really helped was to wade in to the other side of the sandbar, then keeping the sun at my back, work my way back out towards the fish. You can see them better with the sun behind you and I think it makes seeing you just a bit harder for the fish.
Until next time…………
