Plenty of Redfish

As an inshore fisherman, I love to see deer season underway. Cooler temperatures make it more comfortable for anglers and fishing activity seems to improve significantly. Perhaps the best thing deer season means to saltwater anglers is the noticeable void of fishermen. Until frigid weather pounds the shallows and causes the water temperature to plummet, the deer season angler can enjoy some of the best redfish action of the year.

Also known as red drum, redfish populations are as strong as they have ever been. As a matter of fact, redfish have come back in such strong numbers that many speckled trout anglers cuss the sight of them. Texas’ bag limit on redfish is three per person per day measuring 20 – 28 inches. One redfish may be retained measuring over 28” in length per year with an accompanying TP & W tag found on your license. Although redfish do live in some Texas freshwater impoundments, a saltwater stamp is required for coastal fishing.

It wasn’t long ago when a limit of redfish in many areas of Texas was hard to come by. But thanks to the restocking of redfish as well as Mother Nature being kind, a limit of reds is not that hard to come by.

As a convert from the bass fishing world, I find redfish to be all that I hoped bass would be. They grow quickly and are easy to catch on a variety of lures and bait. Plus, their fight is unequaled by any large mouth twice their size. Best of all, they are wonderful table fare. I don’t know of a single person that is concerned with redfish being a catch and release game fish like they are with black bass.

Both live and dead baits work well for redfish. Croaker, piggy perch, shrimp and mud minnows produce reds on a regular basis for anglers seeking speckled trout. Cat mullet, dead shrimp and crabs are preferred by bottom fishermen hunting for redfish.

Cool weather triggers redfish to bunch up and head towards deeper water. Sexually mature redfish (ones 27” and more) will eventually spend the remainder of their lives offshore. This is where they will spawn and where the future of the redfish fishery lives. The females eggs once fertilized by the milt from males, will find their way inshore to shallow water. That is where they will hatch and grow to adults. As fingerlings, redfish are at the bottom of the food chain similar to small pogeys and shrimp. Rapid growth helps insure their survival.

Females grow larger than males reaching over 4 feet in length while mature males will generally be less than 30 inches long. It is estimated that it takes 4 to 5 years for a redfish to become sexually mature. Sexually mature redfish are often called bull reds and can reach twenty years old or more. Redfish numbers can easily be diminished by over harvesting of these mature breeders. It is for that reason Texas anglers may only retain one oversized redfish per year.

Deer season is the time of year that surf fishing for reds is so productive. It is this time of year that spawning redfish come surprisingly close to the beach. Typical surf fishermen use long casting rods enabling them to cast dead bait out to the deeper water. Heavy sinkers are needed to keep the bait stationary on the bottom.