Target Redfish, instead of Trout, in cold water

Sometimes life gets in the way of fishing with your friends. Given busy schedules and the vagaries of weather (especially this time of year), it can be difficult to arrange a trip. So when (at last) my schedule aligned with my friend Donna Crocker’s, we decided to fish regardless of the weather. Unfortunately, on the day of our trip, it was bitterly cold, windy and raining. We went fishing anyway.

When we launched the skiff, the water temperature was 46 degrees. The air temperature was considerably colder (and the water felt warm in comparison). Our plan was to target Trout in deeper holes and channels. However, given the conditions, we decided to target Redfish (which are more tolerant of cold water) instead.

The ride to a wind sheltered flat (with a slight channel at the base of a large oyster bank) was bone chilling. Donna reminded me that it is never cold when you are catching fish. So we needed to catch fish right away. As luck would have it, we did.

On Donna’s second cast to the oyster bank, a good size Redfish inhaled the MinnowZ Houdini lure. While she was fighting the fish, I cast a StreakZ 3.75 to the same spot and we doubled up. It was the first of 5 doubles we would catch that day. To tell the truth, even though we were catching fish, I was still pretty cold.

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.