Capt. Greg hangs on tight as rugged redfish puts up a fight

On Saturday morning, the weather was sunny and a bit cool. Given the conditions, Brody, the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog, recommended that we fish the afternoon low tide.

 

He figured the shallows would warm up, and the redfish would feed. This sounded pretty good to me, especially since I had a few chores to do in the morning.

 

After lunch, Brody and I loaded the skiff and launched into the last of the falling tide. The water was clear and 69 degrees. Our plan was to use the trolling motor and look for redfish that were feeding in the shallows. 

 

We did not have to look for very long. Just ahead of us, a redfish was swimming in water so shallow that we could clearly see its back and fins above the water. Slowly and quietly, we moved into casting range.

 

I cast a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 on a 1/8-ounce Finesse Jig a foot or two ahead of the slowly moving fish. The redfish shot forward, ate the lure, and made a powerful run. The long length of the run was a bit unusual; a six-pound PowerPro braid was pulled from my reel at an alarming pace.

 

Brody gave me a “this fish is kicking your butt” look. This was a difficult point for me to argue because the fish was actually kicking my butt.

 

The battle lasted several minutes. For most of the fight, the outcome was in doubt. But eventually, the redfish came to the boat.

 

At first glance, it was big for an inshore fish. I lifted the redfish into the boat and set it on the front deck to remove the lure from its mouth. Brody laid down next to the redfish to examine it. I was surprised that they were similar in length. That explained the “butt-kicking” fight.

 

After a quick picture, I revived the fish and watched it swim away. That was one tough fish!  

 

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