Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Magazine - Index

10
Across the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts, bull redfish
provide one of the best big-fish opportunities available to anglers
who are limited to fishing in relatively protected waters. Few of these
prizes, however, will fall for the techniques commonly utilized for
“regular reds,” specks, and other popular fly-fishing targets.
During the past dozen or so years I’ve spent many days fly fishing
for bull reds specifically, and have noticed some productive patterns
evolve. First of all, to catch bull reds consistently, you must fish in
places where they are likely to be found. With a few rather notable
exceptions, those areas do not include “interior” waters. And while
broad, seaside bays and sounds can hold these fish in surprisingly
large numbers, the opportunities found there frequently consist
of open-water surface melees that are randomly encountered and
often short-lived. While those do occur often enough to warrant
keeping an eye out for them, much better potential is found in the
surf and around jetties extending seaward.
Although both scenarios offer good fly-fishing potential for
several other species, as well as “regular reds,” some fine points
relating specifically to bull reds must be included here. For instance,
the surf of southern barrier islands is typically best for these fish
from late autumn through early spring. However, “where” is the
key here, not “when”, since bulls make guest appearances in these
waters throughout the remainder of year, just rather infrequently.
Still, if you have the great fortune of being able to fish a barrier
island any time you want, you will assuredly get into some bull
reds—probably sooner than you would imagine—no matter what
time of the year it is.
While the smaller versions of the species are frequently found
in the surf’s first trough, in cuts through back-side flats, and in
pockets that have formed within the islands, bulls will most likely
be encountered in the surf’s second trough and near sharp drop
offs adjacent to surf-side points. In calm conditions both settings
can be worked from a boat, but wading is most productive since it
provides better stealth and the ability to work a particular area more
thoroughly. Here, a rising tide has always seemed best.
10
Bulls are occasionally hooked around barrier islands by speck
fishermen prospecting speck-sized flies. If such an angler happens
to drag a speck-type fly close enough to a bull’s nose to arouse the
his interest, the fish just might eat it. Bigger flies are usually much
better, however, and bigger flies require tackle somewhat stouter
than that which is commonly used for specks. Here, as in most
other places where bull reds are found, I rely on 9- or 10-weight
outfits (usually the latter), and size-2/0 Clouser Minnows around
four inches long.
Another area where bull reds are often found is near passes,
those being best illustrated as the mouths of coastal rivers or the
links between an interior sound or bay system and the ocean. The
surf adjacent to them is frequently similar to that found off barrier
islands, with a sequence of troughs and bars extending seaward.
Here, though, the pass cuts through them, forming an avenue of
sorts for both the prey and the predators.
During summer and early autumn, passes can be productive
on both rising and the falling tides, especially where a pass drains
expansive interior waters. During the falling tide the current
draws prey from the bay into the pass and then disperses it along
the seashore. There, between the bars, is where bull reds feed. On
rising water, large schools of bulls can congregate near the mouths
of that type of pass to spawn, allowing the current to carry their
fertilized eggs into the estuary where they will hatch and the new
crop of reds will spend their juvenile lives. Not all the bulls in those
aggregations spawn at the same time, however, and those that don’t
are there to eat.
On the falling tide, a pass can get pretty lumpy as the current
bucks the incoming swells, so it’s best to anchor your boat just
outside the pass in a trough whose outside sandbar creates the first
breakers. That trough is the usual target area, and can often be
worked effectively with a floating line with a clear-intermediate
sinking tip. On the rising tide the pass itself should be the target
area. Here, the anchoring position is not usually critical, since the
fish tend to move around. Also, the water can be quite calm during
PETE COOPER, JR. PHOTO