# Skittish redfish



## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Has anyone noticed redfish acting more skittish in the winter. Heck the ones that haven't spooked out the last week or so have literally refused to eat pretty much anything I put in front of them big, small, dark, light. On multiple occasions I've literally dragged a fly across their mouth without an eat. I've been fishing a new area I'm not overly familiar with but a redfish is a redfish at the end of the day. I'm finding the fish without an issue, but feeding them has been the problem. I might be spooking them with the boat on occasion but definitely not every time. I've tried long casts to them 50-70' without much success either. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this more so in the winter than warmer months.


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## reedriley8 (Sep 3, 2020)

Ive experienced this many times right after cold fronts, in the winter time. Even here in louisiana. But it definitely seems like it happens in the winter time, never have that issue in fall/summer. Its super aggravating but just a part of the game we play I guess.


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## NealXB2003 (Jun 8, 2020)

Metabolism slows down in colder water?


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## Brandon Alexander (Jun 6, 2017)

Try Longer and lighter weight leader with a super small fly. 

Sometimes we even post up and cast out the fly and wait for them to swim by. Shallow and clear water can be a fly fisherman's worst nightmare some days.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Down here in the Everglades, our inside waters clear up dramatically in winter (All the microscopic plant life dies off and the water gets very clear compared to summer time). 

Reds in those conditions get very spooky and can get as hard to feed as a big bonefish... Tough fishing but can work out well with adjustments already mentioned... 

Who knew that big reds actually have very good eyesight...?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Blame it on the airboats


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

longer leaders and unweighted flies....natural, muted colors


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Thanks guys, glad to hear it's not only me dealing with it. I'll try downsizing the leader as well as the fly size. Hopefully that will help a little bit. One thing them being so spooky does help with is my fly presentation, I've been trying to focus a lot on ensuring a soft fly entry into the water. Always something to learn and improve upon.


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

Ive had the same issue, I was so up on a redfish the other way I ACCIDENTLY caught it because it bolted and the fly was that close to its face. Never even ate. We have been catching fish but almost all have been at the very end of our casts. I also suck so theres that.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

What part of the tide? I’ve had fish lock down until a certain part of the tide cycle.
Also really look at your presentation angle and speed.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Tide has mostly been the end of a falling tide into 3-4 hours of a rising tide. Presentation angle and speed have been a mix of everything. I've hit other tidal stages the past few weeks also and managed to scratch out a few fish but not many.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Drifter said:


> I also suck so theres that.


Haha, me too!


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

AZ_squid said:


> Haha, me too!


Like two days ago I literally poles for 3 hours and found this lone redfish and threw a 60 ft cast at him and it stuck in a branch like 6" off the water above its head. Slowly tried to drag it out and it stuck. Gave it a tug and the fish bolted. I wanted to just throw my rod in the water still stuck to the branch and just motor away.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

This is also a good time to use a lighter weight rod -if you can cast it well... I was very surprised one day when one of my anglers brought a light rod with what amounted to a bonefish leader setup. It was rigged with a tiny gold spoon fly on a #4 hook and scored on fish that usually run the other way with our usual flies and leaders... 

Remember as well that spooky reds, particularly big ones have very good eyesight so lower your profile, minimize your false casting, and in general treat them like you would a big, spooky, downtown Islamorada bonefish...


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

I second lowering your profile. Had much better shots when I got off the poling platform and drifted with the wind from the bow.


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## Poontangler (Jul 13, 2017)

Most of my success is later in the day when it gets harder to see them, lower sun angles, of course makes it tougher on you, but they are less spooky by then and feed better I think...you can also get away with more slop and leaders don’t matter as much then. Another thing is you have to watch your shadow a lot more, I also never cast at fish unless it’s a good shot, if they spook then let em go, If their angled away, I either wait or find a different one close by, cause the more times I get caught with my line in the water recasting to a spooked fish, the more fish are missed that are actually good shots coming right behind them.


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

Since the last cold front the waters in Tampa Bay have been even more crystal clear than usual so finding reds has been pretty easy. The last 2 days I have put my clients on steady shots and our success has been pretty good. The last 2 days I had very good casters so most casts were in the right place. Here are some observations from the poling platform. During cold fronts like we have now the fish are slowed down. I have been finding fish laid up in the deeper cuts during the negative lows and lots of fish in 12" or less once the sun is on the water. Time of day has been a big factor, more than tide. Early the fish sunning over dark flats have had no interest in eating. These fish have been the ones that bolt from a bad landing or a fly moved too fast. The ones laid up in 5 or 6 feet of water have been easy early. Let fly sink, barely move fly and they have been on it. 
I have been waiting to move skinny until early afternoon and paying close attention to the fish that are still sunning and the ones milling about. Single fish milling around most always show some interest in the fly. When you find small groups its about probability. The least active are the likely spookers, ones moving about slowly are the takers. Every time I set up I assume that we get one cast, no more. With that said before casting I almost always look at the entire area. If there are weeds, a darker cut or any structure nearby I will wait and give the fish the opportunity to move into it before casting. This is what works for me.
For winter fishing I also add an extra 5' to 6' of 10 pound fluoro tippet. This puts my total leader at 14' to 15'. I also tell my clients to try and stop the line in the air above the target. If you can make the line, leader and fly land at or near the same time you rarely spook the fish. There is a huge difference between the total line, leader, fly package landing softly over a 50' to 60' area once, and a line landing followed by a leader landing followed by a fly plopping down.

Lastly the flies. Like others have already mentioned I go small in winter. Right now #4 and #6 patterns have been getting the eats. Shrimpy creatures have been best lately. I tie winter flies with small lead dumbells, hollow bead eyes and plastic bead eyes. These three will cover the various depths.
Here are some photos of the pattern I have been having the most success with. I tie it in Black, Olive, Pink, Tan. The actual flies are much smaller than the photos make them appear. The olive and black are also great for sheep.

my 2 cents


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Drifter said:


> Like two days ago I literally poles for 3 hours and found this lone redfish and threw a 60 ft cast at him and it stuck in a branch like 6" off the water above its head. Slowly tried to drag it out and it stuck. Gave it a tug and the fish bolted. I wanted to just throw my rod in the water still stuck to the branch and just motor away.


Same thing happened to me today - made a couple of decent casts with the 8wt, 2nd cast ends up in a mangrove branch........ Red slowly swam away so I grabbed my spinning rod with a Spook Jr. and made a Hail Mary Cast while nearly stepping on the fly rod laying on the deck...SOB ate! After release - motored over to the branch and got my fly back.

F me.


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## Thtguyrobb (Nov 1, 2019)

All i fish is super clear shallow water, Id diagnose the problem this way: 

1) downsize to a small, tan or olive fly
2) downsize to 15lb flouro, or even 12lb
3) lead your fish by more than you think is good, if you’re landing within 1-2 ft of them that’s too close
4) watch your fish’s body language, a fish meandering slowly, with fins flared is your best bet cuz they are actively hunting. Laid up fish are probably the most difficult.
5) trying to spot and set up an ambush from as far away as possible

And then again you could already be doing this and still be failing because...redfish 🤷🏽


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Here on the uppper Texas coast it is tough to consistently get a red to eat. LIke you, we are finding plenty fish but not a lot of happy ones. Our water clears up dramatically and it is typically low or even negative tides. I'm using my 6wt (Xi3 with Hatch 5+) and 10' fluoro leaders and still getting a lot of refusals. I've started to pay a lot more attention to barometric pressure rather than tides and finding a moving pressure is better than stable. All of our fish lately have been 50'+ casts. The flip side is that the sheepies are eating a little better...


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

Net 30 said:


> Same thing happened to me today - made a couple of decent casts with the 8wt, 2nd cast ends up in a mangrove branch........ Red slowly swam away so I grabbed my spinning rod with a Spook Jr. and made a Hail Mary Cast while nearly stepping on the fly rod laying on the deck...SOB ate! After release - motored over to the branch and got my fly back.
> 
> F me.
> 
> View attachment 162979


That can really turn the day around! I do that all the time but it rarely works. My wife will get stuck and Ill cast from the platform usually. The real icing is when you throw the spinner in the mangrove too

The other thing she and I have noticed alot if how we find a spot with a pack of reds and we get in there and catch one, maybe two and they eat willingly. Then we go on and leave the rest, motor a couple miles and find another spot spot some more reds and you can't even get within casting distance of them in the same kind of water, then you repeat. 

Then when you go back 2 days later and 4 days later that pack of willing fish is still there and they still eat, and the other ones in the other spot still suck. Its just interesting how they almost have personality to their schools and those schools will stay in the same areas.


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

A lot of all of the above, fronts, clear water, also winter tides are generally lower, Yesterday I saw a lot of fish that were a bit freaked out by an unusually low tide.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Fish have to eat but you can’t make them...unless you can use their instinct to your benefit. A reaction strike is something to behold. It’s like big speckled trout that hang in a pothole and you cast a topwater at them ten times and they finally get pissed off enough to smash it. Largemouth bass will do this too, also a neat technique to catch the bigs off their springtime beds. Redfish that spook can many times be cast at again as they swim off and if you get it in the right spot they just can’t help themselves and they will eat it. Their natural instinct overrides their spookiness now and then.


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## Clay Witt (Apr 1, 2019)

Sounds like youre casting to Tampa Bay Redfish!!


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Ken T said:


> Since the last cold front the waters in Tampa Bay have been even more crystal clear than usual so finding reds has been pretty easy. The last 2 days I have put my clients on steady shots and our success has been pretty good. The last 2 days I had very good casters so most casts were in the right place. Here are some observations from the poling platform. During cold fronts like we have now the fish are slowed down. I have been finding fish laid up in the deeper cuts during the negative lows and lots of fish in 12" or less once the sun is on the water. Time of day has been a big factor, more than tide. Early the fish sunning over dark flats have had no interest in eating. These fish have been the ones that bolt from a bad landing or a fly moved too fast. The ones laid up in 5 or 6 feet of water have been easy early. Let fly sink, barely move fly and they have been on it.
> I have been waiting to move skinny until early afternoon and paying close attention to the fish that are still sunning and the ones milling about. Single fish milling around most always show some interest in the fly. When you find small groups its about probability. The least active are the likely spookers, ones moving about slowly are the takers. Every time I set up I assume that we get one cast, no more. With that said before casting I almost always look at the entire area. If there are weeds, a darker cut or any structure nearby I will wait and give the fish the opportunity to move into it before casting. This is what works for me.
> For winter fishing I also add an extra 5' to 6' of 10 pound fluoro tippet. This puts my total leader at 14' to 15'. I also tell my clients to try and stop the line in the air above the target. If you can make the line, leader and fly land at or near the same time you rarely spook the fish. There is a huge difference between the total line, leader, fly package landing softly over a 50' to 60' area once, and a line landing followed by a leader landing followed by a fly plopping down.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice man, I'm already doing some of what you're saying. Leader size has been 20lb flouro, definitely going to be downsizing that. Already using small crustacean style flies, and trying to cast to the cruisers, and if possible land the fly a few feet in front and let them find it. I hadn't thought about targeting the deep ones until the early afternoon. Here in South texas its a little difficult to see a fish 4 or 6 feet down most days but if I'm able to I'll give it a try. 

And again thank you everyone for your input and advice! 

@jay.bush1434 yes sir, they have been significantly more aggressive!


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

The hard part about going lower than 20lb depending on where your fishing is then your shot for snook. I have 4 rods on the boat but dang if its hard to get your stuff out before your chance is up.


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## JacksonOB (Sep 6, 2019)

When building these light, winter redfish leaders, how light are people going with that final few feet? 12 lb? 10 lb? Even lighter? I’ve never really gone below 16 lb but also wouldn’t consider myself overly successful


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

I do believe in using the heaviest line possible but in Tampa Bay I find it difficult to get takes without dropping to 10 lb. in winter. I do keep lots of spools of fluoro on my skiff. The lowest I will go is 8lb. but 10 and 14 are what I use most often.


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## Mud Poodle (Apr 25, 2020)

AZ_squid said:


> Has anyone noticed redfish acting more skittish in the winter. Heck the ones that haven't spooked out the last week or so have literally refused to eat pretty much anything I put in front of them big, small, dark, light. On multiple occasions I've literally dragged a fly across their mouth without an eat. I've been fishing a new area I'm not overly familiar with but a redfish is a redfish at the end of the day. I'm finding the fish without an issue, but feeding them has been the problem. I might be spooking them with the boat on occasion but definitely not every time. I've tried long casts to them 50-70' without much success either. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this more so in the winter than warmer months.


Not sure where you are but similar in Savannah. left the dock this past sunday after the cold front air temp was 37 degrees and water temp 52. We ended up with 5 or 6 caught which is normally a really solid day here, but i'll bet we saw 1,000 fish and were casting at fish for 3 straight hours. Small black and purple fished slow and on the bottom seemed to be the ticket on that day.


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## tailwalk (Nov 20, 2016)

Clay Witt said:


> Sounds like youre casting to Tampa Bay Redfish!!


That's what I was thinking!


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Ten or twelve lb FC on the bite tippet and try flies that you don't normally cast to redfish. Light five, six, or seven weight rods and clear sink tip lines can be very effective anytime, not just the winter. Red fish can be tough to feed any time of year and due to population size and range of habitat, are the finest species of fish to sight cast to on the planet.


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## jboriol (Jan 2, 2010)

Really informative post, thanks for sharing! Had all of this play out yesterday and headed back to the dock with many questions. I mostly poled and observed the almost exact traits. My angling buddy was reluctant to make some of the bait size adjustments necessary and we watched countless fish blow out. I was happy to see the numbers of reds, snook, big trout and some tailing sheepies (got one) but we definitely paid our stupid tax  because we didn’t adjust tactics. 


[


Ken T said:


> Since the last cold front the waters in Tampa Bay have been even more crystal clear than usual so finding reds has been pretty easy. The last 2 days I have put my clients on steady shots and our success has been pretty good. The last 2 days I had very good casters so most casts were in the right place. Here are some observations from the poling platform. During cold fronts like we have now the fish are slowed down. I have been finding fish laid up in the deeper cuts during the negative lows and lots of fish in 12" or less once the sun is on the water. Time of day has been a big factor, more than tide. Early the fish sunning over dark flats have had no interest in eating. These fish have been the ones that bolt from a bad landing or a fly moved too fast. The ones laid up in 5 or 6 feet of water have been easy early. Let fly sink, barely move fly and they have been on it.
> I have been waiting to move skinny until early afternoon and paying close attention to the fish that are still sunning and the ones milling about. Single fish milling around most always show some interest in the fly. When you find small groups its about probability. The least active are the likely spookers, ones moving about slowly are the takers. Every time I set up I assume that we get one cast, no more. With that said before casting I almost always look at the entire area. If there are weeds, a darker cut or any structure nearby I will wait and give the fish the opportunity to move into it before casting. This is what works for me.
> For winter fishing I also add an extra 5' to 6' of 10 pound fluoro tippet. This puts my total leader at 14' to 15'. I also tell my clients to try and stop the line in the air above the target. If you can make the line, leader and fly land at or near the same time you rarely spook the fish. There is a huge difference between the total line, leader, fly package landing softly over a 50' to 60' area once, and a line landing followed by a leader landing followed by a fly plopping down.
> 
> ...


QUOTE="Ken T, post: 842283, member: 10173"]
Since the last cold front the waters in Tampa Bay have been even more crystal clear than usual so finding reds has been pretty easy. The last 2 days I have put my clients on steady shots and our success has been pretty good. The last 2 days I had very good casters so most casts were in the right place. Here are some observations from the poling platform. During cold fronts like we have now the fish are slowed down. I have been finding fish laid up in the deeper cuts during the negative lows and lots of fish in 12" or less once the sun is on the water. Time of day has been a big factor, more than tide. Early the fish sunning over dark flats have had no interest in eating. These fish have been the ones that bolt from a bad landing or a fly moved too fast. The ones laid up in 5 or 6 feet of water have been easy early. Let fly sink, barely move fly and they have been on it.
I have been waiting to move skinny until early afternoon and paying close attention to the fish that are still sunning and the ones milling about. Single fish milling around most always show some interest in the fly. When you find small groups its about probability. The least active are the likely spookers, ones moving about slowly are the takers. Every time I set up I assume that we get one cast, no more. With that said before casting I almost always look at the entire area. If there are weeds, a darker cut or any structure nearby I will wait and give the fish the opportunity to move into it before casting. This is what works for me.
For winter fishing I also add an extra 5' to 6' of 10 pound fluoro tippet. This puts my total leader at 14' to 15'. I also tell my clients to try and stop the line in the air above the target. If you can make the line, leader and fly land at or near the same time you rarely spook the fish. There is a huge difference between the total line, leader, fly package landing softly over a 50' to 60' area once, and a line landing followed by a leader landing followed by a fly plopping down.

Lastly the flies. Like others have already mentioned I go small in winter. Right now #4 and #6 patterns have been getting the eats. Shrimpy creatures have been best lately. I tie winter flies with small lead dumbells, hollow bead eyes and plastic bead eyes. These three will cover the various depths.
Here are some photos of the pattern I have been having the most success with. I tie it in Black, Olive, Pink, Tan. The actual flies are much smaller than the photos make them appear. The olive and black are also great for sheep.

my 2 cents
View attachment 162976
View attachment 162977
View attachment 162978

[/QUOTE]


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