# Winter time redfish patterns



## rws0027 (Oct 17, 2018)

I recently moved to the coast of SC full time and have never experienced the fall/winter red fishing. I've got plenty of flies for the floodtides but don't really know that to throw/tie once we start fishing the low tides for schooling fish. Can ya'll help me out?


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## jimsmicro (Oct 29, 2013)

Once it gets really cold the crabs and shrimp burrow into the mud and the reds are forraging on things that look like minnows. You'll need to work it slow and if it suspends or slow sinks it should work well.


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## dingoatemebaby (Sep 14, 2011)

Black clouser with minimal flash, the fish will hold over dark bottom as it warms in the sun, mud minnows will be darker trying to blend in


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## Grayyoung77 (Feb 24, 2014)

Think Black/Purple. Lightweight. Big Schools, fish the edge. Explore for the reward.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

It's tough to go wrong on the low tide right now. Anything you throw now will probably be good -- just match the conditions and water clarity when picking out how much flash. Bait is still plentiful, so anything shrimpy or fishy should get eaten as long as they see it. Black and Purple is always a great bet. Crack patterns are a good go-to, so tie some up with different weights for different conditions.

Once it gets super cold they can be maddening. I couldn't get them to eat a thing last February.

One last thing -- right now can be a great time of year for topwater flies, just saying


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## ZAWHITE (Dec 21, 2017)

rws0027 said:


> I recently moved to the coast of SC full time and have never experienced the fall/winter red fishing. I've got plenty of flies for the floodtides but don't really know that to throw/tie once we start fishing the low tides for schooling fish. Can ya'll help me out?


Where in SC are you located?

A small seaducer has always produced. Electric Chicken/Baystreet Bunny type patterns (I like tying it with a mini dragon tail instead of a zonker strip), clousers, ect. have been faithful as well for more.


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## rws0027 (Oct 17, 2018)

ZAWHITE said:


> Where in SC are you located?
> 
> A small seaducer has always produced. Electric Chicken/Baystreet Bunny type patterns (I like tying it with a mini dragon tail instead of a zonker strip), clousers, ect. have been faithful as well for more.


HHI/Bluffton area


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## State fish rob (Jan 25, 2017)

Dark flies I like to fish the spots that get sunny first. Usually hold fish early


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## mmccull5 (Nov 15, 2012)

rws0027 said:


> HHI/Bluffton area


You are in a good spot..


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## Rick_Hem (Mar 5, 2018)

I have always had great luck with the Black Clouser for the time I lived in SC, granted it has been a while but I would say it is hard to beat that clouser over the black mud.


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## flysalt060 (Aug 5, 2012)

Right now pumpkin seed rattle shrimp, bower’s golden shrimp, black or purple closers. Razmataz,Mark Nutting has some good patterns on his locofly page. When it gets cold , old faithful, size 2 or 4 , purple rabbit strip tail with purple estaz body and dumbbell eyes. And fish around Flipper.


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## Rick hambric (Jun 24, 2017)

The ga coast isn’t much different. So here’s a few reliables for me. Not showing a purple/ black clouser or a purple & black/white grizzly deceiver as everyone knows what they look like. Dirty water and clearer backwaters, these have been good to me.


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## Rick hambric (Jun 24, 2017)

Big purple slyder is on a #1 and tail of marabou. Looks much smaller when wet. The depth charge is on a jighook #1. I’ll also tie it on a #2. The other 2 are on mustad shrimp hook #1&2. 
The clearer water flies are a coyote clouser, coyote head shrimp/mud minnow.(depending on how you work it and what colors you use) last and definitely not least is the old gurgler. Never leave home without one!


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## rakeel (Apr 9, 2014)

I like slow sinking baitfish patterns. One of my favorites is a simple muddler. Black craft fur tail with a purple or chartreuse spun deer hair head. It suspends in the water column and has a profile like a small finger mullet or mud minnow


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## Gorma (Nov 21, 2018)

Could you please post images. Phone photos are fine. Nice to have a visual reference on on actual fishy flies. And same patterns are tied in many ways.
PLEASE!!!
(My flies are much uglier- I guarantee!)


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## Griffinz33 (May 8, 2018)

I have used a white an brown clouser, green purple and white clouser, and a blue and white clouser the past two times I have been out. Both times I was sight fishing a school and even saw my fly inches from their faces but I didn't get any interest. I feel like it has to be the fly since they aren't spooked, are eating soft plastics, and feeding. What should I throw?


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

Griffinz33 said:


> I have used a white an brown clouser, green purple and white clouser, and a blue and white clouser the past two times I have been out. Both times I was sight fishing a school and even saw my fly inches from their faces but I didn't get any interest. I feel like it has to be the fly since they aren't spooked, are eating soft plastics, and feeding. What should I throw?


Are you making sure the fly is being seen and then "fleeing" from the fish? We have a tendency to work soft plastics much faster than flies and sometimes, it's ALL about the presentation (not casting so as to ambush the fish) and then varying the retrieve to make them eat. My 0.02 sadly typed from my warm home while I'm on call and............NOT............fishing:-(
Matt


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Yeah...redfish rarely eat something approaching them. Make it flee or let it sit until they find it.

Also...consider leader thickness. We got ignored and rejected endless times last Sunday until we went down to 12# at the terminal end and finally started getting better reactions from the fish. 

That reminds me...I need to tie up some winter leaders before this Sunday.


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

I was reading Chico’s book on reds and the also swears by clear or at least clear tip fly line. Something I need to try. He said like 10:1 for takes using clear.....


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## Griffinz33 (May 8, 2018)

I will try that. I couldn't see the fly too well but it was moving away from the fish but I wouldn't describe the action as fleeing. I have 20lb fluoro as my leader.


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

For me, with bonefish abd redfish, first they must see it, then it has to run. If short strips don’t work, don’t be afraid to make one fast long strip as that sometimes does the trick. Think how many fish you have hooked picking up a fly for a new cast! Suddenly fleeing bait...... fish eats.


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

Of course some days, none of that works at all


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## Griffinz33 (May 8, 2018)

I agree. I have caught bonefish on the fly but only one redfish. I just can't get a day where the wind is light enough to see the fish and a day where the fish are in the right spot.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Griffinz33 said:


> I have 20lb fluoro as my leader.


Yeah...if you don't have snook mixed in with your redfish try throwing 12# tippet in the clear winter shallows...


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## Griffinz33 (May 8, 2018)

crboggs said:


> Yeah...if you don't have snook mixed in with your redfish try throwing 12# tippet in the clear winter shallows...


Okay. Should it be tapered or does it not matter?


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

I don’t think tapered matters much unless you are picking up grass. I know some well known guides who just use straight 20#. I still use tapered as they are cheap and I like the power transfer down a tapered leader. I mostly often just use 12 or 14# for reds even up to 30-35”. Just check for wear if you are catching fish. 
Matt


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## Griffinz33 (May 8, 2018)

Going to change out my leader tomorrow. Thanks, Griffin


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

Let us know how it goes. Fly Fishing for Redfish by Chico Fernandez...... highly recommended. 
Matt


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Anything Chico has to say is well worth a listen (or read...). Down here in the backcountry of the Everglades we face a bit different conditions up inside -where there's no grass at all, and the fish hardly every tail at all... Yeah I know it's completely different out in Florida Bay to the south with all the super shallow soft mud areas with nice thick turtle grass (if any of that is still left.... things haven't been doing very well with grass die-offs, etc. down there...).

At any rate where we work it's all thick jungle mangrove shorelines with the occasional laid down tree - in areas with dark mud bottoms... In winter all the micro plants in the water die off as it gets colder -and the water turns very clear... In those conditions a big redfish can be spookier than a big bonefish (another of those "ask me how I know" propositions) but if you can find fish mudding or bumping into mangrove roots particularly if there's a group of them competing for food... - you're in business...

I generally like dark colored flies in winter - and don't mind if they're on the small side.. Here are two patterns that work well for us...








This Seaducer in size #1 (or even #2) is a bit bright - we're normally doing them up in brown or similar shrimp colors for winter use.. All of my Seaducers are tied with a wire weedguard - you can't see it in this pic... All of the rest of the patterns shown are pretty much weedless without needing a weedguard... Seaducers, worked slowly so they can suspend between strips - will take any specie that sees them -anywhere in the world in my opinion. They should be in every angler's fly box..










This Big Eye Bendback in size 1/0 or smaller has the right colors for winter..

Both of the first two patterns are weedless and meant for light rods with a bit longer leaders... We toss them right at fish (make sure you don't hit one and the fly has to land in front of them). Don't move it until the fish reacts and comes to give a look - then a twitch or two and you're in business...

This next pattern is used under conditions when a gold spoon is working... and drawing good strikes.. It's the Natural Slinky on a #1 hook (I also do them in two other colors - but the brown fly in winter gets the nod...).








This is also a bendback style fly - it has a 1/2" piece of .040 square lead wire as a keel to help it sink and keep it upright on the bottom... 

Here's the color variations...









I used to do a bunch of these bugs back when I was tying for shops - now I only tie for my angler's needs... There are quite a few additional patterns that work for both snook and reds (the Seaducer fits in that category..)- but the ones I've shown here are my first choice for reds up inside out of Flamingo or Chokoloskee...


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Matts said:


> Let us know how it goes. Fly Fishing for Redfish by Chico Fernandez...... highly recommended.
> Matt


I've read my copy of that book twice now. Great resource.

I tie the same redfish leaders that Chico prefers from that book. They roll out better than straight 20# and I can easily adjust the last section depending on how heavy/light I want to go.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

lemaymiami said:


> This Big Eye Bendback in size 1/0 or smaller has the right colors for winter..


And always pay attention to Bob's posts. 

That bendback looks alot like my buddy's muddler variant that put a mangrove bumping redfish in my skiff last weekend.


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## Griffinz33 (May 8, 2018)

Matts said:


> Let us know how it goes. Fly Fishing for Redfish by Chico Fernandez...... highly recommended.
> Matt


It will be a little while before I can catch the right tide again but I will post my results.


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