Florida Angler Television - Joe's Fishing Tips

The first redfish took one of the baits under a float and headed for eastern Mexico. That angler had a lot of help from a new braided line called Stealth by Spider Wire. The low stretch floating line kept the fish from tangling and eventually cutting the line on one of the many rocks that comprise the area we were fishing. It’s also worth mentioning that this new line is much lower in price than comparable products.

While the first guy was fighting a sizeable redfish there was a hook-up on one of the free lined baits. When the third and fourth angler also hooked-up, it became apparent that the captain had picked the right spot and we were into a school of redfish.

If all the fish had hit at the same time, the situation could easily have turned into a fishing version of the Keystone Kops because three of the five anglers aboard were on their first fishing trip. The large wide-open configuration of the boat's deck helped keep the lines from tangling and the anglers from bumping into each other while fighting these fish.

Another thing that helped was that the fish hit at intervals and thus the first fish hooked was pretty tired and nearly aboard by the time the last one started taking drag. If that hadn’t been the case we might still have seen a comic episode in spite of the fact that one could play miniature golf on the huge expanse of green deck.

The first redfish aboard was a dark bronze beauty that measured exactly 26 inches and was probably close to 8 pounds. The second and third were its twins while the fourth redfish measured an oversized 33 inches. Keeper redfish must be at least 18 inches and no longer than 27 inches. One fish per person per day is the limit.

The water is still a little dark from all the rain and no one aboard bothered to try lures or spoons. Especially since the live pinfish were working so well.

I asked the captain why we had been so successful. He told me, "The baitfish run is on. There’s a lot of bait out here and the reds and others species are feeding hard during right tides. Fish the half to full tide over rocky bottom and you’ll hook up.”