Redfish articles
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Redfish are one of the most popular species for winter fishing in the Carolinas because they stay inshore all winter and put up a great fight. During the winter redfish school up very tight in large bunches and roam inside waters looking for small fish or crabs to eat. They respond well to many of the soft bait lures that are available now, especially those with scent, and will also hit natural bait if you have it.
Fish dark banks for redfish
On days when the sun gets up into the sky dark banks warm more quickly and redfish school up there as the tide is moving to feed. You should look for dark banks on low tide and fish them as the tide is rising. You can often see redfish "tailing" in these areas as they root the bottom for food.
The primary food redfish find on these dark banks are the fiddler crabs which burrow holes in the sand and try to hide from fish on higher tides. If you have any of the soft baits that imitate fiddle crabs or small blue crabs you can cast them on a led jig head in these areas and work them very slowly to induce redfish to bite.
Live bait is hard to come by in the winter time, but today's anglers aren't daunted due to the soft baits popular today. Many tackle companies like Gulp and Fishbites market synthetic soft baits in a variety of colors, scents and shapes that are perfect for redfish in the winter.
Red drum fishing in cold water means fishing slow. So whether you are using imitation shrimp or pogie soft baits, or longer flukes or minnows, the key is going to be to fish very slowly. You should cast your soft bait out on a jig head and allow it to sit on the bottom for a while before you begin slowly working it back to you.
Sometimes if the current is moving well you won't even have to work your soft bait at all, just hold into it as it is swept into range for redfish. Red drum often stack up outside of small creeks as the tide starts lowering. They also love to visit bridge and dock pilings when the current is really rolling.
Work structure for redfish
When they are feeding but not on the flats or in marsh grass winter redfish will frequent hard structure like bridge, dock and pier pilings. These are great areas to look for red drum if you have struck out elsewhere. You want to fish these structures when the tide is really moving and redfish are looking for stray minnows, crabs, or ghost shrimp.
When redfish fishing wintertime structure cast your lure as close to it as you can get. Use darker colors on dark days and brighter lures when the sun is out. Work your lure slowly back to the boat with frequent pauses. Remember, really cold water makes even redfish lethargic so when fishing for them slow down your retrieve as the days get colder and speed it up just a little during warm spells.
