Early Redfish Season

I think it`s early. The water temperature is in the high 80s`. I thought the water should cool down a bit before the redfish really took off around the Cedar Key area. Not so. Redfish are schooling at all the likely spots. The oyster bars, the banks of all the mangrove islands, up close and shallow. A week ago my guests caught 5 reds. 2 were too big and 3 were too small.

Thats Don Hyland holding a 28in. red we released just after the photo. "Go breed some more big boy".

Monday the 30th. I didn`t have a commercial trip so I suggested to my wife Jeannette that the two of us go out and catch dinner. We started out a little early and had to wait an hour for the tide to start rolling in real good. We anchored up next to an inlet to North Key on the northwest side next to an oyster bar. The little `cut` goes through North Key but we were staying out on the edge. Jeannette and I were using cut strips of pinfish caught earlier as bait and floating those baits just above the bottom in 3ft. of water. The current was coming in so well we could cast our baits up current next to the bar and they would float very naturally right down alongside all the oysters without getting hungup. Thats just about perfect. On my second piece of bait I got hit and the line started to buzzzzz. Healthy redfish fighting. Jeannette was standing by with the dipnet and scooped up my 1st redfish of 22in.

That's me in the picture holding up the redfish and in the background you can see the top of the oyster bar we were fishing on.

Later we stopped at Grassy Key and I snatched out an 18.5in red in about 2ft. of water. The water temp was 86 that Monday, we still have a few more weeks before the cooler temperatures start to take effect. September, October are the best redfish months out of the year. We`re catching them already at the hottest time of the year so it ought to be a great Autumn season. Folks, it`s a great experience to motor out around these keys and catch a big redfish and then have it for dinner that evening. All the beautiful sights and fresh air...........thanks Capt. Dan p.s. check out the pictures at inshorefloridafishing.com then call me and we`ll arrange a trip for you.

Capt. Dan is a local fishing guide, as
well as the regular fishing reporter for the
Cedar Key News. He can be reached at:
www.inshorefloridafishing.com
352-221-5463

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