Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus, better known around Florida as the “Redfish.” They are members of the drum family and are close cousins to the sea trout, black drum, and croaker. Most easily identified by the usual prominent large black spot on the tail, redfish are copper/bronze in color and have large scales. Depending on water quality, they can appear lighter in color. Depending on their genetics, they may also have multiple spots on their tail and body. Rarely does the redfish have zero spots on their tail.
Redfish can be found all along the coast, stretching from Texas, around the Gulf to Florida, and up the Atlantic to parts of the Northeast, preferring water temperatures between 65-85 degrees. In other parts of the coastal United States you may here redfish referred to as red drum, spot tail, reds, puppy drum, channel bass, etc. Regardless, the redfish is an extremely popular game-fish which gains more and more notoriety each year.
Primarily spending the early years of their life inshore, redfish find homes in estuaries, bays, and brackish waters. During the first year of their life, redfish reach about 12 inches in length and weigh approximately one-two pounds. Young redfish feed mainly on crustaceans like small shrimp and crabs, with the occasional baitfish and worms they find burrowed in the bottom. As they move into their second year of life they increase their size to about 20 inches and weigh approximately two-three pounds. As they grow bigger their diet changes very little in terms of food, but rather, the size of baits consumed. A three-year-old redfish will be in the mid 20 inch range and weigh approximately four-six pounds. Upon reaching sexual maturity, about 4 years old and approximately 30 inches in length, redfish migrate to offshore waters to live out the remainder of their life. They return each fall to spawn in the inlets, passes and bays linking the inshore and offshore waters. Or so most believe…
Adult redfish can live a long time, with large breeders reaching ages between 20-30 years-old. Large adults can reach lengths over four feet in length and weigh upwards of 50-60lbs, if not much more. The current Florida state record for a redfish is 52lbs and was caught along the east coast of Florida in Brevard County. The current all-tackle world record redfish weighed over 94lbs and was caught along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Florida maintains a “slot-limit” that permits anglers to harvest one redfish per-day that is between 18-27 inches in length. This rule was established to protect them as a desired game-fish and to save breeder redfish from harvest.
Redfish generally are bottom feeders (depending on their sense of smell to find food) and often times are found “tailing” on the flats. This behavior is exhibited when a redfish tilts down to pick up something off the bottom and their tail rises above and out of the water surface. They are often found working shorelines, grass flats, transition points of deep water to shallow flats, sandbars, hovering over sandspots/potholes, oyster bars, at creek mouths, etc.
Redfish can be caught on various types of gear. They are often caught using spinning rods; tossing soft-plastics, jigs, top-water plugs, spoons, crankbaits, etc. Recently they have also become a favorite of fly anglers throwing shrimp, crab, and baitfish patterns. They can be routinely caught anytime using live or cut bait such as shrimp, mullet, crabs, etc. They are popular game-fish because sight fishing for them is much like hunting and because their fights are often long, tackle testing, and drag screaming. Some battles can last 30 minutes to an hour.
Earlier it was mentioned that most believe that adult redfish move offshore to join and live out their life with the other breeder fish, well that’s true, but there is one place in the world where the big adults don’t leave and give anglers an opportunity to sight fish these big reds year round…the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon is unique, world class, and now well known. It’s a chain of waters that include the Indian River, Mosquito Lagoon and Banana River. Places like New Smyrna Beach, Oak Hill, and Titusville have earned “5-star” status when it comes to sightfishing big redfish. Whether it is on TV, in the newspaper, or in major magazines, the local area receives its fair share of national press, is dubbed as the "Redfish Capital of the World," and has played host to numerous line-class world records. Each year nearly 700,000 people come from all places to visit the area, mostly for one reason, GIANT redfish.
