REDs arriving maybe????

[fishinggod]

So last night right before dusk i decided to play hopscotch and jump all the missing boards to get to the end of my pier to make a few casts. the second cast i hooked a 12 inch redfish. super stoked and figured the stripers should be in as well based on my previous day on the pier when i caught a redfish.....well no stripers at all.... but over the next 15 minutes till it was too dark to fish, i landed 4 more redfish all in the 12-18 inch mark. great fighting fish. sure wish there were some bigger specimens but ill take a few shorts any day.

[RavensDfense]

That is great news. We haven't had much of a pup run on the bayside of the eastern shore for a few years. That class of fish is now in the 30-35 inch range and have all but moved out to bigger water, behaving like larger, bull reds. It is encouraging to see a smaller class of fish entering the bay...even if it is on the wrong side

[fishinggod]

i didn't know they grouped up. I thought reds were loaners since I have never caught more than one at a time. but I have never targeted them so no clue what I am doing. I was just doing the same thing I always do for stripers at the pier. I real in at a steady pace for a few casts and if I don't get anything then I start to do the stop and go and rip and pause technique all the way back. every red hit on the fall or "pause" after a sharp rip of the bait. so my guess is they are following it and then nail it on the fall. all fish came on a 1/4 ounce jig head with a 3 inch Z-man paddle tail in a light shad colored pattern, don't remember the exact color name. had there been more daylight I would of launched. sadly the wind is scheduled to pick up today so there went the launching idea for this weekend. gonna have to go to other waters that are more protected from north and eastern winds.

[RavensDfense]

They are very much a school-fish. Usually when there is one around there are at least a few more. A lone red in shallow water can be difficult to catch, but if they are in a school they are extremely competitive! They will literally hit a bare hook with nothing on it if they get in a frenzy. Its pretty cool to feel your lure get bumped around 4 or 5 times before getting slammed.

And I feel you on the winds! We were supposed to film an episode of Outdoors Delmarva (local outdoors show on WBOC) this morning and had to cancel it at 0500 due to the strong South wind that began blowing earlier than expected. Hopefully Monday is better. Fingers crossed. I hope you find a few more reds, too! I'd be curious to see how your redfish ceviche turns out!

[fishinggod]

ya the largerst red yesterday was just a hair below the 18 inch minimum. and I mean very close. I wanted to stretch it but chose to release. im sure it would go great in Ceviche. if I get a keeper ill be sure to make some ceviche out of it!!!

[Mango-mania]

While this makes for interesting reading, were did you encounter Reds in the Bay? I'm new to kayak fishing the BAY, been in some of the smaller feeder rivers, but have yet to find any Reds. Blues, Rock, Perch sure, but the Reds stay away. So please share where these fun size fish are appearing.

[fishinggod]

Mango, I've only caught two others here all year. so this is by no means the spot of all spots but i live just north of Saint Jeromes Creek. I'm fishing from my backyard on the bay. if they are truly in the waters around here in numbers, then i would guess that jeromes creek or the small lake at point look out might be the best place to target them.

[Salty Dog]

The only time I have ever caught reds are on the beach, this is the time of the year with water temps dropping, that they start moving. I have received some reports of nice size bulls being caught from the surf so am sure if the pups are around they will be moving as well. It is always good to hear of new generations of pups. Thanks for the report.

[fishinggod]

my pleasure Freddie!!!! i sure hope i have a few more reports of them this year!!! for the few that actually showed up to my invites, the water around my house is a couple hundred square yards of 5 foot flats explaining the reds and trout we have landed. nothing big of either species but the flats are obviously a key structure for them, hence the reason they like the waters by my house. one can only hope they pick up over the next few weeks.

[Mango-mania]

my pleasure Freddie!!!! i sure hope i have a few more reports of them this year!!! for the few that actually showed up to my invites, the water around my house is a couple hundred square yards of 5 foot flats explaining the reds and trout we have landed. nothing big of either species but the flats are obviously a key structure for them, hence the reason they like the waters by my house. one can only hope they pick up over the next few weeks.

Wow, that's is so near, yet so far since there are so few access points. I would've expected them to be out on the bay itself. So is their a public access point besides the park across the street from the Navy Academy? That's a long way to go, paddle or by electric. We launched from that park once earlier in the year, was still using my Tarpon and the wind was blowin, boat traffic made it like we were in a state 2 sea. Caught fish, perch and a 22" Rock, but wouldn't want to travel that far if there was as easier approach.

My new boat, Nucanoe Frontier 12, a bit slower to paddle, but I love the room it provides.

Thanks for responding.

[fishinggod]

the closest launch to my house is either Elms beach or launching at one of the marinas in Saint Jeromes Creek.

[hale3333]

They are very much a school-fish. Usually when there is one around there are at least a few more. A lone red in shallow water can be difficult to catch, but if they are in a school they are extremely competitive! They will literally hit a bare hook with nothing on it if they get in a frenzy. Its pretty cool to feel your lure get bumped around 4 or 5 times before getting slammed.

And I feel you on the winds! We were supposed to film an episode of Outdoors Delmarva (local outdoors show on WBOC) this morning and had to cancel it at 0500 due to the strong South wind that began blowing earlier than expected. Hopefully Monday is better. Fingers crossed. I hope you find a few more reds, too! I'd be curious to see how your redfish ceviche turns out!

Today and tomorrow should be prefect... I'll be out there later today