Hot Carolina Redfish Bite Continues

The inshore redfish bite has remained red hot at the coast and anglers are enjoying one of the best early spring redfish seasons in years.

Captain Patrick Kelly, who goes by the handle Captain Smiley and runs Captain Smiley Fishing Charters out of North Myrtle Beach, said that he is amazed at how strong the redfish bite has been lately.

"It's awesome right now," said Captain Smiley. "We've been fishing for the redfish with ultra-light gear and they really put a bend into your rod. When these redfish hit your rod is bent double and your drag is just flying. It's a blast."

Spring redfish are schooled up very tight in large pods, and fishing guides like Captain Smiley know they can be spooked easily. One of the biggest tricks to catching them is the approach you make before you ever wet a line. Redfish schools are sensitive to any noise or movement in the winter, so you have to be careful when you are targeting them.

Captain Smiley has been fishing for the redfish out of his 17-foot flats boat. He turns off his motor and poles to the redfish once he's located a school.

"We're fishing super shallow water right now," Captain Smiley said. "I can stand on the platform and see the redfish schools. They'll find holes about 3 feet deep and sit down there."

Spring redfish will hit both artificial lures and live bait.

"I've been using the Berkley Gulps on ¼ ounce jig heads," said Captain Smiley. "The New Penny Shrimp model works well. But you can also catch them using live mud minnows or even little pieces of shrimp."

According to Captain Smiley the scent of the Gulp baits and similar lures offer a big advantage when casting to redfish. The key is to work the lure slowly and give the redfish time to pick up on the scent.

"A redfish is just like a catfish," said Captain Smiley. "You just work that scent real slow and they'll find it. I love the scented baits because the redfish will smell the scent and come right to it. Then it's on."

Captain Smiley has been working the backwater creeks and has also caught redfish near the Sunset Beach Bridge and along the flats of the Intracoastal Waterway.

"The redfish in the 18 to 30-inch class are really schooled up together right now," Captain Smiley said. "You can catch fish here year-round in shallow water, but during this time of the year they find their friends and really gang up together. During the summer you might find schools of four or five fish, whereas right now it's 40 or 50. I saw one where it looked like there was 100."

Captain Smiley says that the redfish are mainly schooling up for protection.

"The biggest redfish predators this time of year are the dolphins," Captain Smiley said. "The redfish bunch up in the shallows to get away from them, finding safety in numbers."

Captain Smiley fishes 6-foot ultra-light rods for the redfish using 10 lb braided line with a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader. He makes the fluorocarbon leader about four feet long to prevent cut offs from the rocks and shells.

"If you've got the fluorocarbon leader on you're going to get those redfish in," said Captain Smiley. "It really is just awesome fishing."

You can book a trip with Captain Smiley by going to Captain Smiley Fishing Charters.

For more fishing tips and links check out my blog A Dash Of Salty.