Tournaments and Travel - Tackling Florida Redfish
Heading South with a kayak in search of tournament-winning redfish
Tournament Time
I have had the pleasure of visiting the Panama City Beach area of Florida for a few weeks of camping and fishing to break up my winter.
Last year, while researching different fishing spots in the area I would be staying, I came across a facebook post about a redfish tournament being held in Panama City while I was there.
Being the competitive angler that I am, I researched the tournament (Florida Redfish Series), and saw that it was being held during one of the weeks I was there
I immediately registered and had dreams of a first place finish.
With that goal in mind, I started researching everything I could about redfish and the area, devising a pre-fishing plan, and narrowing down good looking spots.
My first time catching redfish was…
over ten years before, by accident, in the back bays of a brackish reservoir.
Reds, trout, flouder, and other saltwater species were said to have all lived in the reservoir from time to time, usually as a result of bad storms and high water allowing the fish to enter from the ocean.
Fishing with my family, I caught pinfish, small sharks, bluefish, pompano, and whiting in the surf, and the occasional small seatrout in the aforementioned reservoir.
One day, I had the opportunity to fish with a local who had his pontoon boat on the reservoir. He told me he had some redfish spots that he would take me to, and I eagerly jumped in.
I had been fishing the reservoir for years on my holidays while visiting my family and had never seen a redfish, so when one smashed my jerkbait not 5 minutes into our troll, needless to say I was shocked.
While reeling in several nice slot reds that day, I didn’t realize that would be my last chance to catch one for over a decade.
Growing up sucks, and since then, I have been eager to get another shot at one of Florida’s favourite sportfish.
Gameplan
Based on my research, understanding the tide, weather patterns, and their influence on the water temperature would be the greatest variables I should get a handle on.
The nice thing about the tide is it is predictable. I researched tidal phases to learn where the water would be at different times during my prefish and the event.
After hours of scouring the web and maps, I deduced a good area to start at and spent my first few pre-fishing days fishing there.
On my first morning, I witnessed dolphins and redfish working bait at low tide that sent explosions of bait everywhere, tailing reds, and egrets working the shoreline.
It wasn’t long before I was into fish, my first taste of success while targeting reds solo!
Fishing that day was incredible and I worked at fine tuning my presentation to maximize my casting and sight fishing as the sun and breeze came up.
Not without a lot of driving, or time studying a map, but it felt like I was seriously onto something very quickly. Confidence was high!
Redfish love swimbaits in the shallows.
Pre-fishing continued…
After catching a tonne of reds my first two days of practice, I made the decision to rest my area for the last two days of practice and try to find a backup spot in case the wind or weather made it impossible for me to fish my spot during the tournament.
I drove over an hour in a completely different direction to fish another bay system that I had researched and heard good things about and had minimal results.
However, during my paddle back to the ramp, I discovered a similar flat with the same turtle grass I had been fishing over at my good spot and watched several reds spook off.
This was an important clue, because it meant that what I had found could be repeated and have fish on it anywhere in the system.
I was all in on my original area now, hoping and praying I would have a weather window to execute my gameplan.
As gameday neared, the wind forecast changed, and changed again. It looked like for the first two to three hours, winds would be very calm, but make a distinct switch in direction and intensity around 9am.
For the kayak division of the Florida Redfish Series, teams checked in using a mobile app by submitting a launch photo, and could begin their paddle a half-hour before sunrise.
I had from 6am to 9am to get the two bites I needed!
Game Day
Similar to my practice days, a low tide in combination with flat calm water and early morning made for an incredible fishing experience.
It only took me a few casts to catch my first slot-sized redfish, a 26” specimen that slammed my swimbait after I pitched towards a pod of fleeing baitfish on the surface.
Using my eyes to scan the water for busting bait and the wakes of redfish schools, I slowly weaved through the turtle grass flats in 10 to 16inches of water, whipping huge casts out when I could, trying to peak the interest of a big red.
As the sun got higher and higher in the sky, I knew I had to get a second quality fish before the fast-approaching front hit.
At approximately 8:30 am I hooked what ended up being a 26.5” redfish on a monster cast to another baitball. After a lengthy and nerve-racking fight, I measured the fish and submitted it to the app.
I was done fishing for the day.
Results
Out of the 48 teams that registered, I was able to finish 2nd. Not bad for having never targeted redfish before on my own, while 20 hours from home.
The maximum score for a 2 fish redfish event is 54 inches. My score was 52.5.
There were some issues with the app system and the way the event was marshalled (3rd party) which may have otherwise led to different results in the end, but it is what it is.
I am beyond grateful for the whole experience and will take what I learned from my pre-fishing process with me everywhere I go.
To those who like to adventure, we salute you!
Lyle Gayder - Hooked on Niagara Fishing Guide Service
Get outside and go fishing!