Redfish are beginning to become more active now that the water temperatures dropped below 70 degrees.  During the Fall and Winter redfish are a fun fish to target.  Redfish are very pattern and weather oriented, causing them to be threated by overfishing.  They are schooling fish.  You can catch a boat load in one outing.  One thing that helps these fish become a little harder to target is the fact that they are dependent on the weather.  They follow certain patterns.  When it gets really cold they seek out warmth.  When it is really hot, they seek out cooler temperatures.  A seasoned veteran can get on the fish just by knowing the weather conditions and the contours of the shoreline.

Redfish can get very large.  They can grow up to a few feet long.  It is not uncommon to catch overslot redfish, especially in cooler water temperatures.  The harvestable fish fall into a slot, a range 9 inches, between 18 and 27 inches.  The state regulations state, you can only harvest one fish per person, with an 8 fish vessel limit.

The meat quality is alright.  It is a darker meat, almost a red color.  It appears that way when filleting the fish and preparing the meat.  It can be a bloody fish.  After being cooked it’s a tasty fish.  I prefer redfish over trout, any day.  Still, there are many better tasting fish than redfish.  They are one of the most fun inshore fish to catch, there is no question of that.