Monster Louisiana Redfish & Humble Pie

43 Inch Redfish

At one time I believed that catching bull redfish required an excellent rod, high end sunglasses, and a large dose of luck. I was wrong.

Yes, you need good equipment, but luck has nothing to do with it.

Instead, you need an experienced guide who is willing to teach, and you must have excellent fly-casting skills.

The guide consistently put us on fish, but more than 50% of the time my fly-casting skills were not up to the challenge.

You will understand why when I describe the typical “shot” at a fish. This is not an excuse; but my skills require significant upgrade before the next trip. No more humble pie for Glenn.

Despite all the challenges I managed to hook four redfish. One spit the hook and one broke a 30-pound leader when I put too much tension on the line during the initial run.

Two were brought to the boat and landed after an extended fight that tested both me and my equipment (fly rod / reel / fly line)

Large redfish are incredibly strong with long runs well into the fly line backing. It took fifteen minutes before I could bring the 43-inch fish to the boat.

43 Inch Redfish - Release

33 Inch Redfish

Both fish were large enough to be classed as bull reds with lengths of 33 and 43 inches.

So what does it take to consistently catch redfish like this?

Lightning-Fast Precision Casting

·       When a fish is spotted, you have 5 seconds to drop your fly and make your cast. This leaves no time for false casting. It is back, forward, back and shoot the line.

·       The cast can be forehand or backhand, and anywhere from 10 feet to 50 feet within a 280° radius. Sometimes the fish will materialize right in front of the boat, and you will have a fraction of a second to make a cast as they glide by.

·       Your cast is made while the boat is moving, the fish is moving, the wind is blowing, and the casting deck is rocking. All of this must be factored into your throw.

·       Sometimes you wont even see the fish, but your guide will give you verbal directions such as “forty-foot cast at 9 o’clock, throw in front of the fish, cast now!”. If you miss your cast, he will say “pickup all your line and cast again five feet to the right! Good cast - strip, strip, strip! …...”  

·       To be successful your fishing fly must land beyond the fish and within 24 inches of its head without any slack in the line. As soon as the fly lands you must immediately begin stripping the fly, so it passes right in front of the fish. This applies regardless of the water clarity.

The Hit, Hook Set and Fight

·       When you get a hit, you must use a “strip set” rather than an overhead hook set  (trout / bass hookset). The overhead set does not transfer enough pressure to hook a Redfish because they have an extremely hard mouth. This is a hard habit to break; I lost one fish because of an overhead set.

·       As soon as the hook is set the fish will torpedo away on a strong run. Now you must carefully manage your loose line, so it does not get caught. Also too much pressure on the line during the initial run and “POW” your 30-pound leader with snap. I also lost one fish because of this. The idea is to get the fish on the reel as soon as possible.

·       Let the fish run against the drag, but as soon as they slow down, turn back or you feel head shaking start reeling and maintain constant pressure on the fish.

·       Finally, if you get the fish to the boat, your guide will grab the tail and carefully lift it out of the water.

·       Sight casting for redfish in the saltwater marsh is calm and peaceful punctuated by periods of chaotic activity when you spot and cast to fish.

·       A lot that can go wrong with all of this, but when everything clicks and you have an opportunity to land a trophy fish.

Experienced and Knowledgeable Guide

·       None of this is possible without a knowledgeable guide who has on-the-water experience in the area you are fishing. The marsh is big, conditions change each day, and the fish can be anywhere.

Saltwater Marsh

·       It is also helpful if your guide has the temperament to teach you how to improve. They see hundreds of anglers and can make insightful and useful suggestions.

·       A top-notch guide will also spot fish from a raised platform, tell you which way the fish is traveling (watch the wake), quietly position the boat so you can make the best cast and give you verbal casting directions to increase your odds of success.

All Water Anglers Guide Silently Moving the Boat

Excellent Equipment

·       It was clear from my previous trip that my flyrod rod and sunglasses were not up to the task. Ultimately, I settled on an Orvis 9 weight Helios flyrod, Lamson reel, Rio fly line and Smith sunglasses.

All these performed well on this trip. This was the easy part; now I must perfect my "five second" precision casting skills….

The Right Fly

·       Both redfish were caught with a Bear River Tackle custom fly with the color selected by the guide. Always listen to your guide’s color advice. They know the area you are fishing, and what colors are working.

This sport is addictive. It challenges you to continually improve and rewards your efforts with an opportunity to catch massive incredibly strong fish.

The custom redfish fly used on this trip, is available on the website under the “Shop” tab.

Look for “Your Design / Option 2 / Mid-Level”. After you place your order, I will contact you to discuss feather and color choices for your custom fly.

All Bear River Tackle flies consistently catch more trophy fish and outperform standard fly patterns. This is because the unique, patented design makes them look alive in the water.

All of us at Bear River Tackle are dedicated to helping you have exceptional fly-fishing trips. We do this by providing knowledge, information, and exceptional streamer flies.

Order today and catch fish!

Glenn Personey

Founder and CEO

Bear River Tackle