The last redfish in 2016? Well, maybe… maybe not. Still I’m comfortable in saying these are the last two redfish caught on fly in 2016…… at least in Charlotte Harbor!
Andy and Dave fish together a fair bit, so its no surprise they were on the water on December 31. And its no surprise they both got a red. Both of them have fished these waters for years.Experience counts, believes me.
Andy’s red was a “tailer”. You gotta love that. “Tailers” are always challenging in Charlotte Harbor. (I told you why back in a January post last year.) Lotsa things need to go right. Lotsa things. The fly Andy used is shown below. To my eye it looks like a variation on the Seaducer, a time tested pattern. For the record, many folks credit Mark Sosin with the Seaducer. Actually Homer Rhode Jr. created the original pattern.
Andy’s Last Redfish of 2016
Andy’s Fly
Not to be outdone, Dave nailed a larger red. I believe he caught his off the deep side of sandbar. On low water, some reds exit the flat and cruise the outside edge of the sandbar, awaiting the tide’s return. The trick here is to see the “cruiser” coming along the bar. Not always easy. Next you have to drop a crab fly ahead of the red, allowing the fly to settle to the bottom. As the red nears, you twitch the fly and slowly retrieve it away. If all goes well the red darts over and sucks in your offering. Sweet when that happens!
Dave’s Last Red of 2016
