Redfish fishing in Florida's Big Bend

In Florida's Big Bend, redfish peak August–May and are around year-round, spawning in September–October, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. January: In the rivers and creek mouths on the falling tide.

1. JanuaryPeakIn the rivers and creek mouths on the falling tide.
2. FebruaryPeakSheepshead on the offshore rocks; gator trout in the rivers. The big sheepshead spawn on the nearshore rock piles. Trophy trout sit in the river holes; fish a slow suspending plug.
3. MarchPeakTailing on the oyster bars at low water.
4. AprilPeakCobia on the rocks, trout everywhere, tarpon start to arrive. Cobia cruise the shallow rock piles and channel markers. Topwater trout at dawn; the first tarpon show off Homosassa toward the end of the month.
5. MayPeakHomosassa tarpon — the giants — and shallow-water gag grouper. The famous giant tarpon off Homosassa and Chassahowitzka. Gag grouper sit on rocks in eight feet of water — sight-cast plugs to them.
6. JuneAroundGag season opens on the shallow rocks; snapper and trout at dawn. Troll big plugs over the shallow rock piles for gags; live pinfish on the ledges for snapper. Trout before eight, then it's a scallop day.
7. JulyAroundScallop season — and grouper, snapper, reds on the same rocks. Anchor on the rock piles: gags and snapper below, and the reds cruise the same limestone at high water. Tripletail on the crab floats.
8. AugustPeakSchools forming on the outside bars.
9. SeptemberSpawningRedfish month — schools of a hundred on the outside bars and creek mouths.
10. OctoberSpawningBig schools on the outside; spawn peaks September–October.
11. NovemberPeakTrout and reds move toward the rivers; grouper closes end of month. Follow the fish toward the creek and river mouths as the fronts start. Last of the shallow gag fishing before the closure.
12. DecemberPeakInto the rivers — the winter pattern sets up. River holes and spring runs on the falling tide; sheepshead on the markers and rocks; drum on the bars with a crab.

A hundred miles of undeveloped coast: vast turtle-grass flats, limestone rock piles and ledges in ten feet of clear water, spring-fed rivers, oyster bars and salt marsh. No passes, no barrier islands — the Gulf just starts.

Fish Scouter charts 6,872 grass flat, 95 pass / inlet, 55 dock / pilings, 44 mangrove shoreline spots in the The Big Bend & Nature Coast map area — the kinds redfish hold on.

• Live shrimpUnder a popping cork or free-lined, hooked under the horn on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook; on a jig head for the bottom. The universal inshore bait.
• PinfishHooked through the back ahead of the dorsal on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook; the small ones free-lined, the big ones on a fish-finder rig.
• Finger mulletLip-hooked on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook and free-lined, or on a fish-finder rig in the surf. Cut mullet on the bottom for redfish and drum.
• Blue crabsWhole and small for permit and tarpon; halved or quartered on the bottom for black drum, redfish and cobia.
• CroakersHooked through the back on a 2/0 to 3/0 circle hook, free-lined or on a Carolina rig — big trout and redfish can't leave them alone.

• Leader20–30 lb fluorocarbon
• Hook1/0–3/0
• Jig head1/8–3/8 oz
• Braid10–20 lb

Feeds in 58–90°F water, best at 65–82°F.

All about redfish · The Big Bend & Nature Coast, the whole year