Redfishing Out of Keaton

[Heath]

Just looking for tips or any knowledge that can be cast my way. This is my first year as a boat owner and first year fishing out of Keaton on a regular basis. I have the trout down. Past 4-5 times i have been the past few weeks, i have walked away with my limit on trout. I've been lucky and ran across a couple cobia as well as pile of rock bass, But, i have not any luck this year with the reds. I usually fish north out of the Keaton channel and up near Spring warrior area. I have a pile of luck in the 4-8 foot range wit the trout. I know i need to stay shallow for reds but just how shallow? and what type of structures do i need to locate? ive already had to replace a lower unit after a rough outing at rocky creek in stienhatchee, so let me know about any rocks or how to watch for those. A lot of learning to do.

Also, I have been lucky and pulled in a couple spanish on my last couple of trips to keaton. Any advice on how to target those fish? i want to make some fish dip!

[FishWithChris]

find the oyster bars, find the redfish.
work the grassline and the waters between the grass-line and oyster bars.
Work the crab pots out and around the area, they'll hold them as well.

Spoons, jigs, etc... some quality meatball reds out there.

*get on google earth/maps and spend a couple hours looking around, marking coordinates, holes, etc. to explore on your next trip.

Do you have a jack plate? Get into two foot or less and trim up, and GO SLOW.

If you don't have a Porter's rock guard on your skeg already, get one.

[silverking]

Shallow, less than three feet. Use the trolling motor or push pole. By the time you spot reds they can see you, so long casts and low profiles are crucial.

Aqua Dream or Capt. Mike's weedless 3/8-ounce spoons with single hooks and a ball-bearing swivel added. Gold, pink and chartreuse are the top colors, but the Live Bait series (holographic fish patterns), silver/red and watermelon (green/red dots) are effective as well. Cast and wind, cast and wind. If the spoon is ticking the bottom occasionally, you're on the right cadence. Reds will also hump up and eat a topwater plug like a Rapala Skitter Walk or Heddon Super Spook. If they charge and miss the TW, feed 'em the spoon.

With the water now bathtub hot, the best bet for Spanish is to head to the nearshore depths (10+ feet) and look for bait balls and bird activity. Spanish will pound the bait. Casting spoons like the Acme Kastmaster, Deadly Dicks or Gotcha Lures will all work. Add a trace of single-strand wire leader or heavy mono (40-pound). You'll get more bites on the mono but lose more too. Shut the engine off and drift or use the trolling motor to get within casting range of the bait. Work the edges and you'll catch Spaniards, bluefish, jacks, ladyfish and sometimes trout, reds and king mackerel. When the bait school sounds, wait for it to pop up again and ease off and look for another.

[DixieReb]

Sometimes on a real low tide, the reds will venture out on the flats in front of Yates Creek and Spring Warrior. The biggest red I ever caught I got in 6 ft. of water out on the flats with a live pinfish under a cork. My wife and I both got one, mine had to go back. So you never know about reds, mostly shallow but will go out at times. You are fishing in the right places.

[Heath]

galantnole - yes, i need a rock guard. ive looked at a few, just hesitant. do they effect engine performance? and i use google maps, ive seen a few places i have marked down, I just need to Move closer in and actually fish those spots i missed instead of worrying about rocks. What depths/distance from the shore line around spring creek area do i need to start being extremely cautious of the rocks? and no, i dont have jack plate. not putting that $ into this boat, my next one will have one without question. and what times of day have you had best luck? still learning the bite in respect to tidal changes.

Silverking - in regards to lures? ive been working on a mirror lure Dino that sinks very slowly, and its a jerk bait. I have had a couple trout (shorts) attack it, but i was told it was great for reds? also, do you recommend live bait for the reds? i have always been preached by my dad that live bait should always be the go to. but hes more into trout and offshore and less knowledge with reds. and another question, how do you spot your schools of bait fish? i watch for birds and i steady keeps eyes open for bait fish jumping and running. When i see this, should i fish that spot? making sure i was understanding you correctly. Is this the bait balls as you mentioned?

[silverking]

I fish artificials exclusively, but bull minnows, finger mullet and live shrimp will all catch reds as will cut bait (mullet, ladyfish, etc.). The MirrOdine twitch lures are effective, along with other suspending plugs like the DOA BaitBusters, Paul Brown's Fat Boy/Corky Mullet and X Raps. But my go-to lure for reds when I was guiding and fun-fishing has always been the AD or Capt. Mike's spoons I mentioned in the previous post. The Johnson weedless spoon in gold or silver has landed thousands of reds as well, but I prefer the others since they're a Florida company and work so well in the shallows.

And yes, the busting, jumping bait are the balls I'm talking about. Pilchards, herring and sardines mainly, sometimes glass minnows. The game fish are attacking the schools from underneath and driving them to the surface. So yes, definitely fish those spots.

I teach the Flats Pro Seminar every winter at Shields Marina in St. Marks. We cover a lot of topics like this. You might consider coming next February. I post notices on here when the classes are scheduled.

Good luck and have fun exploring. That's the best way to learn anyway.