Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs!

A recent afternoon paddle through my favorite marsh had that chorus running through my mind. The marsh was absolutely alive with activity. Subtle wakes in open ponds to full-blown vicious blow-ups on the shorelines. There were tails tipping up through the surface and fish cruising shorelines with their entire backs showing. On occasion a gang of reds would form up to ravage a hapless school of mullet or work as a team to root the shrimp from the edges of the spartina grass. And when the reds weren't revealing themselves, the baitfish or shrimp would betray their presence as they attempted to avoid becoming a meal. It would have been the perfect time to teach a newbie what to look for when pursuing redfish in shallow water. It was all there.

I spent the first couple of hours happily slinging my fly rod and connecting on fish after fish. It was a no-refusal kind of day, one of those that keeps us coming back. As the evening approached I had completely satisfied my predatory urge and decided to put down the rod in favor of the camera. I'm constantly asked what to look for when pursuing redfish in the marsh and I've tried many times to describe what I see on these special days in the marsh, but written words fall far short of the mark. This month I will keep my ramblings to a minimum and make use of the extra space to hopefully teach through the accompanying photos.