Do's & Dont's of Sight Fishing

What I love most about fishing are the different methods and tactics anglers can use to catch a fish. Some prefer to target certain species while others just want to catch whatever might bite. Some like throwing lures, while others strictly use live bait. Either way, whatever suits you best is your decision and I am all for it. For me personally, though, I absolutely love sight casting redfish in the marsh. There is no other scenario, challenge, or feeling that can compare to sight fishing when it unfolds successfully.

Here recently, I went to Grand Isle, Louisiana with my brother and a few of his friends. My brother and I were the only ones that had ever spent any amount of time in the marsh. I was excited to get a few new people on the boat and show them my side of the world. South Louisiana is a perfect place to learn because you will have plenty of opportunity at lots of fish; which usually allows for both failure and success. After two days of fishing and directing my buddies, I figured that I would share some of the things that I have learned to make a trip more successful. These tips are all applicable to fishing from a boat, kayak, and even wade fishing.

LURE CHOICE

For starters, redfish will eat practically anything. I don’t believe there is a lure out there that a redfish will not eat. However, when it comes to purposely casting to one, there are a few factors that need to be taken into consideration. One of these is the bottom composition and predominant structure types of the area you are fishing. Is it grassy? Lots of oyster shell? Mangrove shorelines? Whatever the case might be I tend to stay away from treble hooks and lures with exposed hook points such as standard jig heads. These are a recipe for getting tangled in anything and everything and will completely ruin your shot at catching a fish.

You also do not want a lure that is too heavy. That loud plop on the surface from a heavy lure will spook a fish every time. This is why I stay away from topwaters; they’re often too heavy and have too many hooks.

My favorite lures can be boiled down to either a 1/4 ounce Johnson Weedless Spoon (gold) or a smaller swimbait rigged in weedless fashion on an 1/8 ounce weighted swimbait hook. With the swimbait you can hide the point of the hook on the topside of the lure to keep from snagging grass, oyster shells, and any other bottom clutter. Another great advantage is being able to cast to a redfish along a grass or weedy shoreline. There is not much room for error, and if you overshoot by even a few feet, you can easily pull it into the water and into the strike zone of the cruising fish. Try that with a treble-hooked plug or plastic bait on a plain jig head. The result will likely be a spooked fish and a blown opportunity. 

SPOTTING THE FISH

Spotting potentially receptive fish can be one of the more difficult tasks. The first thing, an absolute must-have, is a pair of high-quality polarized sunglasses. I cannot stress this enough. Good eyewear and a hat or cap to block the sun are everything when it comes to spotting the fish. The other things to look for are color and movement. Depending where you are on the coast, they may be more red, orange, or silver than other places. The key is to look for movement and you’ll realize that it is indeed a redfish.

One of the other things is determining if it is a redfish or mullet. This is a very common mistake and it still gets me from time to time. However, if you have to question it, it is more than likely a mullet; there won’t be a doubt in your mind when it is a redfish. Once you spot it, try your best to keep your eyes on it. Glance away for even a second or two and they can disappear.

KEEP YOUR COOL

This part of it can be dang near impossible, even for veteran sight casters. What I mean is that when you spot a fish and get a bead on it, it is important to move smoothly. What you don’t want to do is get in a hurry, make jerky movements, or shift your body when trying to set up for a cast. When on the deck of a boat or kayak, if you make even a slight shift in posture, your vessel will send out a tiny pressure wave and likely spook that fish. I cannot begin to tell you how many fish I have spooked by doing exactly this.

ACCURACY IS EVERYTHING

All of the points that I have made so far are very important, but accuracy is probably the most important when it comes to sight casting. You have to be able to make a good cast and get your lure in front of a fish to give her the opportunity to eat. I always tell new anglers, whether with conventional or fly tackle, aim to place your lure two feet in front and three feet beyond the fish. This rule may vary depending upon water clarity on other parts of the coast but it works well here on the upper coast. The goal is to pull the lure directly into the fish’s field of view where she has little choice but to inhale it instinctively. 

Another thing I stress often is that it’s better to place the lure ten feet in front of them rather than one foot behind. Your line landing across the back of a fish will almost always spook them. Likewise, I have found that if you cast too far beyond them to retrieve it into their field of view before they cruise on by… stop reeling. A lot of times they will swim over or under your line and will keep moving. But, the second they feel it move from you reeling, they are out of there.

Something else worth mentioning is that if you are casting at a fish pushing a wake, it is important to know what you are looking at. In other words, where’s the head? That V-shaped wake is more than likely formed by water being displaced by the fish’s dorsal fin area and not their nose. So, when casting to one, you want to be well in front, not where the wake is taking shape. Their mouth is a little ways in front of the wake and you need to be in front of that when you make your cast.

Just remember to get in front of them and ideally you are wanting to cut off the path that they are taking with your lure.

I know that this may seem like a lot to take in but after doing it a few times most anglers catch on quickly. It is easily one of the most exciting things that you can do in the outdoors and on the water. Summer is almost over and I hope that everyone has had a chance to get out with family and friends to enjoy what we have in this great state. And if the opportunity presents itself, I hope that you get a chance to go sight cast a few redfish along the way.