Fall Redfish Behavior Patterns (On-The-Water Tips & More)
- By: Wyatt Parcel
- on
How can you find where the fish are along the shorelines this fall?
What are some things to look for that indicate feeding fish?
Fall is one of the easiest times of the year to get on a HOT redfish bite!
These fish are schooled up, hungry, and cooling temperatures have them feeding all day!
If you want to catch more redfish this fall, then check out these on-the-water tips!
Fall Redfish Behavior Patterns [VIDEO]
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Equipment Used:
- Rod: TFO Professional M Fast 7’6″
- Reel: Daiwa Fuego 2500
- Line: 10 lb PowerPro
- Leader: Ande Monofilament Leader
- Lures:
- Hooks:
Early, foggy fall mornings are excellent conditions for using topwater lures.
The fish will be able to pick out your lure with ease and it will create just enough of a commotion to attract fish to strike.
If the water is like glass and super calm, the topwater lure can spook away fish.
Redfish also can be very competitive in shallow water situations and if you happen to catch one from a school, it can spark a bite.
Keep your eyes out for any structure along the shoreline where a fish might be holding close.
If there are abnormally large amounts of rain or higher tides than usual, redfish will explore areas that were once dried up in the shallows near grass and structure.
Higher water levels let the fish get up and close to the shallows into spots they may have never been before.
Redfish will sit around grass structures and points waiting to ambush bait.
Moving Off Of The Shoreline
As the day moves out of the dawn and the sun rises a bit higher, the fish will start to move further off the shoreline and into potholes along the flats.
Depending on the direction of the tide, the bait will be pulled off the shorelines and the fish will follow suit.
At this point, redfish are less willing to come up from deeper water to strike topwater lures so switching to a paddletail will be more effective for sifting through the potholes.
A paddletail lure will help you find the fish and figure out at which depth the fish are holding.
You can fish the shallows and deeper water with this lure, you just need to adjust your retrieve accordingly.
A constant, steadier retrieve is best for shallow water fishing.
On the other hand, a slower retrieve with up and down jigging in deeper water will work better.
Don’t stick in one spot all morning or all trip.
Make sure you are moving with the tide and moving with the angle of the sun because it will heat up the water and affect fish behavior.
Redfish Indicators
A huge factor if you are fishing at any time during the fall is seeing schools of mullet in the area.
Finding a large cluster of mullet along a shoreline or on a flat will usually indicate redfish are nearby.
Redfish will stick close to food sources and schools of baitfish in the fall because of the ease with which they can pick off a meal.
Birds are also something to always look for when you are out fishing in any season.
If birds are flying overhead in numbers, they will lead you to the bait.
Conclusion
Fall fishing for redfish is all about knowing the current feeding trends and being able to recognize the indicators when out on the water.
If you work the shorelines and then move out on the flats fishing with the tide, you can set yourself up for a great day of fishing.
Remember to keep your eye out for mullet schools and where there are birds, there will be bait!
If you have any questions on fishing for redfish this fall, please let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to learn more about fall redfish patterns, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Great Job Wyatt!
I’m curious about you boat.
Thanks Robert! I’ll have a in depth review of it coming soon, so stay tuned!
Nice catching, Wyatt. You comment you don’t like fishing super glass calm because top water can scare fish. And yet fish often actively surface feed the best in a very light ripple or super glass calm (which more often coincides near sunrise/sunset). When you’re fishing near the shallow shoreline, it was glass calm and presented some of your best action.The Moonwalker, being lightweight, lands without much splash which is a plus in that situation. Your skiff gets the job done!
Correct, I’m not a huge fan of glass calm water because it usually indicates high clarity with little to no wind stirring anything in the water, so the fish have a much higher likelyhood of being spooked off by the boat, the line, or even a presentation that’s a little off. Them being able to see things without any other factors (dirty or stirred up water) can oftentimes play against the angler. I prefer a slight ripple on the water’s surface to prevent the fish from seeing me, feeling the line, or seeing something wrong with the plug.
Thanks for the tips. Many of us can’t afford a Pathfinder or a Mirage. You boat looks more affordable. Could you talk about it abit?
Absolutely! I can start putting together some notes and do a full review on her soon.
Whiteclaw for the WIN🎣🎣🎣🎣nice job out there today, you are the man. Great report and tips, love watching you in action. Missed the hand puppet though🤣🤣🤣🤣 thanks Brother
Thanks so much Jimmy! I’m glad you enjoyed this one sir! I definitely used the hand puppet, but I think I forgot to stop the recording when I did (my camera has a looping function that overwrites footage after 5 minutes of inactivity) so I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to add it in… but know that it was used!
Wyatt,
Can you tell me about your boat?
Looks perfect for inshore.
. . . and nice Reds
Absolutely Bill! It’s a 16ft Carolina Skiff J16 with a Yamaha 40 on the back. I added a little Minn Kota Trolling motor to the front deck (which has a fishing platform that was installed post production) and it drafts about 4 inches, which is perfect for flats fishing. This is my first boat and it is absolutely perfect for what I do, and on the days that it’s calm, I’m actually able to go offshore as well (I’ve gone up to 15 miles to date, with the opportunity to go much further).
I’ll be putting together a full review for it soon, so stay tuned!
Wow what a day Wyatt! Looks like you found a nice location for reds!
Thanks so much Mario! If you’d like to see the full Insider Report with spot dissections and pre-planning, here’s the link: Picking Apart Fall Shorelines to Find Schools Of Reds [Insider Report]