Fishing: The Search for Tailing Redfish

Many anglers mistakenly believe they have never seen a tailing redfish. Truth is, they very likely have, but just didn't realize it at the moment.

Redfish are usually located in places where the water is a bit shallower than normal, such as an incoming or outgoing tide.

If you're determined to do your fishing in a certain place and find you are fairing rather well in that area, always try to remember that location. It is extremely possible that the redfish will also return to the spot year after year.

The mouth of the redfish is shaped perfectly for feeding on the floors of the ocean. Its large and rather blunt snout sticks out beyond the mouth.

If you watch as one of these fish feeds just underneath the waves, it's rather entertaining to see it push its nose through the sand and silt as it searches for food. Sometimes redfish will be so intent on searching the sea floor that they end up in a completely vertical position, and their tails can be seen sticking out of the water.

As you can imagine, that's how the term “tailing” was coined.

If you're about to cast your lure in the hopes of hooking a tailing redfish, you must first closely observe the direction you suspect the fish are headed. If you happen to cast your bait and it lands behind the fish, chances are you won’t get much of a reaction.

If you happen to spot a tailing redfish, it's likely there are many more in the vicinity, since they travel in schools. The direction they are facing can be a clue to where they are headed.

Now, cast your lure.

You can cast nearly any small bait or fishing tackle into the path of these fish, and they will gladly take you up on your offer extremely quickly.

As redfish travel along the ocean floor, their prey moves out of the way; because of this, they will strike with ferocity at almost anything that catches their eye. If they determine that what they caught is not something they want to eat, they'll simply spit it back out.

On days when you're unable to make it out to the water, try out some great online fishing games to keep yourself entertained and your skills sharp.