The last round of tailing tides was a testament that summer is just around the corner as redfish have been very active on the flooded grass flats around Cape Romain and Winyah Bay.
Fishing for Tailing Redfish is one of the most exciting sight fishing that our area has to offer. The ideal times to catch tailing redfish are during the late spring to late fall, typically on the evening and early am flood tides. When the tide begins to cover the hard bottom grass flats, redfish will move in with the tide to root out small crabs burrowed down in the mud. As fish use their nose to root for crabs, their tails can been seen waiving high above the water line, often in water less than 6in deep.
There are several different methods to catch tailing redfish but perhaps the most effective is by fly fishing. 8wt-9wt outfits, and light weedless flies that mimic small shrimp or crabs are ideal. When flyfishing, the subtle presentation of lightly weighted flies are less likely to spook a weary redfish.
Other methods including using light spinning tackle with weedless flukes or even top water plugs, modified with a 2/0 octopus hook to reduce snags. Which ever method you choose, presentation and casting accuracy is critical to getting that bite.
Some of the best flats in our area can be found around Winyah Bay leaving from Georgetown, or Cape Romain leaving from McClellanville, and the best tides generally occur on the New and Full Moons from May - Oct.
If you have any interest in catching tailing redfish with us this Summer, here are some dates with ideal tailing tides...
May: 16-20
June: 1-4, 16-19
July: 1-3; 16-19; 29-31
Aug: 1; 14-18; 28-31
