As the weather warms up along the coast of the Southeast, Redfish are starting to warm up and begin feeding on the flats and in the spartina grass. As the bait warms up as well, they will begin to get bolder and bolder in the warm shallows. This time of year is when anglers start donning their waders and walking the mud flats looking for tailing Redfish. So here are our 4 Gear Essentials for Wading for Redfish:
8 Weight Rod and Reel
Redfish are powerful fish with tails designed to propel them aggressively in very shallow water, combine this with targeting them on the flats and you have a powerful combo of lightning-fast runs and drag testing tugs-of-war. This is why an 8 WT rod, like the Wade Tide Chaser, and a smooth, strong reel, like the Pelican LG are necessary to get the upper hand on these feisty fish. The strong backbone of the Tide Chaser also makes casting in any wind the Low Country throws at you.
Durable Waders and Boots
The Low Country marshes are made up of mud and Spartina Grass, a combination perfect for hosting resident and migratory Redfish, but for the angler, this can mean trudging through some deep mud, over razor sharp oysters, and through dense grass. So you’re going to want a set of durable, breathable waders and wading boots with ankle support and thick soles so you don’t feel very oyster you step on.
Sun Gear
In the Low Country springtime, you can get wild swings of weather from 50 degrees and rainy to 75 and sunny, but the one thing that remains constant is the Sun. As two pale northerners, Morgan and I immediately noticed how much Sun we were getting even on overcast days. We easily fixed this by rocking buffs, hats, and polarized sunglasses, saving our eyes and keeping the harmful UV rays off our backs.
A Solid Set of Pliers
Having pliers or hemostats in your kit to help remove a hook from any fishes face is key to making sure those fish swim off strong, and this is especially the case when dealing with larger saltwater fish and hooks. I always have a pair of the Bird Brain Pliers in my pack to make cutting heavy fluorocarbon and removing hooks quick and easy!
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/04/05/chasing-spring-steelhead-on-the-salmon-river/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/04/03/5-deadly-nymph-patterns-to-try-this-spring/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/04/01/how-to-find-your-confidence-fly-patterns/
Dan Zazworsky’s passion is sharing his love of fly fishing with anyone that will listen, read or watch. You can find him exploring new waters every day while chasing any fish that will eat a fly!
2 thoughts on “4 Gear Essentials for Wading for Redfish”