Trophy Redfish

If you have ever been fishing with me before you know that referring to a fishing rod as a ”POLE” draws a swift rebuke and a lesson on how poles are for flags or NASCAR starting positions. Same goes for when I ask you who Roland Martin is. The answer better not be a FOX news contributor.

Fishing rods also do not have eyes for the line to travel through, they are known as ”guides.” The end guide is called a ”tip top.” Where the reel attaches is the ”reel seat”, and the part that bruises your belly after battle with a Jack Crevalle is the ”butt”. All rods have a spine or backbone which makes the rod bend the same way every time it is bent and determines how the guides should be placed on the rod.

Spinning guides are on the bottom and casting guides are on the top. An improperly constructed rod will bend so that the guides veer off center when fighting a fish. Rod ”taper”, as in fast or slow, refers to whether the rod bends closer to the tip-fast taper or more towards the middle of the rod-slow taper. For example, king fishing rods have a fast taper designed to give you additional give if a fish makes a powerful run with your drag a little too tight when fishing with light tackle. If there is no give the tiny kingfish hooks can easily pull out resulting in a lost fish. A slow taper application might be for a heavy bottom fishing rod where a lot of leverage is needed to pull a heavy fish from the bottom. Taper also affects a rods casting ability.

Speaking of bent rods, the jetty rocks in the St. Mary’s channel are producing some of the best redfish action of the year. Live mullet, pogies, dead shrimp, cut ladyfish or shrimp mammies fished right on the bottom, especially during the incoming tide, should yield an outsized redfish.

Call me if you would like to catch a trophy redfish!
Captain Jim Wormhoudt
Cleansweep Charters (904) 753-0882

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