Redfish are moving into areas where they can feed aggressively

[KFDM COOP]

Redfish are moving into areas where they can feed aggressively

NEW ORLEANS — Most people would have to check a calendar to see which part of the month they are in. Mark Brockhoeft only has to check the marsh ponds.

"When you start seeing redfish pushing wakes in the shallow ponds, when you see them crawling along the banks with their backs out of the water, you know spring is here," said Brockhoeft, who runs Big Red Guide Service, one of the region's top fly fishing services.

"When you start seeing that activity in the shallow flats, that tells me the reds have left the open bays where they spend most of the winter time. That usually doesn't happen until mid- to late March."

Brockhoeft's visual calendar has been refined by a lifetime in the marsh, as he chased everything from shrimp to ducks. But he spends most of his time on the poling platform of his guide boat, steering clients into position to put fly patterns in front of redfish. And that means March and April are two of his favorite months, because changing water conditions in the marshes bring redfish back within easy reach.

"This is a tough time of year for speck fishermen, because the fish are leaving deeper spots where they were concentrated during the winter and just spreading out across the estuaries," Brockhoeft said. "That's why a lot of those guys go to fishing bass right now.

"But if you like redfish, this is a great time of year, because as the water warms into the 60s, the reds leave those larger bays, and they start coming back into the shallow flats.

"With the water coming up, you start seeing little crabs, pogies and shrimp in the ponds, and the reds are coming in there looking for them, too. And because the water is warming up, they're feeding more aggressively, too."

Active redfish in shallow water means the start of what most redfish anglers cherish more than anything else: Sight-casting, tossing flies or spoons and spinners to large wakes cutting across skinny water or, better still, the bronze backs of fish breaking the surface.

"This is about when that starts happening," Brockhoeft said. "You won't see that in winter because it's just too cold. If they're in the ponds then, they're hunkered down in the mud, trying to stay warm.

"But when the water starts to warm up into the 60s again, you'll be running down a canal or a bayou, and you'll look into a shallow pond, and you'll see those wakes moving away from your boat, or you'll see tails and back out of the water.

"And that always starts around mid-March. By April, it's almost every day."

[tvc184]

Time to break out the heavy fly rods.  ;D