Bull Redfish in Winyah Bay: What You Need to Know
It is getting to that time of the year, temperatures rising and the push of “breeder” redfish infiltrating our bays. Breeder redfish also referred to as channel bass, bull drum, or bull redfish are typically greater than 30” in length and over 4-5 years in age. Although these fish sexually mature in a relatively short amount of time, they are long living, upwards of 40 years. While they are very fun and stress free to fish for, handling is of upmost importance to the health of the future of our stock.
The life cycle of a redfish is also very important to understand. We will start with the spawn. Spawning aggregations of redfish usually occur in large groups in near shore areas, inlets and channels. Males will “drum” (the grunt you hear when you hold one) to attract females. Redfish are broadcast spawners and eggs are fertilized externally. When eggs are adrift and fertilized, they drift in to the estuaries where they will hatch and the fry will grow to maturity. Juvenile fish will typically stay in the same estuary (non migratory) until maturity, making conservation and proper harvest extremely important to the fisheries future. The fish growing here are what is available, there will not be another large push of fish until the next successful spawn.
Tackle is very important to protecting these large breeder fish. A heavy action 6-7’ spinning rod with a 6000-8000 class spinning reel is perfect. Getting these fish to the boat as quick as possible is very important, especially with high water temperatures. Braided line in the 50lb class is perfect. The Owen Lupton rig is the preferred rig for these fish. The key is to not allow the possibility for gut hook. This rig is comprised of 80lb monofiliament, a flat weight from 4-8oz, 6/0-7/0 circle hook, a bead and a snap swivel on your rod. This rig is tied with the weight only 6 inches above the hook, stopping the fish from inhaling the rig to their belly(video below). Mullet, menhaden and crabs are great bait options. Pawleys Island Outdoors is keyed in to outfit the proper tackle for you!
Handling these fish is the line between life and death. I like to keep a large rubberized net on the boat to protect you from a shark bite near the boat and keeping the fish in the water as much as possible. Taking pictures is part of fishing but avoid taking multiple fish out of water at once and try to keep picture taking to 30 seconds or less. Many times these fish are spent by the time they are boat side and take time to revive. It is your responsibility as an angler to revive the fish to health before releasing and going back to fishing. Hold by tail slowly pushing fish into current which will flow water to their gills. This often takes time, but keeping fish water bound as much as possible will make the revive easier on you and the fish.
Fishing for bull drum done properly could ensure a less abrasive effect on fish health. With the proper mindset, tackle and handling you will be well equipped for a day on the water. The future of the fishery is in our hands!
