RED DRUM (Redfish)
Sciaenops ocellatus
Few large inshore gamefish have as great a geographical range as redfish, a mainstay for anglers from Virginia to Texas. Reds are at once one of the most accessible and prized species in that range. They strike live baits and lures (including topwaters) readily and often ferociously, making strong, determined runs until anglers can wear them down. Red drum are found both as solitary predators and in schools — sometimes visible as huge swaths of bright rust-colored water. Decades ago, tasty reds became overfished in much of the South, in no small part thanks to the Cajun craze for blackened redfish that swept the region and beyond. Gillnetting laws were subsequently tightened, along with size and bag limits, leaving populations generally healthy today. As with many game fish, the economic value of redfish in recreational fisheries is huge.
Appearance
More appropriately, red drum would be called “reddish drum,” but that’s a bit awkward. The fact is, S. ocellatus tend to be a coppery color with reddish overtones even tending toward a brilliant gold in some areas, though they may also be a more muted silvery color. The black, gold-rimmed “eye spot” on the upper caudal peduncle, just before the tail fin, is another trademark. Often, redfish will display more than one such mark, occasionally with many along their sides. They have the characteristic elongate shape of the family of drums and croakers (Sciaenidae) to which they belong.
Habitat
Few gamefish thrive in so many habitats — reds are caught on flats and in mangrove estuaries; in channels, inlets, and bays; in the surf of Atlantic beaches; and offshore around structure (such as oil rigs) in waters as deep as 200 feet and more. Smaller fish thrive on eelgrass flats and in shallower bays. Larger mature fish migrate to deeper, often outside waters where they may form schools over sandy-bottom areas.
Size
Common from “rats” of a pound or two to 10 or 15 pounds inshore, to 20- to 40+-pound bull reds along beaches and inlets. Migratory, the big bulls become available seasonally in most areas. The IGFA all-tackle world record has stood since November 1984, when angler David Deuel wrestled a 94-pound, 2-ounce behemoth drum onto the sand on an Atlantic beach near Avon, North Carolina.
Fishing for Redfish
A great array of tactics and baits/lures account for redfish and with great variation within its range, depending upon depth, habitat, size of redfish and more. Many succumb to mullet (live or cut) and shrimp or crabs but probably more to lead head jigs and plastic tails than anything. Reds will readily go after diving lures as well, and it’s hard to beat their strikes on surface lures to get the blood rushing. (Their slightly underslung mouth can require multiple strikes to latch onto a bait firmly.) In areas (such as southwest Florida and eastern Florida’s Indian River), anglers can take advantage of exciting sight fisheries — with some great opportunities for fly-rod fishermen. Even in more opaque waters, if shallow, reds will often give away their location with tails waving above the surface as they hunt for food.
Redfish Pros
Available and accessible to boats large and small as well as shore/wade anglers from Virginia to Texas
Tough, persistent fighter
Caught on an almost endless array of lures and baits
Good flyfishing targets in some areas
Redfish Cons
Can become finicky and very spooky, particularly where schools are fished hard
If caught offshore in deeper water, may suffer barotrauma more easily than many other species, making release difficult when taken from 60 to 80 feet or more.
]]>Black: Pomoxis nigromaculatus
White: Pomoxis annularis
These members of Centrarchidae, the family of largemouth and smallmouth bass and sunfishes, look like no others, though the two species resemble each other quite closely. Crappie — found only in North America — aren’t known for a determined fight when hooked, but they can be eager biters found in schools and make for good action. And they’re widely appreciated for being outstanding eating, much sought as table fare. Most are caught on very small jigs, small live minnows, or some combination.
Appearance: The characteristic flattened shape, with nearly symmetrical dorsal and anal fins, and olive/silvery sides with black spotting, gives crappie a distinctive look.
Location/habitat: Crappie are found in all but a few states in the U.S. as well as in southern Canada. Though available in some large, slow-moving rivers, mostly crappie inhabit lakes and reservoirs (and large ponds).
Size: Most often, the crappie anglers catch are less than a pound to a good bit more. Anything near or over two pounds is pushing trophy size. The IGFA all-tackle world-record black weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces, caught in Tennesee in 2018; the all-tackle white weighted 5 pounds, 3 ounces, taken in Mississippi in 1957.
Pros: Often abundant and found in schools (in most areas, daily limits are quite generous); willing biters; superb white, mild flesh.
Cons: Don’t look for any challenge to land once hooked, nor for many fish of any size.
Pro Tips on How to Catch Crappie
Russell Riley of Blythewood, South Carolina, is a crappie expert (and AFTCO pro) who continues to win tournaments, with 14 years on the crappie-tournament circuit. (For more on that, see Crappie USA.) He offers a few bits of advice:
- Work ‘em hard in late winter and/or spring (depending upon one’s region). That’s when they’re most active — during prespawn and spawning times.
- Keep an eye on water temps: At 55 to 60 degrees, the fish start moving in, in preparation for spawning.
- At 60 degrees they’ll head close to the bank to spawn. Cast little (1/8th,1/16th or even smaller) jigs toward the bank, let them sink into the strike zone and work ‘em back.
- At other times of year, often best to “longline troll” for them with multiple rods pulling jigs — often tipped with live minnows — at various depths and distances back. In warm weather, don’t neglect brushpiles and docks, either.
- Get yourself a Garmin Panoptix LiveScope or similar scanning unit. True, a bit pricey for most weekend anglers, but those serious about crappie have made this a game changer, one that allows anglers to not simply locate crappie, even in open water, but to target individual fish of trophy size.
Bluefin
Thunnus thynnus
Thunnus orientalis
Illustration by Amadeo Bachar: StudioAbachar IG: Abachar
The Bluefin Tuna. Seen by many as a saltwater trophy species, there are three species of Bluefin tuna: the Pacific Bluefin, Atlantic Bluefin, and the Southern Bluefin. The Southern Bluefin is found exclusively in the southern hemisphere and is an endangered population, so we will focus on the Atlantic and Pacific.
The Atlantic and the Pacific Bluefin are accessible in many parts of the United States. Both reaching well over 100 pounds, they become a trophy hunter's dream later in their lives but are no slouch when they are “football” sized.
Considered the king of tunas, the bluefin tuna species are apex predators feeding on a plethora of smaller fish and invertebrates, which leads to success on many different lures when fishing. Whether you want to catch them on topwater, metal jigs down deep, or live bait, bluefin are ready to eat and you better be ready for the fight of your life.
Being the king of the tunas has its drawbacks as well. They are one tasty animal and populations fluctuate frequently because of the possibility of overfishing. The Atlantic Bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) takes the grunt of criticism regarding overfishing, but NOAA has the Atlantic Bluefin listed as “Not Threatened”. The Atlantic Bluefin has very strict regulations in the Northeastern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Nova Scotia area in Canada. These regulations have helped the species rebound from the former classification of "Endangered" to a species "Of Least Concern".
The Pacific Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis) is listed as threatened. Their status supports the idea that fish stocks in our oceans can be tough to measure and forecast at times. As fisherman, responsible fishing and not taking more than needed is essential for important species such as the bluefin.
It is good to note that tuna can lose and change colors once they are on the deck of the boat. Here is a picture of what a tuna looks like on the deck. The way most will see them.
Appearance: The Bluefin tuna displays the most accurate definition of a fusiform fish. Fusiform - a fancy word for torpedo-shaped and you can see the tuna fits the bill. With such a hydrodynamic body, fish in the tuna family have an easier time swimming at high speeds through the water.
Along with the body shape, you will notice bluefin do not literally have a blue fin. Rather their top side is a very dark blue (almost black) contrasting the bottom silvery white. This countershading helps the fish camouflage in water and helps them be better predators. Additionally, their finlets, or the tiny fins on their tail fin, are bright yellow and the rest of the fins protrude creating stability at high speeds.
Their iridescent color is something many notice when the fish comes out of the water. This beautiful mirror glow can be seen not only on the bluefin but on the smaller tunas, even the mackerel (related to tunas).
Location/habitat: The three bluefin species occupy much of the worlds open oceans. They are pelagic sportfish travelling many miles in a lifetime, but you will see one species in each ocean.
As the name implies, the Pacific Bluefin can be found in the Pacific Ocean from Asian to North America, Atlantic Bluefin in the Atlantic from North America up around Canada and down to the Mediterranean, and the Southern Bluefin occupies the Indian Ocean and can circumnavigate the whole southern hemisphere.
As far as habitat goes, the pelagic bluefin will not have a specific structure or cover they prefer. Instead, much of bluefin's open water habitat is based on one thing, BAIT. They will follow bait around the world's oceans, but something noticeable, at least for the Pacific BFT, is that the fish push bait up where deep sea high spots are present. They push the bait up to the surface providing a barrier they can feed against. What it also provides is the perfect chance or us to target them. Atlantic Bluefin are different because of the composition of the Atlantic Ocean. Because the continental shelf stay shallower longer, these bluefin can be found and caught between 30 and 90 feet! It is not uncommon for 1000 pound bluefin to be present in very shallow water providing quite the spectacle for the fisherman in that area.
Size: Atlantic Bluefin: 13 feet and 1200 Pounds!
Pacific Bluefin: 10 Feet and 900 Pounds
Southern Bluefin: 8 Feet and 570 Pounds
What is the World Record Bluefin
The largest bluefin of all three species that is certified by the IGFA is an Atlantic Bluefin weighing 1496 pounds! The Atlantic Bluefin is the largest of all three species so it is obvious it would hold the record, but there have been sightings and landings of fish even larger than 1496 pounds. Since the Atlantic Bluefin has strict regulations as well as IGFA's requirements for submission, some fish are not certified.
Pros: Incredibly hard fighters, delicious table fare, found all around the world, can be caught on many different lures and live bait.
Cons: The conservation of the species is a complicated web, BFT can be very finnicky to catch at times providing heartache and headaches for the angler.
Tips for Targeting Bluefin Tuna
As many have found out, BFT can be about as finnicky as any fish out there. Compared to tuna cousins such as the yellowfin tuna, the BFT cannot be tricked on such “simple” offerings as the YFT. Nonetheless, many have mastered the art of the angling for these fish and here are some compiled tips for the legendary Bluefin Tuna.
PACIFIC REGION
Erik Landesfiend- "While bluefin tuna can be easy to find when they’re up foaming on a late morning or afternoon slack tide, they can be very difficult to locate when they’re not feeding on the surface. When scouting for bluefin before the tide, keep a close eye on birds, especially terns and shearwaters. Even a single highly focused tern can be a sign of subsurface bluefin feeding activity. When looking for terns, keep an eye out for those that are locked in on a particular section of water rather than those that are flying in a generally straight line. Terns picking on the surface can be a sign of tuna just below but high flying terns can be on tuna as well. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the higher the terns are flying, the deeper the fish they are looking at. When those high flying terns dive towards the surface, there’s usually a tuna chasing bait up from below. Rafts of shearwaters sitting on the surface can indicate deep tuna as well. If you see a raft of birds when you’re cruising around, drive close enough to get them up and flying. If they scatter, they were likely just resting, but if they circle back and land where they were sitting before, there’s a good shot that they are sitting over a school of bluefin."
Ali Hussainy- "Preparation! Build a game plan and execute it. Focus efforts on having your crew and gear up to speed. All reels should be spooled up with quality braid and a wind on you can count on. Have plenty of helium, balloons, floss, bait rigs and baits ready to roll if you plan to fly the kite. Each crew member should have a job like rigging baits, deploying the kite, angler, wheel man and gaff man. With a plan in place before all hell breaks loose your crew will work calm and like a team when the pressure is on. This is what puts fish on the deck at the end of the day."
ATLANTIC REGION
Capt. Tom Cuilla- "My motto is that “Success is in the Details” when it comes to locating, hooking and landing bluefin tuna. Making sure all your gear is in solid working order is the first preparation. Fluorocarbon leader is best and Saiko Pro is my choice as it’s strong and flexible with a rugged exterior that will stand up to the rigors of a long and often violent fight.
Keep your boat and decks clean and organized. Make sure each crew member has a well defined role and knows they may be called to take over another’s role including the helm during the fight (which can last 20 minutes to 2hrs plus, plus) When setting up, be aware of your environment and on the look out for, whales, birds, surface feeds, oil spots, fishing pushing, etc. Prime time for tuna feeds is generally slack tide, but tuna will always keep you guessing and surprise you in any tide and any light, day or night.
Tuna fishing is the pinnacle of sport fishing and these majestic creatures are a true gift to all who pursue them. Be respectful of this precious resource and follow the rules and regulations associated with them. As with any fish, only harvest what’s necessary and use proper catch and release techniques for all non harvested fish so we can preserve this sport for ourselves and the generations behind us."
Jonathan Wolff - Jon's tips refer to preparation in knowing the boundary lines for regulations. Certain boundary lines will adjust the regulations and you need to know where these lines are and if you cross them to be aware of the changes, or to not cross them at all especially in the form of the Canadian border on the water because is it illegal for a United States citizen to cross the border to fish for bluefin recreationally.
Jon's second tip is to really consider a guide for your first trip if you are new to bluefin fishing. The guides, especially in the Northeast, are friendly with each other and talk every day about the fish and where they are. This makes them very efficient at putting clients of fish of their lifetimes. For someone going with no prior experience, it is much tougher to find and catch these fish.
As you can see, there are noticeable trends with our AFTCO pros, whether on the East Coast or the West Coast, that helps them be incredibly successful catching finnicky bluefin tuna. Preparation is critical with your gear as well as your crew. Slack tide is prime time to find fish easier, but they can eat at any time. And being aware of your surroundings, especially birds, can mean success any time of the day.
Bluefin Scientific Illustration created by Amadeo Bachar. Visit his site at StudioAbachar. IG: Abachar
]]>LARGEMOUTH BASS
Micropterus salmoides
Calling the largemouth the single most popularly targeted game fish in the world seems like a fairly safe bet. Among the reasons for this are its aggressive nature, hard strike, occasional gill-rattling leaps and — particularly — the proclivity of this hardy species to thrive just about anywhere and everywhere. Once found only in its native region of eastern North America, it’s now one game fish you can catch in all 50 states. It supports active sport fisheries around the world in locations such as Japan, China, Russia, most western European countries and many African nations as well. The economic importance of this species is remarkable. It lives happily in lakes and slower rivers ranging from tropical areas to hard, cold arctic regions near the poles. The largemouth (aka black bass) is the largest member of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae.
Appearance
Its dark greenish color is less bronze than its only other large cousin, the smallmouth. The latter also has dark bars on its sides and no break in the soft and spiny sections of the dorsal fin, whereas the largemouth has a distinct notch separating the two dorsal fins. Their respective names are less about the size of their mouth than how far back the jaw extends on the gill cover — beyond the back of the eye on the largemouth but only as far as the eye on the smallie.
Habitat
Likely to be in most any lake, pond, slow-moving river or backwaters, typically, the largemouth loves weeds and/or structure, though at times schools of (often smaller) fish will bust schools of baitfish on top in open water. They’re not fond of much current and prefer water in the 60s, 70s and even 80s (Fahrenheit). They may range into fairly deep water, but during spring spawning — when they’re said to be bedding — they’ll be in water no more than a few feet deep, guarding concave nests they’ve formed in a sandy or gravel bottom.
Size
Bass enthusiasts have dreamed for decades of breaking the IGFA all-tackle largemouth world record of 22 pounds, 4 ounces, caught in 1932 in Montgomery Lake, Georgia, by George Perry. That record has never been broken, but in 2009, it was officially tied by a 22-pound, 4-ounce bass from Lake Biwa in Japan by Manabu Kurita. Largemouth grow to a greater average size in warmer southern lakes, where they’ll reach roughly five pounds in five years. In northern lakes with hard winters the same bass could take more than 10 years to reach that size.
Pros
Active predators that strike great variety of soft and hard lures as well as live bait, their fight often includes impressive jumps. This species thrives in most lakes and ponds.
Cons
Fight may be brief, particularly when caught from heavy cover requiring 30- to 60-pound braided line. High level of popularity may in some waters lead to populations of wary, lure-savvy larger fish.
Pro's Tips For Targeting largemouth
BASS Elite Series angler Mike Iaconelli is a past winner of the Bassmaster Classic Championship and a Toyota Elite Series Angler of the Year, and by any definition one of the country’s leading bass pros. He shared a few tips in this AFTCO exclusive.
Use Google Before you ever visit any lake or stream to find out what you can about the main forage there. Type that request into your search engine; sometimes you can take away some great insight. (Probably best results on larger, better-known waters.) Once you know the main forage, you can try to match the hatch with lures that imitate what bass want.
Match The Hatch not just the shape/silhouette of the forage but its movements: The action you impart should imitate the movement of that fish or crustacean in nature.
Carry Some Spike-It or similar markers to customize soft plastics in situ. For example, Iaconelli has been known to color the head of a green-pumpkin Seiko worm or similar to make it more closely resemble a crawfish.
Color Matters — but only to a point. That is, Iaconelli says what’s critical is finding/using the right color palette. The fish may be favoring lighter shades (of various colors) or darker. Green may be hot but can include many shades/variations of green. “You don’t need hundreds of colors,” he says, but you do need to have shades available from various color palettes.
Megalops atlanticus
Without question, the Atlantic tarpon is one of the most exciting and prized inshore/nearshore saltwater gamefishes in the world. Among the reasons are its proclivity for high, twisting, somersaulting leaps when hooked and its sheer size: The opportunity to hook a fish weighing 100 to 200 pounds or more in a few feet of water have helped generate generations of ardent tarpon devotees.
Tarpon are found in warm and tropical waters on both sides of the Atlantic, supporting important recreational fisheries in Florida, Mexico and Costa Rica, among other places. It should be noted that Atlantic tarpon in recent years have become regular (and welcome) sport catches in the Pacific from Colombia to Costa Rica. There’s little doubt tarpon have transited into the eastern Pacific via the Panama Canal. Though small fish have been found the Pacific, it remains inconclusive whether or not they’re breeding. There is also a genuine Pacific tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides) found in the Indo-Pacific which looks and acts like its Atlantic counterpart, though it seldom reaches even 10 pounds in size.
Appearance
Long and streamlined with a deeply forked tail and long last dorsal ray, Tarpon have a very large eye and a prognathic jaw. They come in one shade only: chrome-bright silver, their bodies covered by very large scales.
Habitat
Tarpon do range offshore, occasionally into deep blue waters, though most are caught just off beaches and inside bays and channels that cut through flats or run past mangroves. Bridges, piers and other structure attracts them, where they feed at any time but particularly at night around lights.
Size
Anglers commonly tangle with baby tarpon of a few pounds as well as 10- to 50-pounders, and not uncommonly far larger. The IGFA all-tackle world record, taken in Guinea-Bissau (west Africa) in 2003, weighed 286 pounds, 9 ounces on a mullet. (The guide, better known now than then, was lure-maker Patrick Sebile.) Tarpon are particularly popular among fly-rod enthusiasts; the largest taken on fly to date: 202 pounds, 8 ounces, by James Holland Jr. at Chassahowitzka, Florida, in 2001, fishing 20-pound tippet.
Pros
Amazing acrobats; take a variety of baits, flies and lures in accessible inshore/nearshore waters; can grow formidably large.
Cons
Hard, bony jaws can make setting a hook — or keeping one in place — quite difficult.
Pro’s Tips for Targetting Tarpon
One of the Florida Keys’ top flyfishing guides, Capt. John O’Hearn (Instagram @jpohearn1) runs any of three boats out of Key West, focusing much of his attention, by popular demand, on tarpon. Years of pursuing the species has given him rare insight into turning anglers’ aspiration into accomplishment. He shares three inside tips:
Coryphaena hippurus
Without question, the mahi is truly one of the world’s greatest gamefishes. Aggressively slamming lures and baits at or just under the surface (and sometimes stubbornly refusing to do so); repeatedly and amazingly launching into high-jumping acrobatics when hooked; flashing the most astounding array of neon yellows, greens and blues; and even offering outstanding fillets for the connoisseur — the mahi has it all. The rapacious pelagic predator also has a completely circumglobal presence in blue, offshore waters of all warm/tropical oceans, with a mind-blowing growth rate (up to 18 inches in one year). Except for a very small, similar species known as the pompano dolphin, C. hippurus is the only species in its family, Coryphaenidae.
Appearance
Laterally compressed (as if squeezed flat), the mahi is very elongate with a prominent, high, nearly full-length dorsal fin and a large, deeply forked tail. Its electric hues, noted above, change — often instantly and dramatically — per its mood. Juveniles and females have a rounded head, where as fully mature adult males (“bulls”) develop a pronounced high, squared-off head.
Habitat
Mahi are fishes of the open ocean, though on occasion they may wander into nearshore coastal waters. They’re prone to associate with any bluewater “structure” such as sargassum weed lines or any floating flotsam, large or (sometimes surprisingly) small. Hundreds of brilliant blue mahi, especially smaller fish of 2 to 10 pounds or so, may surround one log.
Size
Commonly caught from a mere pound or two to 50 or more. Anglers in the Southeast often use specific names to categorize C. hippurus by size, from “peanuts” of a few pounds to “slammers” of 40 or more. Smaller fish tend to form large schools; as they get much older they often travel in small packs; the largest tend to be solitary. The IGFA all-tackle world record, set back in 1976 off Papagayo in northern Costa Rica, weighed 87 pounds (on a trolled plastic squid).
Pros
As noted above, could well be the perfect gamefish: aggressive, lightning-fast, acrobatic, gorgeous. They’re ubiquitous and at times easy to locate for flurries of non-stop action.
Cons
Since they’re fishes of blue water, coastal and inland anglers may not have an opportunity to hook these amazing speedsters.
Pro’s Tips for Targetting Mahi Mahi
A lifetime of catching mahi in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, with some great skippers, leads to a few suggestions for mahi anglers – doug.
Calico (Kelp) Bass
Paralabrax clathratus
Southern California’s iconic nearshore coastal game fish, calico bass — as kelp bass are widely known — are targeted by a huge population of devotees from San Diego (and south, all around the Baja peninsula) up into central California. Though of modest size, these members of the grouper/sea bass family fight incredibly hard and provide great experiences for people interested in catching them.
Appearance
The kelp bass is a streamlined, classic “bass shape,” with its color predominantly brown and gold to olive green, with intermittent white blotches along the upper sides.
Location & Habitat
As noted, Baja to central California, but sometimes farther north. Kelp bass live up their name, prowling kelp beds to ambush prey, but favors various structure, notably jetties, rockpiles and reefs. Usually the species is found in water to 150 feet.
Size
The IGFA all-tackle world record calico bass is a 14-pound, 7-ounce fish taken off Newport Beach, California, in 1993. Kelp bass are common to several pounds; anything approach double digits can be considered a trophy size. They grow slowly sparking conservation minded regulations on catch limits and size minimums. The Calico bass minimum size is currently 14 inches.
Pros
Widely available in home-range; aggressively strike lures as well as live baits; fine eating.
Cons
Heavily pressured and tightly regulated in SoCal waters; may be hard to find fish of bragging size.
Targeting Calico Bass: A Pro’s Tips
Capt. Barry Brightenburg, whose been catching big kelp bass in Southern California and Baja waters has a few suggestions on what to use to catch calico bass and what is the best place to catch a calico bass: