It's that time of year again. The channels are starting to line up with boats and the Bulls are in season. This is arguably the funnest and simplest fishing in the world for the kids. They are very large fish, they fight hard and are very forgiving for the inexperienced angler. There isn't a whole lot of finesse required to land one of these monsters and they are a sure fire way to get a kid hooked on fishing. My youngest got his first Bull a few years ago and still begs to go after them.
The fish are still arriving and the numbers are growing fast. By the end of the month, the bite will be in full swing. They can be found on any 30-40 foot drop off between Trout River and the Little Jetties Park. The dredge lines on both sides of the channel hold ample Red Fish. White Shell, Mill Cove(South entrance), The Power Lines(transmission power lines crossing the river at the Blount Island loading docks), Dames Point Bridge and of course, my personal favorite, The Little Jetties Park are all very good places to start.
These fish have a very punctual feeding pattern. Some people think you have to sit in one spot all day long, requiring a lot of time and attention span, however, this isn't true at all. These breeder fish can be caught within a planned window of an hour or even less. The key is to plan your trip around the tide. The first and last hour of any tide will produce more strikes than any other time. Avoid fishing during the fastest tide periods, especially on days of Full Moon and Spring Tides. These fish will find tide breaks(example: Pot Holes on the bottom) and they'll sit in those breaks until the currents slow down. Once the currents calm down enough, the Reds start moving again and that's when the craziness ensues. I tell my customers all the time, "soon as this current slows down a bit, we'll be in the fish", and most of the time, that's how it goes. Watch those tides and add a few hard pulling Bull Reds to your fishing trip.
This past February I was contacted by Captain Mike of Florida Sport Fishing Magazine. He saw my Bull Red episode of Reeltime and was looking to do a show on Inlet Bull Reds. The plan came together beautifully and we caught a bunch of Reds. What a lot of people don't realize is that Reeltime is an amazing way to get noticed. If you ever considered making a career in guide fishing, getting on Reeltime should be a priority. If nothing else, it looks good on a resume when applying for pro staff opportunities. Many of the anglers that appeared on RT have received invitations to film with other shows. We have a lot of talent in our region passing up the chance of a lifetime. You're fishing anyways, post up those reports. Share a little bit of knowledge. help a few people out and get recognized for it. I got to fish with my childhood idol Bill Dance and it wouldn't have happened without Reeltime with Florida Sportsman. Something to think about guys!
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Danny Pardue