John's Journal...
Entry
109, Day 1
GARY DAVIS ON SPECKS AND REDS
Dixie Bar's Redfish
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Captain Gary Davis of Tidewater Fishing Service in Foley, Alabama,
has fished the Alabama Gulf Coast all his life. From March 1 through December
1, he consistently brings in large catches of speckled trout and redfish.
During the winter months, Davis catches numbers of sheepshead. A few weeks
ago Davis and I started the morning by fishing Dixie Bar at the mouth
of Mobile Bay out of Fort Morgan, Alabama. This week we'll learn where
Captain Davis fishes and how he catches his fish.
Question: Why do large schools of redfish hold around Dixie Bar?
Answer: Big schools of redfish hold on Dixie Bar all year long.
This morning we fished during an out-going tide and needed a lot of lead
to keep our live croakers on the bottom.
Question:
How do you rig the equipment to catch these redfish?
Answer: I use 15-pound-test Berkley Trilene XT line. I place a
2-ounce egg-shaped sinker up the line and a barrel swivel below the lead.
I tie 2 feet of 15-pound test Berkley Trilene XT leader off the barrel
swivel. Then, I tie a No. 6 Sea Sea Striker hook to the leader, and I
fish a live croaker that I hook through the nostrils.
Question: Why do you prefer live croakers for
bait?
Answer: Croakers, the natural food of the redfish, make a croaking
noise that calls redfish to them.
Question:
How do you know when to set the hook on redfish?
Answer: Let the redfish eat the bait and wait until your rod bounces
two or three times before you jerk the rod. When jig fishing for redfish,
you set the hook as soon as the fish takes the bait. But, when you fish
with live croakers, you have to give the redfish time to kill and eat
the bait before you set the hook. When you set the hook on a redfish,
don't try and break the fish's jaw. Use a quick, short wrist-action hook
set so you won't break the 150-pound-test line.
Question: How do you play a big redfish?
Answer: When the redfish pulls off drag, don't try to stop the
fish or reel in your line. Let the fish run until it stops. Then, reel
down to the fish, and pull back on your rod. If the redfish runs to you,
reel fast, and keep the slack out of your line.
Question: What kind of tide do the redfish like?
What time of the year do they hold on Dixie Bar?
Answer: The redfish don't really care in which direction the tide
flows. They just need a moving tide. The redfish remain at Fort Morgan
all year long. As long as the bait remains on the bottom, you have a good
chance of catching a redfish.
Question:
How big do the redfish grow on Dixie Bar?
Answer: The average redfish will weigh from 7 to 20 pounds, but
we've caught redfish out here that weigh more than 30 pounds.
Question: Has Fort Morgan's redfish population
increased or decreased over the years?
Answer: The redfish population has increased, and we catch a lot
more redfish than we used to catch.
To contact Captain Gary Davis and learn more about fishing
at Fort Morgan, call (251) 943-6298.
TOMORROW: LOCATING MOBILE BAY'S SPECKLED TROUT
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