I had an incredible opportunity to do something unique last week when I competed in the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter at Port Aransas. This was my first time fishing for redfish, and I had a blast.
The tournament format included 10 teams, with six teams from the redfish tournament world and four teams that paired a Bassmaster Elite angler with a redfish pro. I fished with Texas pro Clark Jordan Jr., and even though we finished second, I’ll always remember this as an incredible experience.
For me it was a super good change of pace. I think it’s super beneficial to chase other species because it opens your mind and helps you make decisions faster.
I really appreciated my time in Port Aransas because it taught me lessons I’ll take into my bass world.
For example, Clark and I were on these large flats, and we worked hard to learn everything about the area. As Clark pointed out, it’s important to really know your surroundings and know how to fish every part of it.
That’s something that definitely applies to many different bass scenarios. From southern lakes like Lake Okeechobee, to northern smallmouth waters, you have to try and understand everything you can about your area.
Comparing bass and redfish, I definitely found that you can pattern both. I have to say I was impressed with the strength of a redfish. Pound for pound, they fight much harder and longer than bass.
Another difference is in the way they move. Sometimes, you’ll find bass one day and then the next day, they’re gone.
What I found was redfish shift more than they move. They might just relocate 80 yards from where you found them, but bass will pack their bags.
Tide, wind direction and sun positioning play a big role of where you find redfish, so if you learn to work with those variables, you can stay on the fish.
As far as the tournament format, it was a super cool experience for me to be around a guy who was really dialed in on his species. Clark’s personality is very much like mine. He’s very nonchalant, but he’s also very intentional.
I picked up a lot by just watching him and listening to what he said. Probably the biggest thing he taught me was to learn your surroundings.
Also, we were constantly on the move. Clark said that was because, if you get around redfish they’re probably going to bite. If you’re not getting bit, move to another area.
I learned a lot about redfishing, but I believe I quickly picked up this new game because of my bass fishing background and the similar principles. For example, an important part of redfishing is being able to feel and visualize what your lure is doing.
When we were dinging big drifts during windy conditions, there’s no telling how fast we were moving, so you had know what your lure was doing. It seemed like your lure had to hit exactly the right place in the water column or you weren’t getting bit.
You had to be able to visualize exactly what your bait’s doing at the very end of a cast. Growing up fishing flats for smallmouth, I related to that really well.
Looking back, my favorite memory from the Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship was learning the saltwater world. Clark and I talked about many other species, so just learning about the saltwater world was another big takeaway.
I feel like I have a better understanding of inshore fishing now, and there’s a 100% chance I’ll be back to fish for redfish again.
