Cold temps means it’s time for fly fishers to try to catch ‘notorious’ Tampa Bay redfish

As the coldest air in years visits Florida this weekend, but Adam Fernandez won’t mind the benefits that will occur behind it.

“The cooler weather causes the water on the flats to become more clear and a lot of the grass will thin out,” Fernandez explained. “These conditions are conducive to excellent sight fishing for redfish on the shallow flats, probably some of the best of the year.”

Fernandez, who grew up in Bradenton on Palma Sola Bay and is now an attorney in Tampa, has a passion not often seen around Tampa Bay.

“Fly fishing for redfish in Tampa Bay is, on average, very difficult. The fish are often very spooky and extremely picky when it comes to inspecting and eating a fly. Tampa Bay redfish are notorious in the fly fishing community for being one of the hardest to catch, but that makes it so much more rewarding.”

Behind the cold front, Fernandez looks forward to visiting southern Tampa Bay flats, especially on the lowest of tides, which he says provide the ideal area for stalking with a fly rod.

“Redfish are very tolerant of cooler temperatures unlike snook. This time of year is excellent because a lot of the bait pushes off the flats and the redfish are very active and hungry looking for shrimp and crabs.

“We can imitate shrimp and crabs effectively with a fly made of natural and synthetic materials and work it with a very slow presentation on the bottom. When the water is cold, the redfish like to stage on the shallow sandy areas where they can warm up in the sun.

“When they are on the sand it makes it much easier to see the fish and cast to them. We very rarely blind cast and prefer to push pole or wade quietly until we see fish.”

Fernandez has taken his love for fly fishing to create a tournament for like-minded anglers. The last weekend of February (26-27) will be the second Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament, a catch and release redfish event incorporating the west coast of Florida.

“It’s hosted from the Bradenton Yacht Club, but anglers can fish anywhere from Crystal River to Sanibel Island. The submissions and captain’s meeting are all digital, so anglers can be at their spots ready to fish right when the tournament begins,” Fernandez said.

“With digital submissions, there is no need to rush back for the weigh in on the road or on the water and more time to fish. By having broad boundaries, we have less pressure on the fish in the immediate area.”

Proceeds for the event will benefit Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a nonprofit of which Fernandez is on the board of directors.

“Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is part of the nationwide Waterkeeper alliance. We’re working to improve, protect and preserve Tampa Bay’s watershed through citizen engagement and community action rooted in sound science and research.”

Fernandez explained that Tampa Bay Waterkeeper protects the Tampa Bay watershed by engaging in litigation against cities, counties, corporations or any other entity discharging pollution into our waters.

In addition to being a plaintiff in the Piney Point lawsuit, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper has recently engaged in litigation with the City of Bradenton regarding the discharge of wastewater into the Manatee River over the past several years.

“A large part of what Tampa Bay Waterkeeper does is holding local governments responsible for discharges of polluted water and sewage into the watershed and advocating for improvements to infrastructure to prevent future discharges,” Fernandez said.

“The city of Bradenton has an outdated sewage collection system that needs to be improved. In August 2021, the city of Bradenton had to bypass approximately 13 million gallons of storm water mixed with sewage from the treatment plant directly into the Manatee River to avoid overloading the system. That’s what we want to prevent. If you have red tide around, that nutrient-rich wastewater is like pouring gasoline on the fire.

“The City of Bradenton has been very good about coming to the table with us and the other plaintiffs in the suit about finding solutions to the problems. Fixing the problem seems to be a priority for everyone involved, which is encouraging.

“The tournament is a big fundraiser for us, and we hope it can continue for years to come with angler support and water quality that will only improve moving forward. We have plans to start an all tackle/live bait tournament in the fall possibly starting in 2023.”

For more information on the Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament or to register visit https://www.tampabaywaterkeeper.org/