Good ol’ redfish.
After Florida made them a gamefish in 1989, taking commercial pressure off, their populations recovered. By the late 1990s, reds seemed to be everywhere. New subcultures of anglers, entire sectors of the tackle and boating industries, grew up around the renewed abundance of a hard-fighting drum that seems perfectly engineered as a sportfish. Whatever largemouth bass give us, redfish match and exceed. Never mind the fact that reds can top 50 pounds!
There’ve been dips, however. Where I live, on the Indian River Lagoon, redfish are presently catch-and-release only. I have to remind myself of that fact now and then, as reds are one of those “take for granted” species that seldom have us swiping for our Fish Rules app. I mean, the slot limit, 18 to…
