John K. Flores: Dog days tactics for redfish

To my knowledge, the popular quiz show "Jeopardy" has never had a “What is July” category. While pondering this, I thought about what questions they might ask.

If I was a contestant, it might go something like this.

The show’s host, Mayim Bialik, would ask me to select a category to get started.

“What is July for $200, Mayim,” I would answer. And that’s when the first question would come up on the board.

“The hottest days of summer are known as, what?”

“What are the dog days of summer, Mayim?”

Suddenly, bells and lights go off and the audience claps in a congratulatory fashion.

“What is July for $400, Mayim.”

“During the month of July, these species of fish are known to prefer deeper water where its cooler during the hot summer month.”

“What are redfish, Mayim,” I answer.

Once again, bells and lights go off with the audience clapping a bit louder than when I got the first question right.

Bialik is clearly impressed about my knowledge of July and after a commercial break, we continue the contest.

“John,” Bialik says, “you’ve earned $400, do you wish to select another category or stick with, What is July.’”

“I’ll stay with, ‘What is July,’ for $600 Mayim,” I reply with confidence.

“This fishing rig is popular when fishing deep water for redfish,” Bialik reads.

I immediately answer, “What is a coastal drop rig.”

Music, bells, lights, and the audience clapping has me smiling and feeling more confident.

“I’ll stick with, ‘What is July,’ for $800 Mayim,’” I anxiously say in a matter-of-fact manner.
Bialik knows that I know, the higher up the board you go, the tougher the questions, but I’m not flinching one bit. I’m on a hot streak with this “What is July” Category.
Bialik quiets the audience and says, “Here we go. Next question. This common bait works best fished deep on a drop rig during the hot summer months.”
Now I’m nervous. I’m thinking this could be a 50/50 answer and go either way. Fishing shrimp on the bottom is extremely popular, but you’ll catch your share of croakers and hard heads too. They tend to nibble away at the shrimp and cause you to miss redfish opportunities.
On the other hand, a piece of cracked blue crab pretty much catches redfish and black drum exclusively.
“Mayim, what is cracked blue crab?” I ask, not 100 percent sure if I got this one right.
Those crazy lights start flashing and the crowd cheers, while I let out a sigh of relief.
This “What is July” thing is tougher than I thought, but I’m in it to win it. What can I say, I’ve got to go for that big number at the top of the board.
“Mayim, I’ll take ‘What is July,’ for $1,000,” I say, while looking right into the camera and to the clapping approval of the audience.

Bialik quiets the crowd and reads the question, “This knot and hook is considered to be one of the best combinations for fishing redfish on the bottom in deep water during the summer months.”

I’ve got a movie star smile on my face. I approvingly know the answer to this one, so I pause and take in the moment with deep satisfaction.

“Mayim,” I say hesitantly while playing to the crowd, “what is a Snelled 1/0 Kahle hook.”

The crowd erupts with lights flashing and music playing. I just swept the “What is July” category!

You don’t have to stay home in the air conditioning during the dog days of summer. There’s plenty of opportunities for redfish if you know what to do and where to go. Best
bets are sticking to deep water cuts, channels, and bayous on a falling tide.

Some of the better places to fish for redfish in deep water are Oyster Bayou near Point Au Fer Island, Blue Hammock and Rice Bayou out of Four League Bay, the Worm Bayou on Marsh Island, and the Ivanhoe Canal in West Cote Blanche Bay.

Be sure to stay hydrated during July and August while on the water. And, don’t forget your sunscreen.

John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.