If you like sport fishing, you surely will like to fish for redfish. Redfish is a common name for a range of species of fish throughout the English-speaking world. It is commonly applied to members of the deep-sea genus Sebastes, or the reef dwelling snappers, Lutjanus. It is also applied to the slimeheads or roughies (family Trachichthyidae), and the alfonsinos (Berycidae). This feisty species is one of the best fighters in the inshore spectrum and, if cooked correctly, a great addition to the barbeque menu. Even some restaurants have adopted the fish as a specialty. For example, at the famous Redfish Seafood Grill and Bar on Bourbon Street, New Orleans, they headline, At Redfish, we serve up a parade of award-winning French Quarter specialties, including classics like Blackened Redfish, Crawfish Etouffee and Jambalaya.
Young redfish, or red drum as they are often called, feed in the shallows on clams, crabs, mussels and shrimp. Red drum are an inshore species until they attain roughly 30 inches (4 years), then they migrate to join the near-shore population; spawning occurs from August to November in near-shore waters; sudden cold snaps may kill red drum in shallow,...