Cold Salt Redfish

Fishing for tarpon and bonefish on the flats is always best when the water temperatures are over 80 degrees F. Atlantic striped bass migrate to Northern states in the summer following bait and cool water, and thrive in the same cool temperature ranges in the Carolinas during the winter. But redfish—God bless them!—feed and breed in the same general areas 12 months of the year and in a wide range of conditions. You can fly into New Orleans expecting to find redfish in both summer and winter, but you can’t bring the same lines. Cortland’s floating Tropic Plus Redfish Line has a stiff monofilament core and a hard tropical coating that can withstand the wilting heat of a skiff deck when it’s 90 degrees. Line that stays stiff is less likely to tangle and shoots through the guides with less friction. The Cold Salt Redfish has a softer braided core and a supple coating that is easy to stretch and straighten in December, January, and February when big bull reds feed in open water. Both lines have short, aggressive tapers to turn over larger flies, and a 30-foot head that is barely overweighted so you can arrow long casts when you need to. $90 | cortlandline.com