Tag-and-recapture studies confirm slot reds stay within a few miles of capture for years. Bull reds travel longer distances, sometimes hundreds of miles between summer and winter ranges. Migration calendar pages cover bull-red timing.
Inshore Migration Timing
Do redfish migrate or stay in one area?
Slot-size redfish (under ~30 inches) are largely resident — they stay in the same estuary system year-round, moving between deeper holes in winter and flats in summer. Bull reds (over ~30 inches, mature breeders) make seasonal offshore migrations, schooling in fall and moving offshore for winter spawning.
More from Inshore Migration Timing
- When do striped bass arrive in the Chesapeake Bay?
- When do redfish school in the fall?
- When do flounder run in North Carolina?
- When do Spanish mackerel arrive in spring?
- When does cobia show up in the Chesapeake Bay?
- When do speckled trout move to grass flats in spring?
- When do bluefish arrive in the Northeast?
- Why do fish migrate and what triggers it?
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