Increase Your Redfish Catch Rate
Increase Your Catch Rate Fishing Redfish on Artificial Baits
Rat, spot tail, bull or simply a Red. The copper-colored fish are considered the Bass of saltwater and catching them is some of the most fun you can have. They are plentiful and very fun to catch. In fact, a 5lb redfish will feel like a 7 or 8lb bass when caught!
While many anglers now treat Redfish like Bass, in that they catch and release, Redfish are a white meat and very delicious tasting fish. Additionally, they can be prepared many different ways. But… that is a topic for another article. Here we are going to talk about chasing and catching them. To maximize your redfish catching, here are a few things you need to consider.
Size and Presentation Matters
When it comes to using artificial baits there are many people who go fishing and believe it’s the color of the lure that attracts the fish. Color can and does have an effect but generally when it comes to redfish, you are better off thinking about presentation. You want to try and imitate the prey the fish are chasing. Redfish are generally a reaction bite as opposed to a finesse bite. Meaning that if you get it in front of them and it is at least a close representation of what they like to eat then they will strike. It could be mullet, shrimp, eel or small crabs. When it comes to color I tend to think more in terms of light or dark baits as opposed to a particular color. With white pearl being my go to starter bait, from there if it is not happening then I would change to a darker colored bait. If I could have only one bait it would be a Gulp, white pearl, 4” shrimp, which is a scented bait. This one has been proven to draw a strike and get the fish to hold on to the bait better and longer than many other baits. Now truly, that’s if I had unlimited numbers of them since they will get torn up as you catch fish. So if I could have only one bait besides Gulp, then hands down it would be a gold ¾ oz. spoon, preferably a Johnson Sprite.
Rigging and Working the Bait
There are many ways to fish artificial baits for Redfish and many different fishing styles. Some people want to simply cast out their bait and let the bait do most of the work. While some would prefer to hunt or stalk the fish and then catch them by sight casting to them. Still others like to fish deep for them at jetties or on deep reefs. Then of course there are the big schools. When you find them simply cast what you have and hold on!!!
POPPING CORK: The simplest way to fish for them is with a popping cork. Rig it at about the same depth as the water you are fishing in with a 1/8 or 1/4oz jig head, put a gulp shrimp under it and cast it out. Then, keep the line fairly tight and give your rod a good flick as to make the cork pop. The sound emulates a fish feeding on top of the water and helps draw a fish to your bait. As you pop it, take up the slack, waiting about a minute or two between pops. Work it back towards the boat over the course of a few minutes, then just cast it back out and start over. Very effective!
SIGHT CASTING: When it comes to hunting for fish you are generally looking for shallower water that is fairly clear. Grass beds, back water marsh or shallow reefs are a great place to start. You are looking for actual fish in the water, so high-quality polarized glasses are a must. As are decent casting skills. When you see a Red, or some, you want to cast your bait just in front of the fish so that they see the bait but aren’t spooked by it. Seeing it all happen is almost more fun than catching them. Sometimes the water is not quite clear enough, or the sun is low in the sky, or even not shining at all where you’re unable to actually see the fish. At least not completely able to see them. This is when you have to look for “signs” of redfish. Look for movement or feeding activity. You may see fish swirling while feeding, exploding on bait on the surface or it may be that you see what is commonly called a “push.” A push is a wake made by a redfish when it moves relatively fast. They are pretty distinctive and much different than a mullet moving through the water. Since redfish are larger than mullet, the hump of water that is created when they move and the wake that is generated will be more pronounced. Their movement will also be less darting and more linear. When you see that you want to make sure and cast in front of the wake since the wake, just like the wake on a boat, is generally a bit behind the fish. While the baits for sight casting are pretty much the same, you will want to use a 1/8 to 1/4oz jig head, either rigged weedless or not, depending on if there is lots of grass. Other great baits are spoons and spinner baits.
DEEP WATER: Fishing deep can be very effective and generally involves using a depth finder to find structure variations, bait fish and of course actual fish. But… you have to accept and plan on losing more tackle since you can’t actually see the bottom and rock jetties don’t let go of baits very well. “If you are not losing baits then you probably are not down where the fish are.” Deep water generally has more current and as a result will require heavier weights or baits that you control by reeling, like a crank bait. You have to get the bait down to where the fish are, so in some cases you might even be using up to 2oz or more of weight to do that. The key here is to keep the bait in the strike zone where the fish are located. In shallow water you may be dealing with only 2’ to 5’ of water and the fish will see and strike your bait in that zone. In deep water you might be fishing in 15’ to 50’ of water. Aim 5’ off and you get nothing while the guy next to you is limiting out. The baits are not that much different, but the rigging is. As mentioned earlier, you are either casting out a crank bait and reeling it down until you start bumping the structure or you have to rig up a bait with lots of weight and drop it down. Carolina rigging is a popular way to fish deep since it helps to keep the bait from getting hung up.
Fall Patterns
Fall generally represents a period of time when the fish are preparing for winter and as a result they are gorging to put on weight for winter. While some never leave the back water marshes, most tend to work towards the deeper parts of the bays as it gets cooler. They will still feed in the shallows but they will want to be close to deeper water as the water temperature and water level drops due to colder air temperature and northerly winds. This is also the time of the year when you have the greatest opportunity to see feeding activity on the surface. It is not uncommon this time of year to find fish tearing up the surface of the water as they chase bait. Pretty exciting stuff! In a future post I will discuss winter, spring and summer patterns.
By better understanding how, when and what to present can really increase your catch rate. So, get out on the water, use some of these techniques, hold on and have fun!
Technical fishing knowledge provided by LMC Marine Pro Staff and Redfish Elite Series Pro Angler David Christian. For more information about him and the Redfish Elite Tour check out:
http://theredfishseries.com/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Elite-Redfish-Series-564608590276494/
https://www.facebook.com/David-Christian-LMC-Pro-1674251226163881/