The Tampa Bay Times
The closure of redfish has led to the best schools of this species I have seen in seven years. It makes me think, they should just leave them closed. Having them to catch is much better than taking them home to eat, if you ask me. Redfish is the ultimate sport fish. The most challenging to catch on a lure. On bait: Easy. On lures, it requires talent. It’s all about what you want. If you just want the battle, put tiny hooks on a rod and take along a couple of dead shrimp. Catch small pinfish. The smallest pinfish use live whole. Bigger pinfish, use scissors and cut them in half. A larger pinfish might make three baits. Use a size 2 hook and throw the chunks of pinfish to redfish. Chunks of cut ladyfish will also work. Live shrimp will work. Redfish are always suckers for a crab.
If you want the challenge of lures, use a 1/8-ounce jighead and a “paddletail” soft plastic. I would suggest “gold” in color but other colors will also work. Wintertime, rootbeer gold glitter. Cheating a little, you can add some scent to the lures which may help with getting the attention of these fish. Redfish are in less than two feet of water so you need to be more aggressive with the lure. Go at a speed that is getting the lure down in the water but not so slow where you are snagging the grass on the bottom. If you get grass on the lure, you won’t catch a redfish. A topwater lure is a fun way to catch them. Not always the best choice, it is fun to watch a redfish try to get on top of a topwater lure. Be as quiet as possible while targeting redfish. They are extremely sensitive to noise. Make long casts and get that lure moving and keep it moving the right speed. When you find feeding redfish, if your technique is good, you are in for one of the best fights there is. I have not kept a redfish in 8 years. If more people were doing the same, we would have a lot more to catch.
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
