Redfish Fishing Tips

Do you want to catch more Redfish? Redfish will go after almost any bait, which is why it is popular with anglers. In this article, we share redfish fishing tips to help you catch more redfish while you are fishing this exciting gamefish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redfish Fishing Tips

1. Very large redfish are found around jetties all year, fish jetties and you will have buckets full of redfish.

 

 

 

2. Redfish start popping up around jetties in late summer and early fall. Their numbers only increase through fall and into early winter during annual spawning runs. This time is one of the best times to fish for redfish.

 

 

 

3. When fishing for redfish near jetties, use your depth finder to identify drop-offs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Live baits like mullet, croakers, and mud minnows are great for fishing for redfish.

 

 

 

5. When you can’t see the redfish along the jetties due to the waves and currents, cast smaller redfish early in the morning along the rocks.

 

 

 

6. Redfish likes structures like rocks, docks, jetties, deep channels, estuaries, and oyster beds. They use the structure as cover from predators and also use it to ambush their prey like mullets, crabs, and shrimps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. During winter, redfish are in full survival mode. It wants to avoid predators as well as find areas with mild temperatures. They will move to shallow flats and look for creeks with muddy bottoms that hold heat.

 

 

 

8. In the spring, when the days are warm, redfish will be more active and want to feed as mullets and shrimps will flood the waters. Redfish will move around more comfortably and feed aggressively as their predators will be preoccupied with bigger prey. This is the time for popping corks and topwater lures.

 

 

 

9. During the summer, you have to pay attention to detail as redfish will move to deeper water during July and August around docks and jetties to escape the heat. These are the areas to fish for redfish if you are fishing on a really hot day in July and August.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. During Fall, redfish’s main goal is to eat as much as it can to put on weight in anticipation of winter. They will move into the shallows to feast on shrimps. Armed with this information, you can target them in the shallows. You want to use live bait like crabs and shrimp. In winter, you want to use mullet and menhaden as live bait.

 

 

 

11. When fishing for redfish in skinny rivers and creeks, you can use artificial baits like topwater jigs, popping corks, and rattling plugs.

 

 

 

12. The color of the lure you choose should depend on the fishing environment. Notwithstanding, you want to have a collection of yellow, green, white, and other bright colors. Always scent your lures with oils as redfish hunt using their sense of smell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Redfish survive in waters of different depths, clarity, and salinity. This implies that there is more than one way to bait your line. Always try to keep your bait close to the ground as they are bottom feeders.

 

 

 

14. In very clear waters, you want to cast in front of your target instead of on top of it. Even though they strike a lot of bait, they can also be very suspicious of things.

 

 

 

15. Redfish bury their heads in the ground while their tails slice through the water. This creates a “V”-shaped wake on the water tops. When you spot it, cast your lure about 3 feet ahead of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16. When your target advances to your bait, twitch it slightly. That action will make your lure appear as if it is naturally reacting to the presence of a predator as a real bait fish will do. Twitching, hopping and “stop-and-going” your bait will gain the attention of Redfish and get them fired up.

 

 

 

17. Redfish eats Ladyfish and don’t be surprised that it can eat a whole 3-pound ladyfish. Therefore, if you can locate areas with ladyfish, even the big ones, you will have located a possible food source for Redfish.

 

 

 

18. If you see small birds feeding on shrimps, that is a sign that redfish will come to that area also to feed on shrimps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19. Even though casting jigs into the waters works, you can be more successful using a popping cork with a good shrimp-imitating jig in brown or off-white. It works well when the cork is popping, shaking, and rattling across the surface during the retrieve.

 

 

 

20. Redfish will not hit a lure retrieved in a straight during cold fronts. They prefer artificial lures or baits that wobble. In this situation, you have to manipulate a lure or a bait like a jig-and-minnow, mullet, or mud minnow on a jig.

 

 

 

21. Very large redfish will move into inlets and passes lined by rock jetties during the fall.

 

 

 

22. Use side-scan sonar to locate redfish. It locates bait, individual redfish, oyster bars, channels, and little humps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Live Bait For Redfish

1. Shrimp

2. Pilchards

3. Crabs

4. Mud Minnows

5. Mullet

6. Pinfish

7. Grunts

8. Pigfish

9. Atlantic Croaker

10. Ladyfish

11. Ballyhoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bottom Line

Redfish is an exciting and challenging gamefish that anglers like to target. They eat almost anything and are found all over the United States. In this article, we shared redfish fishing tips to help you catch more redfish and become a more successful angler.

This article on pike fishing tips will help you be a more successful angler for pike fish. Similarly, this article on how to catch flounder will help you catch more flounders.