Fishing for Redfish Help

[Narragansett]

Being from RI, I am an avid saltwater fisherman. My target species is or was striped bass. After moving to GA, it seems that Redfish ( red drum ). is the primary choice.

However, from what I read and see everybody puts chunks of shrimp or small live bait on a hook and throws it out, and waits. That is not my style of fishing. I like lures, and soft plastics. Will small poppers and soft plastics work on redfish?

How about a fly rod for redfish? what patterns and colors are best? I can tie my own patterns. There is a lot of LMB fishing where I am, but I prefer salt water.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[AugieTN]

Aren't Red Drum fish basically bottom feeders?

 

[Narragansett]

Aren't Red Drum fish basically bottom feeders?

Yes, but I hear they will hit top water

 

[LoboGunLeather]

My limited experience with redfish was a trip to the Port Aransas and Rockport, Texas area. Huge tidal areas of shallow water (typically under 3 feet depth) with muddy bottom and plenty of vegetation. Great area for shrimp and oysters, commercially harvested and served at local restaurants daily.

Fishing for redfish was done using light tackle, spinning rods and reels like we might use in Colorado for trout. Bait was small fish like shiners or shad, which our guide prepared by trimming off most of the fins. This left the live bait on the hook constantly moving and trying to swim, thus attracting predatory fish like redfish.

Another popular bait was live shrimp, available at many locations along the coast. Hook one up and send it out to do the work.

During the season (spring to early summer) most of the redfish we caught were between 20" and 30" length and weighing about 3.5 to 6 lbs. When caught on a light spinning rod there will be a fight to remember. I joked about having an underwater 4-wheel drive with a hemi engine on the line.

At the time of that trip (2016) Texas limited the catch to minimum 20" length and up to 3 fish per day per angler. My friend and I both limited out in about 4 or 5 hours and those 6 redfish yielded about 10 or 12 pounds of nice filets. We also released about the same number as being under minimum length.

I suspect that a lure that imitates a small fish or a shrimp could be worth trying. Applying appropriate "action" with some flash and color could be effective. The best combinations would probably imitate local bait fish or shrimp.

Enjoy! No better eating fish in my opinion.

 

[Papa32129]

I like the DOA Terror Eyes , DOA Shrimp, and a Rapala skitterwalk.

The Terror eyes is vertical jigging through the entire water depth column.
I like root beer color.

The shrimp I like in Gold with a slow retrieve. It will give a vertical presentation too, just much slower through the water column.

The skitter walk is top water ,retrieve using the “walk the dog” method. Had success w “chartreuse”color.

I have never used cut bait or fly rod for the Red Drum.

Have fun!

Papa

 

[Bald1]

Still fishing with chunks of fish or shrimp is a lot of fun. But you have a hard time keeping the Mangrove Snapper, Catfish, Ladyfish and even sharks off your hook long enough to catch a big Red. In my admittedly limited experience salt water fishing I’ve found spinners, jigs and yes top water lured work on Reds. You might even catch a Snook Or Tarpon if they are present. I caught this 31” red casting a jig in the mangroves of the Ten Thousand Islands (Naples, Marco Island area). We were actually targeting Snook.

 

[Golddollar]

Are red drum good to eat?

 

[mick1213]

They are delicious. Aka, reds, redfish, channel bass, spotted bass, red drum, probably other local names. Personally I like fried fish but a Louisiana chef made blackened redfish popular.

Live shrimp was my favorite bait but a spoon bumped along the bottom worked for me. I have not fished for several years.

 

[glowe]

Blackened redfish just about wiped out the Redfish in parts of Louisiana because they tasted so good . . . plus Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen promoted the recipe.

You could have your hands full using a flyrod for a big Redfish, let alone all the other saltwater fish species. My experience was that they are tough fighters, strong and wide. Was glad to have a drag set when they run. Live bait and shrimp were the choice of all the Mississippi River Delta fishermen I ran into.

 

[walkin jack]

3 quarter oz gold Johnson Spoon. Nuff said.

 

[pasound]

Redfish is delicious. Expensive at the fresh seafood market, but tempting every time I go there. Too far from the ocean to go try for one myself.

 

[Rule3]

You can fly fish for Red tailing in the flats. Sight fishing for them as they leave a wake of mud in the flats But you need a flats boat a stand to get up high to seem them.


Back when Reds where plentiful I just used shrimp but you can use a jig.

The fishing has been destroyed by over fishing and water quality

 

[The Norseman]

Fishing to the beat of a different Drum

Fishing Redfish (Red Drum) would be
interesting, especially with a Fly Rod.

You might find some interesting discussions
on North American Fly Fishing Forums (NAFFF).

I Fly Fish a lot for Trout here. The NAFFF has
given me insight to different kinds of fish
to Fly Fish.

Just a suggestion. The Best to you and your
Endeavors.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Being from RI, I am an avid saltwater fisherman. My target species is or was striped bass. After moving to GA, it seems that Redfish ( red drum ). is the primary choice.

However, from what I read and see everybody puts chunks of shrimp or small live bait on a hook and throws it out, and waits. That is not my style of fishing. I like lures, and soft plastics. Will small poppers and soft plastics work on redfish?

How about a fly rod for redfish? what patterns and colors are best? I can tie my own patterns. There is a lot of LMB fishing where I am, but I prefer salt water.

Any help would be appreciated

You're talkin' my wheel house!
Sight fishing redfish from a polled skiff is one of the best things you can do. You want a spinning outfit and use a Johnson gold spoon. Polarized sunglasses are a must. You want to get into those shallow water (think 12") duck ponds and have one guy poling and one guy in the front casting. Best trip ever was one day me and a pard, on a whim while the kids were at sailing practice, drove down to Myrtle Grove, put in and spend the next 45 minutes casting to and catching 9 red fish all around 20". Lost #10 and since it was time to get the kids, we left a two person limit one shy.
DOn't underestimate a jig head with tail tipped with shrimp under a popping cork or a chunk of cracked crab. Also if you want to have some fun you can scrape barnacles from a pier and use as chum with a small hook baited with shrimp to catch some bay snapper (AKA sheepheads).
Oh and a LOT of guys use fly rods instead of spinning tackle with crab tied flies-I'm just not good enough yet of a fly rod.
Go get 'em

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Are red drum good to eat?

Blackened they are pretty tasty, but I actually prefer them in a good courtbouillion. Lots of people like them bar b qued "on the half shell but that is not one of my favorite way to eat them

 

[Nevada Ed]

When I visited my fishing buddy in Florida on the west side, nere Hormosa,
he took me out in his skiff in shallow waters and canals, with some loght spinning gear.

He used the popper with soft plastic shrimp and some sent, to see what might say hellow.
After three hours of slow action, I went through his tackle box and came up with something, that I liked.

On the trird cast to some salt water bushes............. Bingo!

Catching fish, while walking the dog, makes for a fun outting.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I've caught a few reds in bays on the Texas Gulf coast at Port Aransas, Rockport, and Corpus Christi. Since I'm not a seafood lover they were eaten by others who declared them delicious. I fish there mostly with live shrimp, and you never know what will bite. Lots of hardheads and gafftops, sheepshead, specks, reds, croaker, and now and then something I can't identify.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Blackened they are pretty tasty, but I actually prefer them in a good courtbouillion. Lots of people like them bar b qued "on the half shell but that is not one of my favorite way to eat them

We were doing a red fish coubouillion at the camp one night when a friend brought in two 6' plus rattlesnakes. We fileted them, threw them in the pot, and with all the sauce it was hard to tell them apart. Served over popcorn rice with an ample amount of tasty adult beverages and it was fine. We had to bring in two Coonass chefs to get it right. I spent the night at the camp.

 

[charlie sherrill]

They have gotten plentiful since they put limits on them. Prudhomme's recipe almost caused their extinction. When I was a kid we threw them back, we thought they were trash fish back then. We wanted trout and the were just bait stealers and messed up our light tackle. Not anymore.