Redfish - How to Catch a Redfish

Description: Redfish have blunt nose, a chin without barbels and a wide undercut mouth. They are a reddish copper and bronze color on their body in dark water , with lighter shades in clear waters. The underside and belly is pure white. They have from one to as many fifty spots at base of their tail and very rarely no spots at all.

Where Can they be Found: Young fish called juveniles are inshore fish, inhabiting bays, river and creeks. They particularly like creeks with oyster beds. They migrate out of the estuaries when they reach about four years of age and about thirty inches in length. They then join the spawning population offshore.

Size: Most state regulate the size limits with a slot and keepers must be over fourteen inches long and can be as long as 27 inches long. This varies by state - so check your own location. Reds can grow to almost 100 pounds, although state records are somewhat smaller than that.

Tackle: Light to medium spinning or casting tackle with fifteen to twenty pound test line is sufficient for most redfish applications. Reds will readily hit artificials such as plastic grubs and topwaters, but are more frequently caught using live or dead bait. Terminal tackle consists of a standard bottom fishing rig with sinker, swivel, leader and 5/0 hook

Bait: Artificial baits include Bass Assassin swim-tail grubs in chartreuse or electric chicken colors. Any small to medium topwater plug that causes a commotion will attract reds early and late in the day. Live bait includes shrimp, mud minnows, finger mullet, and pogies. Dead bait can be the best choice at times. Any cut slab of a filet from mullet, croaker, pinfish, etc., will work.