How to Catch Redfish (Red Drum): Top Techniques & Tips

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Redfish are among the most sought-after gamefish in the coastal waters of the southern United States, from Virginia around to the Gulf of Mexico clear to Texas.

Redfish, technically red drum but also known by other names, including channel bass, are prized by trophy anglers and novices alike for their challenging fighting spirit and their delicious flavor.

One of the largest sport fish found in near-shore coastal waters, anglers have caught bull redfish weighing up to 94 pounds. Anglers can find these incredible gamefish in many environments, from estuaries to bayous, coastal plains to rivers.

While there are many ways to catch redfish, anglers looking to set the hook on some of these delicious saltwater predators can use the tips in this article to help fill up their icebox in no time.

Redfish Characteristics

Redfish you’ll most commonly catch range from 11 to 24 inches.

Redfish are easy to identify, thanks to their remarkable coppery golden scales and a telltale black spot near the end of their tail. That distinctive spot may act like butterfly wings or the backs of tiger ears, giving predators the illusion that the redfish is facing them.

Feeding and Location

Redfish aren’t picky eaters, but much of their diet is seasonally dependent.

Adult redfish will consume shrimp, crabs, and mullet during the fall and summer months. Their diets during colder winter and early spring conditions usually consist of worms, pin fish, mullet, lizard fish, and croaker.

Redfish are voracious and opportunistic predators, much like largemouth bass. If given the opportunity, redfish will consume small rodents, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that make their way into the redfish habitat.

Redfish can usually be found in packs of three to five fish, searching for easy meals and moving quickly at depths from the surface to 30 feet beneath.

Redfish thrive in various salinity levels and need two primary things in optimal habitats: Structure and food are the key ingredients to a good redfish fishing hole.

The structure is essential as it provides cover for these predators to ambush their bait while protecting them against predators. Some of their preferred structure includes grass beds, jetties, docks, rocks, oyster beds, and more.

Anglers often locate redfish in holes or deeper channels inside estuaries, mangrove groves, and grass flats. Many of these sanctuaries are rich in food sources such as crab, shrimp, and mullet.

When to Catch Redfish

During the warmer months, the best time to angle for redfish is during the transition times of dawn and dusk.

The shifting light conditions, warming or cooling water, and tidal movements make prime feeding times for ambush predators like the redfish.

When the weather turns cooler, the warmer the water, the more likely anglers will have a chance of success when angling for redfish.

During the coldest days, the late morning through early afternoon period is ideal time to hit the water in search of redfish, which often sun themselves in shallow water.

Redfish Fishing by the Season

A redfish’s habitat and diet vary with the seasons.

Winter

At the coldest time of the year, expect to find redfish over the muddy bottoms of creeks and shallow flats. These areas collect and hold heat.

In winter, anglers may find redfish in large schools, meaning that once anglers lock onto a first fish, they give that spot a thorough try as it’s likely they’ve stumbled onto a group of redfish.

Spring

During springtime angling for redfish, it’s OK to be picky with which days you hit the water. Choosing sunnier and warmer days means that higher concentrations of bait will be in the water, and the fish will be more active.

Summer

Summer weather can significantly impact the success of angling for redfish. The hottest days mean that redfish will seek out the cooler, deeper water and avoid the warm surface level.

Targeting structures in or near deep water such as docks, jetties, or drop-offs in deep channels or estuaries usually brings the most success in hotter weather.

Fall

One of the best times of year to angle for redfish is fall. Similar to bears, a redfish’s feeding level peaks during the fall as they prepare for a season of scarcity.

During the autumn, the shallows fill with feeding frenzies. Wild bands of redfish destroy schools of mullet and shrimp, providing anglers with unlimited opportunities to hook these coppery predators

Redfish Fishing Gear

When it comes to angling for redfish, many anglers have their unique preference regarding gear, whether it be line strength, reel type, and rigs and lure choices.

However, there are a few constants that anglers looking to start fishing for redfish can follow.

Rod and Reel

A 3000- to 4000-size reel set on a 7-foot rod is a good starting setup for redfish. However, some anglers prefer a longer fishing rod, particularly if surf fishing.

Line

While the pound test of the line may vary, a good rule of thumb is that the sharper and more challenging the structure you are fishing around, the heavier the line used.

A lighter line is best when anglers fish areas such as shallows with sandy bottoms or grassy flats.

Alternatively, oyster beds, pilings, or submerged structures covered with razor-like barnacles require a heavier line.

For the most part, anglers prefer braided lines as their main line with monofilament or mono-carbon leaders.

Redfish Fishing Rigs

Sinkers, leaders, and jig heads are all pieces of tackle anglers will need when fishing for redfish.

Particularly when fishing near structures such as jetties, rocks, or docks with barnacles or sharp edges, anglers will want to increase the strength of their leader and their main line.

Heavy sinkers keep the bait near the bottom, especially when the surf or channel fishing with setups such as the Carolina or Texas rig.

Jig heads are often used under corks or with soft plastic lures.
When fishing shallow flats, anglers can retrieve soft plastics at different depths depending on retrieval speed.

Popping corks are another way anglers can target a variety of depths, triggering a redfish’s predatory instinct with the action.

Best Redfish Lures

Because redfish are predators that rely on their sense of sight to locate prey, lures with plenty of action draw their attention.

Shallow running spoons and poppers are always excellent choices when angling for redfish with artificial lures.

Plastic shrimp, jigs, or worms can also be effective; however, these lures must also create enough disturbance to trigger a predatory response.

Topwater lures and crankbaits can be effective when working out of cuts and offshoot creeks, drawing out lurking redfish hunting in the current and triggering a strike.

How to Catch Redfish

There are myriad ways to angle for redfish, depending on the location and environment you are fishing.

Surf Fishing

Surf fishing is a common technique along the East Coast down to the shores of Texas.

For this method, anglers deploy longer rods and cast into the surf zone utilizing Carolina or Texas rigs baited with shrimp, crabs, or small bait fish.

This technique places bait into the middle of the water column, making it an easy target for redfish cruising the shorelines of beaches, bays, and estuaries.

Fly Fishing

Fly fishing is another technique that has become incredibly popular, working brackish water flats in marshes throughout the southeastern United States.

Best used in calmer water with little wind, fly fishing can yield massive redfish from unlikely locations; however, it requires an experienced fly fisherman.

Boat Fishing

Angling from a boat allows anglers to reach otherwise inaccessible areas where massive redfish may hole up, such as cuts and creeks deeper in the marsh.

From a boat, anglers can use just about every technique and rig for redfish fishing.

One of the most popular boat tactics is fishing with popping corks above soft plastic lures. Work the cork-and-lure rigs around structures such as oyster beds and cuts.

Try casting topwater lures or other hard plastics when fishing creeks and grass beds.

Fishing from Piers or Docks

Anglers without boats can find fishing piers or docks for redfish. While this can be successful, these areas often yield higher catches of black drum, sheepshead, or catfish than the coveted red drum (redfish).

Redfish Fishing by Water Depth

Anglers catch redfish throughout the water column; however, it’s essential to know how to target each portion to maximize your chances of catching redfish.

Bottom

Because all drum species are primarily bottom feeders, jig heads fished on Carolina rigs can work wonders.

Crabs, cut bait, shrimp, and sand worms are all excellent choices of bait when bottom fishing.

Texas and Carolina rigs are often incorporated into this angling method because the bottom of the water column focuses on the redfish’s sense of smell more than its sight.

Although heavily scented plastic baits can work, naturally occurring bait works best at the bottom of the water column.

Middle

When angling for redfish in the middle of the water column, a lure or bait blending smell, sound, and sight is optimal.

Soft plastics shine when working the thermocline and middle portions of the water column. If the bait or lure is colorful, noisy, and scented, it’s likely to bring you success.

Popping corks are an effective way to place a lure or bait in the middle of the water column without much input from the angler.

Baited with natural baits such as crab, shrimp, or minnows or with soft plastic lures, popping corks can be a great addition to any angler’s arsenal.

Single or double trout rigs can also yield redfish throughout the middle of the water column.

Top

Topwater fishing for redfish is probably the most exciting way to go. Diving stick baits, popping frogs, and surface plugs make for a thrilling ride as a hungry redfish blows these lures out of the water.

Sight and sound are the two senses to focus on when angling for redfish at the top of the water column.

Lures that chug, pop, or rattle usually have the highest success rate as they can trigger a redfish’s predatory response as these predators lurk below, watching the surface for prey.

Five Best Tackle Choices for Redfish

Popping Cork

The popping cork comes in first on this list because it is the most effective rig for both warm and cold water.

The disturbance this rig creates acts as a dinner bell for redfish searching for an easy meal. When an angler pops the cork, it creates a chugging sound that draws the redfish’s attention.

Baited with artificial or natural bait, this rig’s combination of action and scent is impossible for redfish to ignore.

Depending on the environment, shrimp is always a favorite bait for redfish. The choice between dead and live shrimp often is based on cost.

The benefit of a jig head beneath a popping cork is that it is easy to cast, retrieve, and work in the water. The bait hook or lure sits 2 feet below the cork on a leader.
Popping cork anglers often catch a mix of redfish and speckled trout.

A favorite way to fish this setup is casting toward a structure and working past or away from it. Redfish using the structure will “ambush” your rig as it passes.

Crankbaits

Another effective way to angle for redfish is using crankbaits.

Because redfish will feed throughout the entire water column, swimming baits that dive down are a unique asset in any angler’s toolbox.

The best crankbaits have a stiff lip to help reduce damage and line cuts when running over rocks or oyster shells.

Experienced redfish anglers and guides often clip front-facing points on their treble hooks to streamline the bait and avoid snags.

Crankbaits are excellent in murky water because while redfish usually rely on their sense of sight, the vibrations and noise put off by the crankbait allow them to locate the lure when their vision is more limited.

These also are an excellent lure to cover lots of water and target channels or offshoots to find any redfish lying in the back.

Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig is one of the most common rigs for all types of saltwater and brackish water angling.

This rig targets the bottom of the water column with a pyramid or egg sinker attached to a leader with a free-floating hook. The Carolinarig keeps the bait in the strike zone but allows it to move freely in the water column.

Perfect for surf fishing, this setup often uses a treble hook or 3/0 to 7/0 circle hook attached to a fluorocarbon leader, which links the braided mainline to the rig.

Among the best bait setup for redfish is using small crabs or portions of larger ones because baiting with crabs attracts fewer jacks or sharks in the surf zone. Other standard natural baits are shrimp, cut bait, or croakers.

When surf fishing with the Carolina rig, your best bet for a rod is a 10-foot surf pole with a 30- to 50-pound braid, the perfect tackle for handling a big bull red.

Soft Plastic Lures

Anglers can play into a redfish’s senses of sight and smell to draw them to the swimming lure by using scented plastics in the middle of the water column, where both senses are essential.

If scented plastics are unavailable, adding a small piece of crab or shrimp to the hook can help lure redfish in.

Soft plastics can target the middle portions of the water column with high success.

By threading the soft body on a jig head, anglers can work plastics like the Berkley Gulp! Shad on a steady retrieve or with a stop and bump action to create a movement that imitates a wounded fish.

While perhaps not the first choice of setups for rank beginners, soft plastic rigs still can easily be mastered by newer anglers looking to cover more water and up their redfish game.

Topwater Lures

Topwaters are a lure that anglers will use to catch a blend of freshwater bass and redfish in inland waters with lower salinity levels rich in grass. Perfect for all small channels and creeks, topwater lures allow anglers to skirt subsurface snags while presenting a tantalizing offer for a hungry redfish.

Topwater lures imitating grogs, minnows, and even rats have fooled large redfish in marshes and estuaries.

When going with this setup, it’s important to target subsurface structures or grass points where redfish may be holding up in search of bait fish or shrimp to ambush.

The more lifelike the lure is and the more disturbance it makes on the surface above those natural ambush spots, the more likely it is to trigger a strike from a hungry redfish.

Final Redfish Fishing Tips

Here are some final tips to help you get the most out of your next redfish fishing trip.

1. When the most popular areas are crowded, locating places that aren’t as often fished or when the fish just aren’t biting can be a game-changer.

Considering the structure, food, and current mix can help you narrow down a few overlooked spots where the redfish may be hiding.

2. Sight-fishing for redfish is common in the shallows such as marshes and estuaries. In these areas, redfish tailing while feeding make themselves known thanks to their black spots.

The best way to catch tailing redfish is to spot them from a distance and cast far in front of the moving fish’s path, so you don’t spook them.

Tailing redfish are often easiest to find while boat fishing, but redfish can sometimes be sight-fished from the beach.

3. Always be willing to try a different bait.

Anglers should be willing to swap from shrimp to crab or from natural to plastic without being too hung up on the specifics of the bait. Sometimes those simple switches will make all the difference.

4. When selecting natural bait, ensure it is a species native to the habitat and currently available during that season.

5. Transition times such as dusk and dawn, changing tides, and incoming storms are all excellent times to hit the water in search of redfish.

Summary

Redfish are some of the most sought-after brackish and saltwater gamefish throughout the southeastern United States. Delicious and hard fighting, anglers can catch redfish in many places using multiple techniques.

Fly fishing, surf fishing, bottom or top water, from boat or land … anglers can chase these coppery gold predators throughout estuaries, beaches, marshes, and rivers.

Anglers who pay attention to the time of day and year, ensure that they select a bait that matches the environment, and locate the right cover will have a higher chance of success when angling for redfish.

Good luck, and stay safe out on the water.

Best Redfish Fishing

Click the following states to find the best redfish fishing bays, beaches and backwaters in each location. We are currently in the process of adding more states.

Alabama
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi (Complete MS Gulf Coast Fishing Guide Including Redfish)
South Carolina
Texas