What is the best tackle for redfish?
The best tackle for redfish is a 3500 series spinning reel coupled with a 7 foot medium heavy rod. You will want to spool your reel with 10 pound braided line with a 30 pound mono filament leader. Learn how to fish with a gold spoon or a 3 to 5 inch paddle tail with a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jig head.
Redfish are one of the most popular fish targeted by inshore fishermen. This is most likely because the are extremely good fighters and they make excellent table fare.
BUT you aren't going to catch very many if you have the wrong tackle set up to catch them.
Redfish a.k.a. red drum are in most inshore saltwater and brackish waters all through out the Southern Atlantic states and the Gulf States.
They can be found around oyster bars, mangroves, mud flats, docks, grass flats, tidal creeks and on the beaches.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mud flats and mangroves around Florida for more than 40 years.
The article below will cover the best tackle for redfish and simple tips and techniques to help you catch them.
Okay, let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish with live bait.
The best tackle for redfish is a 3500 series spinning reel coupled with a 7 foot medium heavy rod. You will want to spool your reel with 10 pound braided line with a 30 pound mono filament leader. Learn how to fish with a gold spoon or a 3 to 5 inch paddle tail with a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jig head.
Redfish are one of the most popular fish targeted by inshore fishermen. This is most likely because the are extremely good fighters and they make excellent table fare.
BUT you aren't going to catch very many if you have the wrong tackle set up to catch them.
Redfish a.k.a. red drum are in most inshore saltwater and brackish waters all through out the Southern Atlantic states and the Gulf States.
They can be found around oyster bars, mangroves, mud flats, docks, grass flats, tidal creeks and on the beaches.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mud flats and mangroves around Florida for more than 40 years.
The article below will cover the best tackle for redfish and simple tips and techniques to help you catch them.
Okay, let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish with live bait.
Best tackle for redfish--RODS and REELS
The best rods and reels for redfish depends upon where you are fishing for them and the conditions. If you are fishing for redfish out on the open grass flats, then you can probably get away with a 2500 to 3500 series reel depending upon the size of the redfish that you are catching.
If they are slot size or smaller you can use the 2500 or 3500 reel with an 8 to 12 lb. braided line on a 7 to 8 ft. medium/heavy rod and be okay. You don't want to kill the redfish by taking too long to bring them in but you don't want such a heavy outfit so that it isn't fun for you.
Expect to pay $100-150 for a decent 2500 or 2500 reel and around $75 for a decent rod. You can get them for a little less and a lot more but use that as your guide for a decent reel and rod.
I wrote another article on this website that covers how to catch a redfish in great detail. You can read that article by clicking right here.
The grass flats let you use lighter gear because there is no structure that the reds can cut you off on.
If you are fishing for redfish around dock pilings or bridge pilings, then you may want to beef up your reel and line strength. Pulling slot reds out of dock or bridge pilings will mean that you need to use a 4000 series reel and 20 lb. braided line. If the reds are monster over slot sized than you might want to move up to a 5500 series reel and a 50 lb. braided line.
Expect to pay $150 to 200 for a decent 4000 or 5500 series reel. You can get them for a little less and a lot more but that is a decent quality price range.
The bottom line is that you will need two different set ups for catching reds. You will need a light one for open spaces like grass flats and mud flats. You will need another heavier one for fishing around structure.
The video below is all about the best tackle for redfish.
Best tackle for redfish--GEAR
If you are going to be catching redfish all day in the sun, then you will need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun. A good set of polarized glasses are a must have item. They protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays and they eliminate the glare from the surface of the water which lets you see what's underneath.
You can't sight fish for reds without a pair of good polarized sunglasses. A top end pair of sunglasses will run you $250. A cheap pair with glass lenses will cost around $25 and a super cheap Walmart all plastic ones will cost around $5.
The best color lenses for inshore fishing murky and dirty water are amber, rose and copper. When you are fishing offshore or clean and clear water a blue or gray lens works the best.
There is definitely a performance difference between the top end and the lower end polarized sunglasses. I received a $250 pair for my birthday recently and there is a huge difference in performance and sturdiness of the frames.
I am a cheap bastard and have never paid more than $25 for a pair of polarized sunglasses in my life. Now that I know the difference, I will probably always have to buy a nice pair once these ones break.
You have to decide what price level that you want to go with but polarized sunglasses are a must for catching redfish.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing apparel. The new technology in microfibers are amazing. The fabric is treated with sunscreen to further protect you from the sun's harmful rays.
They are also moisture wicking which means that they evaporate your sweat more effectively. This keeps you cool during those hot days on the water.
The video below shows you baits and techniques for catching reds around oyster bars.
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Best tackle and techniques for redfish--GRASS FLATS
Now you know what tackle is best for targeting redfish on the flats let's talk about the best techniques to catch them. As mentioned above, you can usually get away with a lighter rod and reel outfit when fishing the flats. I like to have a 2500 loaded with 8 lb. braided line.
The best live baits for flats fishing are definitely shrimp and white baits. White baits are the general name for the smaller bait fish like pilchard, scaled sardines, greenies...... that are usually smaller than 4 inches and have silver sides.
I like to present these live baits under a popping cork with a leader that keeps the bait just above the grass. Redfish are usually rooting around in the grass for invertebrates and don't look up too much. That is why their strike zone is close to the bottom.
If the water is 3 feet or less you can use a live finger mullet. Finger mullet are great for shallow water fishing because they tend to stay on the surface and don't get tangled up in the grass.
I wrote another article on this website that is all about the best baits and lures for catching redfish. You can read that article by clicking right here.
You can free line a mullet and expect them to stay in the top 12 inches of the water column. This keeps them in the strike zone of the redfish. Any deeper than 3 feet and it is hard to get the redfish to notice your bait.
The best lures for grass flats and redfish are a scented shrimp imitation. I like Berkeley GULP Shrimp and Swimming Mullet. The white and the natural looking ones work best for me. I will put a gulp on a 1/16 or a 1/8 ounce red jig head depending upon conditions.
I fish gulps with a series of twitches and reeling. So reel, twitch, twitch, let it sink to the bottom, reel, twitch, twitch. Try your own technique to see what works best for you.
Gulps are expensive so a white soft plastic shad with a paddle tail works really well too. AND they are cheap. I like the DOA Cal in a white or natural color. I fish this bait with a slow retrieve and a twitch every 10 feet or so.
You can fish them under a popping cork in shallow water and crush the redfish and spotted sea trout. They both love this set up.
Watch the video below and learn the best redfish lures.
Best tackle and techniques for redfish--DOCKS
When you are fishing around structure like docks, you will need to beef up your redfish tackle. I like to use a 4000 series reel loaded with 20 lb. braided line for fishing the docks for reds. You will need a little more effort to get a big red out of the dock pilings.
The best lures for catching redfish around docks are white or natural colors scented shrimp imitation jigs and white or natural colors soft plastic shads with paddle tails. I like to bounce these baits on the bottom when I fish dock pilings. Make sure to present your lure from up current because the redfish will be facing into the current. A slow bouncing retrieve works best for me.
Another great dock lure is the weed less gold spoon. Redfish definitely prefer gold over silver spoons for some reason. Fish the gold spoon just like the jigs. Cast up current and slowly retrieve it letting it bounce off of the bottom.
Spinner baits are another great lure to use around the docks. Just get yourself a spinner bait with gold blades for best results. The reds will hit the silver ones too but they like the gold blades better. White and natural colors work best. Snook will hit spinner baits around the docks too.
I wrote another article that covers dock fishing for redfish and other inshore fish in more detail. You can read that article by clicking right here.
When you are fishing in water less than 3 ft. deep you can use a walk-the-dock style of lure around the docks. This works especially well at sunrise and sunset or on cloudy days. I like the Zara Super Spook and MirroLure Top Dog lures the best. My favorite colors are.... you guessed it white and natural color combinations.
Keep in mind that the redfish is used to having its head down rooting around in the mud, grass and oysters. They miss top water lures a lot of the time. Just slow the retrieve and they will usually keep trying.
The best live bait for redfish around the docks are live shrimp with a split shot. Send that shrimp to the dock pilings and if there are reds around they will eat it.
The video below shows how to fish a walk-the-dog top water lure.
Best tackle and techniques for redfish--OYSTER BARS
Most of the redfish that I have had the pleasure of catching have been around oyster bars. Oyster bars and redfish go together like chicken wings and college football. If there are healthy oyster bars around, then you can bet that there are redfish around.
I use my 2500 series reel with 8 lb. braided line unless the big boys are around the oyster bars. If the top slot and above sized reds are in, then I will use my 4000 series reel with 20 lb. braided line.
My favorite lures for catching redfish around the oyster bars are white or natural colored GULPS. Hey if it ain't broke don't fix it right? The underwater topography set up that works best is a cut between two oyster bars. A choke point like that in a tidal creek is an amazing place to find redfish.
The best live bait in this scenario is a shrimp with a split shot about 6 inches above the bait. Cast it up current and bounce it on the bottom back to you. Mud minnows work well in this environment too. Fish them the same way as the shrimp.
Cast your gulp or your paddle tailed shad or your gold weed less spoon or your gold bladed spinner bait up current and swim it near the bottom or bounce it slowly off of the bottom back to you.
The redfish move into and out of these tidal creeks with the tide. They are usually in schools so once you find them you can pick off a few before they move on.
Best tackle and techniques for redfish--MANGROVES
I catch most of my mangrove reds with dead bait. When I am targeting reds around the mangroves I will use a mullet head, a lady fish head or a dead pin fish for bait.
Use these baits with as little weight as possible and cast them to the mangrove roots. You have to be within a foot or so of the mangrove roots for best results.
You can rig the gulps and the DOA Cals weed less and fish the mangrove roots too. Just get them in there as far as possible and bounce them slowly out. The strike zone us usually within 2 feet or so of the roots so you can just reel it back after that distance and not waste your time.
I wrote another article on this website that covers the best lures for catching a redfish in much more detail. You can read that article by clicking right here.
A spinner bait works well in this scenario too. If you cast a gold bladed spinner bait parallel to the mangrove roots no further than 2 feet away, then you can get some reds on the end of your line. I like a slow retrieve that is just fast enough to get the blades moving.
What are the best water temperatures to catch redfish?
Temperature is one of the most important factors that fishermen sometimes overlook. Redfish are cold blooded just like a snake or an alligator. So they can get so hot that they will die or so cold that they will die. This is a huge consideration when fishing. You want to find happy and comfortable redfish because happy, comfortable redfish are hungry redfish.
Redfish are pretty tough but a few years back Florida had a cold front hit us and stay for a week. This cold killed tens of thousands of redfish, snook, tarpon and many other inshore fish species. It was so bad that no one could fish for snook for an entire year.
Redfish have an optimal temperature range that they like for feeding.
Watch the video below to learn more about redfish
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