Redfishing with Mud Minnows (The Ultimate Guide)
Mud minnows are one of the best baits to use when fishing for redfish. You can put them under a bobber that keeps them just a few inches off of the bottom in the strike zone of the redfish or add a small sinker to your line to pin them to the bottom.
Redfish are one of the most sought after inshore species of fish because they are fun to catch and good to eat.
They can be found all of the way up the East Coast from Florida to New Jersey and all of the way west from Alabama to Texas.
Mud Minnows are also called Bull Minnows by some fishermen. They are an extremely hardy fish to use for bait and are used to living in low oxygen environments. I have personally had them fall into the bottom of my jon boat and manage to live there all day with just a little bit of water on the deck to sustain them.
The author of this article is a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. He has been fishing for redfish in the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about the the best tips, rigs, techniques and tackle to help you catch a ton of redfish using live mud minnows as bait.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more about catching redfish with mud minnows.
Mud minnows are one of the best baits to use when fishing for redfish. You can put them under a bobber that keeps them just a few inches off of the bottom in the strike zone of the redfish or add a small sinker to your line to pin them to the bottom.
Redfish are one of the most sought after inshore species of fish because they are fun to catch and good to eat.
They can be found all of the way up the East Coast from Florida to New Jersey and all of the way west from Alabama to Texas.
Mud Minnows are also called Bull Minnows by some fishermen. They are an extremely hardy fish to use for bait and are used to living in low oxygen environments. I have personally had them fall into the bottom of my jon boat and manage to live there all day with just a little bit of water on the deck to sustain them.
The author of this article is a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. He has been fishing for redfish in the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about the the best tips, rigs, techniques and tackle to help you catch a ton of redfish using live mud minnows as bait.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more about catching redfish with mud minnows.
Redfishing with Mud Minnows
Mud minnows like to hang out near the bottom where they blend in and can hide from predators. This is the opposite for something like a mullet that will do its best to stay on the top of the water column.
It is very important to know the habits of the live baits that you are using so that you can use them more effectively to catch more redfish.
Mud minnows can be found is just about any estuary that has a lot of oysters, mud flats and spartina grass. They can be found in the northern parts of Florida all the way up through the Carolinas and maybe even a bit further to the north.
They can be found in extremely shallow puddles during the lowest parts of the tide. The redfish in the area know this and that is why they are usually one of the first fish to hit the flats when the tide starts to move back in.
You will want to be ready for them when they do move back in.
Oyster Bars- Oyster bars are one of my favorite places to target redfish with mud minnows. Oyster bars that are on one or two sides of some sort of tidal creek are the best.
I like to find an area that will funnel the incoming tide right to my position so that I can be ready when the red fish are funneled past me.
I created an entire online fishing course about how to catch a redfish. This course is FREE and can be found by just clicking right here. Click here to see the many educational fishing videos.
Another great place to ambush redfish is any large pothole that you can find in a tidal creek. What I mean by this is any deep depression that can hold redfish even during the lowest parts of the tide.
Often times, a redfish will not leave a safe, deep hole when the tide goes out. They will often just stay put if they feel safe and there is some prey items in the hole with them so that they can get some food in their bellies.
On some of my redfishing trips, I have found holes that are no bigger than 6 feet by 6 feet that will have 5 or 10 redfish in it at dead low tide.
PRO TIP- Fish every pothole that you find because you never know where the redfish will be hiding.
WANT TO CATCH REDFISH? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
What are the best rigs for redfishing with mud minnows?
There are all sorts of ways to rig a mud minnow for redfishing. I will cover the ones that I am most familiar with. As I mentioned before, a mud minnow will try its hardest to get to the bottom once it is hooked.
You have to keep this in mind when you are targeting redfish using them as live bait. Redfish will most likely be searching for prey very close to the bottom too. This makes it easy to stay in the redfish strike zone.
Your job is to keep that mud minnow on the bottom or within 12 inches or so of the bottom. Lets go over some of the most simple rigs to use first.
Split Shot Rig- A split shot rig is the easiest of all rigs because all that you have to do is add enough split shots 6 to 12 inches above your mud minnow to keep it on the bottom in the current.
This simple rig will get the live mud minnow right in the strike zone for any hungry redfish in the area.
Jig Head Rig- Using a jig head that is anywhere from 1/8 ounce up to 3/4 of an ounce will work in just about every fishing scenario for redfish. Just make sure that the hook comes out the top of the mud minnow's mouth so that it is less likely to get hung up on the bottom.
Knocker Rig- What I consider a knocker rig is any rig that has a hook with a sliding sinker above it. This is a super easy way to catch redfish, flounder and speckled trout with mud minnows in tidal creeks or anywhere else these fish are.
Texas Rig- The only difference between a Texas Rig and a Knocker Rig is the sinker is secured above the hook. You will usually want to use a bullet weight when you are fishing with this type or rig to allow it to get through grass or underwater obstacles.
Carolina Rig- A Carolina Rig is another good choice when you are fishing for redfish with mud minnows. A Carolina rig is one where your sinker is secured approximately 12 to 18 inches up the line from your hook and minnow. The Texas and Carolina Rigs are bass fishermen favorites.
Watch the video below to learn how to rig with a Texas Rig and Carolina Rig setup.
There are all sorts of ways to rig a mud minnow for redfishing. I will cover the ones that I am most familiar with. As I mentioned before, a mud minnow will try its hardest to get to the bottom once it is hooked.
You have to keep this in mind when you are targeting redfish using them as live bait. Redfish will most likely be searching for prey very close to the bottom too. This makes it easy to stay in the redfish strike zone.
Your job is to keep that mud minnow on the bottom or within 12 inches or so of the bottom. Lets go over some of the most simple rigs to use first.
Split Shot Rig- A split shot rig is the easiest of all rigs because all that you have to do is add enough split shots 6 to 12 inches above your mud minnow to keep it on the bottom in the current.
This simple rig will get the live mud minnow right in the strike zone for any hungry redfish in the area.
Jig Head Rig- Using a jig head that is anywhere from 1/8 ounce up to 3/4 of an ounce will work in just about every fishing scenario for redfish. Just make sure that the hook comes out the top of the mud minnow's mouth so that it is less likely to get hung up on the bottom.
Knocker Rig- What I consider a knocker rig is any rig that has a hook with a sliding sinker above it. This is a super easy way to catch redfish, flounder and speckled trout with mud minnows in tidal creeks or anywhere else these fish are.
Texas Rig- The only difference between a Texas Rig and a Knocker Rig is the sinker is secured above the hook. You will usually want to use a bullet weight when you are fishing with this type or rig to allow it to get through grass or underwater obstacles.
Carolina Rig- A Carolina Rig is another good choice when you are fishing for redfish with mud minnows. A Carolina rig is one where your sinker is secured approximately 12 to 18 inches up the line from your hook and minnow. The Texas and Carolina Rigs are bass fishermen favorites.
Watch the video below to learn how to rig with a Texas Rig and Carolina Rig setup.
How to use a floating rig to catch redfish with live mud minnows
Floats are a great way to catch redfish with mud minnows. I am going to cover a few different rigs that use floats to keep the mud minnows in the redfish strike zones.
The key to catching tons of redfish with live mud minnows is to keep them a foot or less from the bottom. Remember that the mud minnow will do its best to get to the bottom so you want to let them try by placing your bobber the correct distance from the minnow to allow it to get close to the bottom.
Let's go through a few scenarios. Let's say that you are in some sort of tidal creek pond an you know that it is only about 3 feet deep. All that you have to figure out how to do is have your mud minnow stay just above the bottom so that it can't hide from the redfish.
Popping Cork or Rattle Cork Rig- The easiest rig is a popping cork or rattle cork rig for me. I will usually be fishing for redfish in less than 5 feet of water so I will have a few floats tied up with leaders that are 4 1/2 feet long with a circle hook already attached to them. If I need to shorten them, then I can just cut some length off of the leader.
Add a small split shot 6 inches or so from the mud minnow to ensure that it stays close to the bottom. Give the cork a pop or two every few minutes to attract any redfish in the area.
The video below is all about the best ways to use corks for catching redfish.
What is the best tackle for redfishing with Mud Minnows
Hooks- I like to use small hooks to catch redfish. They have a nice soft mouth to get a hook into unlike tarpon and snook. I use a 1/0 circle hook when I am fishing with mud minnows.
The hook is small enough to let the minnow swim around and move naturally but big enough to catch some huge redfish. You can even go a little bit smaller if you are in a school of rat reds (the little ones).
Weights- You can get away with just a little split shot to slow the minnow down a bit when the redfish go after it. They will head to the bottom on their own because that is where they feel the safest.
Sometimes it is necessary to use more weight when you are fishing in deeper water or where there is a decent amount of current.
Leaders- I like to use the lightest leader that I can get away with which is usually 20 lb. fluorocarbon or mono filament line. If there are a lot of oysters and the redfish are the over slot breeders, then you might want to step up to 30 lb. leader.
Floats- I like to use a rattle float or popping cork when I am fishing for redfish. Some anglers like to use floats with bobber stops. All that matters is finding a cork that will allow you to get your mud minnow within a foot from the bottom of wherever you are fishing.
Rods/Reels- A 2500 series reel up to maybe a 4000 series reel will just about cover every redfishing scenario. The 7 to 8 foot medium to medium/heavy fishing pole is all that you will need to catch a ton of redfish.
Conclusion:
Mud minnows are one of the best baits that you can use for catching tons of redfish. You can sink them to the bottom with an appropriate sized weight or tie then under a popping cork to catch all sorts of redfish. You can also use clamping float rigs or slip float rigs too but the regular old popping corks work the best for me.
You might have a hard time catching mud minnows but if you can get some from the local bait store or net some on your own they are worth the work.
You can catch flounder, speckled trout, redfish, black drum...... and just about anything else that lives in the ecosystem with mud minnows. Those hardy little fish are the basis of the ecosystem along with shrimp.
Do you like how to fishing articles like this one? If you do, then get on our email list and we will send you a new article or video every week. Fill out the form below and get your first one today.