Wade Fishing for Redfish
To wade fish for redfish effectively you will need to have a 3500 series reel filled with 10 to 15 pound braided line and a 20 pound leader. Now you will need to master a gold spoon or a 3 to 5 inch paddle tail shad with a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jig head bounced on the bottom.
Wade fishing for redfish is tons of fun. The redfish a.k.a. red drum is one of the most sought after inshore species of fish from North Carolina down the East Coast and all along the Gulf States.
They are very popular because they are extremely good fighters and they make delicious table fare. The blackened redfish craze of the 80s nearly wiped out the species back when gill nets were still legal.
The article below will teach you everything that you need to know about wade fishing for redfish. You will learn the best baits, lures, tackle, tips and techniques to catch a ton of redfish the next time you go wade fishing.
The grass flats, oyster bars, mud flats and mangroves are full of redfish. You just need to figure out where to find them and how to catch them.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mud flats and mangroves all over Florida for over 40 years.
In the article below I will teach you simple tips and techniques to catch tons of redfish.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish wade fishing with live baits.
To wade fish for redfish effectively you will need to have a 3500 series reel filled with 10 to 15 pound braided line and a 20 pound leader. Now you will need to master a gold spoon or a 3 to 5 inch paddle tail shad with a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jig head bounced on the bottom.
Wade fishing for redfish is tons of fun. The redfish a.k.a. red drum is one of the most sought after inshore species of fish from North Carolina down the East Coast and all along the Gulf States.
They are very popular because they are extremely good fighters and they make delicious table fare. The blackened redfish craze of the 80s nearly wiped out the species back when gill nets were still legal.
The article below will teach you everything that you need to know about wade fishing for redfish. You will learn the best baits, lures, tackle, tips and techniques to catch a ton of redfish the next time you go wade fishing.
The grass flats, oyster bars, mud flats and mangroves are full of redfish. You just need to figure out where to find them and how to catch them.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mud flats and mangroves all over Florida for over 40 years.
In the article below I will teach you simple tips and techniques to catch tons of redfish.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish wade fishing with live baits.
Wade fishing for redfish--OYSTER BARS
Most of the redfish that I have caught in my life has been in and around oyster bars. Oyster bars and redfish go together like college football and beer.
They will flip over the oyster clumps and eat the mud crabs that are almost always underneath them. There are also small shrimp and fish for them to eat as well. Whenever you see a tailing redfish you are probably seeing them rooting around in the mud for small invertebrates to eat.
Wade fishing around the oyster bars is a great way to target redfish. The redfish is one of the first fish to hit the shallow oyster bars if the redfish. They like to get first dibs on the oyster bar buffet.
The best way to target redfish around the shallow oyster bars is live shrimp. I use a simple live shrimp with a split shot above it to catch most of my redfish. I like to find a cut between two oyster bars with some current running between them.
I will cast my shrimp up current and let it bounce on the bottom back to me and repeat. Redfish usually come as a school so if you find a choke point where the redfish will have to come by you just wait. You can catch dozens for a hour or so and then they will have moved on by you.
I wrote another article that covers how to catch a redfish in great detail. You can read that article by clicking right here.
You can wait for the tide to change and get them on the way back or try to follow the school moving with the tide.
WANT TO CATCH REDFISH? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Other good live baits are fiddler crabs and mud minnows. I like to fish them the same way as the live shrimp. Just send them up current with a split shot and bounce it back with the current on the bottom.
The best lure for redfish is the scented imitation shrimp on a jig head. I like to use the white and natural Berkeley Gulp shrimp and a 1/8 ounce red jig head. Just cast it up current and bounce it back to you.
Another great lure is the DOA CAL 3 inch white soft plastic shad with a paddle tail and a red jig head. You can slow swim it near the bottom or bounce it like the shrimp jig.
The video below shows a day of fishing for redfish and trout around the oyster bars.
Wade fishing for redfish-- MANGROVES
Mangroves are another great place to go wade fishing for redfish. During the higher parts of the tides the redfish will head up into the roots of the Red Mangrove tree to find crabs, shrimp and small fish.
The roots of the mangrove trees are usually covered in oysters and barnacles. This is a haven for small creatures to hide. The redfish know this and that is why they are there too.
The mangroves are a great place to use dead bait to catch redfish. I like to use a mullet head or a lady fish head the best. A whole pin fish with its tail cut off is another good redfish bait.
The key to fishing the mangroves is to get your bait within 12 inches of the mangrove roots. The redfish hug the outer edge of these roots which is usually in the shadows searching for food. They have an extraordinary olfactory system. That is probably why they have 4 nostrils. They will sniff out your bait eventually if they are in the area.
The best like bait is a shrimp under a split shot again. It must really suck to be a shrimp. Everything in the sea eats them and so do we. Just make sure to get your shrimp as close to the mangrove roots as possible. The good news is that the common snook, mangrove snappers and sheepshead will also be there. It is not such a bad thing to cast for a redfish and catch a monster snook.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail the best baits and lures for catching redfish. You can read that article by clicking right here.
The best lures for this ecosystem are weed less Berkeley Gulps. I like the white and natural colors the best. Another great lure for the mangroves is a weed less gold spoon. Redfish definitely prefer gold over silver.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish wade fishing with top water lures around docks.
Wade fishing for redfish--DOCKS
Docks are another great place to fish for redfish. The pilings of older bridges are almost always encrusted with oysters, barnacles, sponges and mussels. This marine life attracts shrimp and small fish for the redfish to feed upon.
I like to use live shrimp around dock pilings. A live shrimp with a split shot works pretty well in this scenario. I also like to use live finger mullet or a pin fish. Use a popping cork with about a 24 inch leader and cast from up current so it will float down to the pilings. This will make it less likely to spook the fish.
The best lure for fishing for redfish around the docks is a white or natural Berkeley Gulp with an 1/8 ounce red jig head. This is my go to baits for redfish around docks if I have any. Just remember to cast up current with lures so that you can reel them back to you with the current.
The next best lure is a white soft plastic shad with a paddle tail and a red 1/8 ounce jig head. The best presentation for this type of lure for redfish is a slow retrieve near the bottom or bounced off of the bottom.
A weed less gold spoon is another good bait for redfish around the dock pilings. A shrimp tipped jig will also work well for redfish around the pilings. The good news for you is that flounder love shrimp tipped jigs too. A day of catching flounder and redfish wade fishing the docks is a great day.
The rules about wade fishing around docks are:
- Don't touch the docks or any boats moored there.
- Don't go any higher on the beach than the high tide line.
- Don't be a douche and fish a dock that the owner is already on.
Wade fishing for redfish--GRASS FLATS
Wade fishing the grass flats is what most people envision when they think about wade fishing. That is why I decided to talk about it last. There are lots of other great environments to go wade fishing.
Wade fishing the grass flats for redfish is a lot of fun. Sometimes whole schools of them will come through the shallows and you can pick a few of them off as they go by as long as you don't spook them.
The best live bait for redfish on the grass flats is live shrimp under a popping cork. This set up will catch tons of redfish and spotted sea trout when you are fishing.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail the best tackle for catching redfish. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Just make sure that your shrimp is on a leader that keeps it a few inches off of the top of the grass. That way the redfish will definitely find it. If it is too high you will only catch trout. The next best bait is a live pin fish under a popping cork set up the same way.
If the water is very shallow a free lined finger mullet will work great. They usually stay on the top of the water so you won't need to use a popping cork.
The best lure for redfish on the grass flats is the Berkeley Gulp under a popping cork. Cast it out and reel it back slowly with a couple of twitches every 10 feet or so. This same technique works will for spotted sea trout too.
If you are fishing in water that is 3 feet or less for redfish, then a walk-the-dog style of top water lure will work well first thing in the morning and later in the day. Redfish are not will made to hit things on the surface so they usually miss a few times but if you keep it moving slowly they will usually catch it eventually.
Watch the how to catch a redfish video below to learn more.
Wade fishing for redfish--GEAR and TACKLE
WADERS--You may want to get yourself some bib waders if you are going to get serious about wade fishing. A decent pair of waders will run you about $200 to 300. My waders are a pair of board shorts and an old pair of sneakers.
TACKLE BOX--You might want to get yourself a fanny pack or a waist tackle box. I use a fanny pack and hang it around my neck but their are some nice soft tackle boxes that you can strap around your chest.
POLARIZED GLASSES--A good set of polarized glasses are a must for wade fishing. Polarized glasses eliminate the glare for the surface of the water enabling you to see into the water. You can't sight fish without them. A high end pair will run you about $250. There are cheaper sunglasses with glass lenses that are only $25 or so. Then there are really cheap plastic lenses for about $5.
I got a pair of the $250 sunglasses and they are definitely more effective at seeing under the water. They perform better and seem to be much more well made. They are very sturdy.
You have to decide what price range of polarized glasses that you want to buy but you DEFINITELY need polarized glasses to be a good wade fisherman.
RODS AND REELS--You can get away with a 2500 series reel filled with 8 lb. braided line and a 7 to 8 ft. medium heavy rod. A decent reel will cost you $100 to 150 and a decent rod will cost you around $75.
If you are fishing around docks you will need a 4000 series reel filled with 20 lb. braided line and a 7 to 8 ft. medium heavy rod.
UV PERFORMANCE SHIRTS-- You will definitely need to stock up on UV performance shirts to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays. These shirts have built in sun screen technology to help block the sun's UV rays. They are also moisture wicking which evaporates you sweat more efficiently to keep you cool on those hot days fishing the flats.
Wade fishing for redfish--BEST WATER TEMPERATURE
People often forget that a redfish is a cold blooded creature. I don't mean that they are psychopathic murderers. I mean that they cannot regulate their own body temperatures like a mammal can. They are like a lizard or a snake. They have to use the surrounding environment to keep themselves at the right temperature.
If the water that they are in is too hot or too cold they will die. They have to move to find the optimal water temperatures to hunt and survive. A few years ago Florida had a huge fish kill because of a freak cold weather event. Tens of thousands of redfish, snook, tarpon and many other inshore species were wiped out.
This is why you will need to fish early in the hot Summer months before the redfish get run off of the shallows by the hot water. In the cold Winter months the opposite is true. You want to fish the shallows later in the day once the sun has had time to heat up the water a little bit.
You job as a wade fisherman is to find the optimal water temperatures to find some redfish to catch.
The video below will teach you those optimal redfish temperatures.
About the author: The author of this article insists upon being referred to as King Redfish Hunter of the World. BUT everybody ignores him and we all call him Mike, the co-owner of FYAO Saltwater Media Group, Inc.
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