Oh how I LOVE to catch Redfish, they are truly my favorite inshore fish to target for a few reasons: 1) You never know the size of the Red till he finishes that 1st run. A big one will really pull some drag, the smaller ones take off with the same speed but they just lack the power to keep going. 2) You can “hunt” and stalk them like Bonefish, however Reds will actually eat various lures and will not spook just cause your breathing. 3) It took me awhile to learn how to get them, so I feel they represent a real accomplishment to my angling skills. Before Reds I never hunted any fish, I was a pure structure fishermen (for Bass & Snook) I casted at places were fish might be, but with Reds you actually casting at the fish themselves. 4) They are aggressive in general and attack a variety of lures/plugs/baits. I’ve taken a few Reds home for dinner and found their stomachs stuffed with things they had already eaten, yet they gobbled up my lures anyway.

So that brings me to the bonus reason for going after Reds - they taste good... and getting a slot size/keeper Red is not that hard, most Reds you'll catch will actually be IN the slot I’ve found. The limit of 1 fish per angler seems VERY reasonable to me. A slot size Red (18" to 27") will be between 4 & 7 pounds and will feed two or three people.

HOW: See the where section... cause where you find Reds is more important that how you choose to catch them. They will hit just about any lure when in the mood. The best thing about Reds is that they are only on the flats for ONE reason and that’s to EAT. So if you find them then your chances of catching one is pretty good. However at times finding them is like looking for a moving needle in a moving hay-stack.

My favorite lures for Reds are soft jerkbaits, but more on that in a bit. Next would be spoons - 1/4 to 1/2 oz Johnson or Red Rippers. The Johnson is “searching” lure, you can work it fast by throwing it far when just blind casting likely areas (like potholes). The Red Rippers are better suited for tailing or mudding Reds since it has a rattle. This lure’s design makes it run higher in the water column so reel it SLOWLY to keep it down. Another lure you can working slowly that is deadly on Reds are those DOA Shrimps (1/4 oz in clear/gold fleck is perfect) and of course - you guess it, my FAVORITE - the soft jerkbait. Just hop or drag these baits along the bottom and hang on. The other reason the jerkbait is my favorite for Reds is that you can also work it fast (like a spoon) and even add a weight to work it in deeper water (or under mangroves) like a jig. Speaking of jigs, Reds like them too of course. 1/4 oz with just about any plastic trailer attached will do. Also do not overlook topwaters - most people think Reds can’t get them into their small, under-slung mouth, but this is not true. Reds will aggressive take a topwater plug and they nearly launch themselves out of the water to eat it. Another excellent lure for Reds is any shallow running (2 foot or less) floating/suspending stickbait (or crankbait) like a Rapala, Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow and even some bassin’ baits like the Mann’s 1-Minus. I’ve yet to catch a Redfish on a Rat-L-Trap, but I have heard the floating model works well. Safety pin style spinnerbaits as well as in-line spinner baits work too the pros on Redfish Tour claim.

One good thing I’ve noticed about Reds is while their mouth maybe small it’s a good combination of soft edges with hard jaw behind, thus once a Reds is hooked they normally stay attached unlike Snook (which cut you off), Tarpon (which jump off) or Trout (which simply pull or rip off).

As for tackle you can fish for Reds with most light inshore or good bassin’ setups. I’ve gotten small Reds with line as light as 4lb, but 6 to 8lb mono is a better (and a safer) choice. I personally favor braided line (like PowerPro) since while working the mangroves edges you might get Snook & Reds side-by-side. Reds have a fairly hard bodies and they do have small teeth, so some leader will come in handy. 20lb Fluorocarbon is plenty on the flats. I double my main line with a Spider Hitch and then use a uni-to-uni knot to attach a 24-30” section of leader. A 7’6” foot rod will help since casting distance is the name of the game on the flats, I consider 6’6” the minimum. A spinning reel with 200 yards of line and a butter SMOOTH drag is the way to go - I LOVE my Stradic 4000 (spooled with 6/20 PowerPro) for tossing the DOA Shrimp, jerkbaits or jigs! I also target Reds with baitcasting gear when throwing heavier lures like plugs or spoons.

Once a Red takes the lure (you might feel a Bass like “tap”) give a quick sharp hookset and hang-on, they will make a quick run in one direction - and based on their size is how long the run will last. Think poor man’s Bonefish here, but nothing blazing or clear to the horizon -just enough to get your attention and test your drag. Keep the pressure on them constantly and pick up line as they will allow (once again based on size). Keep the rod high to help avoid picking up grass or getting broken off on any oysters. A quick scoop of the net works for big fish (over the slot), while the small ones (called “Rats”) can be “cupped” from under the belly or grabbed from above right behind the gills. Medium size (slot-sized) fish can be landed via a Boga-Grip in the mouth, or from a firm grip right in front the tail. They have no sharp fins or gill plates to cut you and their bodies are firm with hard scales - this makes them very easy to handle and release quickly. Please note however that they often play “dead” once released, so make sure to fully revive them - sometimes a gently push or tap with a rod tip or push pole will cause them to swim off, but they often rest on the bottom for a bit before moving on. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they are OK before you move on! Also look out for Sharks, as a slowly recovering Redfish will become a quick snack. While Reds are pretty hardy creatures it's very important to return the to water as soon as possible since they tend to fight to the bitter end -this makes for a good battle on light line, but can also nearly kill the fish.

WHEN: Any day that is clear and clam is good, so you can spot them. In summer I found big schools pushing across the flats in Flamingo, but in winter (when tides are low and the water is cold) the will push very shallow, this is went they "tail" alot. Fish for them on the rising tide! Out of all the Reds I’ve gotten 90% have come on the rise. Where you see birds at low tide on exposed or super shallow flats is where the Reds will be as soon as the tide allows, they eat the same small shrimp, crabs and mud minnows. As the water floods the flats so do the Reds, once the water starts dropping the Reds will hang around for awhile but their “spooky-ness” goes up with each 1” of water that disappears. Time of day does not really matter - I’ve seen them tailing as early as sun-up and all the way till sun-down as long as the tide was right. Water depth is another BIG misconception about Reds - most people think that Reds are in mere inches but I found that’s not true. Most of my Reds have come from 12-24” of water. Captain Allan told me once that he never poles for Reds because those in less than 12” of water are too small to be worth chasing.

WHERE: On the flats mostly. The best flats have a MIX of bottom composition. Some grass, some potholes, some oysters - a little bit of everything. Down in Flamingo you basically just have grass and a few potholes, but a few potholes is better than none at all. Flats that have access or channels to deeper water are great, but Reds are always on the move so even the “crown” or very center (and shallowest part) of flat might hold them. For the most part Reds move along the bottom eating shrimp, crabs and whatever else they can find, so they will give away their location by this activity. Look for tails, muds and ANY moving water. Sure you’ll spend hours chasing mullet or small sharks, but soon you’ll learn how to tell what swirls are Redfish and what are not. Keep this in mind - Reds move in a straight line at a constant speed, sometimes as singles or pairs and if you lucky in BIG schools numbering in the hundreds. Look for moving water - Reds push a “U” shaped headwake while Mullet push small random “V”s. On soft bottoms look for “muds” which are clouds of off-colored/dirty water caused by the Reds (or bait they are after). The mud might be caused by a feeding sting-ray - if so start casting in a hurry, the Reds should be there, they love following behind rays and picking up whatever gets stirred up. They are sometimes right along side the ray, but I’ve also found them hanging back a few feet in the slowly settling mud.

You can also find Reds right up under the mangroves like Snook! They do this at the lower side stages when they can’t get onto the flats. You’ll find them near the flats in potholes at low tide and as the tide comes up they will work back into the mangroves. I’ve seen them do this over in Pine Island Sound and in the Ft. Pierce/Vero area. However this requires a totally different approach - basically this becomes Snook fishing. You’ll need heavier tackle and the ability to cast UNDER stuff.

If you spook out Reds while working a flat or shoreline, keep an eye on them. They often calm down and will start feeding again a short distance away (100 yards or so). Swing the boat in a wide arch and try again. They will spook easier the 2nd time so be extra careful. Redfish are also creatures of habit big time! If you find them in a certain area (or time/tide) they will be there again and again as long as the conditions are the same. A good spot can be like clock-work and you can almost guarantee yourself a Redfish once you figure out the location and pattern.

I’d say out front in Flamingo (Everglades National Park in Florida Bay) offers the best conditions to search and find Redfish. The flats between the three main keys directly in front of the marina (Frank, Murray and Palm) always have Reds around. I have not explored much further because I always catch them right there, in site of main channel. Other places to target Reds in “southern” Florida are the Vero/Ft. Pierce area of the Indian River system and over on the west coast in Pine Island Sound. Between those two choices Pine Island is the clear winner as Reds can be hit-n-miss at best in Vero. Forget chasing Reds in Palm Beach, Broward or Dade because there are just not enough to make it worthwhile. At the southern end of Biscayne (almost northern Keys) your chances increase slightly I’d guess, but then you might as well travel right into Flamingo for them.

Well there you have it... that’s my guide to Redfishing. Your mileage may vary of course.