When going fishing out of a boat one can always focus on the current main target species that are known to swim in that area. Those would be Salmon, Bass, Tuna and Bluefish just to mention some of them. But sometimes it is way more fun to go search for smaller fish than targeting a certain species . One such example would be searching for Redfish while bass fishing or rod/reel fishing.
If you have never encountered these fishes before and want to know how they behave and what methods work best I will give a short overview here but there will not be any specific details about actual locations since this probably should only excite those living close by .
A redfish (also called “red drum”) is a member of the drum fish family (Sciaenidae) and is common in saltwater, brackish water and freshwater. Redfish have an average weight of about 8 to 11 pounds or 4 to 5 kilo’s. They are carnivores preying on various smaller fishes such as anchovies, shrimp , small crabs etc.. So if you’re fishing for redfish while bass fishing don’t be surprised if your catch consists of mainly these kinds off fishes from time to time.
Redfishes are often found in shallow waters near shore in bays with submerged vegetation , eel grass beds or tidal streams . They can be very spooky at times and venture into deeper waters when frightened which makes it even harder to find them when targeting them from shore. Making them a very challenging fish to target for beginner’s but when you catch one it will be well worth your effort . The best option though is to catch them while fishing on boat due to their spooky nature.
This article is meant for those who have never gone after these stunning red fishes before and want some firsthand tips and techniques that I’ve gathered through the years which can also work perfectly in freshwater if done right.
5 Pieces of equipment you need:
Reel with sufficient braided line ( 40-50 lb braid) with enough backing to get into the structure that you’re fishing.
Hooks: 1 for live bait rig and another one on a circle hook for artificial lures
Landing net – Redfishes are skittish and will be hard to land if they feel endangered in any way. Better safe than sorry!
It doesn’t matter which brand or make of action camera as long as it has good reviews then I would go ahead and use it . There are some very cheap cameras on the market that have very poor reviews from users, no one wants to be stuck on a fishing trip with something that will break within the hour.
Rods: They don’t necessarily need to be expensive or top of the line but they do need to hold your baits and lures properly so if you don’t have any I would go out and get some cheap ones first before actually going out on an excursion. One rod for live bait rigs, another rod for either artificial lure trolling (drags and lead core line) or live baiting for sharks in which you just cast it straight down or up current at a cloud of bait fish being chased by waves/a current until it hits bottom where you let it sit until you feel a hit to know that you caught something big. Another rod is for dropping.
Reels: I would have two spooled with 50 pound test line, one spooled with 80 pound test line, and another spooled with 100 pound test line for bottom fishing. Some people may say that 50 pound is too light but the reality of it is that redfish are going to bite what takes their fancy and if they take your bait when you’re covering less than 1/4 of the water column then 50 pound will be enough to hold up whatever has decided to nibble on that day. Nothing worse than having something get away because you didn’t have strong enough tackle.
Pliers: Again nothing worse than trying to remove a hook from deep inside of a redfish with your fingers.
Line clippers: This can be used to cut line if it has gotten caught anywhere, and for quickly moving down the length of line when you have multiple lines out. A must have on any fishing trip! Another tool that I won’t go without is my fish stringer. As a kid we usually had enough room in the boat/canoe to put the fish in with us but nowadays I typically do not have enough room in my kayak so I always bring along a stringer which allows me to bring home more fish at night. It’s also nice because it attaches very easily to bungee ropes and has a floating rod holder built into it . If I get a bite late in the day or in the evening I can always put my rod over the side of the kayak and fish without having it tied up while I reel in another one! Finally, if you like to deep-sea fish, then be sure to keep a pair of snorkeling fins handy for when you want to take a dip. They come in very handy if you ever need to make an emergency cast or find yourself drifting too fast towards shore!