Big bull reds don't come easy, but these tips will help you get 'em.
You want to catch the bull drum of a lifetime? Of course you do! It’ll take effort and persistence, along with a nice helping of luck. And while there are no guarantees in fishing one thing is for sure: using these three tips will boost your chances of tangling with a MONSTER bull redfish.
Big bull reds don’t come easy, but these tips will help you get ’em.
Use big baits – really big. We’re not talking about using the largest finger mullet in the bag, we’re talking about using a half-pounder, at least. If they’ve been hitting peeler crab don’t use a chunk, use the whole darn thing (though we’d suggest smashing the shell a bit, to get some juices flowing). And if you’re using cut bait, stick with one that’s at least the size of your fist. While it’s true that this will cut down on the number of fish you catch, remember that fish always want to expend the least amount of energy, for the biggest reward. So make that reward a really big one.
Fish deep under other species that are in a feeding frenzy. Like many species, reds will scavenge whenever they can. Why chase a fleeing meal, when you can slurp up a freebie? As a result, they’re often found down deep beneath schools of toothy fish that tend to chop up their prey, like Spanish mackerel, jacks, and bluefish. As these fish tear into schools of bait they tend to slice fish in half, and often, a steady stream of sinking, quivering, injured baits will make for easy pickings. TIP: in this situation, jigging spoons that can sink quickly past the surface frenzy then be vertically jigged are highly effective.
When you’re catching small or slot-sized reds, leave. Yup, this will be difficult – very difficult! But birds of a feather flock together, and big bull reds don’t often school with smaller fish. In fact, the bulk of any given school is commonly quite similar in size. So fishing among all those smaller fish, you’re just not very likely to hook into a lunker.