While they may be the same species, there are some major differences in targeting slots compared to bull redfish. Here are some quick tips that will help you hunt for the true giants.
Search Deeper Waters
When fishing for reds, most people imagine push-poling a skiff through inches of gin clear water among the flats or within the marsh. While this is certainly effective, it’s not the only way to target them. In the late summer and into the fall, bulls will come into the passes to spawn and can be located using electronics. Blue crabs, fresh shrimp, and jigs are all effective methods for pulling these behemoths from the depths.
Utilize Electronics
Keep an eye on where the fish are in the water column using your electronics to make sure you’re fishing the correct depth. It’s not uncommon at all to find fish suspended halfway up from the bottom, swimming blissfully unaware of the baits you have below. When this is the case, dropping soft plastic jigs or metal jigging spoons is your best bet. If you’d rather stick with bait, count how long it takes to hit bottom to get a rough estimate of how quickly your rig falls and drop it directly into the school of fish. Keep in mind, the current will sweep your rig back towards the surface. If you’re not getting bit, readjust. Once you’re in the bulls, it usually doesn’t take long for them to find your bait.
Use Hard Crabs
There’s nothing worse than getting your boat positioned, baiting your rods, setting your lines, and having every rod picked clean in a matter of minutes. Shrimp, soft crabs, and even peelers will often get stolen by other species. This means less time with baited hooks in the water fishing, and more money out of your pocket for bait. Luckily, bull redfish have no problem crushing a blue crab’s shell to bits even while many other species can’t make a dent. After splitting the crab in two with bait shears, I like to break off the points for an easier meal and crack the shell so those juicy crab bits can flow out and ring the dinner bell. Pull off a middle leg, pop a hook through the knuckle and out the bottom of the crab, and you’re good to go.