Few things can get a shoreline fishing fanatic more charged up than reeling in a bull redfish in the surf. Of course, this is easier said than done. You want to make it happen the next time you walk out into the suds? These five tips will help.
- Try night fishing. Yes, this means staying up late, gathering up a bunch of additional gear like lanterns and headlamps, and fumbling around in the dark. Too bad – reds often feed hard at night and if you want to stack the deck in your favor, you’ll want to give night fishing a shot.
- When you do go night fishing, get some small, thin glow sticks (the kind kids use for bracelets work well) and tape them to the back of your fishing rod tip. Then when you get bites you’ll have a highly visible indicator working for you.
- Cast out a small rig with tiny hooks baited with shrimp bits, and catch your own fresh bait on the spot. This gives you two advantages: first, your bait is as fresh as it gets. Second, you’ll automatically be matching the hatch because whatever you reel up is likely the very same critters those drum are feeding on in the area.
- Use oversized weights matched up with circle hooks. The idea here is that by the time the fish moves the weight, it’ll already be hooked. Use smaller weights or J hooks and you need to be on a hair trigger to get to the rod and set the hook in time.
- If there are any significant waves where and when you’ll be fishing, go with a buddy. When the Gulf is calm it’s not as big a deal, but when there’s a real surf the toughest part of landing a bull red is the actual landing part of the equation. You can’t drag them on the sand without risking a break-off and in the wash you’ll be fighting the moving water as much as the fish. Landing large beasts in the surf is really a two-man job, with one person on the rod and the other actually grabbing the fish (which is best done by sliding a lip-gripper into its mouth).