With ever-increasing popularity, the redfish is a great target for residents and visitors of Louisiana.
The coastal waters are teeming with redfish, and one only needs to go there and cast a line to succeed. Whether for sport, dinner or both, this hard-striking, hard-fighting fish is willing and able to fit the bill.
There are many ways to chase redfish in Louisiana. You can soak baits, cast lures, jig with jigs, strip flies or twitch a topwater. Which method you choose is up to each angler’s preferences. Here are a few of the many top choices for targeting redfish in Louisiana.
Shrimp, live or dead, is probably on the list of great baits for most saltwater species. Whether you catch them or buy them live or frozen, soaking a shrimp on the bottom, tipping a jig head with one or suspending it under a popping cork are all very good ways to get a bite from redfish and much more. The only negative to shrimp is that they get nibbled on by everything, so bring plenty.
Finger mullet are another great bait. Normally castnetted by the angler, these small mullet are great fished live or as a cut chunk. Sometimes I cut a fillet and make a strip on a jighead and work it back like a lure, covering ground, but with the tempting smell of the real thing.
If live bait is not practical, then Berkeley Gulp baits are a great alternative as they are made out of fish-attracting components. They come in many shapes and sizes, so, depending on your approach, you will certainly find a suitable version. A Gulp jig body on a jighead can be bounced across the bottom or cranked steady to cover lots of ground and still get the enhanced bite due to the scent trail it leaves.
Another tried and true method is to use a popping cork in combination with many types of baits or lures. The popping cork is a bobber that makes fish-attracting surface noises when it’s twitched. The cork that is on a wire with brass beads is a popular model with locals. Suspended below the cork is your bait or lure. The commotion of the cork draws the fish to the area where it then crashes your offering just below. Many times the fish will take a shot at the cork itself, before finding the bait beneath it. It’s a heart stopper.
The variety of soft plastic swimbaits is endless, but the fish-catching properties are shared. Castability, realistic actions and being virtually weedless are the high-points of most modern swimbaits. They can be rigged a variety of ways, and directions are always on the package. Hooks are normally sold separately; just make sure the hook size matches the pressure of the tackle you will be using. Losing a big fish due to a bent hook can be heart-breaking.
Topwater lures come in many varieties, but the premise is the same. The lure itself makes the fish-attracting commotion at the surface and draws the attention of aggressive predators. Many topwater lures have concave faces, rattles or propellers that make noise simulating a struggling fish. Redfish are designed to feed on bottom creatures, and their down-turned mouth makes eating a topwater bait a sloppy business. But the redfish is more than willing to make the most of any opportunity, and the visual aspect of the bite makes it incredibly exciting for the angler.
So, as you can see, there are many ways to catch redfish in Louisiana. Best of all is that Louisiana redfish are known for their aggressive feeding behaviors, making fishing for them that much better.
Whether you charter a guide or bring your own boat, you can come to Louisiana and enjoy this amazingly rich fishery. Fishing from shore, kayak, canoe or high-dollar flats skiff can all be productive, so, however you decide to do it, give the redfish a try.
