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Started By
Message
Cut/Live Bait for Redfish - What and how are you doing it?
Posted on 4/12/26 at 5:06 pm
Posted on 4/12/26 at 5:06 pm
What kind of cut/live bait are you using for reds and how are you guys fishing it in LA?
Down here right now, people are using cut up crab on a jighead and fishing it on the flats, concentrating on the sand holes. Most people are rigging the bait on a jighead and just letting it set. Other are using cut up Lady fish in a similar method.
I have mostly been fishing for them with swimbaits on the super shallow flats and just keeping it up over the scattered grass but at times here, we need to use live/cut bait for them. We do not have the shear numbers of reds and certainly not the size you guys have but they are starting to do a little better. The red tide a few years ago really hurt the numbers.
Id be interesting in what you guys are doing over there
Down here right now, people are using cut up crab on a jighead and fishing it on the flats, concentrating on the sand holes. Most people are rigging the bait on a jighead and just letting it set. Other are using cut up Lady fish in a similar method.
I have mostly been fishing for them with swimbaits on the super shallow flats and just keeping it up over the scattered grass but at times here, we need to use live/cut bait for them. We do not have the shear numbers of reds and certainly not the size you guys have but they are starting to do a little better. The red tide a few years ago really hurt the numbers.
Id be interesting in what you guys are doing over there
13
Posted on 4/12/26 at 5:40 pm to LanierSpots
That’s how you catch em. Cracked crab on the bottom.
Posted on 4/12/26 at 5:54 pm to LanierSpots
Over here in Acadiana we use popping corks with a jig head tipped with shrimp or just put a whole shrimp instead of the plastic. It’s easy and fun for everyone. Casting up against grass shorelines and rousseau cane. Outgoing tides we fish drains. Short leader so it isnt sitting on the bottom.
I like to cut up frozen shrimp into chunks, 3 or 4 chunks per shrimp if they are decent size. I make a small amount of shrimp last many trips. I put them in a plastic jar (peanut butter size) after they are cut up. I find fishing with only shrimp sometimes the shrimp gets taken off the hook by trash or crabs and then you will be fishing on credit. Better to have a plastic lure on the jig and tip with shrimp, that way if the shrimp disappears, you still have something they will eat in the water. I also like using gulp scented stuff as the plastic part of this equation. Stinky = redfish like it.
I like to cut up frozen shrimp into chunks, 3 or 4 chunks per shrimp if they are decent size. I make a small amount of shrimp last many trips. I put them in a plastic jar (peanut butter size) after they are cut up. I find fishing with only shrimp sometimes the shrimp gets taken off the hook by trash or crabs and then you will be fishing on credit. Better to have a plastic lure on the jig and tip with shrimp, that way if the shrimp disappears, you still have something they will eat in the water. I also like using gulp scented stuff as the plastic part of this equation. Stinky = redfish like it.
This post was edited on 4/12/26 at 5:59 pm
Posted on 4/12/26 at 5:57 pm to LanierSpots
Deathgrip Jighead and Gulp Swim Mullet
Posted on 4/12/26 at 6:15 pm to WizardSleeve
quote:
Over here in Acadiana we use popping corks with a jig head tipped with shrimp or just put a whole shrimp instead of the plastic.
I can not get ours to eat a shrimp. I have no idea why. LOL.
Ran a charter this morning and finally saw some white bait on the flats. They have been out in the gulf due to the cold water and I have not seen a single one on the flats until this morning. We had been fishing about a hour when they showed up. I grabbed some chum while my guys were casting swimbaits and flukes out over the grass and catching some trout and got them going. Grabbed my cast net and got half a live well full. Used them to catch some snook and some trash fish. No reds on them today but they love the white bait
Posted on 4/12/26 at 7:24 pm to LanierSpots
The best day I've ever had as far as catching redfish was on the east coast of Florida using pinfish as cut bait. I usually use live shrimp or cut crab for them here though.
Posted on 4/12/26 at 7:43 pm to LanierSpots
Live shrimp if I get there early enough tomorrow morning.
Will get a couple #’s of dead if they limit us to 1qt.
3/0 kahle under a cork now but we do tightline live and dead in the winter.
Alex fished with me in Feb and we used dead and it was close to every cast.
Will get a couple #’s of dead if they limit us to 1qt.
3/0 kahle under a cork now but we do tightline live and dead in the winter.
Alex fished with me in Feb and we used dead and it was close to every cast.
Posted on 4/12/26 at 8:34 pm to LanierSpots
I know this is somewhat obvious, but it really depends on what size fish, where you are fishing, what the fish are doing, etc.
I’ve caught them bottom fishing with multi hook rigs and squid and cut bait, had a school swim through and 3 of us hooked up about 4-5 miles off the beach in Destin. These were low 30” fish.
In my experience the bigger reds (30+ inches) tend to feed more like traditional drum and eat almost anything cut and dead on the bottom. Where as the medium fish 15-30” give or take are more like game fish, and like live bait or lures. I’ve caught plenty of real small reds on cut bait on the bottom though. I’ve caught plenty of reds on dead shrimp too, it’s very common to catch them on shrimp when Pompano fishing on the beach in all sizes.
I’ve caught them bottom fishing with multi hook rigs and squid and cut bait, had a school swim through and 3 of us hooked up about 4-5 miles off the beach in Destin. These were low 30” fish.
In my experience the bigger reds (30+ inches) tend to feed more like traditional drum and eat almost anything cut and dead on the bottom. Where as the medium fish 15-30” give or take are more like game fish, and like live bait or lures. I’ve caught plenty of real small reds on cut bait on the bottom though. I’ve caught plenty of reds on dead shrimp too, it’s very common to catch them on shrimp when Pompano fishing on the beach in all sizes.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 5:48 am to baldona
quote:
In my experience the bigger reds (30+ inches) tend to feed more like traditional drum and eat almost anything cut and dead on the bottom. Where as the medium fish 15-30” give or take are more like game fish, and like live bait or lures. I’ve caught plenty of real small reds on cut bait on the bottom though. I’ve caught plenty of reds on dead shrimp too, it’s very common to catch them on shrimp when Pompano fishing on the beach in all sizes.
Yea, the 15"-30" size is mostly what we have. I have done my best on cut up lady fish and crab. Most of our reds are holding on the grass flats in the sand holes. So the biggest issue with using shrimp is that the damn Pin Fish will drive you crazy. They just will not leave a shrimp alone.
There is a small wreck off shore here that guys catch the bigger fish on. I dont fish that spot due to the number of boats. Im not into crowds. I do everything I can to find my own isolated places. It has worked for me for a long time and still is down here
Good info and thanks
Posted on 4/13/26 at 7:08 am to LanierSpots
quote:
cut up lady fis
That’s my favorite bait down here around us Lanier. I cut mine about the size of a bar of soap. Here in Boca Ciega Bay I’m having my best luck at high tide in the morning around sunrise. So unfortunately it’s only giving me a couple awesome mornings about every 2 weeks.
quote:
small wreck off shore
Pinellas Reef? Never caught any reds out there but the lesser AJs and the cuda were stacked and hungry last weekend.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 11:03 am to LanierSpots
I caught 40" red last weekend using Carolina rigged 3/8 oz barrel and shrimp on #4 circle hook. It has become one of my favorite combos.
Maybe someone can help me out why: Over the last 6-8 months, Ive noticed considerable amount LESS hard heads and undesirable catch when Carolina rigging over jig head and under cork.
Maybe someone can help me out why: Over the last 6-8 months, Ive noticed considerable amount LESS hard heads and undesirable catch when Carolina rigging over jig head and under cork.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 12:17 pm to LanierSpots
I cut up a crab yesterday and put it on a double hook bottom rig with fish bites at fort pickens by the pass (sound side) yesterday, and the only thing I caught were damn puffer fish.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 12:50 pm to LanierSpots
When I fished an inshore charter in venice a few years ago we were just throwing jigheads with a paddle tail soft plastic tipped with a piece of dead shrimp.
Looked like something a googan would throw but they were inhaling it. I think the redfish there are a lot less picky than some you might find on a grass flat in Georgia or Florida
I've probably caught a dozen or so 40+ inch redfish in my life. The largest of them ate a croaker that was damn near a footlong. The second largest of them ate a piece of dead shrimp the size of a dime. The rest were caught on live finger mullet
Looked like something a googan would throw but they were inhaling it. I think the redfish there are a lot less picky than some you might find on a grass flat in Georgia or Florida
I've probably caught a dozen or so 40+ inch redfish in my life. The largest of them ate a croaker that was damn near a footlong. The second largest of them ate a piece of dead shrimp the size of a dime. The rest were caught on live finger mullet
This post was edited on 4/13/26 at 12:52 pm
Posted on 4/13/26 at 3:27 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
Looked like something a googan would throw but they were inhaling it. I think the redfish there are a lot less picky than some you might find on a grass flat in Georgia or Florida
Yea, I agree. We have much less habitat and way more fishermen here. Very pressured. I have been catching plenty of smaller reds on just a paddle tail and swimbait head. But the larger ones want some meat
Posted on 4/13/26 at 3:47 pm to LanierSpots
I honestly didn't realize reds were much of a target species where you're at. I figured snook and tarpon dominated inshore
Posted on 4/13/26 at 4:06 pm to LanierSpots
Live croakers for bull reds.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 4:21 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
I honestly didn't realize reds were much of a target species where you're at. I figured snook and tarpon dominated inshore
Inshore it is reds, snook, trout and sheepshead at times for me. We have some cobia and others but those 3 are the mainstay. I am very comfortable with the snook. But reds on live/cut bait is something I do not do often with customers but I think it is something I need to offer
Tarpon is a big thing here and there are hundreds of guys chartering for them. I have not really done that much yet. Its more of a "fish in a group" technique and that is not for me honestly. I know its a good paying trip but at this point, I am not comfortable taking clients into that environment. If I was still up around Tampa Bay, I would run trips for them
Looks like the seas are going to lay for us this weekend for about 5 days. Thats good for me. I will run trips out 10 miles and bottom fish. Always look forward to those trips.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 4:29 pm to LanierSpots
Redfish destroy plastics and spoons. I can't remember the last time I caught one on bait.
Posted on 4/13/26 at 5:29 pm to LanierSpots
Like the guy above said, it depends on what size you are after. In the passes this month in louisiana, whole crack crab (or half a crab with shell intact), you can catch bull reds on the first drop from 6-8 foot water to 15-18 foot water. We would anchor in the 6-8 foot water and use a Carolina rig and let it drift back to the shelf. Catch them as fast as it hits bottom until you get tired.
Posted on 4/15/26 at 7:04 am to LanierSpots
Spinner bait, crank baits work fine?
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