Easy Method To Catch Redfish: Simple-Stupid Tackle & Technique

The most easy method to catch redfish is to use dead shrimp on a jighead, preferably under a popping cork. In this guide I'm going to show you how to rig it up, where you want to cast it, the downsides to this technique and an alternative you will want to consider.

But, before we do, let's take a look at why redfish are such a viable game fish in the first place.

Why are slot reds such a great choice for inshore anglers who want to use this easy method to catch redfish?

It has everything to do with their biology. If you've read my redfish fact sheet then you know that slot redfish (those redfish that are eighteen to twenty-seven inches in length) are juveniles and do not leave the marsh to spawn, very much in the same way you tend to catch small, under-sized speckled trout in the marsh year-round.

See, during the summer pattern, speckled trout are spawning and, when they do, they leave the protection of the marsh to spawn in larger bodies of water such as Breton Sound that are far more susceptible to the wind. This makes fishing for them more challenging. To top it off, this challenge is made more difficult by the fact you have to get up early to take advantage of when they feed: first thing in the morning.

But not slot reds! You can launch the boat after sunrise and still expect to catch a bunch. They don't have the additional pressure of spawning and tend to feed in longer windows much closer to the dock.

This also applies during winter: when speckled trout get lockjaw due to passing cold fronts, you can expect redfish to be willing to bite. Even during the coldest weather that shuts down the speckled trout, you can plan on there being a Redfish Jubilee to please the masses. Furthermore, redfish are just plain fun to catch! Redfish offer lots of drag-peeling fun that anyone can enjoy. 

So now that we're clear on why redfish are such a great alternative to speckled trout, let's look at the most easy method to catch redfish.

Use This Simple Stupid Tackle To Catch Redfish Year-Round

The bait you want to use is dead shrimp on a jighead underneath a cork. It is the most easy method to catch redfish. While I personally prefer more tactful ways to catch reds (we'll touch on that in a bit), this is great method if you're fishing with buddies who aren't particularly skilled anglers, children or elderly folk.

I rig this up in the exact same way I do my favorite popping cork rig:

• Four Horsemen popping cork
• 24" of leader line (20lb monofilament works fine here)
• 1/8 ounce jighead
• dead shrimp (sparkle beetle optional)

I tie this easy method to catch redfish to a spinning combo like this one recommended here, but am sure that the rod is at least a medium-heavy power. You can use medium power, but the MH will give you more "oomph" for fighting upper-slot fish.

I recommend threading the dead shrimp onto a bare jighead. No soft plastic is necessary. It really doesn't matter how you thread the dead shrimp on so long as it doesn't come off on the cast. If you can tie your shoes, then you can thread a dead shrimp.

How to fish this easy method to catch redfish:

The first thing we need to do is find out if you're qualified to use this technique. Begin by pressing your middle and forefingers against the carotid artery in your neck. Do you feel a pulse? Congrats, you are now qualified to fish dead shrimp under a cork ;)

Simply cast it out to where you think redfish are swimming and wait patiently. If they are there it won't take long to find out. You'll see your cork begin moving sideways through the water. It's at this point in time I recommend letting them run with it for a second before taking up slack and setting the hook. Once you do, hang on! Because you're about to enjoy a lot of drag-peeling fun using this easy method to catch redfish.

Popping the cork is recommended, but you really don't have to be aggressive with it. A solid *pop* every 15 seconds or so is plenty enough.

Extra considerations for this easy method to catch redfish:

While writing this guide I thought of some additional details that could benefit you, so I decided to include them here. Be sure to review them, because they could make or break your redfish catching experience!

Dead Shrimp Alternatives For This Easy Method To Catch Redfish

You can source dead shrimp, also known as "market shrimp", from pretty much any marina or grocery store. When you do buy it, you really want to keep it cold. To accommodate this I merely put it in the same cooler that fish are going into. Should you fail to do this then you risk letting the shrimp rot, becoming more appealing to trash fish than to redfish, not to mention that rotten shrimp won't stay on the hook as well as fresh shrimp.

Now, with that said, you can use alternatives to dead shrimp such as Gulp Alive! Shrimp or even using strong scent such as garlic spray. If you do use Gulp then I suggest using this method to make it last longer. When it comes to garlic spray, a soft plastic such as Matrix Shad or a cheap sparkle beetle works fine. Just be careful where you spray that garlic juice because it's kind of...well...permanent. Maybe keep your mouth closed when you spray (unless you really enjoy garlic).

These "artificial" alternatives are a great choice because then you don't have to stop to get dead shrimp. That's just one of the many hassles of using dead (or live) bait.

Have you tried sight fishing instead?

I strongly recommend considering sight fishing as an alternative to the easy method to catch redfish described here. That's because you get the experience of seeing the redfish swim, the added skill of making an accurate cast to him, watching him eat, setting the hook and enjoying the same drag peeling fun at a higher level.

Plus you see a lot more in the water and really get to learn inshore fishing in a way that popping a cork never can. If you're new to sight fishing, then I suggest checking out this guide to get you started. Or you can watch this YouTube video I produced to see what the thrill is like.

Watch out for bugs!

If you're fishing in the marsh using my easy method to catch redfish, especially during the summertime, you can expect to experience bugs like deer flies, gnats and mosquitoes. The best thing you can do is cover up with long sleeves and pants then soak yourself in this good bug spray to keep the pests off you.

Consider how effective this easy method to catch redfish is...

...because if a bunch of anglers use it in a single area they will collectively wipe out the population of slot redfish. While I think The Freshening did a number on our redfish, I believe it is we inshore anglers who remove the most redfish from the water.

I've got a hint for you: if you see a bunch of boats in an area and all you catch are undersized redfish and bull reds, and cannot buy a slot red to save your life, then it was those boats (and maybe you) who are responsible. Where did the slot reds go? They went home in someone's ice chest.

I feel this is one reason we had to lower the redfish limit. So consider putting redfish back for tomorrow when you use this easy method to catch redfish. No one is going to do it better than us!

After that, this easy method to catch redfish (dead shrimp on a jighead) is a great way to gut hook these fish, making catch and release a lot harder. The way around this is to embrace sight fishing (as mentioned above), or set the hook sooner so the fish is hooked in the mouth and not the gut.

Where's the best place to go with this easy method to catch redfish?

While dead shrimp on a jighead is irresistible to hungry redfish, it won't do you any good if you can't find them in the first place! I say it all the time: the best thing you can do is find biting fish in the first place!

The very first place you should try fishing are "big" shorelines on lakes and bays that experience good tidal flow. After that, I really enjoy fishing places that have lots of aquatic grass. The thicker, the better. If it's a place where water drains out to concentrate redfish, then that's even better!

This and more is what I teach inside my membership LAFB Elite. The two courses you should concentrate on are Inshore Fishing 101 and Sight Fishing Mastery School.

Even if you don't plan to sight fish — and only want to use the easy method to catch redfish described in this guide — the knowledge there will still help you zero in on large schools of feeding fish. I know a productive day of sight fishing is seeing at least sixty or so reds. Don't you think you could get those to bite dead shrimp? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Inshore Fishing 101 and Sight Fishing Mastery School are only available inside my membership, LAFB Elite. Click the orange button below to watch a video describing all the benefits when you join.