When to fish for Redfish: Redfish tail and feed actively on the run-up tide as it covers flats with new water and brings in shrimp / crabs.
Also known as Red Drum, Channel Bass, Spot-Tail Bass, Bull Red (large). Bait, technique, tide windows, and where the bite is on right now.
Redfish — Gulf Coast and SE inshore staple — copper-bodied flats ambusher. Also called Red Drum, Channel Bass, Spot-Tail Bass, Bull Red (large).
Red drum (redfish) have a single black spot at the base of the tail that mimics an eye — and field studies confirm strikes from predators (sharks, large jacks) target the spot, not the head. Many adult fish carry two or three spots from healed predation attempts. The species can live 60 years and reaches maturity at four; the bulls 75 cm+ are spawning-class breeders.
Redfish is also known as: Red Drum, Channel Bass, Spot-Tail Bass, Bull Red (large). Gulf Coast and SE inshore staple — copper-bodied flats ambusher.
Regional names can confuse anglers and cause misidentification. The table of common names below covers the most-used alternatives across Australia, New Zealand and the US:
Key to correct identification: check the regulations-authority species sheet for your state or territory before keeping any fish — minimum legal sizes, bag limits and identification guides are published by each fisheries department and are the authoritative source.
Hero spots in our coverage where Redfish is in season for August. Click through for the live forecast.
Flats: pole the boat onto shallow grass flats in 1–3 ft of water and sight-fish tailing reds (where they're feeding head-down with their tails above water — visible from 50 m away in calm conditions). Cast a weedless soft plastic or gold spoon 3 ft ahead of the fish, slow retrieve. Inshore docks / oyster bars: cast popping cork rigs along the structure on a moving tide. Bull reds in the surf (Outer Banks fall run): cast cut bait into surf gutters at night.
Field-proven Redfish methods compiled from published tackle guides — US Gulf and Atlantic inshore, with Louisiana marsh, grass-flat, oyster-bar, dock, surf and sight-fishing variants. Every method links its source.
1soft-plastic jigging
Bait / lure: soft-plastic shad tail, curly tail or scented tail on a jighead
Rig: light-medium inshore spin outfit; match jighead/hook length to the plastic and work near bottom with lift-pause or slow retrieve
When & where: dark or cloudy water, docks, grass edges, oyster bars and shallow flats where vibration helps fish find the lure
2popping cork live-bait rig
Bait / lure: shrimp, mullet, menhaden, sardine, pinfish, pigfish, mud minnow, jig or plastic shrimp below cork
Rig: popping cork with leader to live bait or artificial; use a cork tough enough for big inshore fish
When & where: calm water, flooded grass flats, shell bars, channel edges, mangrove roots, docks, piers and bridge abutments
3short-leader bull red bait rig
Bait / lure: cut bait, live bait or crab for bull reds
Rig: short leader with inline circle hook, such as 9/0 circle on about 2ft of 60lb leader, sinker held close above the hook with crimps/beads
When & where: large redfish in deeper passes, beaches, sounds and bait-holding current where reducing deep-hooking matters
4weedless gold spoon
Bait / lure: gold spoon
Rig: inshore spin/baitcast outfit; retrieve slower than usual so the spoon wobbles rather than spins
When & where: off-colour/tannin water, grass flats, marsh edges and broad search situations
5winter marsh spooning through grass
Bait / lure: weedless spoon with hook guard, usually gold or dark/black in clearer glare
Rig: light inshore spin outfit with 10-12lb main line, 15-20lb fluorocarbon leader, small split ring and swivel to reduce twist
When & where: winter and cool-season marsh grass flats where a weedless spoon can stay clean while covering water
6spoon-fly sight fishing
Bait / lure: spoon fly or small reflective weedless fly
Rig: 8-9wt fly outfit with redfish-style line and leader; present close to the fish's nose without lining it
When & where: murky Louisiana marshes, heavy grass, oyster-and-mud flats and Spartina flats where tailing fish have heads down
7kayak sight-casting mixed artificials
Bait / lure: soft plastic, spoon, topwater bait or white Clouser minnow
Rig: quiet kayak approach with inshore spin tackle or 8-9wt fly rod; land the lure beyond the fish and work it back gently
When & where: skinny marsh ponds and clear sight windows where redfish can be spotted before they see the angler
8weedless topwater over thick marsh grass
Bait / lure: weedless topwater or floating grass-friendly bait
Rig: stout inshore spin or baitcast setup with braid and abrasion-resistant leader; work slowly and patiently over matted grass lanes
When & where: marsh grass too thick for open-hook spoons or jigs, especially when fish are pushing wakes or feeding shallow
Redfish tail and feed actively on the run-up tide as it covers flats with new water and brings in shrimp / crabs. The first two hours of a strong incoming tide on a shallow grass flat is prime. They also feed on the run-out as bait gets funnelled out of marsh creeks.
Spring tides push redfish much further into marshes and onto previously-inaccessible flats — the few days around the full and new moons are when "marsh flooding" creates spectacular tailing opportunities in Louisiana and the Carolinas. Outside spring tides, redfish are weakly moon-driven; light and tide matter more.
Figures come from each jurisdiction's own fisheries authority, with the source linked on every page above. Rules change — closures in particular are reset annually — so confirm with the authority before you keep a fish.
Highly variable by state. Florida: 18–27" slot, 1 fish per person; Texas: 20–28" slot, 3 per day; Louisiana: 16–27" slot, 5 per day; North Carolina: 18–27" slot, 1 per day. Always verify at the relevant state wildlife agency. Big "bull reds" (28"+) are breeders — handle and release them carefully even where regulations allow take.
US state size & bag limits for Redfish: FL · TX · NC · SC · GA · AL · LA · VA
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen has fished his whole life. Fifteen years of fly fishing, guiding seasons on Norway's Lakselva — his favourite Atlantic salmon river — and a blue marlin landed in Vava'u, Tonga. Founder of Fishare — the app that puts the data behind the decisions every angler makes on the water.
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