Entry 211-3

New Hot Inshore Saltwater Lures and How to Fish Them

Part 3: The Magic of the Redfish

Question: I know you catch a lot of redfish also. How are you catching them?

Simpson: I love to fish for redfish in the shallow flats around the Barrier Islands off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, and I really enjoy fishing Strike King’s Redfish Magic with the gold blades in the shallow water. That gold blade really puts off a great flash that will cause a redfish to come from 8- or 10-feet away to take the bait, and I really enjoy fishing a Redfish Magic when we’re wade fishing along the shore and fishing the shallow gullies. I’m fishing for the redfish in many of the same areas where we fish for speckled trout. Many times our speckled trout and redfish will be holding and moving in the same regions. That’s another thing I like about the Strike King line of saltwater lures. They don’t discriminate. They will catch both speckled trout and redfish.

Another way we fish the Redfish Magic is to cast these lures across the oyster reefs and swim them back over the tops of the reefs. These reefs are in as little as a 1-1/2-feet to 3 feet of water, and we can cover a lot of water quickly with the Redfish Magic. If we have clear water, we can walk the shoreline around the Barrier Islands and sight fish for the redfish. What I really like about fishing the Redfish Magic when I’m sight fishing is that I can see the redfish take the bait and see the drawing power of the Magic to pull the redfish to it. If I can cast ahead of the fish and let the Redfish Magic pass in front of the fish, then I know I’ll get a surefire strike, unless the redfish spots me before he sees the bait.

Question: What size redfish are you catching?

Simpson: Our keeper size redfish are 18 inches and will weigh about 3-1/2-pounds, but when we’re fishing around the islands, we’ll catch redfish that are from 16 inches to 24 inches and will weigh from 1-1/2-pounds up to 8 or 9 pounds.

Question: How many redfish will you usually catch in a day when you’re just targeting redfish?

Simpson: Like any kind of fishing, the number of fish we catch depends on the type day we have and how the redfish are schooling. If we find a school that has four to six redfish in it, we may catch one to three of those redfish until they move. Typically, if we’re just targeting redfish, on many days we can get our limit of three redfish per person. The clarity of the water has a lot to do with how many redfish we catch. I like to fish around Ship Island in the shallow areas and the tiny bays found there. When the sun is high in the sky at about 11 or 12 o’clock, the fish are easier to see. Too, you’ll have a better chance of catching them sight-fishing.

But if the area doesn’t have clear water, we can still catch the redfish by blind-casting into the gullies and troughs on the edge of the island. The fish will still be holding in 1-1/2- to 3 feet of water in these gullies. But, if we are solely targeting redfish, our chances of getting a limit every day we go is really good. We usually always catch at least four or five reds.  

Question: Are you catching any speckled trout when you’re fishing the Redfish Magic for reds?

Simpson: We sure do. Speckled trout will eat up the Redfish Magic, just like the redfish do. The redfish and the trout will hold in those troughs coming off the Barrier Islands because these are the avenues that the bait travels. So the redfish and the speckled trout will be traveling in the same lanes at the same time.

To learn more about inshore fishing with Captain Scott Simpson in Biloxi, Mississippi, call (228) 669-6204 or visit Impulsive Charters.

Next: Boat Or No Boat

Contents:

• Part 1: Speckled Trout and the Glass Minnow
• Part 2: Put the Zulu on Your Trout
• Part 3: The Magic of the Redfish
• Part 4: Boat Or No Boat
• Part 5: Life Doesn’t Get Better Than This