A killer redfish swimbait

Berkley’s 5-inch Grass Pig gets it done

Everyone has their favorite lure.

Usually it’s the lure they always catch fish on (duh), or maybe it’s one gifted to them by someone well-versed in inshore fishing, like their grandfather.

I know I’ve had my favorites growing up, but over the years I’ve learned from anglers much smarter than me to step outside of my comfort zone and try new things — even those lures not designed with inshore fishing in mind.

It can be tough making that step, as fishing with something new on the end of the line can feel like going on a walk with your shoes on the wrong feet.

But the effort paid off and, after much use, I’ve discovered one versatile swimbait redfish just can’t ignore.

What kind of swimbait, exactly?

To be specific, it’s a Berkley Grass Pig.

It’s a 5-inch soft-plastic swimbait that resembles a finfish, something more like a mullet.

What’s so great about it?

It’s heavy. I don’t have an exact weight for you, but it’s substantially heavier than other 5-inch soft plastic swimbaits. Plus, it’s streamlined. And when you combine these two qualities, you have an artillery piece that’s easy to cast a country mile.

In addition to this, the plastic used is pretty soft. This means it has great action, giving off a strong wobble indicative of a crippled fish that would make an easy meal.

Yes, I understand the downside to this is a lure that’s easily torn, but six-packs of Grass Pigs can be had for $3 depending on where you buy them. I think that’s pretty darned good for 5-inch swimbaits.

What’s your favorite color?

Berkley has a lot of colors available, but my favorite would have to be swamp gas, which is the color shown in the photo.

After that, I like pearl white silver fleck, black blue silver and watermelon, depending on the conditions and the mood of the fish on a particular day.

How do you rig it?

With a 6/0 Owner Beast Hook. It’s pretty simple: Just screw-lock the nose, then rig the hook point up through the belly and out of the back.

In really thick grass, I’ll skin-hook the bait so it doesn’t snag at all. After all, redfish want to eat a delicious mullet — not a vegan salad.

Where can I learn more?

This article just scratches the surface of my use of swimbaits to catch redfish, not to mention everything else in my tackle box: jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, spoons, topwater lures and more.

I reveal all of that inside Inshore Fishing 201, my course teaching inshore anglers how to use artificial lures with casting tackle to create presentations fish can’t resist.

It’s a great way to save the expense of live bait, outfish it and target larger, harder-to-catch fish.

Devin Denman is an avid inshore fisherman who writes the Louisiana Fishing Blog. To read more of his articles, visit lafishblog.com.