Spinnerbaits’ vibration, flash are usually enough to draw a strike from a Mississippi redfish. Here’s how to set up the hookup.
Bass anglers fishing coastal waters discovered long ago that spinnerbaits not only attract largemouths, but big redfish.
In fact, they frequently catch bass and redfish in the same waters, at the same time, on the same spinnerbaits.
Redfish feed primarily by smell and feel, rather than by sight as do speckled trout. Spinnerbait blades give off significant vibrations that fish can detect even in the murkiest waters. On sunny days and in moderately clear waters, the whirling blades reflect sunlight, simulating the flash of baitfish scales. Even the least-aggressive redfish might slash out at an aggravating spinnerbait thumping past its nose.
“The fish feel that vibration of the blade thumping, and then they see the flash,” said Matt Tusa, a guide with Shore Thing Charters in Bay St. Louis. “Maybe the fish think that flash is a baitfish, a shrimp or a crab. The combination of flash and considerable vibration causes a reaction bite from the redfish, and they go for it.”
Most saltwater anglers prefer a “beetle-type” spinnerbait, consisting of a wire harness attached to a jighead tipped with a soft-plastic trailer resembling a minnow or shrimp. Also called a “harness” spinner, this lure of type allows anglers unlimited versatility. Since the components separate, anglers can quickly switch blades, jigheads or trailers to adapt to changing conditions. Many redfish anglers like rounded Colorado blades, which give off the most vibration and sink faster than more streamlined willow-leaf blades.
“For trailers, I’ve always had good luck with a pearl-colored plastic or an avocado with red flake,” Tusa said. “Black with a chartreuse tail or purple and chartreuse are also good colors. I use a spinnerbait with a gold Colorado blade. I think that flash of gold has a lot more to do with a fish hitting it than the color of the plastic.”
Where to tie on a blade
Most Mississippi sportsmen probably use spinnerbaits to fish weedy shorelines like those in the Pearl River and Pascagoula River deltas, particularly in the fall. Marshes between Bayou Caddy in Waveland and East Pearl create excellent redfish habitat. Anglers can also fish many other marshy areas, including those bordering the Back Bay of Biloxi, Old Fort Bayou and around Bay St. Louis. Wherever you find cover that might hold redfish, you can fish a spinnerbait.
“The barrier islands are excellent places to look for redfish in the fall,” said Mark Wright with Legends of the Lower Marsh Charters in Pass Christian. “The mouth of any bayous, rivers or creeks that feed into Biloxi Bay or Bay St. Louis should produce good fishing. The marshes at the upper end of Bay St. Louis where the Jourdan and the Wolf rivers hit the bay can produce a lot of good redfish action.”
Since they can cover so much territory at all levels in the water column, spinnerbaits make phenomenal search baits. Anglers can cast them long distances, and even if a fish doesn’t strike the offering, the spinnerbait makes such a commotion that it will react to one passing close by. If a fish reveals its position and doesn’t attack the spinnerbait, follow up with a more subtle, soft-plastic temptation.
“With a spinnerbait, the fish will know it’s there pretty quickly,” Tusa said. “When a redfish feels that pulsating vibration and sees that flash, it might come from a long distance to hit a spinnerbait. Since a spinnerbait makes a lot of commotion, it’s a great bait to use in murky water, and we have a lot of murky water on the Mississippi coast.”
Fish for reds almost like for largemouth bass. Like bass, redfish habitually hang around cover, waiting to ambush an easy meal. Move quietly along a marshy shoreline, casting lures into any pockets or other irregularities. Intentionally bump baits into any hard cover, such as dock or bridge pilings and stumps. Stop occasionally to let the bait sink a few feet like a stunned baitfish.
Moving water required
“Any place with moving water, points or pockets could be a good spot to catch redfish,” Tusa said. “Even the smallest point might hold a lot of fish. I look for little shell patches that most people don’t even know exist. When looking at the grass, mud on the top may not necessarily be at the bottom. There might be a shell bank there under the water. Anywhere we can find water moving around a point or in a little ditch, those fish are going to be there.”
During an outgoing tide, falling water dislodges shrimp, crabs, minnows, mullets and other prey from cover and forces them into deeper waters. Black-spotted predators gather at the mouths of little ditches that drain marshy ponds to feast on anything the tide brings to them. Cast baits far up those little drains and run spinnerbaits slightly faster than the tide can carry them downstream.
The same conditions apply to points. Pay attention to the water flow. Reds regularly lurk on the downstream side of wind-swept points. They look toward the tidal or wind current for bait. Cast upwind past a point, and work a spinnerbait across the tip.
Whenever possible, run baits parallel to shorelines. Keep the baits just over the edge of a drop-off, if one exists. In places with submerged vegetation, let the bait sink until it runs just across the grass tips. Pause periodically to let the bait sink into the grass.
Fish signposts
While working a shoreline, watch for fish activity. Look for shrimp flicking on the surface or agitated baitfish jumping for their lives. Also watch for the distinctive large, V-shaped wakes redfish make when cruising. Sometimes, anglers can spot individual fish with their backs or tails breaking the surface as they root in the mud for crabs, shrimp, mussels or other morsels. Don’t drop a bait on a fish’s head. If possible, throw the bait in front of or beyond the fish and bring the bait to it.
“Sometimes, we sight-fish for reds in the fall,” Tusa said. “Because of that vibration, I don’t want to throw a spinnerbait too close to them or the bait might spook them. If I see them waking some distance away from me, I throw well beyond them and pull the bait toward them.”
Anglers can fish versatile spinnerbaits countless ways from top to bottom. Few things in nature run in a straight line, so at any depth, don’t just reel steadily. That works, but add a little zing when passing a likely ambush spot. Shake the rod tip to make the skirt flair or trailer tail wiggle or reel with an irregular cadence. Any varied movements could change the sound a bait makes underwater, which might get a fish’s attention.
Around matted grass and extreme shallows, buzz spinnerbaits across the surface or wake them just beneath it to create a bulge in the water. If a redfish sits in a shallow pocket and refuses to hit a bait, repeatedly churn the lure past its nose until that action enrages the brute enough to strike out of pure hatred.
Myriad oyster reefs dot coastal Mississippi waters. Slow-roll spinners just above the shells. Pause occasionally so the blades plink against the shells, rocks or other objects; the sound reverberates through the water. Also, sporadically hit the bottom to make a mud trail that mimics a crab scurrying along the bottom. Redfish follow mud trails looking for the crabs that made the disturbance.
Deep-water tricks
Besides shallow shorelines and oyster reefs, anglers can look for redfish around abundant deeper structures all along the Mississippi coastline. Deeper river channels and cover such as bridge or dock pilings, jetties and reefs might hold big reds. The state also established numerous artificial reefs at various depths along the coastline. These structures can hold big redfish.
“People can catch redfish anywhere along the Mississippi coast,” Tusa said. “People have many options on where to fish for redfish in October, from river channels to marshes to the beaches. The area from Bayou Caddy to East Pearl River is a good area to look for redfish in the fall. People could even wade the beaches to catch fish coming in and out of the sandbars.”
When fishing slightly deeper water, try a “helicopter” or “yo-yo” retrieve. Let the bait sink a few feet. As it descends, the blades keep flickering like a struggling baitfish. Big redfish commonly hit lures as they fall. If nothing happens, pull it back to the surface, move it a few feet and try again.
When fishing really deep, cold waters, try “worming” a spinnerbait. Let the lure sink to the bottom and crank it very slowly, with the blades barely turning. Then, yank it off the bottom by jerking the rod upward. Let it flutter back to the bottom like you work a Texas-rigged worm. Repeat that maneuver.
Mississippi sportsmen who use these techniques might put a few more spot-tails in the boat and experience incredibly thrilling action while doing it, and that’s not just spin!
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