# What is your Redfish/trout success rate?



## naclh2oDave (Apr 8, 2008)

When you go fishing inshore to target redfish and trout how would you rate your success? Expectations? 

I had my father in law (FIL) in this week and we spent a few days waking up for sunrise fishing inshore. We took the boat into the sound. Using live shrimp, spoons, Gulps!, other soft plastics and topwaters. We fished docks, grass and sand. Shallow and deep, 2-7 feet. Each day we caught 1 speck that would keep, no red fish, and of course plenty of ladies and cats, which was great fun for my 9 year old, but still kind of disappointing for me.

So, for those of you that wade fish, or load up the kayak or boat, those that buy shrimp and Gulp! and go out to catch our inshore fish how well do you do? Do you consider yourself a good fisherman? Can you consistently target redfish and bring one, or two, home?


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## lastlaugh (May 21, 2013)

I usually fish more backwater/bay areas that anything, both kayak and wading. I don't do anything in the morning. I only get 2 days a week to sleep in and I'm gonna use em! As for afternoon/nights, I fish the dock lights by kayak at night and my freezer is slap full of trout. I have only caught 1 really big trout, but tons of keepers. I have yet to catch a single red and I've been here since January. I do, however, catch flounder about as often as I do trout using various gulp shrimp and a silver or gold clarkspoon. I have tried frozen and live shrimp but the pinfish destroy them before I can catch anything. I hear alot of talk on here about the Mirrolure 17MR but I have yet to get a single bite on it, and I have 3 different ones. I also haven't got a single bite on any type of topwater lure. As for success rate, I catch 2-3 keepers about 75% of the time I go out.


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## redfishing (Mar 31, 2012)

I target reds and trout, normally catch them every time I go out but not all keepers, I normally to get keeper sized fish of one species every time.

Now yesterday was crazy got a 2 person limit of reds and 21" trout in two hours in the late afternoon/early evening, could have kept catching reds I believe but had to head in.

I normally use live shrimp exclusively, you have to get enough to weed through the pinfish imo.


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## damnifino3 (Sep 23, 2012)

I Wade the grass flats in the sound primarily. I use live shrimp under a popping cork. I have never had any luck with lures on trout or reds. I like to fish early in the morning and I hardly ever get skunked. I catch more trout than reds and not all are legal to keep. My last red was early spring at 27". I try to keep my bait moving when the pinfish start tapping at it...doesn't work 100% but I generally only lose a few bait to em. Success rate 75-80 I guess.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Forum Runner


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## Jet fishin (May 5, 2012)

Pin fish are great bait. 
We use both shrimp and pin fish for bait. On a popping cork. 
When cleaning your fish check stomach content. :thumbup:
Then you'll know what they are eating:thumbsup:


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

lastlaugh said:


> I usually fish more backwater/bay areas that anything, both kayak and wading. I don't do anything in the morning. I only get 2 days a week to sleep in and I'm gonna use em! As for afternoon/nights, I fish the dock lights by kayak at night and my freezer is slap full of trout. I have only caught 1 really big trout, but tons of keepers. I have yet to catch a single red and I've been here since January. I do, however, catch flounder about as often as I do trout using various gulp shrimp and a silver or gold clarkspoon. I have tried frozen and live shrimp but the pinfish destroy them before I can catch anything. I hear alot of talk on here about the Mirrolure 17MR but I have yet to get a single bite on it, and I have 3 different ones. I also haven't got a single bite on any type of topwater lure. As for success rate, I catch 2-3 keepers about 75% of the time I go out.


Have you eaten any of that frozen trout yet?


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## baldona523 (Mar 2, 2008)

I think you are not far off from the norm. Its easy to get frustrated getting on here and seeing all the pictures, but most likely the pics are not the norm. Most days with my good fishing buddy and I or my dad and I, I will catch probably 3-5 keepers and usually 10-15 fish with many of those being under slot reds, trout, or something else. 

I am getting better and better, but unless you fish 5 days a week like the guides it is very tough to pattern the fish every time you fish. Just remember the guides fish 30+ hours a week and have a couple guide buddies they talk to every day. I have caught no kidding 30 reds one day and gone out a week later to not catch a fish.


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## JasonL (May 17, 2011)

I only fish on Saturday morning/afternoons for the most part and I usually have some luck with both Specks and Reds. Reds are a little harder to come by for me, but I can almost always find a few specks. I never fish with live shrimp because, for me, it has never paid to. I pretty much switch between a Mirrodine 17mr, Gulp shrimp and a chartreuse grub. I try to fish over grass flats or on edges and when the tide is moving.

That being said, I've had those days too...every fisherman does.


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## yellow mouth (Jun 25, 2013)

I only fish during the week and I only use live bait. I usually limit out on trout (2 anglers in a boat) and then try to catch a blackfish or 2 if I have time.

I don't get to fish that much anymore due to work and family obligations, but I have off days during the week sometimes and I try to hit it hard when I can go.

Last week we kept 20 trout on Tuesday afternoon that probably weighed 70 pounds total. We fished from 1pm to 5pm. Tried blackfish for a half hour after that and had one hookup but he threw the hook.

Wednesday morning we caught 20 trout and they were much lighter. Maybe a 1 1/2 pound average.

All trout caught in a bay on live shrimp in 15 feet of water with a slip cork.

Some fatties in this pic. Several 5 plus and several 4's.


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## yellow mouth (Jun 25, 2013)

Before anyone says that we had over 20 on tuesday in that pic, we came back to the wharf and picked up a friends Father and let him catch a few before dark.


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## dabutcher (Apr 19, 2008)

The average trip on my boat is 20-30 trout and 2-4 redfish. Sometimes we will only catch 5-10 fish but there also some occassions that we will land 45+ fish. My 3 main baits are a super spook jr, mirrodine, and a soft plastic on 1/4 ounce jig head. I haven't fished in the last 3 weeks due to an injury but I hope to post some reports and videos in the near future.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

My stats:

Disclaimer: I target trout - large trout exclusively, can catch large numbers of smaller trout…prefer the big girls.
p/u a red every now n then.
I use elec. trolling motor only, limited range.

avg trip: 4-5 water miles
avg time/tip: 3 hrs.
avg trout count: 3-5, biggest 6 lb.+ and released a 28” w/o weight
avg Redfish count: 1 every now n then...by chance I suppose

lures: jerk bait, mirror-dine & gulp at night.

Last yr. my success ratio was well over 95% on quality trout...this yr., much lower…not as many trips and numbers of quality fish are down in blackwater, for me anyway.

The bay is not as alive as last yr.
We had no spring striper/hybrid run in the basins like normally.
I feel the TOTAL numbers of baitfish are down this yr. and has anyone noticed the late hatching of bait fish in general?

For the 1st time I saw bait chased and pushed to the shoreline this past weekend by reds, trout, stripers???
Last yr., by now...this was a common occurrence.

Anyway...those are my stats.
Could give you moon phases, tides and water temps if you have nothing else to do and can't sleep...lol.


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## fsu alex (Aug 3, 2011)

dabutcher said:


> The average trip on my boat is 20-30 trout and 2-4 redfish. Sometimes we will only catch 5-10 fish but there also some occassions that we will land 45+ fish. My 3 main baits are a super spook jr, mirrodine, and a soft plastic on 1/4 ounce jig head. I haven't fished in the last 3 weeks due to an injury but I hope to post some reports and videos in the near future.


^^^^This guy only catches stingrays and mullet!


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## yellow mouth (Jun 25, 2013)

fsu alex said:


> ^^^^This guy only catches stingrays and mullet!


Do tell?


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## dabutcher (Apr 19, 2008)

fsu alex said:


> ^^^^This guy only catches stingrays and mullet!



From about January to April I caught 3 stingrays on jigs and snatched a couple of mullet on mirrodines. Needless to say, this has provided Alex a great deal of entertainment. However, my stingrays and mullet pale in comparison to the numerous trophy needle fish that Alex has landed over the last year.


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## fsu alex (Aug 3, 2011)

dabutcher said:


> From about January to April I caught 3 stingrays on jigs and snatched a couple of mullet on mirrodines. Needless to say, this has provided Alex a great deal of entertainment. However, my stingrays and mullet pale in comparison to the numerous trophy needle fish that Alex has landed over the last year.


Stud needle fish definitely, trophy is to generous of a statement.


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## Team Osprey (May 1, 2010)

That's a good mess of specks


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

yellow mouth said:


> I only fish during the week and I only use live bait. I usually limit out on trout (2 anglers in a boat) and then try to catch a blackfish or 2 if I have time.
> 
> I don't get to fish that much anymore due to work and family obligations, but I have off days during the week sometimes and I try to hit it hard when I can go.
> 
> ...


Yellowmouth, You guys are really slaying them. You must be fishing in the Mobile Bay system? What general area are all these trout coming from?


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## yellow mouth (Jun 25, 2013)

panhandleslim said:


> Yellowmouth, You guys are really slaying them. You must be fishing in the Mobile Bay system? What general area are all these trout coming from?


We are catching them in Mobile Bay in 15 feet of water around structure (rigs). Use a slip cork and keep your live shrimp in the lower third of the water column and it is on.

If the water isn't moving, don't give up. You can go from the out house to the penthouse in 30 minutes.


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