# Redfish Tips Catfish stealing all my Bait



## Disco (Aug 21, 2013)

Alright guys ive been fishing dock lights and the bay for years and have yet to figure out how to specifically target bigger reds. When I fish the lights we tend to catch all under size reds. I see pics of guys catching really big reds and darn it I want in on the action!!!! Ive seen huge schools while free diving in my usual fishing grounds but have still yet to hook up on a real "bull red" or even a nice keeper red.
Most of the time that I fish I go throw a cast net and get small bait usually 2 to 3 inch pinfish, croakers, and finger mullet. I rig up a flourocarbon leader about 3 feet long with a swivel and a small weight above the leader. 9 times out of ten I catch catfish and the other one time itll be a ladyfish/skipjack. I seriously never catch red fish out in bigger water where I know ive seen them numerous times stacked on top of each other thick.

When I do catch reds its usually under dock lights at night using little to no weight and the same kind of bait. The reds I catch like this are almost always just under the minimum size limit sometimes just barely legal. 

Please help!!!

Disco


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

I am hit and miss with reds, actually haven't targeted them in a year or so. Used to do well launching at east river in Navarre then head out into the grass, but didn't like the tannin stains it left on my boat so I quit. I will say this, live shrimp works better than dead, pinfish works better than that. also, if you catch three cats, move on, if there are three, there are three hundred !!!!!!!!!


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## nojerseydevil (Jan 23, 2009)

2X what CCC said on the cats. 

NJD


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## Disco (Aug 21, 2013)

So you pretty much just move away from the cats? Am I rigging properly for the reds shold I try bigger bait? So pinfish are better bait for reds?


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## BrakeTurnAccelerate (Jul 1, 2012)

Menhaden are better than pins, if you can find 'em, but cats will still eat both.
I do agree though on moving on if you can a bunch of cats.


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## M.A.A.D. (Aug 28, 2013)

I know it seems fun to catch big reds in shallow water, like around docks and on grass flats, but in my experience it just doesn't happen as often. I catch a lot of slot and oversized reds in pensacola bay, but most come from fishing deeper water. Bridges, deeper holes, rocks near the pass, and the pass itself (esp. during the winter) have all produced big reds for me over the past 20+ years. I have caught big reds in shallow water before, just not nearly as often, and certainly not often enough to go out targeting that kind of catch. Shrimp, live pinfish, bull minnows, and finger mullet seem to all do good for catching reds, but don't count out cut baits on bottom. Reds really use their sense of smell to locate food, especially the bigger slower moving reds that have a harder time running down small bait fish. A fresh mullet strip on bottom will draw in big reds if they are around. Big reds eat a lot of crabs too, and believe me, if you get good at fishing crabs on bottom, you will never have a problem hooking big red and black drum in pensacola. 
I still run into cat fish, everyone does, but there does seem to be more of them in that 5-10' water depth. Everyone has a different fishing style, and there may be some guys that are good at hooking big reds in the shallows around here, but I am certainly not one of them. hope this helps.


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## MathGeek (Mar 31, 2012)

M.A.A.D. said:


> I know it seems fun to catch big reds in shallow water, like around docks and on grass flats, but in my experience it just doesn't happen as often. I catch a lot of slot and oversized reds in pensacola bay, but most come from fishing deeper water. Bridges, deeper holes, rocks near the pass, and the pass itself (esp. during the winter) have all produced big reds for me over the past 20+ years. I have caught big reds in shallow water before, just not nearly as often, and certainly not often enough to go out targeting that kind of catch. Shrimp, live pinfish, bull minnows, and finger mullet seem to all do good for catching reds, but don't count out cut baits on bottom. Reds really use their sense of smell to locate food, especially the bigger slower moving reds that have a harder time running down small bait fish. A fresh mullet strip on bottom will draw in big reds if they are around. Big reds eat a lot of crabs too, and believe me, if you get good at fishing crabs on bottom, you will never have a problem hooking big red and black drum in pensacola.


We catch a lot of bull redfish. Crab on the bottom. Crab on the bottom. Crab on the bottom in deeper water.


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## backwoods (Dec 4, 2009)

*redfish*

Try free lining. Tie a circle hook on the end of your main line or use a leader if you want. Put on baitfish, I like to use bull minnows, finger mullet and 3-5 in. crokers. cast them out and watch your line. Once your line starts to move away, start reeling in! Find the bait that works best for your area and you'll get into em!


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## mdlero (Aug 6, 2013)

Whats the trick to the "crab on the bottom" method?


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