How to catch Redfish

I was down on the Texas coast this weekend fishing for redfish. What a great sport fish! Fun to track and a heck of a fight to get out of the water. I ran across this article on reds while planning my trip.
This is a great article from Ron Brooks on How to catch redfish.

From http://saltfishing.about.com/od/redfish/tp/aa100227list.htm
Lots of anglers want to know just how do we catch redfish. Up and down the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, catching redfish is a major fishing activity. These tips and baits can help you find that monster red you are pursuing.
Redfish, known in some parts as red drum, channel bass, or red bass, are relatively easy to catch once they have been located. So, the first part of our discussion needs to center around how to find them! Where do we look?
Habitat
Redfish are generally a shallow water fish. They live in and around the estuaries along the eastern seaboard and gulf coast of the Untied States. They can be found in the salt marsh creeks and rivers, oyster bars, open sounds, and backwater flats. Smaller fish tend to school more than the larger fish, and once you catch one, you are almost sure to catch more.
They migrate offshore each winter to deeper water and hold on natural and artificial reefs. In the warmer months, they can be found inshore where the bait is plentiful. During their fall migration, they can be found in the deep channels leading out to the ocean – hence channel bass. These may be the biggest reds you will find, and they may be the easiest to catch as well.

Natural Baits
Redfish can be caught on a variety of natural bait. Live bait such as live shrimp, mud minnows, or small baitfish like mullet or menhaden shad are all used to catch redfish.
Live shrimp are fished under a float or on a jig head. Free-lining live shrimp is another technique that works in shallow water under certain circumstances. Mud minnows can be fished the same way. Other live bait, such as live finger mullet of menhaden are generally fishing on the bottom on a standard bottom fishing rig.
Sometimes cut bait, such as the side of a mullet, works well on the bottom. Whole or half crabs fished on the bottom also work well.

Artificial Baits
Artificial bait – lures and plugs – are very effective baits for redfish. These baits range from topwater to deep diving baits, from plugs to jigs. Lots of redfish lures resemble freshwater black bass lures. It stands to reason – all the lures are meant to mimic baitfish.
Plastic swim tails or grubs on jig heads are extremely popular baits. My personal favorite is a Bass Assassin Electric Chicken color swim tail on a 3/8 ounce jig head. Heavier current will have me using a ½ ounce jig – lighter current will allow me to go down to a ¼ ounce jig. I fish with the lightest weight I can that will still give me the action I want.

Methods
Inshore we fish for reds in the creeks and estuaries up and down the coast. We look for creeks that have signs of baitfish - schools of minnows, birds feeding along the edge of the water. We look for oyster bars and water flows into and out of the marsh flats.
We try to fish the tide that best suites the situation. We fish an outgoing tide to find feeding fish coming off a marsh flat and dropping back into the creek or river. Live and artificial baits are presented in those areas and worked slowly. Generally, when you find one fish, you will find a school. If you fish for 15 minutes on one structure and get no bites – move.

State Conservation and Fish and Game Organizations




ALABAMA

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Alabama Wildlife and Fresh Water Fisheries Division

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Alabama

ALASKA

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Alaska

ARIZONA

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Arizona Game and Fish Department

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Arizona

ARKANSAS

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Arkansas

CALIFORNIA

California Resources Agency

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in California

COLORADO

Colorado Department of Natural Resources

Colorado Division of Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Colorado

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Connecticut Division of Wildlife

Connecticut Fisheries Program

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Connecticut

DELAWARE

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Delaware

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in the District of Columbia

FLORIDA

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Florida

GEORGIA

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Georgia

HAWAII

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Hawaii

IDAHO

Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Idaho Division of Environmental Quality

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Idaho

ILLINOIS

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Illinois

INDIANA

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Indiana

IOWA

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Iowa

KANSAS

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Kansas

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Kentucky

LOUISIANA

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Louisiana

MAINE

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Maine

MARYLAND

Maryland Department of the Environment

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Maryland

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Massachusetts

MICHIGAN

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Michigan

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Minnesota

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Parks

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Mississippi

MISSOURI

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Missouri

MONTANA

Montana Department of Environmental Qualities

Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Montana

NEBRASKA

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Nebraska

NEVADA

Nevada Division of Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Nevada

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development

New Hampshire Fish and Game

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New Hampshire

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New Jersey

NEW MEXICO

New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department

New Mexico Environment Department

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New Mexico

NEW YORK

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in New York

NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in North Dakota

OHIO

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Ohio Division of Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Ohio

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Oklahoma

OREGON

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Oregon

PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Pennsylvania Game Commission

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Pennnsylvania

RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Rhode Island

SOUTH CAROLINA

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in South Carolina

SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources

South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in South Dakota

TENNESSEE

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Tennessee

TEXAS

Texas Parks and Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Texas

UTAH

Utah Department of Environmental Quality

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Utah

VERMONT

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation

Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Vermont

VIRGINIA

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Virginia

WASHINGTON

Washington State Conservation Commission

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Washington

WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in West Virginia

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Wisconsin

WYOMING

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

Wyoming Game and Fish Department

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices in Wyoming

South Texas Rattler

Little guy.

South Texas Rattler

This guy was sunning on the road when we introduced ourselves.

Silent death

Most of you have probably seen this but it is too good to pass up. He's about to take my buck!

Getting ready for hunting season during the summer.

Hunting season is just around the corner! Time to get out all the equipment and dust it off and start getting it ready. Now what was it that you needed to get at the end of last season that you forgot about? Do you have fresh batteries for all your toys (most importantly flashlights)?
The only problem with getting ready for hunting season in south Texas is that it is 104 degrees outside. So when cleaning out hunting blinds or cutting senderos or simply walking the fenceline looking for antlers, make sure to take frequent breaks and drink lots of water.
One of the best ways to get ready for the next season is to scout your property. Find out where the animals are moving. Look for trails, rubs and other markings and you can get a good idea of where everything is. At this time of the year the hunting pressure has been off for a while and everything should be moving a little more freely.
It also may be time to climb in the blinds and check all your shooting lanes. Make sure there aren't any branches sneaking into your line of sight. I know I've done my share of shooting through branches that I swore wasn't there when I looked through the scope. That's an easy way to wound a nice buck.
We'll keep on the topic of what to do to start getting ready for hunting season during the summer in the next several posts. Let me know if anyone has any other ideas or thoughts most people may not think about. Thanks.