# Where are the Redfish Hard bottom vs Soft Bottom



## m32825 (Jun 29, 2018)

In shallower water, because dolphins value their skin too much to follow them there.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

m32825 said:


> In shallower water, because dolphins value their skin too much to follow them there.


I’ve seen full grown dolphins chase and catch redfish in a foot of water by swimming on their side so their tail can still get thrust. It’s an amazing sight.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

PTLuv2Fish said:


> I was fishing Dickerson Bay/Panacea last couple of days and went out to North of the Oyster Farm over limestone bottom. I struggled to locate fish out there and later was wondering why a Redfish would hang out over limestone any way? Thanks


The only time redfish will hang somewhere there is no forage is to warm up after a cold front when the sun comes out. Otherwise find the bait, find the fish.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I’ve seen full grown dolphins chase and catch redfish in a foot of water by swimming on their side so their tail can still get thrust. It’s an amazing sight.


I've seen the same thing in SWLA over a sandy bottom. I thought the one we saw was going to get stuck but he managed to find his way to deeper water


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

I probably wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t see it myself how shallow the mammal dolphins will get. I know I’ve seen them in 18” of water, maybe even a bit less. Shallow enough to have to turn sideways to swim. I was wading West Matagorda bay over by the old Army Airforce WWII base in 2’ of water on hard sand and submerged grass and had three dolphin swim real close to me. One I could have touched as it went by. Dolphin will come into the thigh deep first gut of the surf here. That’s all packed sand, though

I do believe the redfish will get extra shallow if they can when dolphin are around. Maybe a shallow and hard or jagged limestone bottom offers some protection. Texas doesn’t really have hard limestone substrates. I think baffin bay might be sort of an exception with the fossilized worm rocks there. I wonder is sharp oyster reef offers the same sort of protection ? I see a lot of redfish tight to shallow, sharp, live oyster reefs. Maybe it isn’t all about the opportunity for a easy meal. Maybe the reef also offers some protection from hungry dolphin. Dolphin can shut down a bite in the surf. I think we’ve all seen the photos of dolphin playing frisbee with good sized flounder or tearing up juvenile redfish. Redfish have enough sense to try to avoid getting eaten by dolphin.


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## D33p (Dec 31, 2021)

Typically I find the reds in transition areas and where I fish it's mainly soft bottom but Homosassa has lot's of limestone crags and hard structure.


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## Mark H (Nov 22, 2016)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I’ve seen full grown dolphins chase and catch redfish in a foot of water by swimming on their side so their tail can still get thrust. It’s an amazing sight.


I've seen redfish chase bait up onto mud and have to wiggle their way back into water but never what you saw. Very cool memory.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

Maury Morrison and I watched a pair of dolphins herding mullet onto an exposed oyster reef in Bray’s Cove, Mesquite Bay. They’d bat them up onto the exposed shell with their tails and grab them as they flopped back into the water. He got some cell phone video of it, but we were too far away for fine detail. Great show! Those dolphins were in less than a foot of water. I would have thought the shell would be shredding them, but it didn’t seem to bother them.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

We're a long ways south - down on the coast of the Everglades but in the fall there's one area with a lovely long exposed mud bank at low tide along a shoreline where groups of dolphin will herd mullet up to the edge then actually drive them up onto the bare mud then wiggle themselves about two or three feet onto the mud to pick up fish that are flopping around trying to get back to water... It's so neat that whenever it's on - my anglers will put down their rods and reach for their cameras...

I've been told that dolphin trainers are actually only getting dolphin to do things they do naturally so now you know how they get them to slide up onto the deck during shows... The good news down my way is that the dolphin are so well fed that they never come after a hooked fish like they will north of us... The only place I've ever encountered dolphin stealing hooked fish is off of Miami Beach and points north where they'll steal king mackeral off of a wireline rig...


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## 17Patriot76 (8 mo ago)

There’s a portion of Estero bay I fish that’s just barely too shallow for my trolling motor powered kayak at any tide under 1.1ft (at the closest station). I’ve actually left that spot because the dolphins have blown it out multiple times while chasing snook and reds. As long as they have enough water to get on their sides and have a decent portion of their tail still under, they have no problem getting out. It’s amazing to watch, but boy does it piss me off after having gone all that way at 3mph😂


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

I had an old fishing guide once tell me that he looks for harder bottom when targeting redfish. Supposedly, he said, the crabs and such have a harder time hiding in the hard stuff than the mud in a softer substrate. Thus the redfish have an easier time picking them off.

As far as dolphin go, they will even beach themselves while attacking prey. I once found a dead one that beached itself a little too far and died on dry land.


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## WC53 (Dec 2, 2015)

Everyone knows they’re just wait on the flood so they can slurp those crabs  full moon fishing this week.


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