# Sight-fishing redfish - go to lure



## Indy

Top water. She pup.


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## MatthewAbbott

When I have someone on the bow that doesn’t fly fish I have them throw Voodoo shrimp or DOAs.


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## karstopo

In heavy shell area, a topwater like a big skitterwalk, chartreuse/bone. Otherwise, a saltwater assassin, DSL, or H&H Queen cocahoe something like chicken on chain or hammer time. 

Most of the time, it’s an olive or tan borski slider or redfish crack with the buggy whip.


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## Zika

Spring through fall, 3/8-oz Aqua Dream or Capt. Mike's (Classic weedless) willow blade gold spoon. I downsize to 1/4-oz in the winter. Comes with a wire weed guard and I add a ball-bearing swivel to the original nose split ring to cut down on line twist.

Gold is the standard, but chartreuse or silver work well in clear water, pink in tannin stained. This was my go-to redfish lure when I was guiding. Casts well, flutters nicely and the reds love it.

www.aquadreamliving.com










A DOA 1/4-oz shrimp in near clear or gold glitter is my back-up option.


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## Surffshr

Zika is spot on. Especially with inexperienced folks up front. Most self-respecting redfish will eat an even poorly presented gold spoon.


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## BrownDog

For sight fishing I will use a ned rig TRD in the winter and any soft plastic shrimp (mainly gulp) rigged weedless in the grass in summer.

my experience is presentation is more important than lure choice.


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## ReelEstate

Slow retrieve gold spoon


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## ERK

Aqua Dream spoon in Chartreuse for covering a lot of water and large expanses of flat or a 090 Suspending or Floating Sebile Stick Shad. If I know fish are are around and concentrated in areas like around docks or potholes or mullet schools, I'll use Mirrolure lil jons as my go to on 1/16 or 1/8oz DOA CAL jighead or weedless Mustad twist lock 1/8" if there is a lot of floating grass.

For purely sightfishing, that lil jon on a twist lock hook is hard to beat. It casts great, lands fairly softly, and has a pretty small profile that wont send the fish running.


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## Tailwaters

Bugg crab jig, DOA shrimp, unweighted jerk shad or a gulp shrimp rigged with a small bass worm hook so it is weedless. Most of my sight fishing is in water less than a foot so I look for things that don't catch weeds and that don't sink fast.


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## JRyno10

Thanks everyone for the responses. I’m going to order some new tackle and I’ll have to give an update after fishing! May take the paddle board out tomorrow and will most likely be throwing Gulp Shrimp and Gold Spoons.


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## Scott

Anyone using the Hyperplastics Dartspin? You can see them at 
https://abandofanglers.com/collections/hyperlastics. They are designed by Patrick Sebile. They look very fish catchy.


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## BrownDog

I am surprised here at the number of people throwing plugs for true sight fishing redfish.


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## Scott

BrownDog said:


> I am surprised here at the number of people throwing plugs for true sight fishing redfish.


Do it all the time in ENP.


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## Backlasher

Gulp shrimp or Gulp Jerk Shad rigged weedless on a 1/16 oz weighted flutter hook - my go to lure for sight fishing in less than a foot of water over grass or shell. 

I really think it comes down to whether the fish is hungry or not - type of lure is secondary...


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## jay.bush1434

Buggs Fishing jigs or Down South Lures Burner Shad in Victorious Secret on a 1/8th oz jighead for the conventional fisherman. For fly, I have 3 patterns I tie that I usually start with one of them depending on conditions.


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## KimmerIII

Johnson gold spoon. That’s pretty much only non fly thing I throw anymore. Over 25 years of sight casting for reds and I have found that if they won’t hit that, they won’t hit anything. No reason to buy a bunch of tackle.


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## Mike Geer

Another vote for Gulp.

mike


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## gh_estero

Slayer Sinister Swim Tail is a good bet. 3/0 Owner Weedless Hook or 1/8 Oz Slayer Jighead. 
New Penny Gulp with 1/8 Oz Jighead.


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## southerncannuck

I use Mirrolure Lil Jon rigged weed less on a 1/16 oz hook. Casts great and has nice action.


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## Dallas Furman

5” curl tail grub. Brown punkinseed w/chartreuse tail rigged weedless or a ripper paddle tail if I see a lot of finger mullet


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## Dlkingfisher

The magic question what to throw...can’t beat a paddle tail any natural color


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## Darkstar

For me it’s hard to beat a Johnson weedless spoon or a gulp shrimp.


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## AZ_squid

MatthewAbbott said:


> When I have someone on the bow that doesn’t fly fish I have them throw Voodoo shrimp or DOAs.


What he said ^^


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## windblows

For y'all throwing gold spoons or plugs, we're talking about sight fishing in 18" water or less? Clear water? You see a redfish laid up and you drag a spoon or topwater in front of it? Seems like that would spook some reds too. I like a Gulp shrimp, tail bitten off, rigged on a Mustad Elite stand up jig head so that it's weedless. This sinks fast enough that it will fall to the bottom in a bit of current, but also not heavy enough that you can't present it up in the water column a bit. Not a sexy bait, but if I can get it on the bottom in front of a redfish and wait for the right moment to give it a small twitch, they eat almost every time. It's also aerodynamic enough to present accurately in a good wind.


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## State fish rob

^^^. Tail bit oft and rigged backwards ,wind torpedo . Have never caught one on spoon of any sort , I’ll get there .....


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## Darkstar

windblows said:


> For y'all throwing gold spoons or plugs, we're talking about sight fishing in 18" water or less? Clear water? You see a redfish laid up and you drag a spoon or topwater in front of it? Seems like that would spook some reds too.


I’ve had good success with a 2” 1/8oz Johnson spoon, silver trout color, in shallow clear water. Drop it about a foot in front of their nose and it will usually get crushed, more of a reaction strike generally. If the fish are a little more skittish my go to is a 3” gulp shrimp rigged on a 2/0 mustad 1/16oz weighted hook.


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## KimmerIII

windblows said:


> For y'all throwing gold spoons or plugs, we're talking about sight fishing in 18" water or less? Clear water? You see a redfish laid up and you drag a spoon or topwater in front of it? Seems like that would spook some reds too. I like a Gulp shrimp, tail bitten off, rigged on a Mustad Elite stand up jig head so that it's weedless. This sinks fast enough that it will fall to the bottom in a bit of current, but also not heavy enough that you can't present it up in the water column a bit. Not a sexy bait, but if I can get it on the bottom in front of a redfish and wait for the right moment to give it a small twitch, they eat almost every time. It's also aerodynamic enough to present accurately in a good wind.


Yea, throw it past them and drag it across their nose.


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## permitchaser

Jig head, gulp
Or redfish spinner bait in white


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## Steve_Mevers

Fall redfish, a skitterwalk all day long


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## Austin Rudd

I see BPS’s whole tackle section in the comments lol...


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## redchaser

Austin Rudd said:


> I see BPS’s whole tackle section in the comments lol...


Testament that if it's presented well, redfish will likely eat it. I think it's more about where than what.


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## fishboy73

I've caught reds on a lot of different things, but I've never caught one on a spoon! I know that spoons in my area are the (pardon the pun) Gold standard, so it must be me! I've tried Clark spoons, Johnson spoons, Aquadream spoons, in every color imaginable. What's the secret to them?


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## BassFlats

Fish em slow .


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## JChap30

BrownDog said:


> For sight fishing I will use a ned rig TRD in the winter and any soft plastic shrimp (mainly gulp) rigged weedless in the grass in summer.
> 
> my experience is presentation is more important than lure choice.


Agreed on the presentation. I’ve been wanting to try the ned rig they seem like they’d have good action. They stay pretty weedless?


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## BrownDog

JChap30 said:


> Agreed on the presentation. I’ve been wanting to try the ned rig they seem like they’d have good action. They stay pretty weedless?


they make a weedless ned rig hook. I also mainly fish on mud flats around oyster bars with it in winter and usually throw a Texas rigged soft plastic in grass


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## JChap30

BrownDog said:


> they make a weedless ned rig hook. I also mainly fish on mud flats around oyster bars with it in winter and usually throw a Texas rigged soft plastic in grass


Gotcha thanks.. I usually do the same on a twist lock but wanted to try one of those.


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## SymmFish

Buggs jig or a Down South Lure soft plastic on a 1/16th jig head


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## mmccull5

SymmFish said:


> Buggs jig or a Down South Lure soft plastic on a 1/16th jig head


I like the down south stuff but they aren't durable enough for me. One red or even trout can tear it up. I prefer using buggs jig heads and tying my own. Nothing fancy, but works and holds up over time. I've used this one for a while now (don't think he does solid red heads anymore). And no, that is not shell rash, but tooth rash . Can add a weed guard too if in the grass.


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## EdK13

windblows said:


> For y'all throwing gold spoons or plugs, we're talking about sight fishing in 18" water or less? Clear water? You see a redfish laid up and you drag a spoon or topwater in front of it? Seems like that would spook some reds too. I like a Gulp shrimp, tail bitten off, rigged on a Mustad Elite stand up jig head so that it's weedless. This sinks fast enough that it will fall to the bottom in a bit of current, but also not heavy enough that you can't present it up in the water column a bit. Not a sexy bait, but if I can get it on the bottom in front of a redfish and wait for the right moment to give it a small twitch, they eat almost every time. It's also aerodynamic enough to present accurately in a good wind.


Bottom composition? Bottom color? Time year? Forage?


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## Smackdaddy53

Nobody is sight casting redfish consistently with a topwater. That will spook the hell out of all but the dumbest reds. A 2-3” plastic in a natural color with a 1/16-1/32oz jighead for a light presentation.


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## mmccull5

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Nobody is sight casting redfish consistently with a topwater. That will spook the hell out of all but the dumbest reds. A 2-3” plastic in a natural color with a 1/16-1/32oz jighead for a light presentation.


That would be like a grenade going off.

You can keep the rod tip up if the bait needs to be higher in the water column, too. You will know quickly if the fish is staying down or looking up. I've found this particularly helpful with triple tail, and just recently, sight fishing fresh water bass.


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## Capt.Ron

Light spinning rod, z-man swim bait “they float” rigged weedless “no weight” , you can present them about 4 different ways.


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## JRHorne

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Nobody is sight casting redfish consistently with a topwater. That will spook the hell out of all but the dumbest reds. A 2-3” plastic in a natural color with a 1/16-1/32oz jighead for a light presentation.


What brand 1/16 and 1/32 do you like that actually has a decent size hook?


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## YnR

Zman shrimpz (regular not the EZ) in redbone with a Mustad KVD grip pin 1/8 oz. Heavy enough to cast easily, won’t catch the wind, lands soft, doesn’t snag on shells or grass, reds can’t resist it. Checks every box for sight casting. Sucks as a search bait.


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## Smackdaddy53

JRHorne said:


> What brand 1/16 and 1/32 do you like that actually has a decent size hook?


Black’s Magic are made here in Texas by Captain Aubrey Black. I’ve landed redfish over 30” on them, you don’t need a meat hook to catch big fish. The smaller hook limits grass and hanging up on shell. Try it! Hogie also makes a 1/32oz screwlock that is great. Bare lead is my preference...au naturale!


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## JRHorne

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Black’s Magic are made here in Texas by Captain Aubrey Black. I’ve landed redfish over 30” on them, you don’t need a meat hook to catch big fish. The smaller hook limits grass and hanging up on shell. Try it! Hogie also makes a 1/32oz screwlock that is great. Bare lead is my preference...au naturale!


Yea but I ordered some VMCs that were 1/32 and I'm not sure I could hook a squirrel with them. They are like crappie jig small. Thanks for the info, I'll check out Black Magic.


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## Smackdaddy53

JRHorne said:


> Yea but I ordered some VMCs that were 1/32 and I'm not sure I could hook a squirrel with them. They are like crappie jig small. Thanks for the info, I'll check out Black Magic.


If you can’t find them try the Hogie 1/32oz screwlock. They are stout and definitely not crappie size. Made in Texas


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