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Jesse's Hunting > Fishing Articles > Fishing Articles Archives > Running of the Bulls - Chasing Reds along the FL Gulf Coast
Running of the Bulls - Chasing Reds along the FL Gulf Coast
Mike Gilmore - JHO Pro Staff
December 15, 2003
If you've ever fished the Florida Panhandle in the fall, you know that everyone can't wait for the first good cold snap to bring the Red Drum or "Bull Redfish," as they are commonly known into the Intercoastal Waterways. These redfish are large and in charge and will eat just about anything you care to place in front of them.
Large redfish mostly in the 25 to 50 pound range are referred to as Bulls. The smaller reds, which normally fit in the keeper slot from 18 to 27 inches, are usually called "Rats". Now catching one of these large bulls isn't something that takes a lot of experience and the most novice angler will find himself with sore forearms from the fight in no time at all.
Targeting redfish takes very little skill, and all you need is a good moving tide and a nice sized spinning rod and reel to get started. My recommendation would be a medium to heavy spinning rod and a spinning reel capable of holding a good amount of 20-pound test line.
Next, for the tackle you want a long shank hook in a 6/0 or 7/0 size, and depending on how bad the current is; you will want to use a 5-ounce lead in egg or pyramid. In heavy current egg sinkers tend to roll around a lot, where a pyramid will stick in the bottom and hold your bait and line tight.
Now lets rig your rod up. First you'll need about 20 inches of heavy mono or fluorocarbon leader. Tie a heavy barrel swivel on one end and your long shank hook to the other. Make sure the knot is good and strong or you will see how fast and strong the "Bull Reds" really are. Now that you have your leader made, slide your sinker up your line going to your rod tip and the tie that same line to your barrel swivel on the end of your leader. The result should leave you with your sinker sitting on top of the swivel, where it can freely slide up and down the line above the leader.
Since you have your rod ready to go, lets talk about bait and methods for catching redfish from the beach or even a boat. Redfish love live bait, as do most saltwater species. During the colder months in Florida live bait in the bays and Intercoastal Waterway becomes scarce, so you really have to work harder at catching your bait than the redfish your targeting. Some folks will put out a pinfish trap, which is nothing more than a cage similar to a crab trap baited with some type of dead fish. Others use a small rod and reel with cut bait to catch pinfish and some even use bait nets to try to corral a school of menhaden.
Pinfish is a small, silver-colored trash fish that tends to be a nuisance most of the time when you are fishing. If you happen to run into them while catching bait, load the live well because you just found redfish candy! Menhaden are also preferred by redfish, but are not as hearty, thus they are harder to keep alive. Menhaden are a small pogie-type fish that tends to be messier because they are so oily. Once you have filled your bait well, its time to go fishing.
During the autumn "Running of the Bulls", presentation of bait is something that doesn't even matter. Most people fish for them at night. If fishing from a beach or point, you want to start where the gulf meets the bay. This pass, as it is normally called, creates the perfect funnel for the redfish to find your bait. All you need to do is cast out into this pass and tighten the line, allowing your sinker to hit the bottom and hold your bait stationary.
If you prefer to fish from a boat, the method is exactly the same. Just anchor in the pass. It shouldn't take long if the tide is moving for you to experience first hand, catching your first big bull redfish.
Bull redfish are a beautiful bronze color with a characteristic black spot near the tail. Sometimes you'll get one that has spots all down his side, making him even more eye appealing.
Redfish at times come into the Intercoastal Waterway by the thousands. Several years ago you were allowed to keep all that you caught. It wasn't unusual to see one man dragging ten fish, forty pounds, each to the back of a pickup truck. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission quickly realized that the redfish were being over fished, and quickly acted by placing a slot size limit and bag limit on them. They believed that larger fish were your mainstay to production and they implemented a slot and currently allow you to keep one fish between 18 and 27 inches. This size usually averages about 6-7 pounds, hence the name "Rat Red".
On a recent trip with some friends, we made our way to a local pier where a friend emptied his pinfish trap into our live well. We headed to the pass with about 100 live pinfish. When we arrived the tide was already moving and my first cast produced a nice 25-pound fish. For the next four hours straight, we couldn't keep a bait in the water, and half the time it never hit the bottom before the hookup was on. In this memorable trip we boated somewhere between 60 - 80 "Bull Reds", between 35 to 50 pounds. It was non-stop action and we finally quit when all of our arms got really sore. It was a night that wont be forgotten and truly showed what managing a species can do for the recreational fisherman.
So catch all of these "Big Bulls that you want, take plenty of pictures, and release them to spawn a new generation. Who knows, you may just get lucky and catch a "Rat".
~ Mike Gilmore
JHO field writer & pro staff
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