4 Tips for Inshore Summer Redfish Success

As summer Southwest Florida temperatures start to rise and inshore waters climb up near 90 degrees, you can still get plenty of redfish action if you time your trip right and heed a bit of advice. Most importantly, check a local tide chart and plan to be out on the water either first thing in the morning, or in the evening on an incoming tide.

Not sure which areas to try during the hottest months of the year? Look for shady mangrove shorelines that either border creek mouths or form points. Shady mangroves not only provide redfish with forage, they also offer relief from the summer heat and refuge from predators. In fact, thick mangroves near a creek mouth are one of my favorite places to target summer redfish… unless I can get out to the grass flats just before sunrise with a topwater lure or flashy gold spoon.

If you’re ready to experience inshore summer redfish success, consider these tips and techniques.

1. Cast out cut baits such as ladyfish or mullet near the mangrove edges on higher tides. As the tide flows in and brings a selection of baitfish along with it, redfish start to patrol the mangrove edges in search of an easy meal. Get them feeding with cut baits rigged on 1/0 to 3/0 circle hooks (larger hooks for larger pieces of cut bait) using a slip-lead setup and about 24 to 36 inches of fluorocarbon leader. Just don’t forget, the key is to cast your cut baits as close to the mangrove edges as you possibly can (within about a foot or two). The closer your baits are to the mangroves, the better your chances at getting a bite.
2. Fish the middle of the water column near mangrove edges, grass flats, and oyster bars using a weedless gold spoon. Gold spoons are one of the most effective redfish lures you can use, plus they are major time savers when fishing around structure. You won’t have to spend precious fishing time constantly unsnagging them from mangrove roots or patches of turtle grass. Use a ¼-ounce weedless gold spoon and work it back to the boat using a steady retrieve.
3. Head out before sunrise with “walk-the-dog” with topwater lures like the Bomber Badonk-A-Donk or Rapala Skitter Walk. When fishing shallow water on calm summer mornings, it’s hard to beat a topwater redfish bite. There are a number of different topwater “walk-the-dog” style lures on the market that you can try, but I’ve had good luck with Rapala’s Saltwater Skitterwalk and Bomber’s Badonk-A-Donk. Be sure to tie your topwater lures to your leader using a loop knot versus any of the tight terminal knots — this allows for maximum lure movement. Pay close attention to your cadence while working topwater lures — if you get a few short-strikes, be sure to slow it down.
4. Sight cast to reds on the grass flats using a ¼- ounce jig head rigged with a Berkley Gulp Shrimp or live shrimp. Gulp Shrimp work well since they are infused with plenty of scented attractant. Whether you use Gulp shrimp or live shrimp, you may want to rig the shrimp from the back (just above the tail) so that it appears to be fleeing backwards. After all, that IS what shrimp do when they see a big redfish coming.

Now that you have some tips for your summer redfish trips, grab your inshore saltwater fishing gear and get out on the water to put them into practice.