Tough times with redfish, any tricks?

[Potlicker12]

So I'm not a veteran to the salt like many of y'all here. I've been fishing now in the salt water for around 3 or 4 years. I'm a veterinary student up here at Texas A&M so my fishing opportunities are limited to the weekends but I still try to the make the best of it even with all the traffic.

This past weekend my girlfriend and I had an incredible experience in the back marshes off galveston bay while fishing from our kayaks... we saw, and I say this conservatively, every bit of at least 600-700 redfish. every area of the marsh we paddled had fish tailing, fish pushing water fish hitting the top and they were all reds. It was incredible... only hang up was they wouldn't touch an artificial. I threw the book at them. top waters, spoons, spinner baits, weedless plastics, weighted plastics... none of it mattered. They were feeding but I don't know on what. Could there've been some kind of nymph or other arthropod hatching that these guys enjoy dining on? When I've seen redfish acting like these fish before, they were always very compliant in taking an artificial. It was frustrating to not catch a fish but it was pretty cool to see that many fish in one place. Most of them looked to be in the 20-24 inch variety.

Highlight of the day was that my girlfriend did manage to catch one fairly early in the day on a soft plastic ribbit frog (something I was experimenting with) that was just being reeled across the top. It was her first red, 22 1/2 inches and right at 4 lbs on the BOGA. She was stoked, especially since she's fished mainly fresh her whole life. She made a statement to the effect of "now I see why you do this"

[walkinwader]

maybe some GULP....

[Robalo]

Sometimes they just are finicky. Bring some Gulp paddletails and Gulp Shrimp.

[Potlicker12]

haha yeah common sense there 340, problem was I couldn't figure out what they were eating. Couldn't see any bait in the water at all. That why I was wondering if it was some kind of arthropod or something that hatches in back marshes this time of year

[The Fisherman]

...if they are feeding like the ones I saw a week or so ago you will want to throw something at them that looks like what they are eating.(HINT HINT)

x2

[KennyWayne]

....um, if they were tails up I'll almost bet they were after something with pinchers.(HINT HINT HINT)

And also if they were tails up, of course that means head down. walk they bottom.

[madmike]

they make a crab gulp try heading them off w youre cast, w light jig head 1/16 let it hold on bottom till they get to about 2 feet from ur lure then give it a little twitch. try to tease the red into striking.... good luck tailing reds can be tough to catch at times.

[H.Maier]

they make a crab gulp try heading them off w youre cast, w light jig head 1/16 let it hold on bottom till they get to about 2 feet from ur lure then give it a little twitch. try to tease the red into striking.... good luck tailing reds can be tough to catch at times.

What I was thinking. Small crabs or sand fiddlers.

[Curmudgeon]

.....a magic marker can do wonders if you can't get a tailing Red to hit something that they have seen pitched at them before. (HINT HINT HINT HINT)

EDIT: I am all hinted out! You guys figure it out!!

Geeze Rocky. I still haven't figured it out!

[Potlicker12]

just asking a question, no need to be an arrogant pro... next time I'll post up pictures of the spot I was fishing with GPS coordinates and landmarks in the background... that guy was treated with a little more respect

[castaway300]

just asking a question, no need to be an arrogant pro... next time I'll post up pictures of the spot I was fishing with GPS coordinates and landmarks in the background... that guy was treated with a little more respect

ignore it, they dont mean anything by it...i would ask you not to use words like "arthropod and nymph" them words are to big for me...lol....as far as the fishing i would suggest down sizing your lure...if i cant see what there feeding on i'll throw the smallest bait i can. i will give you another tip..."senko"
keep up the good reports.

[WestEndAngler]

That why I was wondering if it was some kind of arthropod or something that hatches in back marshes this time of year

Damn good SAT word... Not sure if there was a recent crab or shrimp hatch. You have a lot going on back there right now.

just asking a question, no need to be an arrogant pro... next time I'll post up pictures of the spot I was fishing with GPS coordinates and landmarks in the background... that guy was treated with a little more respect

You'd in turn get some respect if you didn't post comments like this ^^^^

[Robalo]

28.57329 and 94.61884.

[Tidalguide]

First off, thanks for not hotspotting.

Tailing fish are a funny thing, they are feeding but can be tough to catch. My go to's are an 1/8th johnson gold spoon. My 2nd is a smAll morning glory bass worm rigged weedless, 3rd is DOA shrimp in clear with gold flakes. Take some time to watch their pattern and lead them a good bit. You want a presentation that simulates them spooking a critter up off the bottom. I wait until they are with in a foot or so of my lure And then start retrieving.

Good luck and have fun, you found a special thing.

[coachlaw]

It's very hard to beat natural bait! Put a dead scrimp a few feet off their tail. They'll find it!

340 didn't mean any harm. You're reacting to a situation where there was no intent to offend.