| Redfish Articles |
John N. Felsher's Redfishing Adventures
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Articles and photos on this website are for the viewing pleasure of patrons of this site. All articles and photos on this site are protected by the copyright laws of the United States. Any unauthorized usage is strictly prohibited. If you wish to purchase an article or photo, contact John N. Felsher as listed in the contact section. |
| Articles and photos on this website are free for your viewing pleasure, but it takes money to keep this site up and running. If you would care to help keep this site up and running for the use of all outdoors patrons, you can make a cash contribution. If you care to donate, contact John N. Felsher as listed in the contact section. |
| Protected by Copyright |
| How you can help keep this site operating |
Top professional anglers put a new
spin on catching monster redfish
spin on catching monster redfish
TOP AND SIDE:
Capt. Anthony
Randazzo, a
Quantum redfish
pro and guide for
Paradise Plus
Guide Service,
shows off some
redfish he caught
while fishing the
marshes near
Venice, La., with
spinnerbaits.
Capt. Anthony
Randazzo, a
Quantum redfish
pro and guide for
Paradise Plus
Guide Service,
shows off some
redfish he caught
while fishing the
marshes near
Venice, La., with
spinnerbaits.
In less than three hours, not including time out to shoot photos, we
landed more than 20 redfish in the 10-to 18-pound range without changing
our baits or moving the boat more than 100 yards.
Our enticement of choice on this squally day: a 1/4-ounce Saltwater
Assassin Red Daddy jighead spinnerbait adorned with a single gold
Colorado blade. We tipped the jighead with a Bass Assassin soft plastic
trailer in the oddly-named “chicken on a chain” color.
“I’ve won more than $300,000 fishing professional redfish
tournaments,” said Capt. Anthony Randazzo, a Quantum redfish pro with
Paradise Plus Guide Service of Buras, La. “More than 95 percent of that
money was attributed to spinnerbaits.”
Much to the chagrin of tournament bass anglers, redfish attack
anything that might interest a largemouth, including a spinnerbait. Bass can
survive some salinity and redfish can live in almost pure fresh water.
Therefore, their ranges frequently overlap in many coastal waters.
“A redfish will eat anything a bass will eat,” said Capt. Charlie
Thomason, a redfish pro and guide for Bayou Charters in Hopedale, La.
“They’ll hit many lures that a bass will hit. A redfish might eat anything that
flashes or creates a vibration in the water.”
Most bass anglers use “safety-pin” spinnerbaits, which employ bent
“arms” that suspend one or more blades over a usually skirt-tipped head.
Reds may also hit an in-line spinner, which consists of a straight wire
extending from the head with a blade rotating around the wire.
When Randazzo and I fished the marshes near Venice, La., that stormy
day, we used jighead spinners, also called beetle or harness spinners. A
jighead spinnerbait resembles a safety-pin spinnerbait, but consists of a
wire harness temporarily attached to a standard lead jighead. Often,
anglers tip jigheads with soft plastic minnows or shrimp baits.
A harness spinner gives anglers considerable flexibility. Since the
components separate, anglers can switch blades, jigheads or trailers easily.
If they see redfish striking bait of a particular color, anglers can easily
remove one plastic trailer and slip on another without untying the bait.
Since the harness attaches to the jighead, anglers can also change
harnesses if the powerful jaws and shell crushers in the throat of a redfish
mangle it.
Among the most versatile baits on the market, spinnerbaits work well
around thick cover. In dense grass, buzz spinnerbaits along the surface or
“wake” them just below the surface. In areas with submerged grass, run
baits just over the tops of grass tips, barely touching them.
“Anglers can make variations of a typical cast-and-retrieve,” Randazzo
explained. “Anglers can fish a spinner from the bottom to the surface. To
vary the depth of the bait, change the speed of the retrieve. People can
wake it just under the surface, a foot below the surface or along the bottom
without stopping. Sometimes, I work a spinner just inches off the bottom,
almost like a worm or a jig.”
Since spinnerbaits cover considerable tracts of water quickly, many
anglers use them as “search” baits. Churning blades may annoy lethargic
redfish into striking. If redfish move, but do not strike, anglers may quickly
flip a subtle soft plastic bait in the vicinity. When used as a search bait, run
the spinner steadily to cover water, but occasionally stop reeling to let the
bait “helicopter” down a few feet. Blades continue whirling as the bait sinks.
A redfish may follow a bait for a while, and then demolish it as it falls.
“Redfish are impulsive fish,” Randazzo said. “They are territorial and
react to certain presentations just like largemouth bass. By allowing the
spinnerbait to helicopter down right in front of the fish, it antagonizes it into
striking even when it’s not actively looking to eat.”
In deeper water or frigid temperatures, “slow-roll” spinners just over
structure or the bottom. Barely turn the blades. Let the blades plink against
oyster reefs. Occasionally hit the bottom to make a mud trail. Redfish
sometimes follow such trails to their sources.
“When fishing deep banks, one of the best presentations is to throw it
right against the bank and let it sink straight down,” Randazzo said. “After it
hits bottom, yo-yo it up and down out toward deeper water. At times, I’ve
actually used jig spinners against rock structures in 15 feet of water. In
deeper water, we attach a bigger jighead to make it sink faster.”
For booking trips, call Randazzo at 504-628-4526 or visit www.paradise-
plus.com on line. For Thompson, call 504-278-FISH or visit www.
captaincharlie.com.
landed more than 20 redfish in the 10-to 18-pound range without changing
our baits or moving the boat more than 100 yards.
Our enticement of choice on this squally day: a 1/4-ounce Saltwater
Assassin Red Daddy jighead spinnerbait adorned with a single gold
Colorado blade. We tipped the jighead with a Bass Assassin soft plastic
trailer in the oddly-named “chicken on a chain” color.
“I’ve won more than $300,000 fishing professional redfish
tournaments,” said Capt. Anthony Randazzo, a Quantum redfish pro with
Paradise Plus Guide Service of Buras, La. “More than 95 percent of that
money was attributed to spinnerbaits.”
Much to the chagrin of tournament bass anglers, redfish attack
anything that might interest a largemouth, including a spinnerbait. Bass can
survive some salinity and redfish can live in almost pure fresh water.
Therefore, their ranges frequently overlap in many coastal waters.
“A redfish will eat anything a bass will eat,” said Capt. Charlie
Thomason, a redfish pro and guide for Bayou Charters in Hopedale, La.
“They’ll hit many lures that a bass will hit. A redfish might eat anything that
flashes or creates a vibration in the water.”
Most bass anglers use “safety-pin” spinnerbaits, which employ bent
“arms” that suspend one or more blades over a usually skirt-tipped head.
Reds may also hit an in-line spinner, which consists of a straight wire
extending from the head with a blade rotating around the wire.
When Randazzo and I fished the marshes near Venice, La., that stormy
day, we used jighead spinners, also called beetle or harness spinners. A
jighead spinnerbait resembles a safety-pin spinnerbait, but consists of a
wire harness temporarily attached to a standard lead jighead. Often,
anglers tip jigheads with soft plastic minnows or shrimp baits.
A harness spinner gives anglers considerable flexibility. Since the
components separate, anglers can switch blades, jigheads or trailers easily.
If they see redfish striking bait of a particular color, anglers can easily
remove one plastic trailer and slip on another without untying the bait.
Since the harness attaches to the jighead, anglers can also change
harnesses if the powerful jaws and shell crushers in the throat of a redfish
mangle it.
Among the most versatile baits on the market, spinnerbaits work well
around thick cover. In dense grass, buzz spinnerbaits along the surface or
“wake” them just below the surface. In areas with submerged grass, run
baits just over the tops of grass tips, barely touching them.
“Anglers can make variations of a typical cast-and-retrieve,” Randazzo
explained. “Anglers can fish a spinner from the bottom to the surface. To
vary the depth of the bait, change the speed of the retrieve. People can
wake it just under the surface, a foot below the surface or along the bottom
without stopping. Sometimes, I work a spinner just inches off the bottom,
almost like a worm or a jig.”
Since spinnerbaits cover considerable tracts of water quickly, many
anglers use them as “search” baits. Churning blades may annoy lethargic
redfish into striking. If redfish move, but do not strike, anglers may quickly
flip a subtle soft plastic bait in the vicinity. When used as a search bait, run
the spinner steadily to cover water, but occasionally stop reeling to let the
bait “helicopter” down a few feet. Blades continue whirling as the bait sinks.
A redfish may follow a bait for a while, and then demolish it as it falls.
“Redfish are impulsive fish,” Randazzo said. “They are territorial and
react to certain presentations just like largemouth bass. By allowing the
spinnerbait to helicopter down right in front of the fish, it antagonizes it into
striking even when it’s not actively looking to eat.”
In deeper water or frigid temperatures, “slow-roll” spinners just over
structure or the bottom. Barely turn the blades. Let the blades plink against
oyster reefs. Occasionally hit the bottom to make a mud trail. Redfish
sometimes follow such trails to their sources.
“When fishing deep banks, one of the best presentations is to throw it
right against the bank and let it sink straight down,” Randazzo said. “After it
hits bottom, yo-yo it up and down out toward deeper water. At times, I’ve
actually used jig spinners against rock structures in 15 feet of water. In
deeper water, we attach a bigger jighead to make it sink faster.”
For booking trips, call Randazzo at 504-628-4526 or visit www.paradise-
plus.com on line. For Thompson, call 504-278-FISH or visit www.
captaincharlie.com.
