Walking a surface lure across calm water while bracing for a redfish to strike is the ultimate anticipation. Redfish are generally bottomfeeders with a downturned mouth. To eat a surface bait, redfish pounce on the lure like a cat on a mouse. The resulting explosion and hard strike is one of the most exciting experiences in fishing.
Learn to Catch Redfish On Topwater Lures
For Scott Kennedy, an experienced redfish guide in Gulf Shores, Alabama, topwater fishing is the best way to catch redfish. To test his theory, Kennedy and I launched out of St. Andrews Bay and pedaled Hobie Outbacks to Three Rivers, a unique area where multiple inlets drain a peninsula.
Following Kennedy’s instructions, I cast parallel to the shoreline and walked the lure within a couple feet of the tall grass. The café-au-lait water was just deep enough to hide the redfish until it surfaced behind my lure with an explosive strike. “That’s what we’re after!” Kennedy whooped.
As the morning went on, I filed some nuances of Kennedy’s technique. First, he casts the lure so it works parallel to the shoreline. If the lure lands outside the zone, it goes unmolested. The guide says, “I work the Skitter Walk at a slow pace with a constant retrieve.”
The steady retrieve is especially important when a redfish chases the lure. “When the redfish hits and misses the lure, it’ll usually come back for another try.” Pausing the lure after a missed strike causes the redfish to lose interest.
Kennedy fishes light tackle. He starts with 15-pound braided fishing line and a short leader of 20-pound monofilament. He explains monofilament floats and improves the walking lure’s action.
Calm, inshore water offers ideal conditions for throwing Rapala Skitter Walk Juniors in bone or hot pink. Kennedy says smaller walk-the-dog lures are ideal for the school-sized reds common in the shallow, protected waters.
This fishery runs most of the year with May to June and September to October prime time for all-day action.
Scott Kennedy and Bill Walsh at Whistlin’ Waters Outdoors (whistlinwaters.com) offer anglers more than 40 years combined experience fishing around Three Rivers, Bonsecour River, Wolf Bay and Little Lagoon. To plan a Gulf Shores trip, visit gulfshores.com.
Topwater lures for shallow-water fishing. | Feature photo: Doug Olander
