Red Fish Fishing - Best Fishing Lures

I really enjoy red fish fishing, and I'll gladly learn and share fishing tips! One of my most memorable angling battles ever took place on a breezy autumn night at the end of a very long fishing pier while doing some Florida fishing. I was fishing with a finger mullet about six inches in length, near some rocks. I was using pretty light tackle, and I thought I’d never land whatever was on the other end of my line. When I finally got it close to the pier, a pal directed his flashlight beam on the water, and I saw the tell-tale goldish-red reflection of the red’s scales. With the help of a gaff, we finally got the big brute on the pier. It weighed in at almost 36 pounds.

Advantages of Redfish fishing with lures

I’ll be honest with you – I usually prefer fishing for redfish with live bait – especially mullet. Unfortunately, live mullet aren’t always available. And when they are, you need some bulky paraphernalia to keep them alive. This isn’t always convenient or even feasible.

With red fish lures, however, you can keep a big selection in your tackle box, so they’re always ready to go. They stay fresh, too, and you don’t have a problem with crabs mauling your bait. Another advantage of red fish lures is that you control the action. You can speed it up or slow it down, and you can maneuver it around rocks, pilings, and oyster beds. That’s pretty hard to do with live bait.

YUM redfish lures

Many serious anglers are familiar with YUM plastic baits. The secret to YUM lures is that they’re impregnated with something called “Live Prey Technology,” or LPT, for short. The LPT is an enzyme that attracts predators, signaling them to feed. When redfish sense the enzyme, along with being attracted to the erratic swimming action that means injured prey, the reds can hardly resist attacking the YUM baits.

YUM baits are designed for several different types of fish, but for redfish fishing, try the Sweet Shrimp, the YUM Houdini Crab, the YUM Samurai Curltail, or the YUM G-Shad.

D.O.A. fishing lures

We’ve had good luck fishing for redfish with D.O.A. plastic lures, too. I like the six-inch jumbo shrimp, the four-inch standard shrimp, and the curl tail grubs with the red jig heads. The softshell crab will work for redfish fishing, too.

The D.O.A. red fish lures mentioned above come in a wide range of colors. We’ve found that the best fishing lures for reds are the pink, near clear, red and white, and gold. I suggest keeping several colors in your tackle box and trying them all.

Bayou Buck red fish lures

The ZZ Spot Spinners are neat plastic lures with fish-attracting curly tails, glass and brass beads, and saltwater-proof brass spinning blades. These red fish lures won’t twist because they swim straight, so you won’t even need a swivel. They also feature wide gap mouths specially designed for red fish fishing.
For fishing for redfish around grass or oyster beds, like in marshes, try the Twistless Sister, the In-Line Reef Glider, or the Oyster Proof. For colors, I like the strawberry, the lemon meringue, and the red for red fish fishing.

Once you land a redfish...

If you catch a redfish that's a keeper, you're in for a tasty treat! Blacken it, fry it, grill it, broil it, or stuff it. I have some great fish recipes! Of course, you'll want some awesome sides and yummy hushpuppies to go with your redfish, so check out my beer- buttermilk hushpuppy recipe in Southern food. I'll bet they're just about the best you've ever eaten!

Ready for crabbing?

We love crabbing! It's a great way to keep the kids occupied when we spend time at the beach in the summer. It's amazing howmuch effort the little urchins will exert chasing a blue crab around with a cheap net we bought at the Dollar Store for a buck each! What amazes me even more is that they actually luck up and catch some of their prey!

Of course, they usually have better luck when we give them a chicken back on a string to toss out for the crabs. But some of my eight grandkids don't have the patience for that kind o9f crabbing. They think it's a lot more fun to actively chase the critters through the water. Well, at least it wears the kids out.

There's just nothing like the taste of fresh steamed crabs - right out of the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. I like 'em fixed any old way - dipped in butter, dowsed with cocktail sauce, made into crab cakes, cooked into stew, or made into party food like dips. Need more crab recipes and fish recipes? Just click!

Fish Recipes

For some great fish recipes, visit my new cooking website. You'll find all kinds of fish recipes here, with easy-to-follow instructions. Some included are fish recipes for baked fish, stuffed fish, fried fish, grilled fish, and blackened fish, and I'm constantly adding new recipes. I've also included some tips on cleaning your catch and how to improve the flavor of certain fish species.

Although fish recipes and seafood recipes are a big part of the site, you'll also find Southern cooking, Cajun recipes, Creole recipes, Gullah-Geechee recipes, New England recipes, Southwestern recipes, and lots more! This website is going to end up being very large, with lots of useful content. Give us a visit!

Here's a quick recipe for the fried catfish above: The fish was just rinsed in water, salted and peppered, and rolled in cornmeal. Then it was fried in peanut oil at 350 degrees.

Easy fishing - Fishing with kids for whiting

Looking for some easy fishing, perfect for fishing with kids, along with some saltwater fishing tips? Don't overlook the Southern kingfish, commonly called "whiting" with saltwater fishing in the South. This is the perfect way to introduce your little ones to saltwater fishing. Why? Because it's super easy fishing that's available practically any time you feel the urge to wet a hook!

Whiting are plentiful on the coasts of Florida and Georgia - just about any time. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, the fish are usually around in good numbers. The tides or the time of day or night don't seem to matter a lot to these fish, either. As with most types of saltwater fishing, you'll likely have better luck around high tide, but we've hauled in numerous whiting at low tide, too. Whiting often bite when most other saltwater fishing species are suffering from lockjaw.

This is easy fishing, perfect for fishing with kids. You won't need complicated or expensive fishing gear to successfully land whiting, either. Light fishing gear, light line without a leader, and a sliding weight just heavy enough to keep your bait on the bottom is what you'll need. Whiting have relatively small mouths, so use a hook that matches - about a size six.

For bait, use fresh shrimp. A piece of shrimp around 3/4 of an inch usually works well. Fish it right on the bottom. If you find that you're missing a lot of fish and they're stealing your bait, try peeling the shrimp first.

Where to cast when saltwater fishing for whiting? They'll bite im=n different spots and at different depths. One of the best places to try is just where the waves are beginning to break. If you don't have any luck there, try fishing in a little deeper water.

Saltwater fishing for whiting is great when fishing with kids, and it's the perfect way to introduce your little ones to saltwater fishing. Fish from shore, from a fishing pier, or wade into the water for some surf fishing. After you cast your line, relax and wait for the tell-tale tap-tap-tap that indicates that a whiting is nibbling on your bait.

Kids won't need a lot of patience for this easy fishing. They can learn quickly that saltwater fishing can be rewarding, too, especially when you clean your catch and serve it up for dinner.

Whiting, a member of the drum family, has a very mild taste. And of all the drums, its flesh is probably the firmest. If you're handy with a fillet knife, you can quickly make two fillets from each whiting.

Don't let the cold weather keep you from saltwater fishing or fishing with kids. Wait for a sunny day and toss your fishing gear in the car. Stop at the bait shop for some shrimp, and enjoy some great saltwater fishing whenever you feel the call!

Pontoon boat improvements

Do you have a pontoon boat or a deck boat? Pontoons boats are great for families. We enjoy taking the kids and grandchildren out on the lake or the gulf for some pontoon boat excursions. Sometimes we leave the kids behind, and just the fishermen go. Of course, I'm usually included on these fishing trips.

Fishing trips on a pontoon boat is the ultimate in comfort. Pontoon boats are especially nice for flats fishing. There's plenty of seating for several anglers, and there's usually a platform on most pontoon boats. This is a great spot for landing large fish, casting, and throwing a net for bait.

If you use a pontoon boat a lot, it's going to show it's age sooner or later. Instead of putting the pontoon boat in the boat shop, why not do the jobs yourself? You can make simple repairs with minimum skills. And if you want to make improvements to your pontoon boat, you'll save a mint by doing the job yourself.

There are all kinds of improvements you can do to pontoon boats. Think new seats, new tables, a fridege or plug-in cooler, and a grill.

To read more about pontoon boat improvements, go here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Do-It-Yourself-Improvements-for-Your-Pontoon-or-Deck-Boat

Florida Fishing: Flats Fishing near Port Richey

I love saltwater fishing, especially Florida fishing. We just returned from some flats fishing in the gulf near Port Richey, and I'll share a couple of fishing tips. If you're in the area, rent a boat and travel the short distance to the mouth of the Cotee River. You'll find a small island, sand bars, and stilt houses. All these areas hold fish.

A couple of saltwater fishing tips: We found the best methods for tarpon fishing and cobia fishing was to drift a live finger mullet ot pinfish. Most folks will tell you to use a pinfish, but we had better luck with the live mullet. The pinfish were a lot easier to obtain, however, as they're everywhere!

The mangroves are another place to target, especially for mangrove snapper, reds, and trout. These fish aren't too picky about baits, either. For hot-weather trout, fish early and late in the day, before the weather heats up.

Flats fishing in this area will reward you with some great scenery, too. The water is crystal clear over the grass beds. don't let the clear water fool you! You'll think you're in two feet of water even though you might be in eight feet. Saltwater fishing in Florida represents some of the best flats fishing anywhere!

To read more about Florida flats fishing, go here:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Fishing-Trips-Near-Port-Richey-Florida

Boating Safety

Many fishermen own their own boats and spend a considerable amount of time on board. As with just about any type of vehicle, there are inherent dangers in operating a boat. And because you're on the water, the dangers are often unique to boating. One of the biggest dangers is boating during a thunderstorm. To learn how to be safe while boating in the presence of a storm while saltwater fishing, especially one that includes lightning, go here:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Boating-Safety-During-a-Thunderstorm