Changing marsh dictates changes in lure selection
The gold spoon has to be the most common redfish lure inshore anglers use. Crack open any tackle box in Southeast Louisiana, and I’m willing to bet you’d see at least a couple in there.
However, things in Louisiana’s hot spots have been changing.
The Mississiippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) has been closed for more than eight years, bringing a dramatic change to what once used to be salty water. Today, submerged grass now grows abundantly were it previously didn’t exist.
Gold spoons, especially those equipped with treble hooks, don’t do well in this new environment because they get snagged so easily.
So here are three lures I use to adapt to this change and, best of all, redfish absolutely love them:
Matrix Craw
If I had to use one lure all day to catch redfish, this would be it. The claws have a great action, and it comes in all the colors I need.
I’ve learned that white lightning is my go-to choice, but I will use more natural colors like Delacraw when redfish are being finicky.
I retrieve a Matrix Craw like a spinnerbait, usually on an ⅛-ounce swim hook for grassed-up shallow water, or a ¼-ounce for deeper water in the 2- to 4-foot range.
For added action, I’ll rig it onto an Owner Flashy Swimmer, which is a great swim hook equipped with a silver under-spin.
Regardless of the swim hook I use, a Matrix Craw can be retrieved quickly as a search bait — or bounced along the bottom like a jig, making it a great all-around tool.
Rage Shad
We are seeing really thick grass in places like Hopedale and the Biloxi Marsh.
Fish live inside that grass, and presenting a bait to them is tough. Most lures get hung up, but the Rage Shad glides right over everything.
I rig it with an unweighted Gamakatsu Superline EWG 4/0 swim hook, casting across grass mats and steadily retrieving it back.
The tail makes a super-annoying splish-splash noise that is so effective I’ve witnessed redfish dol U-turns to kill it. So, think of this bait as a being a “weedless buzzbait”.
Josh Hall’s HD Spinnerbait
If you hate your spinnerbait, you’ll let a redfish eat it. After all, we love reds because they’re so powerful, putting up one heck of a fight.
But the downside is the havoc they wreak on our tackle.
An ordinary spinnerbait, designed for wimpier bass, will become bent and broken in the jaws of a mighty red. So instead of tossing ordinary spinnerbaits, I toss Josh Hall’s heavy-duty solution.
Josh Hall’s HD Spinnerbaits are virtually unbreakable in the jaws of a redfish because they’re made with 1.6mm-thick gauge wire.
To top it off, Hall uses extra-strong and super-sharp Trokar hooks, which improve hooksets and retain their form during a strong fight.
Conclusion
The only constant in Louisiana is change, and being successful requires adaptation to that change.
These three lures are a great way to get started, so you stay ahead of the pack and bring home limits of redfish.
Oh, and one more thing… If you really liked what you read, you will probably like two courses at LAFB University even more.
These are Inshore Fishing 101 and Sight Fishing Mastery School. Take a look at the free videos, and if you have any questions, just comment at the bottom of those pages.
Tight lines, y’all!
Editor’s Note: Devin Denman is an avid inshore fisherman who writes the Louisiana Fishing Blog. To read more of his articles, visit lafishblog.com.
