Capt. Bill Lake said the No. 1 food source for redfish of fish is crabs.
“Everyone knows that,” Lake said. “It’s just my personal opinion, but if you’re using crab and there’s any redfish around they’re going to come to that crab before anything else.
“So, in my opinion, it’s easier to locate them with and they’re much more responsive to eating crab than anything else.”
Our trip backed up that assertion. There was hardly any casting on our trip: We simply baited our lines with pieces of crab and literally dropped our offerings over the side of the boat.
You’d feel a few little antagonistic taps, but immediately knew when a redfish picked up the crab and swallowed it.
“Can you use shrimp? Sure you can,” Lake said. “But be prepared to catch catfish like you’ve never seen before. All of those little nibbles you feel on the line before redfish are catfish — hardheads, gaff tops, and croakers. We basically use a piece of crab big enough where (catfish)can’t get it in their mouths.
“If you use shrimp, don’t get me wrong: You’re going to catch a few redfish. But you’re going to catch all of the trash fish in the world, too. With crab, you’re going to catch very few catfish and, instead, catch redfish. There’s just no better bait to use when you’re fishing on the bottom to me.”
