If it's too hot for you outside, it's probably too hot for the fish too. When fishing the mangroves and docks for redfish, I'll bump up to 25# or 30# 100% Fluorocarbon Leader. Then you will thread the hook through until the eye of the hook is almost inside the tail end of the shrimp. I will rip the tail off of the shrimp to get a little extra scent in the water. My recommendation, along with knowledgeable guides and captains is to leave these fish alone! New Boats at the 2020 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, KICKER Marine Audio KMLC LED Lighting Remote, KICKER Marine Audio LED Subwoofer Grilles. It's that simple. If I'm expecting to catch larger bull redfish, I will bump up to a 4000 size fishing reel with 20# braid. When fishing creeks for redfish using shrimp on jig heads, I will throw 20# test. When fishing the flats for big redfish using shrimp, I bump up to Osprey 3000 Spinning Reels. I like to have a longer rod when fishing passes because often times you're drifting very fast and need to cast a bait a good distance to get it in the right zone to get the bite. I figure if I need more distance behind the cast, I'll bump down to a smaller size reel with lighter line. But other signs include boils ( an up flow in the water due to a redfish digging into the grass and their tail "kicking" water towards the surface); a slight tip of a tailing wagging back and forth as a redfish traverses the flat; and also seeing blue herons on the flat. Shorter rods offer more power when fishing in close quarters. If throwing a shrimp on a jig head, I will align myself to where I can cast parallel to the dock and work the shrimp along the edge of the dock pilings. The tell-tale sign is a redfish tail "flagging" you down. I am a little stuck in my ways. In a shallow water situation, reds will move up onto a flat or area of shallow water to forage and feed at high tide, and then move off that flat into the adjacent deeper water when the tide begins moving out. . Then I fish my plan. When using an Osprey 3000 Spinning Reel, I use 15# braided fishing line. When fishing docks for big bull redfish, I will bump down to a 6'6" or 7' Heavy Action rod.
They will tend to position themselves where tidal currents will push bait to and past them and feed on that bait accordingly. You can catch redfish on flats, under mangroves, off a dock, on an oyster bar, in a pass, off beaches, in a creek, or from a pier. Sometimes I don’t find even one redfish! The best time of day to catch redfish really depends on the time of year and the tidal flow during the time that you're fishing. I'm sure you're recognizing a theme here. My recommendation when fishing live bait for redfish is to have both white and pin fish in the live well. When fishing docks for big bull redfish, I will bump down to a 6'6" or 7' Heavy Action rod. When fishing docks for big bull redfish, I will use 40# to 60# 100% Fluorocarbon Leader. When I'm fishing passes for big bull redfish, I will use 40# braided line. When fishing mangroves, I will use a little split shot right next to the hook. Redfish will be found along deep edges almost any time, and up in the shallow water when the tide is high.