By Capt. Raymond Griffin

If you like hot weather and hot fishing action, now is the time to be on the Gulf coast! Whether you like the Mississippi, Alabama or Louisiana coast, now till the end of September is some of the best fishing of the year! I’ll try to point you in the right direction to make your next trip a total success.

Before I get into fishing spots and techniques I want to talk about a couple of common sense things that we all know but it doesn’t hurt to go over again. First and one of the most important is sun block. I know what you’re thinking, just put it on, right? Not so fast there! It is so important to put your sun block on BEFORE the sun gets hot and you start to sweat. Once you start to sweat you are mixing sun block and water. If you have kids on your boat apply it at least twice during the day. I have seen so many people get on my boat and tell me “I don’t burn, I just get dark” or “tell me when I get a little red, then I’ll put some block on”! It’s too late then! You only have one skin, take care of it! The next thing, water. You can not drink enough! Sure soft drinks taste better, but they do nothing to rehydrate you. Last but not least, bring along a good hat. Nothing is going to do more to protect your nose and ears than a good hat. We are not trying to make a fashion statement here, we are trying to protect against the sun’s harmful rays!

Okay, I’ve preached enough, now to the good stuff! Lets talk Red Fish! All along the Gulf Coast Red Fish are schooling up in the passes and along the beaches. If you’re hunting for a trophy, now is the time. Schools of Bull Reds in the 20 to 30 pound range are common! Finding them is the key and here is what to look for. First and probably the best areas are the sand bars close to passes. When I say passes, what I’m talking about is the areas that have deep channels that open into the Gulf. Ship channels, natural passes or wide openings from the back bays to the Gulf. The reason, tide movement, bait and spawning areas. Big Red fish require a lot of food and a high salt content to spawn. The passes provide both.

There are several ways to catch schooling Red fish, my favorite is using cracked crab on a carolina rig. I find either a deep hole by a pass or just look for fish chasing bait along the beaches and throw to them. To be truly successful doing this you need two other things. The first is patience and the second is the proper equipment. Patience because you may have to fish several areas before you find them stacked up, the right equipment because your average bass, trout or red fish rod and reel just are not strong enough. You need at least a 7 foot heavy action rod with 25 to 30 pound test and lots of line. Our friends at Mark’s can set you up, just tell them what you are going after.
Here are the areas that are producing BIG BULL REDS right now till the end of September.
In Louisiana, Grand Isle, east and west. You can wade fish near the passes or cruise the beaches until you see them “crash” bait. You fish them morning, afternoon or night. All you need is a little tide movement and get ready for some HOT action! The best baits are live shrimp, croakers or cracked crab. In Louisiana you can keep 5 red fish per person between 16 and 26 inches and one of the five over 26 inches. Be sure to call us here at Griffin Fishing, 1-800-741-1340 and we’ll get you hooked up!

On the Alabama coast, my friend J.T. Duddy at Jesse’s Trout Lodge, 1-877-228-2486, says you can catch all the bull reds you want from Fort Morgan to Perdido Pass. J.T. says to use live croakers or cracked crab on a carolina rig, when the tide is falling. J.T. says there have been “herds” of Bull reds feeding on the top and the action will remain hot until the end of October! You can call J.T. for an up to the minute report and he’ll be glad to point you in the right direction. Remember, in Alabama you are allowed 3 reds per person between 16 and 26 inches and one of the three can be over 26 inches.

On the Mississippi coast, my fishing buddy Kyle at Becuna Charters says the Barrier Islands are where it’s at now until the end of September. Ship Island, Cat Island and Horn Island is where the action is right now! Big Bull reds are being caught daily from 10 to 20 pounds! Live croakers are the bait of choice. Kyle says to just wait for a good falling tide and work the ends of the islands and hold on! In Mississippi you can keep three reds from 18 to 30 inches and keep one of the three over 30 inches. You can call Kyle at 228-392-6865 and he’ll put you on hot summer action!
Well folks as you can see, as the summer heats up, so does the red “catching”. If you have never tried catching the Gulf Coast’s meanest, hardest fighting fish, now is the time to give it a try, you will not be sorry! From the Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana coast there is plenty of action for everyone, so come on down and get your line stretched!

Till next time,
Capt. Raymond Griffin
Griffin Fishing Charters
www.neworleansfishintours.com
1-800-741-1340