May is truly a magical time of the year. The cold fronts are over, the temperature and winds have finally found a stable pattern and the Redfish are active and hungry! One of my favorite ways to catch Redfish is with topwater plugs and May is the month we start throwing them sun up to sun down. Now we all know a red drum will hit a topwater plug year-round, but they can be quite a bit fickler on surface lures when the water is below 60 degrees. May is the month it all breaks loose! While all topwater plugs will catch Redfish, there are a few tricks that may help along the way, we’ll start with selecting a plug. If I had to pick 3 topwater plugs to own they would be as follows,
MirrOlure She Pup
The MirrOlure She Pup is a high frequency smaller profile bait. A higher frequency simply means this is a loud plug. The She Pup is also more buoyant than a lot of plugs on the market, which means it sits higher on the water. When fishing windblown chop, a louder more buoyant plug is just what the Dr. ordered. The plug will get some of the nastiest wakes and strikes from redfish several feet away in slick calm water and guaranteed to draw the reds in with a chop on the surface.
MirrOlure Top Dog Jr
This plug should be a staple in any inshore angler’s tackle box, it has been a staple in mine for over 20 years now. The Top Dog Jr is a smaller version of the Top Dog and is a low frequency plug. There’s just something the Redfish love about that low-end bass.
MirrOlure Top Dog
The Top Dog is full size plug and it’s the only plug that will do when you need to make a cast 3 miles long. The Top Dog is a low frequency bait and is an excellent choice when you need to make super long casts to a school, or the fish seem to be zoned in on large baits.
Honorable mentions, Zara Spook Jr, Rapala Skitter Walk, Badonk A Donk and MirrOlure She Dog
Now that we have selected our plug, let’s talk about getting it ready to see battle. The very first thing we’re going to do is get rid of the factory hooks. The factory hooks are going to end in heartbreak if you leave them on. I change my hooks out with VMC 4x strong size #2 in black nickel. I have used several brands on the market and had success with all the hooks. Just buy the strongest hook that brand offers. I use 20# or 25# Fluorocarbon leader on my topwater plugs and a very short one, about 10 inches. My personal favorite fluoro is Suffix. There is no advantage to using fluoro on a topwater plug, mono will work just fine, it’s a simplicity thing for me. I use fluoro leader for everything else and don’t need to carry a spooI of something else on board. I like to keep things simple as possible and as light as possible. I use the very first fishing knot you ever learned as a child to tie the plug, an improved clinch knot. I’m keeping it simple. I attach my leader to my main line which is 12# Fins Windtamer using an Albright Knot. This is a fast simple knot and can be tied in seconds. Pair all of this with a 7’ M or a 7ML Rod and a 2500 Series spinning reel and you are ready to torture Redfish all summer long. Be safe out there, take your time and please be respectful to other anglers and boaters on the water.