a Rapala X-Walk top water plug and we carefully slipped it back over the gunnel of my ISkeeter SX-240 bay boat after a quick photo.
I t’s big redfish season. Schools of giant reds are cruising the Banana River Lagoon waters and they are usually very easy to catch this month. Anglers can expect to see anywhere from 80 to 200 fish averaging 35 to 45–inches long competing against one another for your bait or lure. If you can’t get excited about that, you had better check your pulse. These fish will only be grouped like this for a short time, so your window of opportunity is short. But the bite can be epic on days that a school of these fish are found. Slot sized redfish are generally holding around mangrove covered shorelines and docks this month. They can also be found schooling near mullet pods on the flats. Just about any mullet imitation will work for them. Skitterwalk, and chug bug top water lures, Subwalk and Mirrolure suspending plugs, and Saltwater Assassin soft plastic jig tails or jerk baits are deadly on these hard fighting fish. Trout, Ladyfish, Jack, Snook and others are also possible on bars and drop-offs throughout this portion of the lagoon system. Live fingerling mullet will be the best way to stay hooked up on most of these fish. Free line your offerings near mullet schools, or if the wind is up place a small weight on the line to hold them near the bottom where cruising fish can find them.