Florida Game & Fish editor Jimmy Jacobs displays the kind of redfish that Pine Island Sound yields to topwater presentations this month. Photo by Polly Dean.

One of the most amusing and exciting sights in inshore saltwater angling occurs when topwater baits are used for redfish. The placement of this fish’s mouth is what biologists refer to as “inferior.” No, it’s not of lower quality! It points down, much like a bonefish’s mouth.

Redfish prefer to feed down, near or on the bottom, much of the time. Because of their mouths’ placement, when they come up to the surface, they often have trouble taking the bait. Hookups are somewhat less likely, but since you can see all the action, the excitement level is much higher -- so things sort of balance out.

I suspect that the majority of fishermen chasing reds use live bait. But not only are surface plugs much more exciting to use, but under the correct conditions, they are incredibly effective as well.

Pine Island Sound has one of the best fisheries in the state for reds. Capt. Rick DePaiva knows both the waters of the sound and how to catch redfish in June using surface lures.

WHEN AND WHERE
What are the correct conditions?
“I like a low, incoming tide at that time of year,” Capt. DePaiva said. “The water is cooler on that tide than at any other time. By June, that makes a big difference. Although I’ve caught redfish on them in the middle of the day, surface lures generally work best between first light and about 9 a.m., and again from about 4 p.m. until dark.

“I like to fish in shallow water, over flats with thick turtle grass on the bottom,” he continued. “The flat needs to be surrounded by deeper water, as much as seven feet or more. The fish seem to prefer the shallow flats where they have easy access to the safety of deep water nearby.”

After finding a flat, knowing when to target is also important.

“I want a low tide that measures 1.0 or less on the tide table,” DePaiva noted. “That’s the highest low tide on which you can still see the tailers. During June, those tides are the ‘hill’ tides at Boca Grande. Everyone is tarpon fishing, and you have the redfish flats pretty much to yourself. During the summer, the fish tail best on an incoming tide because of that influx of cool, oxygenated water.

“Other things I look for when picking a place to fish are active mullet and wading birds, especially great blue herons and great egrets. If conditions are right and the birds are there, it’s going to be a happening time.”

THE BAITS
Conventional
A plethora of surface baits are available to the saltwater spin-fisherman. We can take all those saltwater baits and roughly divide them into five basic categories.

First are the stickbaits -- a simple design exemplified by Heddon’s Zara Spook. The Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, Bill Lewis’s ThunderStick, Yo-Zuri’s Banana Boat, and Bagley’s Jumping Mullet are other excellent examples of this type of plug.

These lures cast very well, but have little if any built-in action. They depend on the angler’s rod manipulation to entice the fish.

Although it takes some practice to learn the retrieve, which is a zigzagging motion known as “walking-the-dog,” fishermen who master it take a lot of fish. Reds, trout, snook, and tarpon all aggressively attack these plugs.

Although conventional wisdom holds that this type of lure is best used when the wind is light and the water surface smooth, stickbaits equipped with rattles work in a good stiff chop, too.

The second type of surface plugs come equipped with propellers. These “prop” baits come in a variety of different shapes, but two of the most popular are Rhoden’s Johnny Rattler and the Devil’s Horse, manufactured by Smithwick. Again, these lures require some degree of angler manipulation for maximum effectiveness. Because of the noise made by propellers and internal rattles, they work well in windy conditions.