Chop up a fresh ladyfish and broadcast it at the mangroves. Chopped ladyfish is like Redfish Crack, they love it. Then bait up and cast in behind it. Did I mention ...more hang on. Yes, you better hang on tightly to your rod. That Big Red hit like a Dump Truck and didn't want to come in either. We released it unharmed and watched it swim away to fight again.
Most any good mangrove stand will harbor Reds. They usually stay just in the shadows waiting to attack passing bait or many times they actively forage along the bottom using their keen sense of smell.
I like a popping cork with a short leader to suspend the bait just off the bottom. Keeps the bait out of the moss or from burying in the grass.
Fish of the day. Well done Travis. 14-pound Bull Red. Many other huge Speckled Trout. Out with Captain Russ Walker, Tide Walker Charters. Every Trip is an Adventure. Bokeelia on Pine Island, Fl.
