There aren't many anglers in the south who would pass up the chance to pull in a bull redfish. It is safe to assume that us southern fisherman and fisherwomen are redfish addicts. Catching your first bull redfish however, is on an entirely different level.
Redfish are superb in practically every way, they taste excellent, and they fight hard, but generally speaking, catching a red is not a particularly memorable event, and that is not the topic of this article.
If you take a quick look around social media, you will see dozens of casual anglers clutching their monster bull redfish that they caught using outrageously heavy tackle…heavy tackle, light tackle, medium tackle – catching is catching.
The incredible excitement of pursuing, attempting, failing, waiting, and ultimately landing your first bull redfish with a suitable-sized, lightweight rod and reel set-up is the focus of this story. There is no better drug, and as you catch your first bull redfish, you'll realize that the rush began the previous evening when you were getting ready for your trip by preparing your gear.
Location and Gear
This fishing trip happened in the surf in Galveston, Texas, around 5AM. Equipped with an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 Round Baitcasting Reel, which is an excellent reel for surf fishing, a 7′ All Star Medium-Heavy rod with 15LB test mono fishing line, and a 1 ounce sliding egg weight on a small circle hook with a float just above the hook. Simple and effective.
Small, live finger mullet were used as bait. They were hooked through the nose, and two small cuts were made on each side of the mullet's midsection. This allowed the bait to stay alive and give off a scent.
With this rod, reel and rig, any fish of decent size will give you a run for your money, but you'll still have enough power and ability to let the fish fight and nurse it to the shore.
First Bull Redfish
Being alone, shuffling your feet ankle-deep into a black surf just before sunlight as you cast in to the first gut, is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it can be terrifying, which gives you all the more reason to make your cast, walk back to the safety of dry sand, and wait for a bite.
After months of repetition and slowly varying techniques, this bull redfish was caught after a small bump on the line followed by an incredible tug and scream of the drag from the clicker of the Ambassadeur C3 reel. Once the hook was set, the clicker was turned off, and the heaviness of the fish, the sound of wind and waves, and the pure thrill of what turned out to be a 40-minute fight ensued. Nobody talks about trying to pick up one of these big reds out of the breaking water; your hands are cramping and they are awkwardly heavy and worth every pound.
Final Thoughts
With light tackle, you get to feel the fish and get a sense of its fighting style. You also get to sense its stamina and enjoy a longer experience reeling it in. By the time you land your first bull, you'll oddly feel as though you just outsmarted a monster; your arms and hands will be jelly, and you better believe your heart will skip a few beats.
Fish on.
