Different paint jobs, different regulations, but in some regards, largemouth bass and redfish walk remarkably similar paths. Both are known for their voracious feeding habits, both appreciate structure and both will leverage that structure for feeding opportunities.
Now, we could wax poetic on thematic points and maybe even note the old-school redfish nickname, “channel bass.” But our brief time together is better spent by focusing on a simple, yet strategically beneficial point — flipping will bring both species to the boat.
For clarity, we’re lumping pitching and flipping together here, as a lot of the bass reportedly caught “flipping,” often fell for pitched baits. Does it matter? In the scope of this conversation, it really doesn’t. Get it there however you can. Redfish don’t judge.
Why the Similarity
In terms of habitat tolerance, largemouth bass frequent brackish waters where the ocean’s saline flow mingles with the sweet water. In this mixing zone, back-to-back casts commonly yield largemouth and redfish, but with the latter displaying the greatest versatility, those copper-scaled beauties often venture well into purely freshwater zones.
In tidal fisheries from Florida’s St. Johns River to the Sabine and all throughout the Mississippi Delta marshes, opportunities to test this theory abound. Ultimately, the redfish flipping premise works because it allows anglers to reach the narrowly defined feeding spots into which reds poke their heads.
Now, will you tempt redfish by covering water with the same topwaters, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and lipless baits you’d throw for neighboring bass? Absolutely. But both fish love their crustaceans and whether that’s freshwater crawfish, shrimp, blue crabs, or fiddlers, the flipping presentation offers your most consistent option for mimicking that look.
Dual Purpose Baits
There’s no denying the sage wisdom that the best bait to throw is the one the fish bite, so if you have a little sumpn-sumpn that charms bass and redfish, by all means, stay on the course that works for you. However, the standard flipping tools — jigs and Texas-rigged plastics — are the way to go.
Case in point, longtime Bassmaster Elite pro Mark Menendez placed fifth at the 2021 Elite season opener on the St. Johns River largely by flipping a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Craw. Nine months after that February event, he and his multi-species partner Ricky Bort led Day 1 of the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship — on the strength of that same flipping rig.
That event, held in Port Aransas, Texas, saw Menendez tempting his reds by flipping a vegetated hard line in a small backwater canal. Not unlike flipping buck brush or water willow, Menendez picked off fish as they foraged amid the shallow cover.
Everglades guide Capt. Ray VanHorn, a former bass tournament angler, takes the flipping game to an extreme level by nosing up close to flooded mangroves and pitching a jig with a craw style trailer into gaps and cuts amid the briny fortress. Depths rarely exceed 3 to 4 feet, but a 1/2-ounce jig helps ensure accurate flips and the fast fall that gets a red’s attention.
In VanHorn’s experience, a full skirted jig resembles a crustacean mouthful worth catching. Just make sure you’re holding on tight, as hefty redfish — along with black drum, snook and the occasional tarpon — will blast that bait with arm-stretching ferocity.
Now, along with the crunchy meals, redfish won’t pass up any pinfish, mud minnow or finger mullet that crosses their radar. That’s why it’s never a bad idea to diversify your presentation by flipping a Texas-rigged stick worm or fluke style bait into the shallow cover.
Performance Points
You’ll definitely want to beef up the gear for redfish pursuits, as these fish pack significantly more power and endurance than largemouth bass of equal proportions. Also, consider your habitat parameters when selecting your rod length.
Same as bass fishing, a rod of 7 feet, 4 inches, or longer affords critical reach and extraction leverage when you’re fishing expansive fields of emergent vegetation. However, when you’re pitching into taller-growing cover such as Delta Roseau Cane or mangrove trees, too much length becomes an impediment.
Docks offer another promising crossover habitat feature, so don’t hesitate to morph your flipping into skipping. Here again, rod length matters and that usually comes down to angler reach. You need to be able to reach the target, but you don’t want to be slapping the water on every roll cast.
In any redfish scenario, braided main line with stout fluorocarbon leader allows you to withstand the often harsh habitat, while keeping the heat on a hooked fish.
- Tidal Tips: Daily ebb and flow governs how far into the cover reds will roam, so plan your trips accordingly. Generally, predators advance on rising tides and retreat during the fall.
- A Key Point Here: Outgoing tides pull cleaner, filtered water out of vegetation, so even when declining depths force the redfish out of the cover, they’ll often stage in the deeper perimeter areas to pick off crustacean and finfish forage exiting with the tide. This is a good time to flip the mouths of marsh drains and ribbon creeks slicing through the mangroves. Note the extreme swings, as big flood tides will allow the fish to push deep into cover. At times, the fish follow rising water farther into cover than you can reach; but no worry, check back on the outgoing cycle and intercept them on their way back to the open water.
- A Word to the Wise: Don’t linger too long in a marsh creek. It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of flipping to reds munching crabs and snails in the spartina grass, but remember — they can belly crawl across a tide-drained mud flat. Your boat cannot. Respect the day’s tide schedule and exit before the door closes for the next 6 hours.
- Fight Right: With this and any redfish flipping strategy, you gotta have an exit strategy. Considering that flipping into and around redfish-friendly cover means your fish already has the advantage, you’ll minimize those break-off heartaches by keeping the boat in a position that allows you an extraction lane.
At the moment of truth, lay the wood to ‘em, maintain that down and dirty low rod angle and simply outlast the fish. Reds are powerful fighters that’ll give you all you want. But that’s the fun.
