Best Bets for Bull Red Drum in the Delta

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The giant redfish that roam the Mississippi Delta's outer bays, barrier islands and passes present a tackle-testing blast. However, they're not everywhere, all the time. You gotta find ‘em, but the opportunity more than justifies the effort.

Now, if you think a redfish is a redfish and the oversized “bull reds” of 30-plus inches and upwards of 30-40 pounds are simply larger versions of the juveniles that spend their early years mostly within the safe and food-rich marsh habitat, think again.

A stout marsh red approaching adulthood is no slacker, but those copper scaled bulldozers roaming the coastal Gulf waters bring a different game. Their sheer mass and astounding endurance ensures a memorable battle, but the absolute reckless abandon with which they feed earns those Delta bulls a perennial bucket-list inclusion.

And talk about attitude — these fish just don’t care. They’re not easily intimidated, they do as they please and they delight in testing angler stamina and rod warranties.

Aggression? Yep, plenty of that. Anyone who’s ever watched a couple dozen redfish chasing down a swimbait or a topwater plug and elbowing one another for a shot at the meal, understands the intense feeding competition that drives these beasts.

Where to Find Bull Reds

While legit bull-sized reds frequent the outer fringes of the Delta estuary, you’ll find greater consistency in the larger bays and open coastal waters. The fish prefer shallow areas with soft, muddy bottom interspersed with vegetation, but don’t overlook nearshore reefs, points, jetties, pier structures, and nearshore drilling rigs.

Late-summer through early-fall typically finds big numbers of jumbo reds moving closer to beaches, inlets and passes for their spawning aggregations. Prior to this movement, anglers look to the vast coastal flats and shoals where reds find optimal feeding areas close to deeper, cooler water.

While water temperatures play a role in redfish positioning, food tops their motivation. Menhaden and mullet are the common schooling forage, but bull reds also love their crustaceans. Look to the jetties and shell bottoms for the crabs and take advantage of the spring white shrimp runs and fall brown shrimp runs.

Water clarity’s less critical than it is with the more selective speckled trout, but visibility declines in turbid areas, so consider the diminished strike zone. Worth noting, a high Mississippi River or heavy localized rainfall will dirty the coastal waters, but it’s not game-over.

Saltwater is heavier than freshwater and its suspended particulates, so you’ll have a layer of cleaner Gulf water below the muddy layer. Moreover, baitfish often become pinned between the clean water and the turbid water — similar to a tide line — so the savvy bulls will swim the cleaner zone and pick off vulnerable meals.

Read the Signs

One or two bull reds might sneak past you, but a herd of big bodies rumbling across a shallow bay displace so much water, it’s hard to miss them. The shallower they run, the more likely you’ll spot reddish tones and maybe a few dorsal fins breaking the surface.

Also look for schools of mullet and pogies traversing likely redfish areas. The ambling vegetarians create distinctive surface turbulence that’s easily distinguished from a redfish school by their less defined course. Reds move with a mission; mullet wander — and they frequently leap skyward.

Menhaden also create surface disturbance, along with their characteristic pops. Both forage species will tighten their ranks when predators approach, but when reds attack, the carnage is unmistakable. Even from a distance, oily surface slicks show evidence of active or recent bull red feeding.

Similarly, terns and frigates dipping low to the surface, or diving pelicans indicate forage fish and, often, it’s bull reds driving them topside.

How to Tempt ‘Em

Never a picky lot, Delta bulls readily gobble an array of artificial baits from gold spoons, which cast well in windy conditions, to the ever-popular 3/16- to 1-ounce lead head jigs (flats to deep channels) fitted with a paddletail, jerk shad or shrimp body. Soft or hard body swimbaits, topwaters and shallow running crankbaits also fit the program.

Day in and day out, one of the most user-friendly and consistently productive Delta tools is the popping cork rig. The standard setup comprises a wire stem with a free sliding cork flanked by clacking beads and swivels at both ends. Tie your main line/leader to the top swivel and add a 14- to 18-inch fluorocarbon dropper below.

Tie a jig or a weighted shrimp bait to that dropper and make a long cast. Intersperse a slow retrieve with sharp rod tip snaps to make the cork chug and gurgle. This surface commotion imitates feeding sounds and brings redfish running for their share. When a big bull sees that bait hopping and falling below the cork, it’s usually an easy sell.

The popping cork’s overall weight maximizes casting distance, while its ease of operation and immediate strike indicator make it ideal for kids and beginners. That being said, there’s a reason you’ll see nearly every guide, tournament angler and casual fishermen with a couple of these bite-getters rigged and ready.

No question, popping cork rigs bring a lot of bull reds to the boat, especially when summer heat or heavy fishing pressure fizzles a good topwater bite. But remember that “don’t care” part?

A hooked redfish typically approaches with several envious schoolmates hoping to steal their buddy’s meal. This often offers exhilarating sight-casing opportunities. Sometimes, it just yields heartbreak.

Personal pain: I tempted an estimated 30-pound bull with a LIVETARGET Rigged Shrimp hung below a bright orange cork. Ten feet from the net, his twin decided that cork looked edible. One giant explosion later, I watched what would have been my personal best bull swim away, courtesy of a gluttonous schoolmate.

Frustrating? A little, but that’s the kinda wild west, gotta-be-there stuff that keeps us coming back. Good thing is, those Delta bulls will give you all you want every single time.

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