Redfish fishing tips: best time to fish for redfish, tides and moon

Redfish fishing tips for the Gulf and Atlantic coast: the best time to fish for redfish by tide, season and moon, where to find them, baits, lures and the fall bull red run.

Red drum, redfish, reds, bull reds: whatever you call them, they are the most popular inshore fish from the Carolinas to Texas. They tail on shallow flats, crash bait in the marsh and run the surf every fall. Redfish are not hard to catch once you understand one thing: they follow the water.

Best time to fish for redfish: the tide comes first

Tide stage	What redfish do	Where to fish
Early incoming	Move from deeper channels toward the flats	Mouths of creeks, drains, channel edges
High tide	Push into the grass and flooded marsh to feed	Flooded spartina, oyster bars, shoreline edges
Early outgoing	Pull back out as water drains	Points, cuts and drains where bait is flushed out
Low tide	Concentrate in holes and channels	Deeper troughs, potholes, creek bends

The strongest bites usually come on moving water: the last two hours of the incoming and the first two of the outgoing. Slack tide is often slow. New and full moons bring the biggest tidal range and the strongest currents, which is why many guides plan around them. More in tides and solunar for saltwater fishing.

Best time of day

Dawn: calm water, low light and tailing fish on the flats. The best sight-fishing window in summer.
Midday: good for sight fishing in clear water in fall and winter, when the sun warms the shallows.
Dusk and night: strong around docks, bridges and lighted piers, especially in summer heat.

When a solunar major period lines up with a moving tide at first light, that's the morning to be on the water. See how to read solunar tables.

Best season for redfish

Spring: reds move onto warming flats; good sight fishing as water climbs past 60°F.
Summer: early mornings and night; schools of reds on the flats and in the marsh.
Fall (the best): the bull red run. Big spawning reds gather at inlets, passes and in the surf from late August through October. Schools of slot reds also feed heavily on mullet and shrimp.
Winter: reds school up in deeper creeks and on sunny mud flats in clear, cold water. Fish the warmest afternoons.

Where to find redfish

Louisiana marsh (Venice, Hopedale, Delacroix, Grand Isle): the redfish capital, with huge numbers in brackish ponds and bayous.
Texas bays (Galveston, Matagorda, Aransas, Baffin and the Laguna Madre): wade fishing on grass flats and shell reefs.
Florida: Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon for giant reds in shallow water; Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor and the Panhandle.
Carolinas and Georgia: marsh creeks at flood tide, and bull reds at the inlets and Outer Banks surf in fall.

From the beach, the same fish can be targeted in the troughs: see surf fishing tips.

Baits and lures that work

Live bait: shrimp under a popping cork, mullet, pinfish, mud minnows.
Cut bait: mullet or menhaden on the bottom for bull reds.
Soft plastics: paddle tails and shrimp imitations on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads.
Gold spoons: weedless, a classic for the grass.
Topwater: walk-the-dog plugs at dawn.
Fly: crab and shrimp patterns for tailing fish.

Redfish fishing tips

Read the water before you cast: nervous bait, wakes, tails and "pushes" give fish away.
Stay quiet in shallow water. Pole or drift; don't run the motor on the flat.
Fish the windward bank on breezy days; bait and redfish follow.
Downsize and slow down in cold or clear water.
Respect the slot. Most states have a slot limit and bag limit for red drum, and they change. Check your state's current rules before you keep a fish, and handle big breeders with care.

Redfish and the moon

Beyond the tides, many inshore anglers find that full moon nights spread feeding through the dark, while dawn bites can be slower the following morning. Around the new moon, dawn and dusk often concentrate the action. Our full moon calendar 2027 shows the dates, including the summer "super new moons" with extra-large tides. Weather fronts still matter: after a strong cold front, reds may sulk in deep holes for a day or two.

Plan with Solunar

The Solunar app shows the solunar windows, sunrise, sunset and moon phase on one 24-hour dial with a 1–4 star day rating, calculated from your exact location and working offline, so you can check it in the marsh. Pair it with your local tide chart and pick the window where moving water and a solunar period overlap.