As a devoted bass fisherman, it’s easy to view other species of fish as foreign – especially when that species lives in saltwater, but if last year’s Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter taught us anything, it’s that fishing for bass and redfish have a lot of similarities. Bassmaster Elite Series pros proved in 2021 that before hitting up the seaside tackle store to stock up on redfish equipment, anglers may want to look in their bass fishing tacklebox first.
Elite Series veteran Mark Menendez was one of the anglers who relied heavily on bass fishing tactics to secure a solid finish in the 2021 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup. Despite living in the landlocked state of Kentucky, Menendez has fished a number of Redfish events over the years and tries to compare bass to redfish as much as possible.
“We’re fishing for predator fish — a largemouth is a predator fish and so is a redfish,” said Menendez. “It comes down to a presentation and a good cast with both fish. The lures I use are very much the same thing.”
While fishing with redfish specialist Ricky Bort during the 2021 Redfish Cup, Menendez even found that in some scenarios, his tried-and-true bass fishing lures actually worked better than Bort’s traditional redfish baits.
“One of the areas that we fished during the tournament, my partner Ricky Bort was not getting very many bites with his tried-and-true saltwater methods, but I was able to go behind him with a Strike King Rage Craw on 20-pound Seaguar Line and a Lews flipping stick just like I would on tour,” the Kentucky pro said.
Although there’s plenty of commonalities between bass and redfish baits, one of the things anglers will want to keep in mind is the sheer size and strength that a redfish possesses. Vibrating jigs, spinnerbaits and swimbaits are all extremely popular options that are practical for both species, but making sure the components are beefed up for redfish is important. If a bait has a hook that is too small, or wire that is too thin, a bull redfish will straighten the wire or hook out with ease.
“Over time I’ve realized that the redfish baits are built with a heck of a lot more gusto,” he said. “The redfish pulls hard, and he strikes hard most of the time, so baits like the Redfish Magic have a much larger hook and the wire is heavier gauge than anything we use in bass fishing.
“Make sure that the crossover lures have premium components and big hooks in them. These fish really pull hard, so bigger, heavier components make up the baits that I use for both redfish and bass.”
Elite Series anglers proved in 2021 that bass baits can catch redfish, so if you find yourself preparing for a redfish trip this fall, don’t overlook your tried and true bass lures.
