Big redfish can show up very close to the shore along the Mississippi barrier islands. Photo by Robert L. Brodie.

Sometime back in the early 1970s, a curious phenomenon swept the Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi coast: Anglers -- specifically those aboard the Magnolia State’s charter boat fleet -- learned how to catch bull redfish from the massive schools that prowled outside Mississippi’s barrier islands.

After a while, everyone, recreational anglers included, had picked up on the tactics needed to catch the big bronzeback bruisers. Coinciding with that era of no limits -- and around the same time, was the blackened redfish craze, which hit restaurants like a Gulf hurricane. Diner demand for the redfish fillets created incredible pressure on the stock of spawners, and commercial boats deploying purse-seines and gill nets boats got in on the action, catching fish by the hundreds in one sitting. The large schools dwindled even faster.

By the ‘80s, bull red numbers had plummeted. Realizing the severe damage done to the stocks, state and federal legislation was passed to protect both offshore breeders and the smaller fish maturing inshore.

With netting banned and strict creel limits enforced for hook-and-line anglers, the fish have made a noticeable comeback over the years. Now those big schools of fish can once again be seen turning the water red as they rise to the surface and erupt into pods of baitfish.

It was an ugly way to learn a lesson, but at least it made it evident that, through proper management, fish stocks can be brought back from over fishing. Today Mississippi anglers are only allowed three redfish per angler per day with a minimum length of 18 inches, and, to reduce the pressure on big spawners, only one fish can be more than 30 inches long.

SLOW-TROLLING
The most exciting among the various methods for catching bull redfish is slow-trolling. Beginning in August and September, massive schools of these fish begin to concentrate outside Mississippi’s barrier islands and off the north end of the Chandeleur Islands. The urge to spawn triggers this annual ritual, and for anglers who spend the time trolling in these regions, the rewards can be incredible once fish are located.

The Mississippi charter fleet is again out in the Gulf of Mexico, looking for these redfish. Today, however, they don’t damage the schools, as they did in the past. The fleet works as a team in order to locate the schools. Once they are found, the news is quickly passed on via VHF radio. If you see a number of boats suddenly steaming toward a specific area, odds are good that a school of bull redfish has been rounded up.

At times, fish may be spotted simply swimming along just beneath the surface with water pushing over their foreheads, or they may be smashing bait on the surface. Those targets may be schools of Spanish mackerel, bonito, red minnows and blue runners, (commonly referred to as “hardtails”).

Once baitfish or the redfish themselves are spotted, you want to avoid trolling through the middle of them, instead making a large circle along their outer edge, thus swinging the trailing lines through the activity. Going right through the fish usually sends them down and scatters the school. By not disturbing the main feeding frenzy, you stand a greater chance of the reds staying on the surface, where you can keep track of them.