Redfish lures come in a variety of styles, all of which are effective thanks to the aggressive nature of the species. When a redfish is hungry, it will engulf just about anything that’ll fit in its mouth. Depending on the circumstance, the best redfish lure could be anything from classic spoons and popping-cork rigs to modern bladed jigs and ultra-lifelike soft plastic shrimp imitations.
Admittedly, there are more glamorous fish in the sea, but when it comes to availability, dependability and impressive fighting ability, you’ll be hard pressed to find a species in southern inshore waters that can top the redfish.
No fish is everywhere, and no fish bites all the time, but reds are the day makers, the no-nonsense rod benders that like to eat and love to torture drag washers. Contrast this to notoriously picky types such as snook, tarpon, bonefish and permit, and the decidedly blue-collar redfish owes a great deal of its popularity to its much more agreeable nature.
Grab a bucket of live shrimp or sling the mesh over a wad of sardines, and it’s game-on. But if you enjoy the challenge of fooling these copper gluttons with artificial lures, this rundown will cover most any scenario in which you find them.
Classic Spoons for Redfish
- Johnson Silver Minnow
- Aqua Dreams Classic Weedless
- Aqua Dreams Vengeance
- Aqua Dreams K.I.S.S. Series
Easy to cast and built to handle harsh habitats, the weedless spoon bumps and flutters through sandy potholes, over grass beds, across oyster bottom and pretty much any other habitat where reds roam. In chrome or gold, spoons work by mimicking the flash and profile of baitfish. A popular option for punching through windy days, spoons tend to spin, so prevent line twist by adding a split ring (if not already present) and a swivel.
As a redfish lure, it’s hard to get more classic than the tried-and-true Johnson Silver Minnow, which is weedless and comes in a range of colors and sizes. All of them are deadly on redfish, especially the good old silver and gold colors.
Companies like Aqua Dreams tricked out the classic spoon with a range of colors, textures that add flash, and lifelike natural baitfish patterns with scales. Aqua Dreams recently added a 1/2-ounce size to its original Classic Weedless and Vengeance treble hook spoons. Aqua Dreams also introduced a new K.I.S.S. Series of spoons that keeps it simple with no eyes, scale or prism patterns, only a gold-plated finish that flashes like a baitfish.
Versatile Jigs and Soft Plastic Redfish Lures
- Z-Man DieZel KickerZ
- AFTCO Kicker Pickle Kick
Diversity and flexibility are foundational to time-efficiency, and the classic lead-head jig allows plenty of both. With an assortment of sizes for various depths and a selection of head designs and colors (including unpainted), experimenting with an array of paddle tails, curly tails, straight tails, etc. helps you dial in the day’s preference for redfish lures.
Z-Man’s new DieZel KickerZ complements a bulky baitfish form with twin kicker tails for an enticing mouthful in 3 1/4- and 4 1/2-inch sizes. For a finger mullet ruse, AFTCO’s new Kicker Pickle Kick features 3D eyes, scaling, gill plates, and realistic features. It’s available in 3-, 5-, and 7-inch lengths.
Redfish Love a Shrimp Lure
Crustaceans rank high on the redfish menu, so they’re not going to miss a well-presented imposter rigged on a jig head or fished in pre-rigged form like the original D.O.A. Shrimp. Options are many, but Z-Man recently expanded its lifelike pre-rigged PrawnstarZ bait, released in 2024 with 2 1/2-inch (1/16-ounce) 3-inch (1/8-ounce) sizes. Z-Man also introduced a loose body offering of the original 3 1/2-inch PrawnstarZ with its PrawnstarZ LB, which allows anglers to rig the bait as they prefer.
Elsewhere, Berkley’s Gulp! Saltwater Turbo Shrimp is made with oscillating legs that create turbulence and vibration on the retrieve. Made with Berkley’s patented scent dispersion technology, this one’s an attention-getter on a light jig head.
Twitchbait Redfish Lures
- MirrOLure MirrOdine
- MirrOLure MirrOdine Chameleon Series
- L&S Baits Paul Brown Soft-Dine XL
- L&S Baits Paul Brown Soft-Dine XL Shallow Diver
Typically used to mimic scaled sardines, threadfin herring and other inshore baitfish, twitchbaits are treble-hook style baits that feature a line tie at the nose for a snappy twitching action that looks like a fleeing baitfish. A good bet for dropping into potholes, sauntering across grass flats, or working along current seams, twitchbaits are an easy sell to redfish feeding on baitfish.
MirrOLure’s MirrOdine line offers multiple sizes, as well as suspending and sinking models for a range of depths and fish mood. The company recently introduced the Chameleon Series MirrOdine, which includes a translucent design that allows a bait to blend in with its surroundings for a more natural look.
Also, L&S Baits, MirrOlure’s parent company, released a new Shallow Diver version of the Paul Brown’s Soft-Dine XL for the skinny flats where reds often graze. These soft-body twitchbaits can be very effective during colder months when lower metabolism has the fish in a picky mood and a soft-bait feel can be the deal closer.
Bladed Jig Redfish Lures
- Berkley Saltwater Slobberknocker
- Berkley PowerBait Paddlin’ Powerstinger
- Z-Man Original Chatterbait
- Z-Man Chatterbait Jackhammer
Once considered only a bass deal, these flashy, vibration-heavy baits work wonders as redfish lures, with a scampering presence that may imitate a frightened baitfish, a blue crab, or perhaps a crawfish in the coastal freshwater marshes. Berkley recently debuted its Saltwater Slobberknocker with a hand-tied Saltwater PowerBait silicone skirt, needlepoint Fusion19 hook and a talon-style keeper.
To bolster the redfish-tempting action, Berkley now offers a PowerBait Paddlin’ Powerstinger as a standalone item, as well as a Slobberknocker Kit. Infused with Saltwater PowerBait flavor, this trailer comes in 3 1/2- and 4 1/4-inch sizes.
Any discussion of bladed jigs must include Z-Man, which introduced the world to this style of lure more than 15 years ago with the Original Chatterbait. That design has been refined over the years into the Chatterbait JackHammer, which is a premium version of the original that’s a winner on the professional bass circuit as well as in the saltwater marshes.
Popping-Cork Rigs Catch Reds
- D.O.A. Deadly Combinations
- Four Horsemen Pop Pop Boom Combo
- H&H Lure Company Weighted Coastal Popping Floats
This one’s all about aggressive advertising and convenient product placement, with a jig or an artificial shrimp hung below a cork. aggressive rod action chugs, pops and gurgles the float, while each motion raises and lowers the lure below. When a redfish responds to what sounds like feeding activity, or bait school disturbance, the sight of a vulnerable lure darting below is too much to resist.
Decades ago, the old-school rig found a cone shaped cork with a concave top positioned about 18 inches above a bait (sloped side and tension pin for easy adjustment). The technique has evolved into its modern form, which comprises a free-sliding float flanked by noisy beads and mounted on a wire stem with tie offs at either end. Attach your main line to the upper point, add a leader with your lure below and you’re in business.
Cork color and shape varies, as do bead configurations, with brands such as Bomber Saltwater, Precision Tackle, Tsunami, Vudu and Betts offering a range of options. DOA’s Deadly Combinations and the Four Horsemen Pop Pop Boom Combo offer a popping cork pre-rigged with an artificial shrimp.
The popping cork rig’s additional benefits include castability and strike detection. Despite its dangling and seemingly unruly form, this reliable rig lines up well on the back cast and launches smoothly on the forward delivery. For extra casting distance and windy day efficiency, try weighted options like the H&H Lure Company Weighted Coastal Popping Floats.
When a redfish grabs your bait, it’s as straightforward as it gets. Cork disappears — start reeling and enjoy the fight.
