How To Catch Redfish With Mud Minnows Rigged On A Jig Head
- By: Austin Moon
- on
One of my favorite ways to catch redfish in the winter is with a mud minnow rigged on a jig head.
It’s a simple approach and redfish love them.
And in this video, I’m going to show you exactly how I do it.
You’ll learn:
- How to rig mud minnows (so they last long and cast far)
- How to retrieve them to maximize your redfish strikes
- Why they’re such great winter baits
- My favorite spot to fish them
- And more
Check out the video below.
Catching Redfish With Mud Minnows [VIDEO]
Click here to join the Insider Club
Here’s the gear I was using:
- Rod: 7′ Bull Bay Stealth Sniper MH Fast action
- Reel: 2500 Daiwa BG
- Line: 15 lb. PowerPro
- Leader: 20 lb. Ande Mono
- Strike King jig head
Mud minnows make great baits for redfish, especially in colder months when the fish are lethargic and you need to work your bait slowly.
To rig them up, you want to put the hook through the lips.
Find the slit under their chin, slide the hook along the slit until it stops at the lips, and press the hook up and out and up through the nose.
Then, toss it out into the feeding zone, let it sit for 5-10 seconds, and slowly drag it back to you about a foot.
During those pauses, the mud minnow will be kicking its tail trying to get off of the jig head, attracting any predator fish nearby.
This is sort of like a hybrid of live bait and lure fishing.
You’re casting, retrieving, and covering water, but still have a live bait rigged up doing a lot of the work for you.
When & Where To Use Mud Minnows
On this day, I was fishing in the afternoon right before sunset.
The sun had been heating up the water all day, so the reds were up shallow near the shore.
But if you’re fishing earlier in the day, and the water is cooler, then they might be deeper in the creeks.
As far as where to use them, I’ve caught fish with mud minnows under docks, on mudflats, and near jetties, but my favorite is fishing with them around tidal creeks with grassy shorelines and oyster bars, like I was in this video.
Conclusion
Mud minnows are one of my favorite baits for redfish in the winter.
Rig them on a jig head, slowly drag them across the bottom through the feeding zone, and hold on!
Do you like to use mud minnows as bait?
Have any questions about them?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to catch more fish with mud minnows, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
Related articles:
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Nice Job Austin and good explanations too……. Hopefully this wind stops and tomorrow will work for me.
Question, this video and the notes above say mud minnows when the fish are lethargic.. How about this time of the year after cold front which we have been experiencing here in Jax..? The only thing that has been consistent for me this spring is crab and Fishbites tipped shrmp….
Thanks
Thanks so much Michael!! I appreciate it!! Yea Mud Minnows can be an excellent bait year round, I just find they work best in the colder months!! They are a tough bait that you can catch or buy pretty much year round! Right now using them for Flounder out by the inlets can be great!!
Austin–Loved the video–used to live in Jax and used mud minnows many times–I now live in crystal river and wondering if mud minnows are as prevalent here and is the method the same to catch them in a minnow trap-dont seem to be as available at bait shops as in Jax–thanks in advance Mike Dahl
Thank you, Michael!! I really appreciate that!! Im not to sure of how well populated they are in Crystal River, I know that they are there but ive just never been there so it’s a tough call for me to make. But you would still use the same method to catch them.
You can get mud minnows next to the culverts going out Fort Island Trail. I use a small 6 ft cast net with a small mesh, it works well.
I typically Fish mud minnows under a cork but will definitely try them on a jig head… I’m in Virginia Bait shops don’t have them now…any advice on where to find and catch them myself this time of year?
Thanks for the comment Veda!! Yea Mud Minnow can be excellent under a cork as well! I typically see them in the creeks and marshes, especially around oysters. Here in Jacksonville, ive seen them a lot in small salt/brackish water creeks/ditches a lot. It seems that they really like slower moving water. I plan on trying to put a video together on catching Mud Minnows with a minnow trap.
Do bait shops stock mudminnows, or is it a matter of using a castnet and catching your own?
Thanks for the comment, Darryl! Yes bait shop’s stock Mud Minnows, I purchased the Mud Minnow for this video from a local shop here in Jacksonville Florida!
Dang that is great action Austin, super cool video. Way to go!
Thanks Jeff!!! I really appreciate that man! It was a lot of fun!!
where can you get mud minnows ??
what weight jig head on flats
Thanks for the comment Sam! Id recommend going with a 1/4 ounce to keep you on the bottom, if you go lighter you will run the risk of the Mud Minnow being able to move the jig and get you in any structure that may be in the area. They are tough!
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing. You were having so much fun.
Where were you fishing?
Thanks for the kind comment David!! I was fishing in Amelia island Florida in this video.
Awesome report, Austin! I definitely appreciate the education. I’m a new member and I live in Jax too. I used to follow your YouTube channel before you joined the Saltstrong team. Great work as always. I’ve used mud minnows many times on a Carolina rig but never on a jig head. I think this would be a great way to get my 6 year old son on some nice fish and help prepare him for using artificial lures. Thanks man!
Thanks so much, Adam!! That is awesome!! I would have to agree that this could be an excellent way to get your son on some nice fish and teach him how artificial!!
Were you fishing low rising tide? I’m using live mud minnows but having trouble catching redfish. I live in South Carolina.
Hey Dana! Awesome job with the Trout, I love the reports!! Mud Minnows will work well for Trout, Flounder, Redfish, Snook, Jacks, ladyfish and a lot more!! Your area is going to be very similar to my area when it comes to structures. I was fishing the first of an incoming tide, wind protection and I intentionally made a late afternoon trip when I knew that the fish would be moving in the shallows on a rising tide because all the mud was exposed and warming up and that’s what the fish want. ( when I said I saw Redfish in this video right before I caught the 32 inch Redfish, my boat was touching the bottom) When I say Sallow for Redfish in these types of conditions this time of year, I mean SHALLOW! Look for them right along the grass line and don’t be afraid to get really close to some oyster bars. Often times mud minnows will hide in the oyster shells as well as other crabs and baitfish, so that’s where the Redfish will be looking to feed.