GREG HILDRETH AND THE BIG BULL REDFISH
Landing the Redfish
 QUESTION:
How did you find the big bull reds off the coast of
Georgia?
HILDRETH: I actually located this spot about five years
ago, when I was whiteing (ground mullet) fishing. When
I caught a big, bull red, I started fishing for them.
I found big concentrations of fish there. This region
is a big, shoal area where the bottom comes up from
18 feet to 3 feet on top. The reds move up into the
3 feet of water because that’s where the baitfish
are, especially during the fall  when
the reds come up to those shallow bars to feed on menhaden.
QUESTION: What’s the best tide to fish for these
big, bull reds?
HILDRETH: The tide doesn’t really have that much
effect. We can catch them on both the incoming or outgoing
tides. But the very best time to fish seems to be during
the last part of the outgoing tide or the first part
of the incoming tide.
QUESTION: When you have a big  red
on a grub and 20-pound-test line, do you have to chase
the fish?
HILDRETH: Not really, because the reds will stay fairly
close, once they’re hooked. The reds may pull
out 75 yards of line, but they usually don’t run
much farther than that. Then we can start working them
back in to the boat.
QUESTION: How long do you usually
need to get a redfish that weighs from 20 to 30 pounds
to the boat on 20-pound-test line?
HILDRETH: Most of the time, we can land each fish in
20 to 30 minutes.
 QUESTION:
What’s the real secret of landing a big redfish?
HILDRETH: Don’t try and force it, or put too much
pressure on the fish. Be very careful bringing the fish
to the side of the boat. Don’t let your line touch
the side of the boat because that’s where a lot
of fish get broken off. Most of the time, a big redfish
will make two or three more runs after he comes to the
boat the first time. So, you need to let the fish wear
itself out until it rolls up on the side of the boat.
Once we get the fish played down to where we can land
it, we try and get the redfish in the boat, unhooked
and back into the water as quick as possible.
TOMORROW: THE BOGAGRIP AND REDFISH
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