Fishing Berkley Gulp Lures for Winter Redfish

Redfish go shallow inshore during the winter but you can use Berkley Gulp lures to get them to bite. This goes against the old saw that all fish "go deep" when water temperatures drop. Actually, the shallows warm quicker when the sun is up and redfish love to prowl the dark banks in big schools looking for shrimp and crabs.

Live bait is hard to obtain during the winter, but luckily today's scented soft body lures work just as well as live bait when fished on a jig head for redfish. You just need to choose your bait and remember to stay quiet when approaching the school. After that, the scent of the lure does the work for you and the real fun begins.

Berkley Gulp! Saltwater Shrimp - Molting - 3"

The Berkley Gulp Shrimp are the most common choice for today's anglers looking to score some winter redfish. You fish them on jig heads in sizes ¼ or 3/8 ounces. The reaction of redfish to the scent dispersal of Gulp Shrimp is amazing...the redfish really nail the lure.

The key is to work the lure very slowly. You can crawl it along the bottom or jump it in short hops, but whatever you do don't go fast. Winter redfish require a very slow and deliberate retrieve. You want the redfish to rush in to investigate the lure and then hit it when the scent is just too much for the fish to handle.

Berkley Gulp! Alive! Peeler Crabs - 2" - Pint - New Penny

The Berkley Gulp Peeler Crabs are another great option for winter redfish. Blue crabs and fiddler crabs are the favored cold water prey of redfish and they will strike crab baits with vigor. The key is to fish the lure on the bottom and extremely slow.

Use a jig head or rig the Gulp Peeler Crab on a fishfinder rig with an egg sinker and a saltwater hook about size 1/0. It is really best to fish this bait when the tide is moving well and just let the current do the work. Redfish will hone in on what they think is a scuttling crab and hit the bait hard.

Both the Berkley Gulp Shrimp and Peeler Crab are great baits for redfish in shallow water conditions and on low tides. They are made for backwater creek action. Even without live bait you can catch redfish in the winter using the Berkley Gulp lures.