You’ve probably heard of the “bull red run”. What is it? Well starting in late August/early September they began moving out of bay systems to head to the gulf to spawn. The resident bull reds that are already in the gulf began their spawning rituals and also move up to feed on mullet, who are in fact making a run south. This time of year the gulf is changing. On the east coast (Atlantic), the mullet will migrate from the Carolina’s area down to Florida where the water is warmer then they push offshore to spawn. Here in Texas the mullet will migrate from the upper coast down to the lower coast for warmer water then like Florida, push out In deeper water to spawn. Mullet normally spawn starting late September into January but the migration starts well before that. My personal best days surf fishing have came in September and October. It’s the two months that you can almost guarantee yourself a fish or multiple fish and different species in the gulf. So the mullet are moving, the reds are moving up to spawn and feed and what else is happening? Flounder are moving out of the bays and into the gulf so they can spawn, specks are getting easier to catch because they move up to gorge themselves on mullet. Let’s talk shark. Sharks are predatory fish, opportunistic feeders if you will. They know every year that the above mentioned events will be taking place so of course, they’re moving in as well to get their piece of the proverbial pie. This post is basically a “keep your chin up” post. It’s about to bust loose in the gulf. It’s about to get great. Be ready, be prepared! For gear I’m using 12’ PENN Battalions, Penn 500 jigmasters, Shimano TLD15 reels, 30lb sufix superior or ande 30lb blue monster line. I make my own leaders from a 3’-4’ piece of 400lb black leader line and a 2’-3’ piece of 210-400lb cable bite leader. As far as hooks go, I’m using a 12-16/0 circle hook. My leaders are either going to be a fishfinder rig(sliding weight) or mousetrap rig (stationary weight). Some may say this is overkill for reds but like mentioned above, you don’t really know what your going to catch due to the amount of different species coming in to take advantage of the mullet migration and the abundance of reds moving around to find their ideal spawning location. During this time of year, I’ve caught Spanish macks, jack crevalle and big stingray from the beach. Big jacks can break your heart if you’re not prepared. So if you’ve had a rough year fishing from the beach this summer, don’t give up. It’s about to be balls to the wall action. As I type this, I get chills about what’s fixing to happen. If you want to catch large fish and don’t have the gear, please check out Green Tide Surf Fishing on Facebook or on the web at Greentidesf.com. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Good luck and tight lines!
-Cody

Thanks for the info.
Need to start trying to work a trip in.
I have never caught a bull red, but would really love to.

Let’s go!

Awesome post!

30# mainline and maybe some 40# Fluro Leader line is all ya need. I use Spro Swivels btw. Hooks....#4 treble or a healthy bent J-hook, Circle hooks are fine too. Just don't over kill. I use a Carolina Rig with appropriate egg weight or a Spider Weight. Fresh Cut Bait... mullet , shad, bottom fish. Make sure you TAG that Big Red asap and Fill out the tag