Most drum species care more about the scent. If they are on a feed, they aren't very picky.

I caught my first ever bull red this week on a medium sized dead shrimp. I am learning that when fish want to feed they eat anything that is around.

I agree!!!

HOw have i missed this post...

Best set up right here..

all mono double drop leader..

Weight depends on conditions and bottom...

4/0 lazer shark circle hook will catch everything from puppy drum to 40+" bull reds...

2 long strips cut into 1" pieces....

The dead shrimp is just for your own confidence, they fish the same with or without it...personally i havent used dead shrimp in over 2 years...

color doesnt matter, shrimp works good all around...during a crab hatch use crab...

dont use the quick release unless you are sightcasting, it does realease fast and has no cloth so its stolen easily however its great for tipping crab lures or shrimp imitations to add a bit of scent...

If I may: the photic zone in the galveston bay ecosystem can be anywhere from a few inches to 2 or 3 feet so yes, generally the drum species here rely on scent to find prey. However, the morphological features of the red drum favor sight predation if water quality allows. If you notice, yes their eyes are located on the side of their head, but they have a slightly "binocular" vision setup, allowing for the fish to see what is in front of them.

Long story short: Good water quality, sight predator....

Bad water quality due to nutrient runoff, sedimentation rate and particle size like what is found in galveston bay: scent predator for the most part.


Hence why people use red line on the coast line instead of blue, aside from blue standing out, red light penetrates to the shallowest depth due to its wavelength so in water depths of over 10 feet say, the red line will disappear.

^ correct...dirty water favores fishbites more...but fish at night and its all scent baby!

On the red line...it doesnt work as advertised..sticks out like a sore thumb...best line is still clear mono or pink braid

I read an article on line color and visibility. It ALL colors dissipate at the same rate/depth. There is not a big enough difference to favor or dislike any line colors. Also, NO LINE is invisible in water. From what the article said...i will try to find it and post it.

Clear line actually transmits light farther, like a fiber optic, which can sometimes be a good thing, sometimes not.

I still like ANDE pink.

Okay - I'm still a bit confused here - Just cast out a bottom rig in the surf with a couple strips of 1-inch fishbites strips on a 2/0 or 3/0 hook and I can expect to catch redfish??

How to make your own bait bites for cheaper money.

http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/users/fishbones/blog/bait-bites-make-your-own-14675.aspx

black drum, whiting, croaker, pompano, and sand trout will also take your bait too, the surf is really a mixed bag.

I used the orange and white ez-shrimp this past week. I put a 1 inch piece on a 3/0 circle hook and then a dead shrimp. Caught two nice keeper black drums and a little 14" rat red that I obviously put back into the water. Didn't try the Fishbites as a stand alone bait but they sure did the trick with the dead shrimp on the bottom. Fished the mouth of the Nueces River where it opens to the back bay, just west of the power lines.

I am adding Fishbites to my arsenal from now on.

I've caught Pompano, Redfish, Black Drum, Trout, Whiting, Catfish, Croaker, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel and more using Fishbites!!

Making your own...sounds fun, but time consuming.