Inshore Saltwater Fishing: Redfish and Trout

Red drum (redfish) and spotted seatrout are inshore fish of the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In South Carolina DNR’s 2007 net surveys of shallow estuary water, spotted seatrout were the most abundant species caught and red drum the second. This guide covers what they eat, how the tide moves them, where to fish, rigs and baits, and release, following South Carolina DNR’s educational reports on red drum (1992) and spotted seatrout (1995), its summer inshore fishing guide, and NOAA Fisheries. The reports are older, so their size and bag limits are out of date; check your state’s current rules.

Meet the fish

Red drum

• Names: South Carolina anglers call them spot-tail bass, Gulf and east Florida anglers redfish, Virginians channel bass (SC DNR). See our redfish profile.
• Food: in SC DNR’s study of young red drum (7 to 11 inches), over 94% of the stomach contents were crabs and shrimp, with fiddler crabs almost half the diet; mud crabs, blue crabs and grass shrimp were also important.
• Where big fish are: SC DNR says trophy red drum over 15 pounds are rarely caught inside the estuary; adults join the breeding population in the coastal ocean.

Spotted seatrout

• Seasons (SC DNR): in winter, fishing is good in the upper reaches of tidal rivers, with good numbers and large trout just inside the estuary close to the ocean. In spring trout move toward spawning sites (deep water with structure and strong current: bridges, large piers, points and inlet holes) and spawn from May through August or September. In summer, SC DNR says trout fishing is often spotty because the fish don’t form the large schools of cooler months. See our spotted seatrout profile.

The tide moves the fish

• Red drum on the marsh: when high tide floods marsh with dense fiddler crabs, red drum move up onto the marsh surface to feed. SC DNR says the best chance inside the estuary is therefore from mid-ebb to mid-flood, around low tide, when water depth keeps them out of the grass and concentrated in the shallows. Some anglers sight-cast to “tailing” red drum in the high marsh.
• Oyster bars at low tide: SC DNR found red drum most often around the submerged edges of oyster bars, sometimes in only 6 to 8 inches of water.
• Seatrout and current: fishing is better almost everywhere when the tide is flowing than at slack water. Grassy edges and coves are generally high-tide spots, and creek mouths often fish better on a falling tide as bait is flushed out (SC DNR). Some deep spots can only be fished around slack tide, when you can get a bait down.

Where to fish (SC DNR)

For seatrout: oyster bars, marsh edges, points, creek mouths, drop-offs and current rips, and best of all combinations of them. A tall oyster bar beats oysters spread evenly along a bank; a marsh edge in a sheltered cove next to fairly shallow water holds the most bait; the largest creek mouth or the point reaching farthest into a river is often the best spot; and the ends of islands pointing into the current form strong rips. Check potential spots at different tide stages, and fish each several times.

For red drum away from the marsh: structure such as old pilings, dock rubble, rocks and oyster bars, where they feed on small crabs.

Rigs and baits

• Natural baits (SC DNR): most anglers use shrimp (live or dead), mud minnows, mullet and crabs for red drum. In summer, SC DNR says live baits outfish artificial lures because the estuaries are full of baitfish and shrimp.
• Bottom or float: bait can be fished on the bottom with a sliding sinker or under a float. SC DNR’s red drum author prefers the bottom because red drum are mainly bottom feeders, accepting more lost tackle for more strikes. For summer seatrout, SC DNR suggests a slip sinker above a 20-pound monofilament leader and a 1/0 or 2/0 hook, or a float rig, around oyster bars, rocks and pilings while the tide is running.
• Popping cork: a float with a concave top that pops when you raise the rod tip sharply, drawing fish to the bait drifting below (SC DNR).
• Hooks: SC DNR’s author uses 1/0 to 3/0 short-shank hooks for live bait and suggests the largest hook that still lets the bait act naturally, noting that larger hooks gut-hook fewer fish.

Tackle

SC DNR’s red drum author uses light spinning outfits in the creeks: a 7-foot light-action rod with 8-pound line, or a 6-foot medium-action rod with 6-pound line for small fish, each with a 15-foot shock leader of slightly heavier monofilament. For the surf, where trophy fish and 3- to 8-ounce sinkers are involved, he uses 9- to 13-foot rods, reels holding at least 250 yards of 20-pound line, and a fish-finder or three-way rig. Our fish-finder rig and popping cork rig pages cover those setups.

Regulations and release

Size limits, slot limits, bag limits and gear rules differ by state and change over time; SC DNR’s reports themselves note their limits have changed. Read your state’s current saltwater regulations before you keep a fish. When releasing, NOAA Fisheries advises handling the fish as little as possible and only with wet hands, keeping air exposure under a minute, and supporting its body. Other inshore fish, such as snook, have their own seasons and limits.

Sources

• South Carolina DNR, Red drum: natural history and fishing techniques in South Carolina (Educational Report 17, 1992), Spotted seatrout: natural history and fishing techniques in South Carolina (Educational Report 18), Summer inshore fishing and Inshore fisheries research. Read 28 October 2026.
• NOAA Fisheries, Catch and Release Best Practices. Read 28 October 2026.

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