Red Drum

Season in Georgia

Peak months: Mar, Sep, Oct, Nov.

GA DNR: school-size reds inshore year-round, best in fall; young fish appear June to August; large fish are targeted in spring and fall in heavy surf near inlets. GA DNR winter: reds school in large numbers on mudflats and oyster banks in clear winter water. St. Simons guide: best sight fishing early to late fall, best tailing in early October. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Deep troughs, cuts through the bar, the down-current side of cuts, and around inlets and jetties.

Often in the first trough, sometimes right at your feet in the wash.

What to look for

Darker water of a deep trough, a gap where waves are not breaking (a cut), mullet moving along the beach.

What to throw

Bucktail or jighead with a 4 to 5 in paddle tail1/2 to 1 oz, 4 to 5 in tail. Slow hops along the bottom: lift, drop, let it touch, repeat.

Gold spoon (weedless style)1/2 to 3/4 oz, 2.5 to 3 in. Slow to medium wobble with occasional pauses near the bottom of the trough.

Jighead with a scented soft-plastic shrimp or mullet (Gulp style)1/4 to 1/2 oz, 3 to 4 in. Slow drag and hop on the bottom with pauses; scent does the work.

Popping cork with a soft plastic or live shrimp1/8 to 1/4 oz jighead under the cork oz, About 4 in soft plastic shad or shrimp (Cedar Key used a 4 in Sea Shad). Pop the cork sharply, pause while the bait settles, repeat; with tripletail, cast just past the target and reel back with a small pop.

Bait

Cut mullet or menhaden, Live finger mullet, Fresh shrimp, Blue crab (quartered). Fish-finder rig, 3 to 4 oz sinker, 18 in 40 to 60 lb leader, 5/0 to 8/0 circle hook (circle hook required with natural bait at 4/0 and up).

Leader

18 to 24 in of 30 to 60 lb mono or fluorocarbon, heavier for bull reds.

Common mistakes

• Casting over the fish into the outer bar when they are in the first trough
• Setting the hook hard on a circle hook; just reel tight
• Keeping a bull red: anything over 25 in must go back

Landing

Use waves to slide the fish up; for big fish keep it in the wash, unhook, and release quickly.

Handling

• Heavy, strong fish; sharp gill rakers

Support big fish horizontally, keep them wet, release quickly. Do not hold up oversize bulls by the jaw.

Keep or release

Georgia rules apply (see the regulations file); GA DNR notes that the Georgia slot means bull reds cannot be kept, and red drum of any size cannot be kept in federal waters, where most nearshore reefs are. GA DNR suggests not targeting bull reds at all, and if you do, support them horizontally and revive them in the water.

Recipes for red drum

Typical: About 18 in, 2.6 lb. Large: Bull reds 30 to 45 in. SC record 75 lb (1965).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the GA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division before you keep a fish.

Sources

• Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division: saltwater fishing methods (species, where, when, baits) (Official source)
• Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division, Coastlines Dec 2024: Ask a CRD Pro, tips for winter fishing (Official source)
• Orvis fishing report, St. Simons Island GA (Capt. David Edens, Fly Cast Charters) (Angler knowledge)
• ASMFC 2017, Atlantic Sciaenid Habitats (Habitat Management Series 14): Red Drum chapter (Official source)
• SCDNR species profile: red drum (Official source)
• Fisherman's Post North Myrtle Beach / Little River reports 2025-2026 (Angler knowledge)
• Gregg Holshouser Grand Strand fishing reports, 2019-2020 (mirror) (Angler knowledge)
• SCDNR Saltwater Fishing Trends (pier operator forecasts) (Angler knowledge)

All the fish of Georgia