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Redfin Perch Tips
By Tim Vincent
What makes a fish species great? Why are species such as barramundi, giant trevally and Murray cod so revered by anglers? Perhaps it is because they fight hard, jump, grow to large sizes or live in stunning, pristine environments. Well, redfin don't tick many of those boxes. Despite often being a reasonably small, lesser fighting and introduced noxious species, redfin perch are still fished for regularly by myself, and many others. Growing to around 4kg and 60cm, redfin are a stunning fish, with striking red fins, strong vertical stripes and powerful, oversized tails. They are distributed throughout southern Australia, in NSW, VIC, SA, WA and Tasmania, and are a species well worth targeting for something different.
Tackle
Averaging under a kilo, redfin don't require heavy duty tackle. For fishing soft plastics and blades, as well as Jig Spinner combinations, a light 1-3kg spinning rod and a 1000-2000 size spinning reel is perfect for the job. The Okuma Helios HSX-20 makes an excellent choice, offering value and performance. For spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits and jigs, I choose a light baitcasting setup, for accuracy and I also prefer the feel of a casting setup in my hand. Again, Okuma offers several suitable casting reels in their lineup, including the range of Cerros rods and reels.
Locations
Any dam, lake, river or creek (no matter how small) within Victoria, NSW, SA, the ACT and WA has a good chance of holding redfin, particularly near towns and cities. In some waterways, redfin can stunt, which means there is an oversupply of fish with not enough food and the average size is small. In other waterways, you may not find as many fish, however the average size can get to be well over one kilogram. Trial and error is the best way to find the most fertile waters. Redfin in summer are usually found along the edges, near structure, while spring and winter has them typically schooled in deeper water.
Wire Baits
Wire Baits refer to spinnerbaits, skirted jigs, ChatterBaits and Jig Spinners. Particularly in the warmer waters of summer, and in shallower waters around structure, these lures reign supreme. Redfin are often caught on wire baits by anglers fishing for golden perch, however are rarely targeted specifically on these lures. Around the 1/4oz weight in spinnerbaits, jigs and ChatterBaits is the most versatile and effective size for redfin. The ZMan Mini ChatterBaits, CrossEyeZ Power Finesse Jigs and TT Lures Vortex spinnerbaits are all proven on reddies.
Colours can vary from day to day, lake to lake, even hour to hour. Personally, I've done well on reds, blacks and whites, but I've rarely found redfin to be fussy toward colours. Another great advantage of wire baits is the likely chance of golden perch or Murray cod as a by-catch in the same waters. I like baitcasting outfits for using wire baits, with an 8-15lb leader, as your lures are often in touch with structure and the bottom, requiring a heavier leader.
Soft Plastics
Probably the most versatile and effective presentation for redfin perch is the soft plastic. These can be rigged in a variety of ways and imitate countless food items, in seemingly infinite colours. The jighead rig is the most versatile of all, particularly in open water, with a grub or fish style plastic.
The ZMan 3.75" Streakz with a 1/12oz jighead is my favourite bait for big redfin, however jighead rigged Slim SwimZ and GrubZ account for the best numbers in any bait I've fished. Try a NedlockZ rigged TRD CrawZ or Finesse TRD as well, particularly in dams and northern waters where yabbies dominate the food supply.
Texas rigging, wacky rigging and Carolina rigging all also have their place in redfin fishing, however require a more specialized approach. However in certain waterways they can be mightily effective. In terms of colours, match your plastic colour to the food source. In western Victoria where I tend to fish, the main food is galaxias minnows and shrimp, so white and clear patterns produce the best results. While in more northern dams, black and red patterns are preferred to imitate yabbies, and small redfin (a favourite food of big redfin). Light spinning tackle is best for soft plastics up to 1/4oz in weight. The Okuma Helios HSX-20 with a matching Okuma LRF spin rod makes an ideal combination, along with 6lb braid and 4lb leader.
Vibration/Blade Baits
In winter you simply cannot beat a blade bait for firing schooled fish up. Having said that, don't think a blade is a winter only bait as blades and vibes can be deadly year round. The TT Lures Switchblades are simply fantastic for redfin, in fact they're by far my top choice for bladed lures for any species. For reddies however, the 1/8, 1/6 and 1/4oz sizes are the most applicable, with the heavier weights being used in the deeper water.
Like other lure styles, redfin aren't usually too fussy about colours. I've personally done quite well on red and black blades, such as TT's Red Nightmare colour. Perhaps the biggest advantage for winter redfin fishing with blades is a quality sounder. Trying to find a single school of fish in a large reservoir can be surprisingly difficult without a sounder at times.
If fishing landbased though, it can be a bit trickier to find these schooled reddies. This is when covering water, a technique made easy with blades, is used. Hopping the blade at varying depths, or simply slow rolling it back, will connect you with redfin and you'll sure know when a school is located. Schooled redfin on blades can be as easy as it gets at times and sessions of 100 fish can be achieved!
Hopefully you've learnt a bit about the techniques used for targeting redfin through this article and you can put to these to use on these underrated fish. While all these lures and techniques can seem overwhelming, it is reassuring to know that you can just walk down to your local dam, throw out a ZMan GrubZ and have a very high chance of connecting to a redfin without much fuss. Good luck!
Gear List
ZMan CrossEyeZ Power Finesse Jigs
ZMan ChatterBaits
TT Lures Vortex Spinnerbaits
ZMan 2.5" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ
ZMan 3.75" StreakZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse jigheads
TT Lures Switchblade