How To Catch Any Fish
  How To Catch Any Fish
  • Home
  • Species Guides
    • Saltwater Fish >
      • Barracuda >
        • Great Barracuda
        • Pacific Barracuda
      • Barramundi
      • Bass >
        • Calico Bass
        • Sand Bass
        • Spotted Bay Bass
        • White Sea Bass
      • Billfish >
        • Black Marlin
        • Blue Marlin
        • Pacific Sailfish
        • Striped Marlin
      • Black Drum
      • Bonefish
      • Groupers >
        • Broomtail Grouper
        • Goliath Grouper
        • Leopard Grouper
        • Tropical Cods
      • California Sheepshead
      • Dorado
      • Emperor Fishes
      • Giant Needlefish
      • Halibut (California)
      • Halibut (Pacific)
      • Lingcod
      • Mackerels >
        • Cero Mackerel
        • King Mackerel
        • Pacific Sierra
      • Pink Salmon
      • Redfish
      • Rockfish
      • Snappers >
        • Barred Pargo
        • Golden Snapper (Fingermark)
        • Green Jobfish
        • Mullet Snapper
        • Mutton Snapper
        • Pacific Cubera Snapper
        • Red Bass
        • Red Snapper
        • Yellow Snapper
        • Yellowtail Snapper
      • Sheepshead
      • Silver Salmon
      • Snook
      • Speckled Trout
      • Tarpon
      • Trevallies and Jacks >
        • African Pompano
        • Amberjack
        • Blacktip Trevally
        • Bluefin Trevally
        • Brassy Trevally
        • California Yellowtail
        • Giant Trevally
        • Jack Crevalle
        • Longnose Trevally
        • Queenfish
        • Rainbow Runner
        • Roosterfish
      • Tuna >
        • Albacore
        • Bonito
        • Dogtooth Tuna
        • Skipjack Tuna
        • Yellowfin Tuna
      • Wahoo
      • Yelloweye Rockfish
    • Freshwater Fish >
      • African Tigerfish
      • Arapaima
      • Arctic Grayling
      • Arowana (South American)
      • Bass >
        • Hybrid Striped Bass
        • Largemouth Bass
        • Peacock Bass
        • Rainbow Bass
        • Smallmouth Bass
        • Striped Bass
        • White Bass
      • Catfish >
        • Blue Catfish
        • Channel Catfish
        • Redtail Catfish
        • Sharptooth Catfish
        • Suribim Catfish
        • Vundu Catfish
      • Clown Knifefish (Featherback)
      • Dolly Varden
      • Golden Dorado
      • Jacunda
      • Jaguar Cichlid
      • Machaca
      • Muskellunge
      • Nembwe
      • Panfish >
        • Bluegill
        • Crappie
        • Central American Cichlids
        • Yellow Perch
      • Payara
      • Pike
      • Piranha
      • Sardinata
      • Sheefish
      • Taimen
      • Tilapia
      • Trout >
        • Brook Trout
        • Brown Trout
        • Lake Trout
        • Rainbow Trout
      • Walleye
      • White Sturgeon
      • Wolf Fish
  • Tackle Tips
    • Lure Reviews >
      • Bomber Fat Free Shad
      • Heddon Super Spook
      • Heru Bobara Lure Review
      • Sebile Stick Shadd
      • Heru Cubera Popper
      • Surface Iron Review
      • Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow Review
    • Gear Selection
  • Fishing Tips
    • Why Do Fish Bite?
    • Fishing Knots
    • How to Release Fish
    • Lure Fishing
    • Bait Fishing
    • Intro to Fly Fishing
    • Pound for Pound Fight Ratings
    • Miscellaneous Tips
    • Seasickness
    • Getting Kids Into Fishing
    • California Party Boat Fishing
    • Float Tube Fishing
    • Fishing Travel Tips
    • Preventing Insect Bites
    • How Not To Catch Fish
  • Trip Reports
    • US and Canada >
      • San Diego 10 Day Long Range Trip
      • 100 Trout in Montana
      • God's Lake Canada - Pike, Trout, and more
      • Colorado Trouting
      • Admiralty Island, Alaska Lings and Things
      • Lake Tawakoni - Catfish and Stripers
      • Shallow Water Bull Redfish - Louisiana
      • Lake O the Pines Texas Crappie
      • Cocodrie Louisiana Marshes
      • Alaska Sportsman's Lodge - Rainbows, Salmon, and Bears
      • South Florida Freshwater Exotics
      • Aniak River, Alaska - Trout, Salmon, Sheefish
      • Calcasieu and Venice Louisiana - Redfish and Trout
      • Southern California - A Summer of Party Boat Fishing
      • White River Arkansas - Brown Trout
      • Dry Tortugas, Florida - Massive Reef Variety
      • Boca Grande - Goliaths and Much More
      • Hawk Lake Ontario - Bass, Pike Walleye
    • Central America >
      • Quepos Marlin and Roosterfish
      • Drake Bay, Costa Rica - Inshore Quick Trip
      • Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica and Punta Burica, Panama - Offshore and Inshore
      • Osa Peninsula Costa Rica - Inshore Pargo and Roosters
      • San Quintin, Mexico - Yellowtail and Calico Bass
      • Cebaco Bay, Panama - Inshore Popping and Jigging
      • Rio Indio Nicaragua - Tarpon, Rainbow Bass, and More
      • Lake Agua Milpa Mexico - Family Bass Trip
      • Puerto Vallarta - Marlin, Mahi, Tuna, Pargo
      • Puerto Vallarta - Big Offshore Giants and Pargo
      • San Quintin, Mexico - White Seabass and Barracuda
      • Puerto Vallarta - Roosterfish Mania and Freshwater Bass
      • Puerto Vallarta - Inshore/Offshore Slam
      • Puerto Vallarta - Summer Inshore Monsters
      • San Evaristo Mexico - Baja Inshore Variety
      • Rio Parismina, Costa Rica - Tarpon
      • Mariato Panama Fall Giants
      • Mariato, Panama Inshore Bonanza
      • Mariato, Panama - Wind and Tuna
    • South America >
      • Jurassic Trout in Patagonia
      • Amazon Arapaima and Peacocks in Brazil
      • Parana River Argentina - Golden Dorado
      • Colombia - Amazon Peacocks and Payara
      • Trinidad Tarpon Madness
      • Colombia Pacific Coast
      • Amazon Bolivia - Big Payara and Variety
      • Amazon, Brazil - Peacock Bass, Wolffish, and Catfish
      • Amazon Brazil - Peacock Bass and Exotics
    • Asia and the Pacific >
      • Mongolia - World's Largest Trout
      • Burdekin, Australia - Big Barramundi and Reef Variety
      • Great Barrier Reef Australia - Insane Reef Variety
      • Aitutaki, Cook Islands - Giant Trevally Popping and Napoleon Wrasse
      • New Caledonia - Popping Giant Trevally
      • Marshall Islands- Remote Reef Exotics
    • Africa and the Middle East >
      • Malagarasi Tigerfish
      • Zambia - Floodplain Tigers and Bream
      • Madagascar - Wild Reef
      • Tanzania Offshore
      • Tanzanian Tigerfish
      • Oman GTs and Inshore Variety
  • About/Contact
  • Videos
    • How To Videos
  • Best Places to Fish
    • Aitutaki
    • Amazon
    • Bolivia
    • California
    • Costa Rica
    • Florida
    • Great Barrier Reef
    • Mexico Fishing - Baja
    • Panama
    • Puerto Rico
    • Puerto Vallarta
  • Trophy Gallery
Picture
Red Bass caught in the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia on a Heru Bobara stickbait
Red Bass
Lutjanus bohar

Home
Other Species
Red Bass Description

Red Bass are a tough Snapper found on reefs throughout the Indo Pacific.  They hang out under rocks and coral and shoot out to demolish lures that go by.  If you don't turn their heads quickly and get them coming to the boat, they head straight back to their rocky lairs and cut you off.  They are often caught in very shallow water so topwater lures work very well.  They are an aggressive fish that puts up quite a fight; when people first pull them up they are often surprised at how small they end up being compared to how hard the fight was.  They often carry Ciguatera toxin so in many places you have to be careful about eating them. Here is a video I made of my trip to the Great Barrier Reef which includes some Red Bass:  CLICK HERE

Red Bass Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 8 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale

The bad a$$ Red Bass is a very tough customer on a pound for pound basis.  Unfortunately, they are often hooked while fishing for larger fish such as Giant Trevally on very heavy tackle.  However, they will shred lighter tackle that is proportionate to their size.


Red Bass Culinary Rating - Medium

I'm told they taste good, but they are a high risk for ciguatera poisoning in many places so proceed with caution.


Red Bass Tackle

For larger Red Bass on the outside of offshore reefs you should gear up with heavy tackle; at least 50lb braid with a medium heavy spinning outfit.  Nearshore or on shallow reefs you can handle smaller ones with 30lb braid and a Daiwa Certate 3000 spinning reel but any Red Bass over 5lbs will give you quite a struggle on that size tackle.  Click here for tackle recommendations.

Red Bass Techniques

Red Bass readily eat both bait and lures, but I have caught most of mine on lures.  This might be one of those fish for which lures consistently work better than bait because these fish are aggressive and like to chase things.  Red Bass like lures presented slightly slower than the Trevally that often inhabit the same waters.

Red Bass Lures

Poppers such as the Sebile Splasher and Heru Cubera work well.  Fish them with loud pops in between pauses.  As always with poppers make sure you do not set the hook until you feel the weight of the fish on the line.  Many times Red Bass will explode on a topwater lure and not get hooked.  If that happens pop it another time or two and then pause.  Red Bass will often be seen on the surface trying to push each other out of the way to get to your popper.

Stickbaits such as the Heru Bobara also work well for Red Bass.  The Sebile Stick Shad is a good option too.  Fish them slower than you would for Trevally and make sure you pause after each twitch or two.  Strikes will almost always happen on the pause.

Red Bass Baits

Red Bass can be caught on a variety of live baits such as baitfish or dead baits such as octopus or shrimp.  No fancy rigs are needed.  I have not caught any on bait so I can’t comment too much on this though.

Where to get the big Red Bass

New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef are good bets. 

Other Red Bass Resources

The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Red Bass.  The resources below will provide a wealth of information:

www.nomadsportfishing.com.au is an excellent source to catch these guys in Australia