How To Revive A Worn Out Or Almost Belly-Up Bull Redfish [Video]
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on October 26, 2016
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Inshore Fishing

If you’ve spent enough time fishing for redfish, then you know that no matter how hard you try, some redfish have a tougher time being safely released than others.
It could be that they are incredibly fatigued from a long fight, or it could be that they were held out of the water too long for photographs (not recommended), or a combination of both.
But either way, if the redfish has a tough time moving on its own, they can make for quick bait for a shark or nearby porpoise (which is not what we want to happen to our breeding bull reds).
And if they are barely swimming belly-up, then clearly it’s chances of survival are slim.
And if you are anything like me, the last thing we want is a breeding bull redfish to die for no reason.
So do you want to know a quick way to revive a bull redfish that can’t swim off on its own?
Well, according to Capt. Rod Thomas (aka Capt. Ponytail), spraying fresh saltwater into their mouth/gills is like giving someone that is having trouble breathing an oxygen mask.
Of course, you must have a boat with a saltwater hose for this to work, but what a cool tip.
Check it out his bull redfish revival trick in this video below.
How To Revive A Belly-Up Bull Redfish
Have you ever tried this before?
Any other tips or tricks on reviving a redfish or other inshore fish?
Let us know in the comments.
Related Post: “How To Properly Catch & Release Fish (Without Killing Them)” (see it here now)
P.S. – If you think your angler friends or fishing networks would like to see this, please Tag them or Share this with them. You Rock! Pa-POW!
Related categories:

STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
I have towed them along holding their mouth moving the boat with my trolling motor at a slow speed.