Who uses them? and do you load them? I just ordered some and was wanting to load them. What do you load them with? I was just going to use tap water. What colors do you have the best luck with?

I loaded one with baby oil. They swim excellent, it will be one of my top lures this season.

Smoky has worked very well for me. I've loaded them with either water or small steel BBs. When I was young I knew a few people who loaded them with bunker oil and use a removable wooden plug that allows the oil to leak out and refill. I've never been big on this because of the mess.

I loaded a couple earlier this winter with 10 cc of water for the first time, can't wait to try them this spring.

Chris

have said just out of the package they shine... loading is for specific applications.
Stock use is a top rider reeling slow creating a wake. Doesn`t dive a deep as many minnow styles.
Loading for windy surf or spots you want it to go deeper.

There has been a ton of dicussion on these lures and I`m going to use/try them more this year both ways. My wife got me a couple of big 10CC needles/syringes from work.

I have some black gold chrome, smoky joes ,and scored a couple of 7" in bone that I anticipate will be very good at times.

Mike

Bob,
Here is an excerpt of a redfin atricle I wrote and let Joe Lyons use on his website - should help you with the loading.

http://65.36.235.132/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SRIOTS&Category_Code=CCRF

DZ

Thanks Dennis, I picked up a 3cc and a 5cc syringe to do them. Whats your favorite color? and I read in Leo Orsi's book about the miro lure have you ever tried it?

Dennis thanks for the link...nice article. I like Joe`s place for the interesting articles as well as all the goodies.

Mike

like indanite said striaght out of the package (swap the hooks to vmc)works very well in normal conditons I use the loaded when I need to get it out futher.Imo red fins are the best minnow lure there is bone white has been the best color for me,before they produced that color I would scrape the crome to the bone,the bone white will out fish the regular white w/ the black stripe don't know why but it does.A striaght retreve will work as well as letting it sit on top then twich it in let it rest then twich be ready because it won't be a bump.

I load mine with bb's as the bb's cant evaporate, then seal with a 5 min 2 ton epoxy coating you can pick up at any wally world or similar store.

When I was stationed in TX the Redfin was the #1 plug for overcast and night fishing.Many hybrids caught in Lake Braunig on a redfin.

I load mine with bb's as the bb's cant evaporate, then seal with a 5 min 2 ton epoxy coating you can pick up at any wally world or similar store.
Vic
How many bb's do you load into the 7" red fin ?
Do you have a range in the quantity to match 10cc to 15cc of water?

THX

Zambrotta...that name sounds familar.....do you fish?

Zambrotta...that name sounds familar.....do you fish?



:hidin: I am not worthy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The 5" Redfin is my go to plug for the last 35 yrs.I have one that is wired through in it's red/clear plastic box.I usually fish the jointed, which are hard to get now. Since Pradco took over the business, the quality and color range has gone way down hill.
Some of the things i've done over the years is to heat the lip and push it back to make the butt end ride higher, wrecked a few doing that procedure. They then became "twitchers"
Another is to remove the tail treble and replace it w/ yellow, or black feathers I believe it does improve the action.
I always replace the rings and hooks as soon as they come out of the pkg

For beach fishing over sand bottoms 15cc of water or fish oil, in rockier and shallow rock and weed 10cc. I fished them for 29 years now and 15cc on the outer cape beaches is perfect. You can tell the plug is running right because after a dozen casts the finish will be worn off the botoom of the lip from running into and puffing up sand like a sand eel. this is for the 7 inch model the fives were worthless and the jointeds even nmore so.

Bassbudda,
A wired through Redfin? You sure? I've seen lots of redfins but never heard of that - but I guess anything is possible.

Flap,
15 CCs gets me into trouble in the rocks but I can see that application working on the cape sand - must cast like a rocket.

Shadow,
You learned the "bone pattern" the same way I did. Scraping off the chrome paint. Great pattern - it seems the older a redfin gets the better it works.

DZ

I had Tinman watching/helping me dig through bins at the flea market yesterday looking for old Redfins to repaint. That is the only plug I have ever used that really pisses off Bass. They want that thing dead.

I 've used yellow with a green back with great results. Had I known you were looking for these I would have picked you up a couple.
I got a new one for $3 or $4

How about loading them w/ Mineral Oil or some other like oil? Would that keep the Evaporation down?

I've had excellent results with Blurple and red head white body. Great lure. 10cc water will load it properly, but only use this when you need to chuck it into the wind or get it down a little. Loading dampens the action.

Dad Fisherman,
Read surfcasting rhode island website article linked in my previous posts for alternative loads - includes mineral water.

As far as adding bbs - just add enough to float test - add more if needed.

DZ

I found the 7 in. red fins easy to load and straight forward. The 5 in. red fins and 5 in. mambos on the other hand require a little more finess and you need to test them as you fill. 7 in. mambos require no loading.

interesting you posted this Bob, I just read Dennis' article on Joe's site the other day and was going to post something similar.
Flap, I think it was you that wrote about loaded red fins in OTW this fall. Great articles from both you! Can't wait to try them!

I swim tested the 7 inch loaded with baby oil execellent results, tight wiggle with a subsuface depth that appeared to be possibly 2 feet that I was observing which was from a high dock.

I also placed in bucket and it floats at 45 degrees and the head is above the water from slightly above the lip.

I thought I loaded with 15 cc (15ml) and it still floats.
Flaptail, does your float at 15cc in the bucket?

I want to dublicate the same but know I have my doubts at what level I actually loaded the red fin. If may have been that I was undecisive between 10 cc and 15 cc so I went inbetween. What do you do to view the water level thru the smokey gray w/ black stripe because I can't see it thru a bright light.

I use water to load mine. Oil, which many of my friends use is tricky cause of it's tendency have more bouyancy. At 15cc's of H2O the lure should sit straight up in the water with just the head from the lip up breaking the surface. It will, as Dennis said, cast like a rocket and will go to the bottom worked slowly against the pull of each receding wave. Like I said, 15cc on the beach with all sand, like we have on the outer cape. 10cc for shallower work.

Also, if you fish the Elizabeth Islands we fish them straight out of the package no loading, casting them into the rocks and work them like a danny slowly back to the boat. they swimm right on the surface with their backs out of the water in a nice wiggle. We use them when we don't want to risk losing a treasured Danny or other wooden plug when the surf or swells are high and the fish are right in the boulder fields. Nashawena on the MV sound side is a place where we always switch to the red fin. It catches and if you break of it only cost you $4.99 instead of 16 to 20 bucks. My good friend Stiff tip loves unloaded reds down them islands and more than once I have had to work my skiff through white water and rocks while he was trying to control a big bass that ate one.:uhuh:

a unloaded redfin swims the best only use the loaded ones when conditions call for it,flip losing a redfin is way easier to deal with then a hard to get danny.last year my fins out fished my dannies most of the time anyways.

I'm throwin a bomber.

I'm throwin a bomber.now I know Iv told you before a bomber is not going to catch you as many fish.

I bet a bobmber will hold it's own w/a loaded red fin. Unloaded is another story.

I bet a bobmber will hold it's own w/a loaded red fin. Unloaded is another story.
Not even a close second. Loaded Red-Fins are condition specific baits, meaning big water, haevy surf with the wind howling in your face. That's when I reach for them otherwise there are other plugs that will outfish it and bombers combined.

? Yo-Zuri.... needles.... small dannys.... all spot, bait,time of year and day or night, water condition specific?

Not even a close second. Loaded Red-Fins are condition specific baits, meaning big water, haevy surf with the wind howling in your face. That's when I reach for them otherwise there are other plugs that will outfish it and bombers combined.

Perfect answer.

am i the only one whose had the hooks pull out on them?

Went to the outer cape, fished a day and a half.......nothing but schoolies. Stopped at a spot for lunch and saw a school......gear goes back on (for the 3rd time that day) Got one fish from the school only to have the rear treble pop on me.

Love the action & the chicken scratch color, but my confidence has been shaken.

am i the only one whose had the hooks pull out on them?

Went to the outer cape, fished a day and a half.......nothing but schoolies. Stopped at a spot for lunch and saw a school......gear goes back on (for the 3rd time that day) Got one fish from the school only to have the rear treble pop on me.

Love the action & the chicken scratch color, but my confidence has been shaken.

The 7' Red Fins have two sets of treble hooks not three.

some 5 bb's some 7 bb's vic

:kewl:

am i the only one whose had the hooks pull out on them?

Went to the outer cape, fished a day and a half.......nothing but schoolies. Stopped at a spot for lunch and saw a school......gear goes back on (for the 3rd time that day) Got one fish from the school only to have the rear treble pop on me.

Love the action & the chicken scratch color, but my confidence has been shaken.

I've seen that happen with their pencils but never a Red Fin.
Some of the old salts down here have told me the older Red Fins with the lines in the side are much better.