Stalking a tailing fish is exciting. A sharp bump on the deck and the fish swims away. But as the boat closes the distance and the angler casts to a fish he can see, the excitement can be so overwhelming even experienced fishermen sometimes flub the cast and spook the fish.

Redfish are also caught with live and cut baits. Surf-fishing for red drum at Cape Hatteras in October is the stuff of legends. It’s here that adult fish of 40 pounds or more come near shore while migrating. Surf rods heaving heavy sinkers and menhaden fillets get surf-fishermen into the action.

However, smaller tackle and any cut bait works well for most surf-fishermen in other areas of the coast. Any reel that holds 250 yards of 15-pound-test is capable of catching a redfish. They are unlikely to toss the hook, so they can be played with a heavy drag.

Anglers also catch red drum by casting live baits on float rigs or Carolina rigs at structure areas and beneath docks.

DOLPHIN
The dolphin is in the running for the most beautiful fish in the ocean. They light up with neon green, yellow, gold, blue, turquoise and silver when they leap from the water during a battle. But they lose their color seconds after being landed. Therefore, anyone wanting to see a dolphin’s splendor must go to sea to catch one.

Among the fastest growing, most prolific of game fish, dolphin spawn continually and migrate the oceans far beyond what anybody has been able to determine. They are prey for marlin, sharks and other large fish.

In turn, dolphin prey on flying fish. Therefore, dolphin lures are designed to imitate flying fish. Trolling a few dolphin-specific lures in a trolling spread pulling a dozen lures or more makes good sense. The lures that dolphin prefer are usually smaller than lures that attract billfish. However, trolling a few of the smaller lures can stave off a day of boredom when the trip is a strikeout for other big-game fish.

Dolphin come in all sizes, from bailers and shingles (small fish that don’t have to be gaffed so they are lifted by the leader) to the big male “bull” dolphin with the sharply angled foreheads called “gaffers” that require gaffs for landing. Females are called “cows” and lack the prominent forehead.

Fast-trolled skirted lures fished “naked” or with strip baits, or rigged natural baits such as mullet or Spanish mackerel are tickets to board the dolphin express. Trolling speeds can be 7 to 12 knots or even higher, because a lure can’t be pulled fast enough to take it away from a dolphin.

The Gulf Stream or eddies moving inshore off the Gulf Stream hold dolphin, and summer is the best time to catch them. Anywhere an angler spots floating weed lines dolphin are nearby. Anything floating -- board, cooler top or other flotsam -- also attracts dolphin. If flying fish are present, it is certain dolphin are hunting below.

Once a dolphin is hooked, others will follow the hooked fish. Putting the rod in a holder and leaving the fish in the water brings other fish near. Anglers who cast flashy lures with spinning rigs to the visible dolphin following the hooked fish can truly put dolphin into the boat because the action is so fast.