Moonwalker vs Wake Bait: Summer Redfish Showdown [Experiment Results]
- By: Matthew Lanier
- on
With the summer heat bearing down, do redfish prefer the tantalizing action of a walk-the-dog topwater lure or to dance to the wobble of a sub-surface wake bait?
I decided to find out for myself with a Moonwalker vs wake bait experiment now that my home waters have calmed down a bit since Hurricane Debby rolled through.
As you might expect, both lures caught fish, but which one is the better bet? Check out the video below to see!
Moonwalker vs Wake Bait Showdown
- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:37 Making it a Fair Test
- 0:49 Wake Bait Success
- 1:34 Topwater Success (and Near Disaster!)
- 2:26 Key Takeaways
Essential Gear
- Lure 1: Moonwalker
- Lure 2: Prototype Wake Bait (coming soon!)
- Scent: Dr. Juice Inshore Slam Formula
Recommended Setup
- Reel: 2500 Series Spinning Reel
- Rod: 7’6″ Medium Action Spinning Rod
- Mainline: 10-lb Braid
- Leader: 20-lb Mono
These two combos are perfect for targeting redfish:
➡️ Most Popular Combo: TFO Pro/Daiwa Fuego LT 2500D-XH
➡️ Premium Combo: Slot Machine Custom/Daiwa BG MQ 2500
Key Takeaways
- Both topwater and sub-surface lures are effective for redfish in the summertime.
- A redfish’s bottom-oriented mouth position is the key to knowing when to throw each bait.
- A topwater lure is better when the conditions are calmer and it’s easier for a redfish to to track and get its mouth on the plug.
- A wake bait is better when the water gets choppy and redfish can use some help finding and grabbing the lure
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thanks, matt\
Matt Thank you for sharing this video.
Glad to help James! Thanks for watching!
Hey Matt. Why didn’t you use two lures with similar coloration? It seems like a clear plug and the red/white might excel in different scenarios. I’d personally choose clear in calm clear water while I’d choose red/white in dark, cloudy or choppy water. I don’t believe color makes a huge difference with plugs but when comparing the effectiveness of two different plugs I’d think you’d want to eliminate other variables like differences in color.
Good question Nick, and the truth is just because I didn’t have them. lol
I didn’t have colors that were similar of those 2 baits in production, but we will have some more colors for the wakebait soon! Thanks for watching, Nick!
Well Matt I do remember when you first started talking about the wakebait that when the water is a little choppy that it usually does the job better then when it’s calm now I have only used this bait a few times and only caught 1 nice trout on it but I do remember that day that it was a little windy and usually if it is somewhat windy I don’t usually throw topwaters but resort to a paddletail or maybe a subsurface twitch bait but I think I will start trying them more when the wind comes up and see what happens because I do know they work heck all artificials will but like you said they all shine in there own conditions and no lure is the same as the other anyways thanks for the advice and all you do
I would think of the wakebait as more of a subsurface rather than topwater. It will trigger those bites that topwater wont, and definitely performs in the wind!
Thanks again Matt, it’s always good to hear great tips on fishing
So glad that this is helpful for you, Nick! Thanks for taking the time to watch and leave the nice comment!
Matt, Thanks for the great video. Is this specifically for Redfish? Do you find any other fish hit the wake bait? Or any other situations you recommend using it?
Hey Nathan, I have caught Jacks, Trout, Bluefish, Mangrove Snapper, Spanish Mack, and Flounder on the wake bait, however all of those are pretty rare other than the occasional trout. Redfish are the main species that it catches in my experience.
Excited for new wake bait!
Yessir! It’s coming soon!
Thank You Matt great video.
Thanks Ronald! We appreciate you taking the time to watch!
Can’t wait till you get them in. I hope they come in several colorsg
They will be coming soon! Cant wait for everyone to get ahold of them!
Great report Matt, I’ll give it a try at Shell Point this weekend.
Awesome! Good luck out there! Thanks for watching, Rob!