This is from my experience and may not be true everywhere along the coast. I find Big Reds are heading from the spawn back out toward the gulf. Work places that are close to channels and passes. They will move slowly and stay in areas where the feed is plentiful. They will feed in the shallows and go back to the deep water. All time best bait for me is a small live crab. Then small live croakers. For cut bait I like small trash catfish first, then croaker and shrimp. When fishing lures, soft plastic jigs, super spooks, mirror lures, and jigs with pork rind on them.

Look for and find fleeing baitfish. Throw bone or mullet Top Dogs or Super Spooks, gold Johnson Sprite spoons and any soft plastic rigged on a long shanked Bass Assassin jig worked oof the bottom or floated over shell beds with a Mansfield Mauler or simular float.

a red jighead and a finger mullet about 3 inches long and cast itright in front of a dock and leave it there until it gets hit