Troy was fired up to come fishing having had to cancel his prior charter due to illness. At our first spot, reds hit cut mullet immediately but the bite faded as the water drained off the flats. We moved to docks and started working deep holes with bait on the bottom. Cut mullet produced again as we winched each redfish out from among the many pilings. Troy had the biggest red of the day and was very happy he booked another trip!
Last night, Tim looked at today’s forecast and knew he needed to get out on the water. The day turned out to be brilliantly sunny with highs in the 70s. We fished the falling tide in hopes of intercepting the reds as they came out of the grass. Even with a ripping current, cut mullet still did the trick. At the first spot, one of the rods in the back of the boat snapped over and a few minutes later Sam had the redfish of the day, a 29″ beauty.
Wonderful sunny weather has continued day after day making for awesome fishing conditions. With all this warm weather, it’s no surprise that our fishery is 4-6 weeks ahead of schedule. The water is teeming with bait and anglers can expect April to be a fantastic month of fishing.
The large schools of redfish found throughout the winter are breaking up as these fish become more active. Anglers should think about using artificial plastic lures that mimic baitfish. One good choice would be “jerk shad” lures that have become very popular and come in a variety of colors. I’ve been finding that hues of silver and blue have been working best and produce even when water clarity is poor. These lures work best rigged on a size 3/0 flutter hook.
The trout bite should really begin in earnest this April. With water temperatures so warm, it’s hard to believe they won’t become aggressive feeders before too long. The preferred rig of live bait under a popping cork is hard to beat. Live shrimp is now available and will give you another option than mud minnows. It’s a good idea to start carrying your cast net and see if you can find some finger mullet. Finger mullet under a cork is just deadly.
Flounder, perhaps our tastiest fish, are now present and eating. We’ve been catching them mostly when fishing with mud minnows on the bottom or mud minnows under popping corks. You’ll need to focus on structure when targeting flounder. Docks and pilings are good places to prospect. Flounder will hug the bottom in hopes of ambushing their prey, so you’ll need to keep that bait down and in their strike zone.
See you on the water!
At the landing, I told Allie and Stephan that the heavy rain may continue for an hour or more and tomorrow had a sunny forecast if they would like to switch dates. They looked down the barrel of some daunting conditions and said let’s do it. The rain did let up but more importantly the bite turned on and made us forget about our soaked clothes. Had redfish eat both cut mullet and cracked blue crab. With water temperatures hovering in the mid 40s, the fish were still finicky. Countless times the rod tips would bend over in the rod holders only to go slack after the fish dropped the bait. Lots of respect for Allie and Stephan putting nice redfish in the boat on a challenging day!
We waited until 10am to fish a relatively balmy 60+ degrees and let the sun warm up the water on the flats. Starting at dead low our goal was finding big schools of redfish. Joe wanted to throw popping corks but his wife, Melanie, thought it would be a bit much for the spooky fish. Instead, we tossed out chunks of fresh cut mullet and the bite started right away. The redfish were so sluggish that the rod tips would bounce slightly in the holders but the fish would only run once we brought the lines tight ourselves. Biggest red of the day was a 12 pounder with several other healthy fish to boot.
One of the warmest Winters on record has our fishery set to get going early this year. You could even say it never fully turned off as days in the 70s have kept water temperatures far higher than normal. Bait fish that are usually nonexistent have been present and kept the redfish active. Trout should be ramped up and ready to go in March. It’s time to break out your rods and reels and get ready for a great season!
Having spent the last few months laying low and avoiding dolphins, redfish are no longer just focused on simply surviving but now on feeding as well. Low tide will be the best time to focus on big schools of redfish that can number in the hundreds. These fish are still pretty wary, so a quiet approach is very important. On many days, it pays to settle in one spot when you find a school and wait for them to return to you instead of pushing them away.
When these reds are being spooky, I’ll try to disturb them as little as possible by keeping my casting to a minimum. This is a time to fish with bait on the bottom. I’ll put a chunk of blue crab or frozen mullet on a size 3/0 circle hook and just let it sit until the redfish swim over it. Make sure the barb of your hook is fully through the bait and exposed. Place your rod in the rod holder and wait for it to whip over once the circle hook sets itself!
As trout begin to appear, popping corks cast along grass banks and over oyster beds will be a good bet paired with mud minnows. I usually pair a size 1 circle hook with an 18”-24” fluorocarbon leader. While there is no shortage of options, I use oval shaped corks that are heavier and can be cast further. When using a popping cork, do your best to keep slack out of your line and when that cork goes under just reel to set the hook. You’ll find that the circle hook seldom misses as long as your line is tight.
See you on the water!
Visiting from Germany, Julia had fishing on her list of things to do in Charleston. We set out early on a sunny morning searching for her first redfish. The big schools of reds weren’t hard to find but getting them to eat required alot of patience. We posted up and tossed chunks of cut mullet on circle hooks. At our second spot, a school of redfish blew up as they approached the boat and then one of the rods doubled over. Julia played the fish like a pro. Before long, she had landed herself a beautiful seven pounder!
Sixty degrees and sunny has become a rare commodity this Winter but we were blessed with it today. Another day of light winds combined to make for stellar conditions. Pulled up to a flat that I knew had a huge school of big redfish. It took awhile to locate them but when we did it turned out to be an epic thing. The bite was constant with redfish eating cut mullet cast close to the bank. Average fish was in the 8-10lb. class and Sue set the mark for the biggest red of the year with this sweet fourteen pounder!
The lucky recipient of a fishing charter for his birthday, Art and his friend Michael joined me on a sunny afternoon. The goal was sight fishing both sides of low tide. Using small jerk shad artificials on jigheads, we began to stalk redfish in skinny water. Michael struck first by landing a nice eight pounder. As the winds increased to a steady 15+, we lost visibility and would post up casting into the schools of reds. Even in choppy waters, jerk shad continued to produce. The birthday boy is pictured above with the biggest fish of the day!
Fall has arrived bringing with it cooler weather and shorter days. But don’t put your rods and reels away just yet because we’re about to experience the best fishing of the year! Fishermen will continue to find success with live bait but artificial lures should become increasingly productive. Make time to get out on the water, you will have a blast!
As water temperatures decline, redfish have begun their annual phenomenon of forming large schools. Schools of fifty redfish are common and the numbers will reach 100-150 in some cases in the depths of Winter. These fish become a little more wary this time of year and artificial lures can spook them. Instead of chasing the schools, we have been setting out as many as three lines with chunks of cut mullet or live mud minnows on Owner #3/0 circle hooks. When schools of redfish swim over your bait get ready for some ferocious strikes!
The water is teeming with shrimp – trout simply cannot get enough of them. Lots of smaller fish can’t get enough of shrimp either. When these bait stealers run rampant, I switch over to DOA 3″ artificial shrimp which I find most effective when fished underneath a popping cork. I like the glow/gold and nite glow colors which look like real shrimp in the water. When fishing a popping cork, it is important to make sure that you reel in any slack line on the water so you are ready when a fish hits.
With the most recent set of very high tides, we probably saw the last true tailing tides of the year. Sight fishermen should turn their attention to chasing the large schools of redfish on the flats. Late morning or midday low tides will be key as the flats will warm up a few degrees and make for active fish. Darker lures are working best although don’t be afraid to throw some brighter lures with lots of flash.
See you on the water!
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