A day after a new moon, we were faced with a ripping tide that would drop over six feet in four hours. Started out by working docks with mud minnows on jigheads and caught redfish up to seven pounds. Moved over to the flats and threw out cut mullet. The current kept the lines taught so when a fish hit it was violent! Landed several nice redfish including a thirteen pounder.
It’s an excellent time to get out on the water. Local waterways are full of baitfish, and gamefish are feeding aggressively. With all the summer species now present alongside the usual favorites, anglers have plenty of choices. If you haven’t started fishing yet, now is the perfect opportunity!
When going after redfish, live bait is especially effective. Menhaden is a top option, whether used whole or cut. Many anglers are finding success by casting chunks of menhaden beneath docks. Be sure to use enough weight to keep your bait on the bottom so it stays in place and avoids snags. Split shot weights are a good option since they can be easily adjusted by adding or removing them as needed.
Early mornings offer great topwater action for trout. Lures like the Heddon Super Spook Jr. in silver hues perform well, though chartreuse and black is another strong choice. Try changing your retrieve speed as you move the lure across shell beds and grassy shorelines. When a fish hits, reel in the slack before lifting your rod. After the surface bite slows down, switching to a suspended twitch bait can help keep the action going.
Sharks are also active, with species such as bonnetheads, sharpnose, and blacktips commonly found in the area. You may spot their fins as they hunt along riverbanks or search for food near drop-offs in harbors and inlets. Effective bait options include blue crab, cut bait, and live shrimp. Using 7/0 circle hooks is recommended. Set your rods in holders and be ready for a strong, sudden strike!
A welcome day of sunny skies and light winds after weeks of the opposite. Started at low tide to get in front of the redfish as they headed into the grass. Strong bite as we landed seven fish over slot and the biggest at 10lbs. While Lisa swore she wanted nothing to do with reeling in fish, she eventually relented and did a great job bringing a couple to the boat!
While on a guy’s weekend, Chris and Ryan decided to make a Charleston fishing charter part of their experience. They had never caught redfish before and we shortly changed that! Reds on the flats were happy fish on a sunny day. All fish ate cut mullet and the biggest came in at 12 pounds! Good work guys.
At the beginning of March, Charleston began to shed winter’s hold. The bite improved noticeably, then two weeks of storms and wind slowed things down again. Redfish are available, and trout can be found if you work the right lures. Temperatures should rebound in April, and with warmer water the fishing will too.
The big winter schools of redfish are breaking up as these fish become more active. Switch to artificial plastics that mimic baitfish—jerk-shad style lures are a great choice and come in many colors. I’ve had the best results with silver and blue patterns; they produce even when the water is stained. Rig them with a 3/0 flutter hook for optimal action.
The trout bite should ramp up in April as water temperatures warm. Live bait under a popping cork remains a top tactic. Live shrimp are now available and offer a solid alternative to mud minnows. If you can cast-net finger mullet, use them under a cork—finger mullet under a popping cork is deadly.
Flounder are on the feed. Target structure—docks, pilings, and other bottom contours—using mud minnows on the bottom or mud minnows under a popping cork. Keep your bait on or just above the bottom; flounder sit tight and ambush prey, so presentation in their strike zone is key.
See you on the water!
Even with winds cranking at 20+ from the NorthEast, we still ran more Charleston fishing charters! Hunkered down in a creek and caught small black drum on cut frozen shrimp. But the real story was the rods fished out the back with cut mullet. Every so often, one would crank over courtesy of a big redfish! Caught several of these with the biggest at 11 pounds. Grinding them out on a windy day.
Chilly days are rapidly fading away with temperatures rising well into the 60s and sometimes pushing into the 70s. Warmer water temperatures will wake the fish up and get them feeding. Trout should be turned on by mid-March. It’s time to break out your reels and rods and get ready for a great season!
Having spent the winter months lying low and avoiding dolphins, redfish are now focused on eating instead of simply surviving. Low tide will be the best time to target large schools of redfish that can number in the hundreds. These fish are still spooky, so a quiet and subtle approach is very important. On many days, it pays to stay in one spot when you find a school and wait for them to come to you instead of scaring them away.
As these reds are nervous, I’ll try to bother them as little as possible by minimizing my casting. This is a great 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 be until the redfish swim over it. Make sure the barb of your hook is fully in the bait and the point is cleanly exposed. Place your rod in the rod holder and get ready for it to whip over once the circle hook sets itself!
As trout begin to eat, popping corks cast along grass banks and over oyster beds will be a good bet with mud minnows attached. I usually pair a 18”-24” fluorocarbon leader with a size 1 circle hook. I use weighted 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 drops under just reel without lifting the rod tip. You’ll find that the circle hook rarely misses if your line is tight.
See you on the water!
As part of their annual birthday celebration, Matt and Will booked our regular full day charter. While the tide was still in the grass, we picked at fish with minnows under popping corks. Once the water came out, the action was non-stop. Reds on the inside of docks smoked our corks. Once low tide hit, we fished docks where redfish made a mockery of our 60lb test braid rigged on shark rods but we still managed to get many in the 8 to 10 pound range out. As the water came back in, we tossed corks over shell rakes and continued to get pummeled. Caught literally dozens of redfish. Happy birthday guys!
Eric was adamant about a full day charter and boy did we wear the fish out! Started with mud minnows under popping corks and with the help of his wife, Pam, dozens of redfish came into the boat. As we reached slack low tide, we went hunting bigger prey under docks. Found fish so big that even the shark rods with 60lb. test could not turn them. However, Pam did manage to get a nice eight pounder out from the pilings. After that, we jumped dozens of ladyfish while catching trout as well. A great day!
Fall has arrived with cooler weather and shorter days. But don’t put your boat away yet because we’re about to experience the best fishing of the year! Fishermen can continue to find success with live bait but artificial lures should become increasingly effective. Make some time to get out on the water, you won’t regret it.
Redfish have been hungrily eating cut and live bait fished on the bottom. Menhaden and mullet are pervasive in our waters and can be easily netted. We’ll rig the bait on a size 3/0 circle hook paired with a carolina rig. You can use this under docks as well as on the flats. Just put the rod in the holder and wait for the reel to start humming as the fish hook themselves.
Artificial lures have really begun to produce for trout and the traditional paddle tail design has been awesome. I’ll use a 1/4oz. jighead and tie a loop knot to give the lure even more action. Vary your rate of retrieve as you prospect for pockets of fish. To make your lure even more compelling, try putting a piece of shrimp on the hook. You can use pieces of frozen or live shrimp and it will put a scent trail on your lure that is hard to ignore.
Even as artificial lures become more effective, keep tossing those popping corks. Mud minnows, live shrimp and artificial shrimp have all been working well when suspended about 18″-24″ below the cork. Redfish and trout alike will eat these baits as they pass by riding along in the water column. Corks have been working best fished along grassy banks at mid and high tide.
See you on the water!
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