Fishing Report

Weeks full of sunny weather and warm temperatures have made our fishery come alive. Bait is everywhere and eager fish are chasing it down. Anglers have a wide array of options now that our seasonal species have arrived to compliment the traditional targets of redfish and trout.

Fishing for redfish remains very productive. Blue crab fished on the bottom is deadly. Remove the shell and legs of a blue crab and cut the body in half. Put a size 3/0 circle hook through the hole where the flipper fin used to be and make sure the hook point is exposed. No need to hold the rod, instead put it in a rod holder. Once that rod starts to bend, don’t touch it until the drag starts screaming!

As for trout, it is more of the same. Popping corks remain the way to go. Mud minnows and live shrimp are both performing well. Creek shrimp are starting to be large enough to net and use. If little fish keep picking at your live shrimp, switch over to a D.O.A. 3” artificial shrimp. Their Glow/Gold Rush Belly color has been quite productive.

Anglers targeting flounder have been reporting good numbers being caught. Work mud minnows or finger mullet along the bottom around structures. Move the bait gently along and when you think you have a bite pause a few seconds before setting the hook. We’ve been picking up quite a few flounder with mud minnows under a popping cork as well.

My favorite summertime fish is the ladyfish. With the warmer water temps, ladyfish will fill our waters. These exciting fish will readily eat bait under a popping cork and make your drag zing. Their acrobatic jumps and hard runs make these fish very entertaining. You’ll find them often in some of the same spots that you find trout.

See you on the water!

What a perfect time to be fishing! With our waters now full of bait, the fish are eating heartily. Almost all the summer seasonal species have arrived and when combined with our traditional gamefish, provide a whole range of options for an angler. If your fishing season hasn’t yet begun, there’s no better time to get going!

Redfish have been making fast work of any well placed bait. Make sure to bring along your cast net and try catching some finger mullet or the soon to be arriving menhaden. We’ve been having the most luck around rock walls, docks and other structures while fishing live bait on a carolina rig. Make sure to use a weight heavy enough to hold the bait stationary, otherwise your rig will drift along the bottom until it snags.

It’s that time of year for topwater trout action at first light! Heddon’s Super Spook Jr. in their silver mullet color works great but my favorite is the chartreuse and black. Vary your retrieve as you work these lures back to the boat. This is a lure that you need to reel tight to the fish before raising your rod tip. Good luck with that as a violent boil erupts around your lure! Once the topwater bite slows, suspended twitch bait lures can keep things going for a little while longer.

Sharks are back and several species like bonnetheads, sharpnose and black tips are already prevalent. You’ll start to see the fins of sharks dicing through the water as they seek out food in skinny water and also find them foraging along drop offs in the inlets and harbor. Chunks of cut bait, blue crab, and live shrimp all work well on these predators. I favor 7/0 circle hooks and just leave the rods in the holders. Fishing for sharks can be a great way to get young anglers involved as sharks are usually cooperative and put up great fights.

See you on the water!

Spring has arrived! With days full of sun and temperatures holding in the 70’s, our fishery is rapidly changing with many new signs of life. Trout and flounder are entering the mix and anglers now have several species to target instead of just spooky redfish. Bait is filling our waters and the fish are hungry!

Redfish are no longer focused simply on preservation but are becoming predators again. Anglers should consider using artificial plastic lures that mimic bait fish. One good choice would be “jerk shad” lures that have become very popular and are available in a wide variety of colors. I’ve been finding that silver hues have been working best although I’ll occasionally throw a darker color when water clarity is poor.

Having woken from their winter slumber, the trout are active again. Fishermen should focus on grassy banks and oyster beds when targeting these fish. It’s time to break out the popping corks again. Try fishing a 3” D.O.A. plastic shrimp lure suspended two feet underneath a popping cork. The D.O.A. shrimp come in several weights but I prefer their 1/4oz. model.  The Glow/Gold color is a great choice.

Often considered our tastiest fish, flounder are a frequent target. 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 structures when targeting flounder. Old pilings and docks are good places to prospect. Remember that flounder will hug the bottom in hopes of ambushing their prey, so you’ll need to keep that bait down on or close to the bottom.

See you on the water!