After catching one shark after another, Ryland decided he would like to spend the rest of the charter casting. We switched over to popping corks and mud minnows and let them fly. Constant cork dropping action for the rest of the charter. Ryland showed us how it was done by putting this 18″ beauty in the boat!
While the weather has been quite hot, it hasn’t slowed the fishing down. Fishermen can try starting early in the morning where they can find fish chasing bait on the surface as well as lighter winds that allow them to sight fish on the flats. Evenings also offer cooler temperatures and a chance to target tailing redfish on big flood tides.
The redfish bite has been great. The large schools of redfish have now split up but you can still find pods of twenty to thirty fish, especially on the flats. Putting a scent trail in the water and an easy meal in front of redfish is a tactic likely to succeed. We usually put live mullet or cracked blue crab on the bottom with enough weight to hold it in place. Use circle hooks in size 3/0 combined with a heavy test line and watch those rods rip over!
The trout bite is getting steadily stronger. We’ve started catching a healthy number of larger trout mixed in with smaller fish. Fishing mud minnows on jigheads is quite effective and lets you get your bait in front of trout in deeper pockets. I use 1/8 oz. or 1/4oz. jigheads. You can use heavier jigheads but make sure their size is not significantly bigger than the bait. Try alternating the speed of your retrieve as you work through an area.
Spanish mackerel are plentiful and are often best found at first light. If you find schools of fish busting bait on the surface, toss reflective casting jigs and reel them quickly through the school. Move your boat gradually around the school; running through a pod of fish will put them down. If you know fish are present but not up top, try trolling Clark Spoons at different depths and different speeds.
See you on the water!
Found a few seams of calm weather in an otherwise windy stretch of days. We were able to pole on the flats and the redfish clearly did not mind the bouts of choppy water. Schools of redfish could be seen flashing their bellies in the sun as they fed. There were no takers on artificials so we switched over to cut mullet. It sure did the trick as we caught redfish up to eleven pounds. The bite stayed on for a solid two hours until the water got up into the grass.
The Hable family joined me again this year for a morning of family fishing. As the tide fell, we worked grassy banks with mud minnows under popping corks and quickly found consistent action. A mixture of trout and acrobatic ladyfish kept the the corks dropping. Somewhat torn, we left the bite to go in search of redfish under docks. The gamble paid off when Eric muscled a big red into the boat to end the charter!
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!
On a road trip from Washington, Nick and his friend Chad joined me for a couple of days on the water. Had beautiful sunny days with modest winds and these two really got after it! Played all parts of the tide cycles and found fish cruising in the grass at high tide and large schools on the flats at low tide. Whether the duo were working artificials, popping corks or fishing on the bottom, they caught redfish no matter what. See you guys again soon!
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!
Another exciting day of Kiawah Island fishing under some windy conditions. The redfish were a bit hesitant in the morning but as the water warmed up they really turned on! Caught redfish first with mud minnows on jigheads and then close to low tide we worked the big schools on the flats. Ashley kept her lucky fishing hat on all day and clearly it worked!
We left the dock under blustery Spring conditions with the tide quickly dropping out. Peyton was on a mission to catch his first redfish ever. We worked dock after dock with blue crab and mullet with several bites but nothing to the boat. At one of my favorite spots it was quiet until Peyton simply dropped a live shrimp over the side and got bit before it hit the ground! After a great fight, Peyton landed his first redfish and promptly put on a huge smile.
© 2026 Charleston Charter Fishing. All Rights Reserved.
