Launched on a morning so foggy we had to ramble slowly across the harbor. Once the sun broke through, the fishing heated up. Started by catching nice size trout on shrimp under popping corks. At our next spot, we encountered a school of reds including one 29″ character who we landed even after he wrapped us around lots of weeds. Ended the charter catching more trout and bluefish around rocky structure at low tide.
Our fishery is really cooking now! The arrival of seasonal species like ladyfish, bluefish and shark now compliment our redfish and trout. Look around you on the water and you’ll also find plenty of baitfish including mullet and menhaden. You have more reasons now than ever to get fishing!
Recently, we’ve been making the most of live bait when fishing for redfish. Menhaden is a favorite choice whether fished live or as cut bait. Fishing chunks of menhaden under docks has produced some very large redfish. I’ll use a carolina rig with just enough weight to keep the bait pinned to the ground so it doesn’t get snagged. I use size 3/0 circle hooks and let the redfish hook themselves.
It’s that time of year to start thinking about topwater trout action at first light. My favorite lure is a Heddon’s Super Spook Jr. in chartreuse and black. Their silver mullet color works well too. Try a variety of retrieval speeds as you work these lures. When that trout strikes, try to resist the temptation to lift the rod tip and reel the fish tight instead. It’s hard to beat those explosive strikes!
As expected, sharks have returned to our waters with the warmer water temperatures. Look along the shoreline and you’ll see the fins of bonnethead sharks slicing through the water as they seek out prey. Live shrimp and chunks of blue crab both work well on these predators. Fishing for sharks can be a great way to get younger anglers involved as sharks are usually hungry and put up great fights.
Flyfishermen will begin to focus on big high tides or “tailing tides” when the redfish are way up in the grass. This produces very exciting fishing as anglers can see the backs and tails of redfish as they put their noses in the mud to forage for crabs. Dupre’s spoon flies have been particularly effective and I like their root beer color. When casting to redfish, remember to lead the fish by several feet, hitting them square on the head will cause them to spook and race away.
See you on the water!
Vetted regulars, Doug and Chip, drove all the way from Charlotte, NC the morning of the trip and were still right on time at 7am. The cold snap the night before dropped water temperatures by three degrees and the bite slowed. It didn’t stop the duo from catching reds up to nine pounds! Almost all fish caught on mud minnows following the trend of the last few weeks.
Found a brief break from the wind and when combined with a nice mid morning low tide, conditions were perfect. The schools of fish were easy to see but still a bit finicky. We posted up and waited for them to come to us. The reds preferred cut mullet over mud minnows. Long time customer, Steele, set his personal best with a sweet 28″ red.
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 now feeding 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.
As trout become more active, popping corks cast along grass banks and over oyster beds will be a good bet paired with mud minnows and live shrimp. I usually use a 18”-24” leader and a size 1 circle hook. When working the popping cork, always try to keep slack out of your line and when that cork drops just reel tight to set the hook. You’ll find that the circle hook will do most of the work for you.
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!
We had one goal for our charter: catch Kerri’s first redfish. We started with a modest flounder which was her first fish ever. As the winds picked up, conditions deteriorated. Not to be denied, Kerri kept at it and eventually a rod snapped over! A few minutes later Kerri had her prize for the day, a beautiful upper slot redfish.
As our colder months end, temperatures have been working their way higher over the last few weeks. Warmer water makes for happier fish and the Spring bite will soon be well underway. The usual suspects, redfish and trout, will be our primary targets and both will be increasingly more active. Don’t wait a couple months, grab your rods and start catching now!
Over the last few months, redfish have been doing their best to avoid hungry dolphins. Now they will switch modes from just trying to survive and instead become predators. Redfish remain in huge schools and the most productive fishing will be at low tide when they are concentrated. These fish will be spooky so you’ll want to be quiet and slow on your approach. Sometimes, the best option is to post up and wait for the school to swim within range of you.
If they are being skittish, these big schools of redfish will often turn their noses up at artificial lures. Instead of casting at them to no avail, we’ll fish bait on the bottom. Toss out chunks of blue crab or cut mullet on size 3/0 circle hooks. Place your rod in the rod holder and leave the rod alone when you see the line begin to tighten. The circle hook does all the work for you and when your drag starts to sing you are in business!
The trout bite has just begun. Artificial lures will be your best bet with little natural bait in the water. Fish these lures slowly and try to let them sink to the bottom. These trout are sluggish as well and it pays to get the lure right in front of their nose. Plastic lures that imitate small minnows are a good choice and the Zman 3.75” Streakz in smokey shad is our go to choice. Matched with a 1/8oz. or 1/4oz. jighead, this combination will work well throughout the year.
See you on the water!
Left at first light, excited about a forecast for warmer weather and sunshine. At our first stop, the redfish were clearly happy about the change in conditions too. Put a couple of ten pounders in the boat as well as some in the five to six pound range. Reds ate cut mullet and mud minnows. Able to see healthy schools of reds for most of the charter. Great weather forecast through the weekend!
Left at dark to get as much low tide fishing in as possible. Spent the first two hours targeting large schools of redfish on the flats before they went into the grass. Until it warmed up a bit the reds were finicky eaters, often picking up our cut mullet and mud minnows just to drop them right away. Had several bites on cut mullet and then moved over to the docks. Found a dock holding some beasts that smoked our rods. Even with 40lb. test these reds were hard to get out quickly from the pilings. Nice to see the bite turning up with the better weather.
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