All year I had been waiting to get my hands on some blue crab thinking no redfish would resist. Turns out they couldn’t care less but smoked cut mullet. Spent most of the charter fishing docks and tangled with reds that shark rods and 60lb test simply could not turn. Fortunately, we had tons of chances and Chuck ended the day with this 13lb. beauty!
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.
As we left the dock, one of my clients mentioned that he lived in a prolific fishery and knew we would likely be catching smaller redfish. At our first stop, we put out chunks of blue crab and cut mullet on circle hooks. The rods bent over again and again as the redfish came out of the grass. The fish favored the cut mullet. The last redfish was a bruiser that weighed in at 14 pounds. Somehow, I think Charleston’s fishery can hold its own.
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!
Charleston Charter Fishing’s Greatest Catches 2013 is a compilation of the past year’s fishing charter trips in the waters surrounding the Charleston low country including Kiawah Island, Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island. We look forward to having your photo included this year on your charter fishing trip!
