For me, the holiday season is about spending time with friends and family. One of my favorite holiday gatherings is the Daniel Island Inshore Fishing Club Christmas Party. When friends gather to share a meal and talk about fishing, it is always a great time. The club is a great way to meet your neighbors and have some fun. If you have an interest in fishing, give yourself a Christmas present and join the Fishing Club.
While attending the party, Julian Levin and I decided to go fishing on Sunday morning. Our plan was to fish during the last half of the falling tide. Targeting Trout as the tide fell and Redfish at dead low tide. On the day of our trip, a thick layer of frost covered my skiff. So, I moved it to a sunny area of the boat landing and let it defrost. While the forecast was for a warm afternoon, it was quite chilly in the morning. When I launched the skiff, the surface water temperature was 48 degrees. When the water is in this temperature range, the shallow water bite is figuratively and literally cold. Knowing this, Julian and I focused our efforts on deeper water. After a chilly run to Boone Hall Creek, we idled around looking for Trout on the depth finder. When we located a school, Julian and I would vertical jig Z-Man TRD TubeZ on 1/5 ounce NedlockZ jigs. As is often in the case in cold water, the strike was extremely light. In this situation, light tackle is a definite advantage. I was using a Shimano Zodias 6’8” light action rod paired with a 1000 frame Stradic reel. This set-up helped us to catch fish in tough conditions. Even with the high tech light tackle, Julian and I struggled to catch and release 23 fish.
Back at the boat landing, other anglers reported low or no catches for the day. All of them fished in the shallows. While Julian and I did not have a banner day, we made the right call by fishing in deeper water. As I reflect on the day, it would have been a great trip regardless of the fish release count. When fishing with your friends and family, time is the greatest catch of all.