shimano fishing – Captain Greg Peralta

Pro Tips

Pro Tip Number 128 is to always keep hair products on your boat. You never know when you may encounter the catch of a lifetime and you want to look your best in the selfie. Case in point, a few evenings ago it was super windy and a bit cool. Not the best conditions for targeting Trout with a top water lure. However, given the choice of doing yard work or going fishing, I selected the latter. Without much preparation, I jumped in the boat and headed out. As I drove to my fishing spot, the sun was low on the horizon and I was struggling to see due to the glare on the water. About then I realized I had forgotten my hat. Shortly thereafter, I realized that I had left my top water lures at the dock.

Pro Tip Number 129 is to always prepare before going fishing. Pro Tip Number 130 is to always leave a bunch of stuff on the boat just in case you forget 129. Pro Tip Number 130 saved the trip because I found a Zara Spook Junior (top water lure) in the Pathfinder’s tackle locker. After tying the lure on, I made a cast to a series of shallow oyster bars with deeper channels between them. Trout like to hang out in the channel and ambush baitfish that stray too far from the safety of the oyster bar. Without a hat, the glare made it difficult to see the Zara Spook. Undeterred, I began a slow twitch, twitch, pause retrieve. When the lure hit the channel, I was startled by a huge explosion and dead weight at the end of my line. At first, I thought a Trout and struck the lure and then gotten it stuck on the oyster bar. But then, my line started to move. Fish on and it was a big one. The battle was epic on 8-pound class spinning tackle. For several minutes, the outcome was in doubt. Eventually, a large Redfish came to the boat.

After the hard-fought battle, the Redfish was exhausted. So, I quickly took a selfie and began to revive it in the water. It took a few minutes for the big fish to regain its strength, but it healthily swam away. For a few minutes, I just stood there and savored the moment. Then, it was time to look at the pictures.

Pro Tip Number 131 is to always look at the pictures before releasing the fish. Clearly, I had forgotten Pro Tip Number 128!

Overboard! And a New Recommendation.

After the shark selfie episode, my fishing trips have been more sedate. Brody (the amazing fish finding dog) and I have been concentrating our efforts in the rivers and creeks. For the most part, the Trout, Flounder and Redfish have been very cooperative. All are readily striking a Z-Man Trout Trick rigged on a quarter ounce lead head jig. On Sunday, we were catching and releasing Trout at a rapid pace. After about 30 minutes, a porpoise (with a distinct notch in its dorsal fin) began following my Pathfinder around and eating the fish we were releasing. Brody did not approve and began barking each time the porpoise approached the boat. So, we left the fish biting and moved to another location. Brody and I used the trolling motor to slowly move along the creek bank and cast the Trout Trick to points and pockets in the marsh. It did not take long to find another school of hungry Trout. A few minutes later, the porpoise with the wonky dorsal fin found us again. As it approached the boat, Brody began barking and jumped into the water nearly on top of the porpoise.

Brody is not much for swimming. Thus, he wears a floatation device when we are on water. As it turns out, Brody is a good swimmer and likes being in the water. However, I was thankful that he was wearing a floatation device. The handles made it easy to lift my 52-pound dog back into the boat. After drying Brody off, I resumed fishing. The porpoise never came back. Brody is now the amazing fish finding and porpoise scaring dog.

On occasion, I discover something that is worthy of sharing. All my fishing rods are lightweight, sensitive and very expensive. Recently, I purchased a Shimano Sellus spinning rod. It is reasonably light, sensitive and costs only $49. That is 1/10th the cost of my normal fishing rods! If you are thinking about getting a new inshore fishing rod and don’t want to invest $500, check out the Sellus. I think you will like it.

100 Fish Challenge

With Labor Day now behind us, Summer is truly over. Temperatures are becoming more tolerable. The sun is setting earlier. The water is cooling off. These events mark the end of Summer and the beginning of great inshore fishing. When I told my brother-in-law, Mike Balduzzi, that fishing was getting good, we decided to do a 100 fish challenge. Mike jumped on a flight to Charleston on Friday and we fished the challenge on Saturday.

Conditions were not optimal. A strong northeasterly breeze limited our fishing options. Undeterred, we launched my Pathfinder into the start of the falling tide. Our plan was to make a quick run to the jetties and cast lures to the rocks for Bull Redfish and Trout. It was rough out there, but we did catch some Trout. However, not at the pace we needed to hit 100 fish in a day. So, ran back into the Wando and began working submerged oyster bars that were being swept by the falling tide. Mike is an accomplished angler that knows how to read the water. When we pulled up to our first oyster bar, we both cast Z-Man TRDs on 1/5-ounce NedlockZ jigs to the same spot. Boom. Doubles on Trout. The bite was on. Most of the fish were small, in the 13 to 14-inch range. They made up for their lack of size with sheer quantity.

When the bite slowed down, Mike and I moved to another oyster bar and began catching Trout again at a torrid pace. It took a few more moves and about 3-hours to hit the 100 fish mark. We even caught a few more for good measure. Fishing was pretty good on Saturday and it is going to get better. So, set the DVR to record your favorite football team and go fishing. The way the fish are biting, you may even get home before kick-off!

The Boys Are Back In Town

Fishing is like super glue. It creates strong and lasting bonds with your friends and family. For me, this is particularly true. From the time my son (Elliott) could walk until he moved away to Japan, we fished together several times a week. So, when he came home for a visit, we literally went from the airport to the boat. Extreme? Perhaps, but that super glue is some pretty strong stuff.

Our plan was to vertical jig on some nearshore reefs and live bottom areas. The seas were calm, and my Pathfinder 2500 is fast. We were fishing 15 miles offshore two hours after Elliott’s plane touched down. The first spot we tried produced zero bites. However, we did not really care. We were just happy to be fishing together. A quick run to the Charleston 60 reef put us on a steady Amberjack bite. Amberjack are powerful fish. Even the small ones put up a strong fight on 30-pound class jigging tackle. After catching and releasing a few, I was tired, and Elliott began to feel the effects of jet lag. So, we turned on the tunes and made a leisurely run back to Daniel Island.

Yes, that super glue is some pretty strong stuff.

Fishing With No Regrets

Recently, one of my fishing buddies past away. While I try to live a regret free life, I do wish we had fished together more often. This got me to thinking about all the friends I have been wanting to fish with but have not. So, I began calling my friends. Surprisingly, I do actually have a few. Donna Crocker was the first person to call me back and we planned to fish the next morning.

The tide was falling when we launched the boat. As we idled out of the creek, schools of finger mullet were swimming along the surface. I do not usually fish with bait, but Donna enjoys it. After one throw of the cast net, we had enough live bait for our trip. We made a quick run to a small creek that was draining into the main river. I set the spot-lock on the trolling motor within easy casting distance of the creek mouth. Donna cast a finger mullet on a quarter ounce lead head jig into the creek and let the tide sweep it along the bottom. A Trout inhaled the bait and Donna began teasing me about not yet catching a fish. Donna continued to catch Trout and the teasing intensified. We both enjoyed a good laugh. Well, at least one of us did!

When the falling tide slowed, the Trout bite did as well. It was getting hot. So, we decided to make a long run. More time to cool off than to find fish. This was good because for the next two hours, I struggled to find fish. Slow fishing and uncomfortably hot temperatures kept us on the move. Eventually, we located a small school of big Redfish. Donna cast a finger mullet ahead of the school and waited. To our surprise, the Redfish ignored the easy meal. We stayed with the school (because they were the only fish, I could find that day) and our persistence paid off. Donna released a couple of nice ones.

On the ride back to the boat landing, Donna and I joked about the tough fishing. More accurately, Donna reminded me that she had caught more and larger fish. I laughed and told her that I had no regrets.

Quality Time

The number of fish you catch is not as important as who you catch them with. On a recent fishing trip with Mark Friedfertig and his sons Chase and Cole, this was particularly evident. Families fishing together is important to me. So, I really wanted to share a great trip with Mark, Chase and Cole. Unfortunately, Mother Nature and the fish had other plans. Our first fishing location was a small creek that was draining over an oyster bar. It is typically a highly dependable Trout spot. Not so on this day. No worries, there are a lot of highly dependable Trout spots in the Wando River. Or, so I thought. After hitting several prime locations with only a few small Trout to show for it, I began to worry. However, Mark, Chase and Cole did not seem to mind. They were enjoying their time together even if they were not catching fish.

The day ground on. We fished the entirety of the Wando River. No matter how much we tried, the fish simply would not cooperate. After hours of fishing in earnest, we had only released 15 or so fish. For me, it was a very humbling experience. For Mark, Chase and Cole, it was a wonderful day together. On the ride back to the boat landing, I was struck by the fact that my new friends understood the true essence of fishing more than I did.

Did we catch a bunch of fish? No. Did we spend quality time with family and friends? Yes. Many thanks to Mark, Chase and Cole for reminding me what matters most in fishing. You guys rock!

Summertime Fishing is Like a Box of Chocolates

Summertime fishing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to catch. This was the case when fishing last week with my good friend, Todd. We launched early in the morning wanting to target Redfish with top water lures. We found the Redfish, but they were not interested in our topwater offerings. Jilted by the Reds, we decided to run to the harbor and try for Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish. Along the way, we stopped and caught a couple of dozen Menhaden with a cast net. Bull Redfish and Sharks love Menhaden. With a bunch of menhaden in the Pathfinder’s livewell, we had more target species options available to us.

Once in the harbor, Todd began casting a shiny jig named “Deadly Dick”. While the manufacturer’s name is somewhat dubious, the lure is a proven Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish catcher. Todd caught a few of both. He also has a new nickname.

When the falling tide began to slow, the bite did as well. We decided to run out past the jetties and target sharks behind the shrimp boats. There were only two shrimp boats still working when we arrived. So, we picked the closest one and set up behind it. While I positioned the boat, Todd picked up a 20-pound class spinning rod and nose-hooked a Menhaden on a 5/0 circle hook. We were about 50 yards behind the Shrimper when I took the boat out of gear and Todd cast his line. Almost immediately, a good-sized Black Tip Shark ate the Menhaden and began jumping and trashing about. The fight was spectacular but short lived as the Black Tip bit through the 50-pound fluorocarbon leader. In my experience, that happens about half the time. That was just fine with Todd and me. For us, most of the fun is right after hook-up on the initial jumps and runs. After that, on 20-pound class spinning tackle, the fight becomes hard work.

On the ride back to the boat landing, we stopped and caught a few Trout. Todd and I covered a lot of water and targeted a lot of species, all before lunch. A typical summertime fishing trip. Out early. Catch whatever is biting. Return home before it gets too hot. In the summer, don’t worry about having a solid fishing plan. Just enjoy whatever comes out of the box.

Fishing Fosters a Lifetime Bond

The best catch in fishing is the bond that it creates between children and their parents. For me, fishing is the very definition of “quality time”. If you want to learn more about fishing on and around Daniel Island, I recommend the Daniel Island Inshore Fishing Club. If you want to begin creating a lifetime bond with your children, do not miss the 9th Annual Kids Fishing Tournament at Smythe Park Lake on June 15 from 8:30 to 10:30.

Speaking of bonds between children and their parents, I recently had the pleasure of fishing with Trent and Grant Gustafson. They are good friends, fellow members of the Daniel Island Inshore Fishing Club and a great example of the best catch in fishing. Our plan was to fish the harbor and nearshore waters, targeting Bull Redfish and Sharks. Typically, these species are pretty easy to catch. However, after fishing multiple sections of the jetties, the Bull Redfish eluded us. No worries, shrimp boats were clearly in sight just outside the jetties. Shrimp boats are Shark magnets. So, we netted up a couple of dozen Menhaden and headed towards the nearest shrimp boat. While I positioned the Pathfinder a respectable distance behind the trawler, Trent rigged a lively Menhaden on an unweighted 5/0 circle hook. Once in position, I let the bay boat drift and Grant cast the Menhaden into the wake of the trawler. This process usually results in an immediate bite from a Shark. Not so, on that day. We moved from shrimp boat to shrimp boat until we finally got a bite.

Grant held the rod as the Shark rapidly peeled 150 yards of 30-pound braid from the 6000 frame Shimano Saragosa spinning reel. The fight was on. For about 30-minutes the outcome was in doubt. Throughout the battle, Trent stood next to Grant and provided encouragement. I thought to myself, this is what fishing is really about. Eventually, Grant wore the Shark down and brought it boat side. Where it thankfully released itself.

By all accounts, we had a very slow day of fishing. Yet, Trent and Grant made the best catch of all, quality time together.