Trick ShotZ

Windy conditions (and a trip to the mountains) limited my local fishing time this week. However, I did brave the wind a few times before heading to the mountains. On those trips, the water was clear and 76 degrees. Perfect conditions for targeting Redfish, Trout and Flounder with lures. Recently, I have been experimenting with a Z-Man Trick ShotZ lure on a mushroom head jig. While I am still refining my technique, early results have been positive. Casting the Trick ShotZ into current seams using a snap and pause retrieve has been producing good numbers of fish. Creek mouths on the falling tide have been particularly good.

Of course, the StreakZ 3.75 is still my favorite lure but the Trick ShotZ is quickly becoming a close second. As the water cools and the fish begin to slow down, I believe the Trick ShotZ will become even more effective. So, I am practicing now in preparation for Winter.

The other day, I fished with a friend who prefers to fish with live bait. On the day of our trip, he was using mud minnows on a quarter ounce lead head jig. We took turns casting to the current seams. Both methods (lures and mud minnows) produced equally well. Regardless of how you prefer to fish, now is the time to fish!

As the days get shorter and the water gets cooler, fishing will improve from very good to great (and possibly even epic). The Cooper and Wando Rivers are full of Trout and Redfish that are schooling up and feeding voraciously. If there is such a time when fishing and catching are synonymous, this is that time. Don’t miss it.

Thanks for the Memories

Over 10 years ago, Tom Mitzlaff made me a Mitzi Skiff with a super light lay up schedule.   Over the years, I fished the skiff hard (pretty much every day) and it has performed and held up very well.  Today, I sold it.

As I cleaned the skiff in preparation for delivery, I recalled countless  memories with my family and friends.  While a skiff is great for fishing, it turns out it is actually a vessel for the creation of memories.

Good bye old friend.  Thanks for the memories!

 

New Skiff Coming Together

The team at Salt Marsh Skiffs is building my new skiff (a Heron 16).  In a few weeks, I hope to have it in the Lowcountry.  Just in time for some fantastic Fall fishing.  Really looking forward to stalking winter schools of Redfish On the Fly.  Being light, with a shallow draft and very quiet, the Heron is an excellent platform for this style of fishing.

Stayed tuned for more updates.

 

Take Kids Fishing

In a world filled with electronic devices and a myriad of other indoor activities, it is important to encourage kids to play outside. So, when neighbor’s son, Luke Bishop, dropped by to talk about fishing, we decided to go fishing instead of talking about it. The purpose of our trip was to determine if Trout were already forming large schools in Clouter Creek and the Cooper River. Our plan was to run and gun (try a bunch of locations) until we located large concentrations of Trout. Typically, in the Fall, Trout congregate around creek mouths on the falling tide. While we caught a few in these areas, they did not produce the numbers we were looking for. Luke and I kept moving.

After five or six stops at creek mouths, we tried something different, a deep channel. Luke cast a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Pearl) on a Finesse jig into the channel and caught a nice Trout. I cast my lure (a Streak 3.75 Blue Back Herring) into the same area and hooked up as well. For the next 30 to 45 minutes, Luke and I caught a Trout on pretty much every cast. We did not take any pictures because one of us always had a fish on. It was an epic Trout bite. Luke and I released over 50 fish (I even kept a few dinner).

During the non-stop action, I was impressed by Luke’s development as an angler. He was completely self-sufficient. We have fished together many times. Each time, his fishing skills just keep getting better. I feel sure, one day (soon), he will be teaching me about fishing. And that, is that fishing is all about.

Fall is Here!

Fall is in the air. Recently, the mornings have been comfortable (almost cool) and the long days of summer are on the wane. For the first time in months, the water temperature is below 80 degrees. It seems the fish know that summer is over too. They are schooling up and feeding aggressively in preparation for winter. This makes fishing almost synonymous with catching.

Last week, the tides were optimal for fishing in the late afternoon and early evening. With the weather being nice and me feeling kind of restless up after Irma, I went fishing a lot. Each day, the bite was outstanding for Trout, Redfish and Flounder. Inshore slams were easy and it was not unusual for everyone in the boat to have a fish on. On one trip, Elliott (my son) and Sean (my niece’s husband) joined me. We fished marsh points and oyster bars swept by the falling tide. Elliott spotted a school of Redfish approaching our location (in about a foot of water). He cast a StreakZ 3.75 to the school and hooked up. Sean and I followed Elliott’s lead and hooked up as well. Fighting 3 fish at the same time was a bit of a challenge. But, not as challenging as trying to get a picture of the 3 three of us holding our fish. Thankfully, Elliott figured out the picture timer on his phone and we managed to get the shot.

Fall brings a multitude of activities to Daniel Island. My personal favorites are Park Day and Fishing Day (which is pretty much every day). Don’t miss either one!

Post Irma Fishing

The Lowcountry took more of a beating from Irma that I thought we would.  However, nothing on the scale of what our friends in Florida endured.  Thinking that the fish would be hungry after the storm, I went fishing shortly after Irma passed through the area.  There was a lot of floating debris in the water but the water clarity was good.  The bite was good as well.  Trout, Redfish and Ladyfish provided steady action on my favorite lure (a Z-Man StreakZ 3,75 on a Finesse Jig).  After catching several of both, I switched to a Shimano Cold Sniper top water lure (as I have been wanting to try it out).  On the first cast, a big Redfish crushed the lure and cut me off on an oyster bar.  I was bummed but picked up another rod rigger with a Zara Spook.  The top water bite was outstanding.

Shrimp Season Opens

 

Summer is officially over. College football is back and shrimp baiting season begins on Friday. For me, these are sure signs that Fall is here. In preparation for the start of shrimping season, I brought a 12-foot deep hole cast net on a recent fishing trip with my son (Elliott) and brother (David). Our plan was to catch Spanish Mackerel and Trout in the harbor on the falling tide then to cast the deep hole net a few times before heading home.

Turns out, catching Spanish Mackerel and Trout was pretty easy. The Spanish were busting schools of baitfish near the Yorktown. Elliott, David and I caught several casting Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Blue Back Herring) lures on 3/16th ounce finesse jigs. A rapid and erratic retrieve produced a strike on almost every cast. With Spanish Mackerel checked off the list, we left them biting to search for Trout. A quick run to a submerged ledge put us on a really good Trout bite. Most of the fish were small but there were a few big ones mixed in. The Trout (like the Spanish) found the StreakZ 3.75 to be irresistible. We decided to try and catch (and release) 30 Trout before going deep hole shrimping. It did not take long. As the water cools, the Trout bite will get even better. I expect Trout fishing this fall to be nothing short of epic.

When we started deep hole shrimping, I picked up the net and it felt a lot heavier than I remembered. David and Elliott had a good laugh when I said that the net gained 20 pounds since last season. It took a few tries before I got into the swing of casting the big net. About that time, I remembered that deep hole shrimping was a lot of work and turned the net over to David. As he took the net, he said it felt about the same weight as always and perhaps you are the one that gained the weight. Shrimping was delayed for several minutes because David and Elliott found this to be extremely funny. When we finally got around to casting the net, the shrimp were very spread out. However, the few shrimp we caught were large.

On Friday evening (opening night of shrimp baiting season), I will be casting the net on the bow of my good friend Julian Levin’s boat. I hope he does not make fun of my weight!