Best of People in Worst of Times

The best of people comes out in the worst of times.  This is the bright side of the Covid-19 pandemic.  While my biggest challenge is the inability to fish due to closure of our boat landings, I am amazed by the number of people that have reached out to help. 

A few days into the boat landing closure, a friend ran his skiff across the harbor from Sullivan’s Island to Daniel Island and took me fishing in the Wando River.  He joked that he was compelled to help because I was literally a fish out of water.  The next week, another friend invited me to fish on his boat which was docked on Ralston Creek.  It was good to catch a few fish.  It was better to catch up with an old friend.  Then, to my surprise, another friend offered to let me keep my Pathfinder at their dock.  I am lucky to have such thoughtful and caring friends. 

With my Pathfinder back in the game, I am making up for lost time and fishing nearly every day.  The water temperature is approaching 70-degrees. Baitfish have returned to the rivers and creeks.  Redfish, Trout and Flounder are feeding aggressively.  It is great to be fishing again!

More good news.  Brody, the amazing fish finding dog, has stopped trading stocks and returned to finding fish.  While I am happy to have him back on the boat, I do have mixed feelings. Turns out, Brody is fantastic at picking stocks.  Well, at least, better than me.  So, after intensive negotiations, Brody has agreed to trade stocks during the day and then fish after the market closes at 4:00.  Brody is also the new owner of my Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid.  A small price to pay for an amazing fish finding dog that can pick stocks too!

Yes, the best of people (and fish finding dogs) comes out in the worst of times. 

Closed Boat Landing

Daniel Island Boat Landings are Closed

The boat landings on Daniel Island are closed.  So, I have not been fishing.  However, I have it on good authority that boat landings in Mount Pleasant and Berkeley County are still operating.  If they remain open this week, I will endeavor to leave Daniel Island (say is isn’t so) to go fishing.  In the interim, I am thinking ideas to entertain myself.

Number 1 – Write a fishing article that no one ever reads.  On the bright side, given the lack of things to do, my readership may go up out of sheer boredom!

Number 2 – Teach Brody, the amazing fish finding dog, to back up a boat trailer.  In order to do this, does Brody need a driver’s license?  By the way, he has already passed the written portion of the driver’s test.  However, Brody is not good at parallel parking.  So, backing up a boat trailer may be asking too much.

Number 3 – Eat my emergency food stash.  I have a 6-month supply of Cheez Its. Some people hoard toilet paper.  I hoard Cheez Its.  If things get really bad, you can’t eat toilet paper.  Actually, I guess you can.  But, you would have to be pretty hungry. 

Number 4 – Put together a nearshore fishing class for when this Covid-19 thing ends.  Perhaps, for some time in May (let’s be optimistic).  Thinking about designing the class around our summertime species.  Bull Redfish, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel and Spadefish come immediately to mind.  If you would be interested in attending, please send me a note at [email protected].

Be safe.  Be well.  Then go fishing!

March Fishing

My relationship with the month of March is complicated.  Sometimes, March is warm and loving.  Other times, March is cold and harsh.  The wild variation of conditions is confusion to fish and completely dumbfounding to anglers.  Well, at least to me.  In March, fish begin to transition out of their Winter habitat and spread throughout our estuaries.  This can make fish hard to find and even more difficult to catch.  Yes, my relationship with the month of March is complicated. 

On Saturday, March and I were heading towards legal separation.  It was cold.  It was super windy.  Clearly, March did not want me to go fishing.  Frankly, I was over March’s harsh demeanor.  March and I were on the rocks.  So, I did what I always do when faced with turmoil, I went fishing. 

After launching my new Salt Marsh Skiff, that March did not want me to buy, I assessed the situation.  It was unsafe to fish in the Wando River.  If anything, bad happened, March would never let me hear the end of it.  So, I tucked behind a leeward shoreline and began fishing.  Out of the wind, things did not seem so bad.  My feeling about March began to warm.  But, after an hour of fishing without a bite, March and I were on the outs again!  I decided enough was enough and pulled out my phone to call my lawyer.  Of course, I made one last cast with my Z-Man Finesse TRD to a dock in 10 feet of water.  Before the lure hit bottom, a Trout ate it.  I dropped the phone and fought the fish.  It was not particularly large, but it lifted my spirits. 

On the ride back to the boat landing, it did not seem as cold and the wind appeared to have moderated.  Perhaps, March and I still had a chance together.  Like I said, it is complicated.

There’s Always Room For Improvement!

Fishing Report 01/19/2020

Brody (the amazing fish finding dog), is a pretty good fishing partner. He knows where the fish are and lets me catch all of them.  That’s pretty good!  However, there are a few areas that he can improve.  

Improvement area number 1 is food.  When he brings snacks for the boat, they are always the Milk Bone crunchy doggie biscuits. I have told him many times that I prefer the chewy ones.  Yet time after time, crunchy biscuits.

Improvement area number 2 is backing down the boat trailer. Brody is a smart dog and actually a good driver. But it takes him several tries to backthe boat into the water. The next time we go fishing, I will back downtheboat trailer and let Brody dock the boat.For a good fishing partner, it is the least I can do.

Improvement area number 3 is paying for gas. Brody has an American Express card,but he never offers to pay for gas. What’s up with that?  

Improvement area number 4 is licking fish before releasing them. While I am a strong proponent of catch and release, it is inappropriate to lick and release. I think he should at least ask before licking.  It is the right thing to do.

Improvement area number 5 is hogging all female attention. When we are fishing together it is like I am invisible.  Petty? Yes, but my ego demands acknowledgement.

If you have any recommendations on how to help Brody improve, please let me know!

Unusually Warm Temps: Hows The Fishing?

Typically, January and February bring the coldest water temperatures to our local waters.  However, Winter has yet to make an appearance in the Lowcountry and the water is unusually warm.  So, the fishing pattern is more like Fall than Winter. This is good news for anglers. Trout and Redfish are schooled up and feeding aggressively in shallow water.  

On Saturday, it was super windy and rainy.  With gale force winds blowing against the tide, there were some big waves in the Wando River.  On the run to my first fishing location, I was thinking I should have brought by surfboard. Some of the waves look rideable.  No worries for my Pathfinder 2500. The run to Hobcaw Creek was fast and dry. On breezy days, Hobcaw Creek is a good option because it has lots of trees that provide protection from the wind.  After pulling up to a wind sheltered shoreline, I deployed the trolling motor and began systematically casting a Z-Man Finesse TRD (Hot Snakes) on a 1/5-ounce jig to oyster bars and irregularities in the marsh.  Trout and Redfish were both in residence. They were not particularly large specimens but on such a windy and rainy day, they were most welcome. Nearly all of the strikes were aggressive and occurred in shallow water.   The long-term weather forecast is for more warm weather. If the forecast holds true, fishing should be very good in the shallows.  

The Cold-Water Fishing Class is full. The response has been overwhelming.  Perhaps at some point this Winter, we will actually have cold water!  

Happy New Year!

Fishing Report from 01/05/2020

On the afternoon of New Years Eve, Elliott and I invited our good friend Trey to fish with us.  Conditions were not optimal. The wind was brutal, and the Wando River was like a giant washing machine.  Undeterred, Elliott, Trey and I did our best to catch the last fish of the decade. With “try” being the operative work.  After an hour or so of fishing, we had not caught a single fish. Things were not looking good.  

Thankfully, as the tide fell, the creek banks began to provide a bit of shelter from the wind.  Water clarity improved and the Trout began to feed. This improved the vibe in the Pathfinder considerably.  We began catching fish, giving each other a hard time and laughing. Lots of laughing. I thought to myself, this is a great way to end the year.  Then, Elliott and Trey decided we should end the decade catching Redfish. So, we left the Trout biting and made a quick run to some shallow water docks that were somewhat protected from the wind.  With the sun getting low on the horizon, we began fishing in earnest. Elliott and Trey are outstanding anglers and they systematically picked each dock apart. I marveled at their casting skills. However, all the perfect lure presentations did not produce a single Redfish.  Soon, we arrived at the last dock. Elliott made his last cast of the decade and hooked a Redfish. Trey fired a cast into the area and a Redfish ate his Z-Man Finesse TRD. I decided to make a cast and another Redfish pounced on my lure. The boat erupted with hooting, hollering and laughing.  After landing the fish and a boisterous round of high fives, we took our last fishing selfie of the decade. A great way to end the year.

The Cold-Water Fishing Class is filling up.  But there are a few seats still available at the Daniel Island Library on January 21 from 6:00PM till 8:00PM.  Please confirm your seats with an email to [email protected].  If you want to learn more about locating and catching fish in cold-water conditions, this is the class for you.  

Fishing Report 12/20/2019

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  However, the weather does not feel like it. Several days with temperatures in the 70-degree range has the Trout and Redfish actively feeding in the shallows.   I expect that the hot bite to continue until a strong winter cold front drops the water temperature. Until that time, fishing will be great. Think of it as a Christmas present from Mother Nature.  

For the next two weeks, Elliott (my son) will be home from Japan.  Upon picking him up from the airport, we plan to eat an Orlando’s Brick Oven Pizza and then go fishing.  Over the course of his visit, we will repeat as necessary. Food and Fishing. Food and Fishing. Food and Fishing.  Well, you get the picture.  

Depending on weather conditions, we will be fishing shallow inshore waters or vertical jigging bottom fish offshore.  Right now, the long-term forecast looks like mostly inshore. Given the warm water and hungry fish, that is OK with me.  Recently, a Z-Man Finesse TRD (Hot Snakes) has been the lure of choice for shallow water Trout and Redfish. Both species are holding in slight channels at the base of oyster bars.  When the current is washing over the bar, it is a pretty good bet that predators will be feeding there. So, when your family gathers for food, don’t forget the fishing!

Thanks to all that expressed interest in the Cold-Water Fishing Class. Given the great response, the free fishing class will be held at the Daniel Island Library on January 21 from 6:00PM till 8:00PM.  Seating is limited. Please confirm your seats with an email to [email protected].  The Daniel Island Inshore Fishing Club will be participating in the class.  So, there will be a lot of help available during the knot tying session. If you want to learn more about locating and catching fish in cold-water conditions, this is the class for you.

Fishing Report 12/30/2019

My son, Elliott, is home for the holidays.  So, Elliott, Brody (the amazing fish finding dog) and I are making up for lost fishing time together.  Thankfully, the weather has been warm, and the fish have been hungry. With surface water temperatures in the upper 50-degree range, Redfish, Trout and Flounder are patrolling the shallows looking for easy holiday meals.  This makes them predictable and much easier to catch. Elliott and I have been using the trolling motor to quietly search oyster laden creek banks and casting Z-Man Finesse TRD (Hot Snakes) lures to the base of oyster bars.  When Brody barks, we slow down and fish the area thoroughly. Elliott and I are unsure if Brody knows were the fish are or if the fish are literally everywhere and we simply catch more fish when we slow down. Personally, I am betting on Brody.

On one of our trips, I was running the trolling motor on high, quickly moving the Pathfinder to the next set of oyster bars.  Brody jumped up on the deck and barked a couple of times. I laughed and told Elliott there were no fish in this featureless section of the creek.  He cast to the bank anyway and hooked an upper slot limit Redfish. As Elliott and Brody posed for the picture, I thought it was good to have Elliott home and perhaps Brody really was an amazing fish finding dog.

The Cold-Water Fishing Class will be at the Daniel Island Library on January 21 from 6:00PM till 8:00PM.  Seating is limited. Please confirm your seats with an email to [email protected].  If you want to learn more about locating and catching fish in cold-water conditions, this is the class for you.  

12/15/2019 Fishing Report

Fishing Report 12/15/2019

Winter in the Lowcountry is pretty random.  One day, the weather is 70-degrees and beautiful.  The next day is super windy and cold. Unfortunately, Saturday was more of the latter.  A strong (and cold) northerly wind made for rough and tough fishing conditions. The wind was so strong that I found myself fishing in marginal areas that were sheltered from the gale.  While these areas are good for comfort, they did not produce a single fish. After a couple of fishless hours, I decided to go where the fish were (as if I actually knew where the fish were).  

Conditions in the Wando River were a bit sporty.  But, my Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid eats up the rough stuff and I was able to comfortably run upriver at 40 miles per hour.  Upon my arrival at a dock with reasonably clear water and lots of oysters, I cut the main engine and deployed the trolling motor.  The wind was howling, and the constant wave action made water clarity extremely poor. Without much hope or confidence, I fired a cast to the base of the dock.  To my surprise, a Redfish ate the Z-Man Finesse TRD. It was a tiny Redfish, but I was ecstatic. I had officially exceeded my expectations by one fish! Of course, that Redfish ended up being the only fish on Saturday.  It was a really rough and tough day.

Thanks for the tremendous interest in the cold-water fishing class.  Brody and I are looking forward to sharing a few cold-water techniques in January.  Will provide more details next week.

Brody (The Amazing Fish Finding Dog)

Fishing Report 12/08/2019


To keep from becoming a total fishing bum, I do some consulting now and again. This week, I did more consulting than fishing. Thankfully, the engagement was in Nashville. So, it was a pretty fun week! Before departing for the land of country music, my brother (Dave) and Brody (the amazing fish finding dog) did a little fishing. Our plan was simply to get out and run the boat for a while. If we caught any fish that would be a bonus. Things went according to plan. The weather was nice, the Pathfinder ran well, and we caught a few Trout. When we were about to go home, Brody began barking at a dock up head. Brody does not bark much on the boat, so I took it as a sign. Using the trolling motor, I positioned the boat within easy casting range. Dave cast a Z-Man Finesse TRD (The Deal) on a 1/5-ounce NedLockZ jig to the dock pilings. Boom! A bent rod and our best fish of the day. Dave insisted that we include Brody in the fish picture. Looking at the shot, I am not sure who is happier. Dave or Brody? As winter approaches, I am thinking about doing a fishing class on cold water finesse techniques. If you want to learn more about how I catch fish in cold water situations, let me know you are interested in the class. If enough people want to attend (the class is free), Brody will teach the class in January.