Tag: charlestonangler

New Shimano Bait Casting Outfit

Shimano 6’10” Medium Light Zodias with Curado 70XG

Spent the afternoon introducing Trout to my new Shimano bait casting outfit.   I like to fish a lot of finesse techniques.  Today, I was casting a Ned Rig (Z-Man NedLockZ Jig and TRD).  It was breezy.  The ability to adjust the 70XG  brakes and cast control (without opening up the reel) made casting the light Ned Rig effortless.  Trout were actively feeding  but the strike was still pretty light.  However, it was no trouble feeling the bite via the Zodias rod.  Happy to find Trout back in their normal winter haunts.  The snow storm put a hurting on them.  Thankfully, it seems a decent number of Trout (in mixed sizes) survived.

A sharp  snap and long pause retrieve triggered the most strikes.  With the bulk of the fish being in 2 to 4 feet of water.   On Friday, I plan to re-introduce my Asquith fly rod to a few Redfish.  Hope the wind lays down.  If not, my new bait casting outfit will get the nod.

 

Charleston Boat Show

The Charleston Boat Show was this weekend.  Thanks to Erin and Mel from Ankona / Salt Marsh Skiffs for letting me hang around the booth  and talk about fishing!  Also, thanks to everyone that dropped by to see me.

While at the show, I had the opportunity to speak with several guides and anglers.  The frigid water temperatures brought on by the recent snow storm, definitely moved our fish around.  Thankfully, temperatures have returned to a more typical range for this time of year.  Redfish are back in their normal late winter haunts.  However, Trout have yet to do so.   Hopefully, they will show up (in good numbers) soon.

Given the situation, I plan to target Redfish on the fly for the next week or so.  This will give the Trout more time to get back into their normal winter pattern and me more time to cast my 8-weight Shimano Asquith.

 

 

 

Cold Water, Hot Bite

Triple Redfish Hook Up

The snow and ice have finally melted.  However, the water temperature in our rivers and creeks is hovering near record lows.  Unfortunately, we are beginning to see evidence of Trout and Redfish that succumbed to  the frigid water.

Thankfully, is seems the bulk of the Redfish population has survived.  Even with the water temperature below 40 degrees, the Reds are actively eating.  On a day when it took over an hour to remove the ice my skiff (in order to go fishing), the Redfish bite was hot.  Z-Man TRD lures on 1/5 ounce NedlockZ jigs and Shimano Colt Sniper (sinking) lures  produced several triple hook up.

Until the water temperature rises above 45 degrees, Redfish will be my target species.  They seem to be able to tolerate the cold much better than Trout.  Hoping to get back to Trout fishing this weekend.

Trout in a Snow Storm

Today, the Lowcountry experienced a record breaking snow storm.   Watching the snow accumulate, I wondered if the Trout were still biting.  So, I called Elliott and we set out to see.  It was bitterly cold and we quickly lost the feeling in our hands.   However, we were able to catch a few of these guys.

Elliott and I figured the bite would be super light.  So, I tied a Z-Man TRD on a Shimano 6’8″ Zodias Light  rod that is paired with a 1000 frame Stradic Ci4 reel.  Even with this light and sensitive tackle system, we could barely feel the bites.

The fish were very cold and for the most part inactive.  Hopefully, the weather warms up soon and not to many fish succumb to the frigid water temperatures.

 

Asquith Redfish

As a Christmas present to myself, I picked up a Shimano Asquith 8 weight fly rod.  The Asquith has significantly enhanced my casting distance and accuracy.   It is by far, the best fly rod I have ever owned.

After a few days of catching Trout during higher stages of the tide, I put the Asquith to work on Redfish in shallow water.   Being by myself, I poled the skiff looking for schools of Reds.  Once located, I used the Power Pole Micro to hold the skiff within casting distance (50 to 70 feet) of the fish.   The Asquith made covering that distance a breeze.   It was easy to cast then pick up and shoot the line again.  Quick follow up presentations to passing fish paid big dividends.  All of the Reds I caught were on follow up casts.

The Asquith is the best gift I ever gave to myself!

First Fish of 2018

First Fish of 2018

Fishing on New Years Day is a family tradition.  Some years it is warm and other years it is freezing cold.  This year, it was definitely the latter.  With the temperature well  below freezing and the wind chill in single digits,  Elliott and I considered not fishing.  After a short debate, we felt is was important to uphold tradition and off we went.

The water temperature was 47 degrees and the Trout bite was slow.  However, we kept casting our Z-Man TRD lures on 1/5 ounce NedlockZ jigs.  It is hard to detect a subtle winter Trout bite when you can not feel your fingers.  Elliott and I missed several fish but eventually  I got lucky and nailed this one.  Our first fish of 2018.

Fishing was tough on New Years Day but Elliott and I were glad we kept the tradition going.

Happy New Year.

First Fish on New Shimano Asquith

For months, I have been wanting a Shimano Asquith 8 weight for the winter Redfish season.  The other day, I finally pulled the trigger.   On the same day, I rigged it up and took it fishing.  At the time, the tide was not optimal for Redfish.  So, Trout were my target of the day.   Thankfully, I got this guy right off the bat.  The first of hopefully many.

The Asquith is effortless to cast and added several feet to my casting distance.   So far, I love it!

Don’t Fool with Mother Nature

Years ago, there was a commercial with the tag line “Don’t Fool with Mother Nature”. This weekend, I was reminded of such. After weeks of catching fish, seemingly at will, Mother Nature reminded me who the boss really was. Unusually warm weather and full moon tides confused fish and anglers alike. All weekend long, the things that were biting the most were Gnats.

It was not particularly difficult to locate fish, especially Trout. Using the depth sounder, we could clearly see the Trout holding on channel ledges in 15 to 20 feet of water. Getting them to bite was the real challenge. Each time we located a school, we would get a couple Trout to bite. However, the bulk of the fish were not eating. Downsizing our lures and slowing our retrieve cadence helped to get more strikes. Z-Man TRD TubeZ (PB&J) and TRD (Bubblegum) were the most productive lures. Given the strong full moon tides, we fished the lures on 1/5 ounce NedlockZ jigs. At times, when the current was really strong, we resorted to quarter ounce jigs. I never use quarter ounce jigs. Thankfully, we found one pack in the bottom of my tackle box.

After a tough day on Saturday, I called several friends. All reported similar results. We thought we would easily catch 50 to 100 fish and struggled to release 20. I keep telling myself, that catching 20 fish is not bad. But, after the hot bite we have enjoyed for the past several weeks, it sure feels like it.

Hopefully, Mother Nature is done teaching me a lesson.

Liking the NedLockZ

Recently, I have been experimenting with a couple of finesse lures.  The Z-Man TubeZ and Trick ShotZ.  Being smaller profile lures, it is critical to match them with a jig that will let them perform their best.  After weeks of experimentation, I have settled on the Z-Man NedLockZ jig.  This combination has been highly productive on Redfish and Trout.  Especially, in post cold front situations.   On windy days or when fishing in deeper water with current, the 1/5 ounce NedlockZ gets the nod.  On calm days or when fishing shallow, the 1/6 ounce jig is preferred.

It takes a little finesse to consistently catch fish!