Tag: daniel island

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!

Thanksgiving Week Fishing

Thanksgiving week was all about family, food and fishing.   When I was not eating, I was fishing with my family.  The bite was good all week if you adjusted your techniques to match the weather conditions.

Early in the week, the weather was warm and the barometer was steady.  My niece, Sarah, did great sight fishing Redfish in the shallows.

The next day, a cold front passed through bringing with it a light rain and cooler temperatures.  The falling barometer had the Trout feeding actively.  My brother in law (Mike) and nephew (Lee) released over 100 fish casting Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 on Finesse Jigs.

The next day brought blue skies and post cold front conditions.  My brother (Dave) and son (Elliott) doubled up On the Fly with a couple of nice Redfish.  The water was very clear and the fish were very easy to see.

Today, my wife (Amy) and I got out of the skiff to enjoy the perfect weather.  After a picnic lunch, we released a bunch of small Trout.  Post cold front had the Trout in deeper about (10-15 feet).  Once located, vertical jigging a Z-Man TubeZ on NedlockZ jig kept us in steady action.

Fishing with Friends

Yesterday, I fished with my old friend and longtime fishing buddy Ben.  Back in the day, when I used to guide, Ben was one of my favorite fishing clients.  Now, we are good friends that like to fish together.

Ben got this one on a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Blue Back Herring) on a Finesse jig.  When I get to be Ben’s age, I hope I can fish like he does!

 

Rigged and Ready

Salt Marsh Heron 

Over the past few weeks, I have fished the Heron in a variety of conditions.  From super shallow on calm days to submerged ledges in a nasty chop, in all situations, the skiff performed flawlessly.  Thus, I declare the new skiff Rigged and Ready to Roll!

Finesse Techniques Producing Fishing

Yesterday, was windy and cold.  Post cold front conditions made producing fish a bit of a challenge.  However, by using my fish finder to locate Trout holding on a ledge in 10 feet of water and vertical jigging a Z-Man TubeZ on a NedlockZ jig, I put together a pretty good day.  The bite was very light and it took a good bit of concentration to feel it.  On days like yesterday, a light and sensitive tackle system made a big difference.

As winter approaches, post cold front conditions will become the norm.  If you want to consistently catch fish in the winter, I recommend finesse!

 

First Cold Front of the Season

 

Cold and Windy Trout On the Fly

This week, one of the first cold fronts of the season passed through the Lowcountry. Leaving behind, strong northeasterly winds and lower water temperatures. These conditions are a mixed blessing for anglers. When the wind is blowing against the tide, the Wando River can be downright nasty. However, anglers willing to brave the rough conditions will often find ravenous schools of Trout and Redfish.

On Friday and Saturday, the nasty conditions kept me off the water. On Sunday, conditions were not much better but Elliott and I decided to go fishing anyway. The Wando River was rough but my new skiff handled the chop extremely well. After a short run up river, Elliott and I began fishing on a shallow flat with a slight channel running through it. I cast a Z-Man TRD TubeZ on a 1/5 ounce NedlockZ jig into the channel and erratically hopped the lure back to the boat. Halfway through my retrieve, a Redfish crushed the lure. While I was fighting the fish, Elliott staked the skiff with the Power Pole Micro and fired a cast into the channel. He hooked a Redfish as well. We released our fish and then immediately caught two more. After releasing the second set of fish, we decided to put away the spinning tackle and switch to flyrods. Given the strong breeze, casting was a bit of a challenge. It took me a few tries but I eventually made a long cast into the channel. The fly, a chartreuse Clouser Minnow, was eaten immediately. Elliott and I figured it was another Redfish but when it came to the skiff it was a nice size Trout.

We continued to work the channel with our flyrods and enjoyed steady action with Trout and Redfish. The fish were still biting when a strong gust of wind caught my front cast and the fly hit me in the arm. Good thing the fly was tied on a barbless hook. It came right out and only hurt a little bit. Just enough to convince me it was time to stop fly-fishing.

Conditions on Sunday were not optimal but Elliott and I managed to catch a good number of fish. I even caught myself!

Salt Marsh Update

More Redfish on the Salt Marsh Heron

After a few of more trips on the Salt Marsh Heron, I even more impressed with how it performs.  My low cruise speed at 4,200 RPMs is 25 MPH.  When I am in a hurry, the fast cruise speed at 4,800 RPMs is around 30 MPH.  The Evinrude ETEC 60 is a great match for the Heron.   Recently, the Redfish and Trout have been on a post cold front pattern and are holding a little deeper.  So, I have not been in the ultra-shallow water that I normally fish in.  However, I have been surprised by how well the skiff handles open water.  In the chop, a little bit of trim tab smooths things right out.  The skiff is dry as well.  So far, the Salt Marsh Heron is exceeding my expectations.

This week, the fishing slowed down a bit but it is still very good.  The post productive technique (for the post cold front conditions) has been erratically bouncing a Z-Man Trick ShotZ on a NedLockZ jig down depth transitions.  My new favorite Trick ShotZ color is Twilight.  It seems to be what the Trout and Redfish want.

 

 

Scary Good Fishing

Trout on a Z-Man Trick ShotZ

Like Halloween, the fishing this week was scary good! On Saturday, I experienced perhaps the best Trout bite ever. My brother Dave and I were fishing a submerged oyster bar in the harbor. The bar was about 2 feet deep and directly adjacent to deeper water. We cast Z-Man Trick ShotZ on 1/5th ounce NedlockZ jigs on top of the bar and let the incoming tide sweep the lure into deeper water. Our retrieve was a slight jigging action. Trout in the 14 to 20-inch range were crushing the Trick ShotZ before it could hit the bottom. We caught fish on almost every cast.

After releasing 15 to 20 Trout each, we put away our spinning tackle and began casting flies into the area. Results were the same. More Trout! We literally got tired of catching them. So, we left them biting and went deep hole shrimping. The shrimp tricked us. After several casts of the deep hole net, we had zero shrimp. Dave and I debated catching more Trout but decided to target Redfish in the flooded marsh instead. A quick run run up the Wando, put us on a small school of Reds hanging around a shallow marsh channel. I cast a Trick ShotZ ahead of the first fish and it slowly swam forward and ate it. The fight was spirited and the Redfish won. Dave was still making fun of me when the school came back into casting range. He picked up his fly rod and made a quick presentation. A Redfish inhaled the fly as soon as it hit the water. Unfortunately for me, this one did not get away and I was reminded of it for the rest of the day.

Fishing is really good right now. REALLY GOOD! So, treat yourself to some Halloween fun and go fishing.

Day One on the Heron

Salt Marsh Redfish

Elliott stopped poling long enough to get a few of these

Got this guy on the first cast from the Heron!

Day number one on the Salt Marsh Heron was simply epic.  The wind was calm and the water was clear.  Perfect conditions to try out the new skiff.  Right away, the Heron exceeded my expectations.  It was easy to pole, floated shallow and extremely quiet.  Elliott poled me within 30 feet of the first school of Redfish we encountered.  The Reds did not seem to know we were there.  It was cool to watch them track the fly and see the strike.  We caught several fish and watched each one eat the fly.  The longest cast we had to make all day was 30 feet.  Fishing from the Heron will be up close and personal.  Just the way I like it!

The Heron performed well with the Etec 60.  Cruise at 4000 RPMs  was 25 MPH.  The highest RPM I hit today was 4800 and the GPS speed was 30 MPH.  So, the skiff has plenty of speed for my purposes.

It was flat calm today.  So, I did not get a chance to try the skiff in choppy conditions.  However, with winter coming, there will be plenty of time for that.

When the tide got into the marsh, Elliott and I switched our attention to Trout.  We made a quick run to a submerged ledge in about 10 feet of water.  I deployed the Minn Kota 55# thrust trolling motor and it easily pulled the skiff against the tide.  We cast Z-Man Trick ShotZ on NedlockZ 1/5 ounce jigs into the current and bounced them along the ledge.  They never bounced very far.  Trout pounced on the Trick ShotZ soon as it hit the bottom.  Strong Trout bite today.

Day number one is in the books.  It was a day to remember.  Very happy that my son, Elliott, was there to share it with me.