Between bad weather, skiff maintenance and my daughter (Maddie) graduating from college, I did not get to fish much last week. However, when I did manage to get out, fishing was quite good. Especially for big Redfish on the falling tide.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Elliott and I decided to fish the Cooper River and Clouter Creek. We launched the skiff at the newly renovated boat landing near Bellinger Island. Which, by the way, looks and functions great! After a quick run into the Cooper River, we began casting Z-Man MinnowZ (Pinfish) lures on quarter ounce Trout Eye jigs to creeks that were draining into the main river. It took a while to find the right drain but when we did it was game on with big Reds. Most of the fish were over the slot (of 23 inches). A few were way over the slot. Elliott caught the biggest one of the trip, a 30+ inch bruiser. As a bonus, Trout were also feeding in creek mouths. So, Elliott and I had steady action well into the evening.
The most productive technique was a long cast into the mouth of the creeks. We imparted an erratic jigging and wiggling retrieve as the tide swept the lure into the main river. Most of our strikes occurred in the current seam where the creek and river met. Trout were holding deeper and the Reds were feeding tight to the creek mouth. So, if a Redfish did not eat the lure, a few seconds later (in deeper water), a Trout usually did.
While I typically fish in the Wando River, Clouter Creek and the Cooper River system are full of Trout, Flounder and Redfish. So much so, that I believe I will be spending a bit more time there!
Recently, a few people have been asking questions about how the tide influences my approach to fishing. In the Lowcountry, we have a tidal range of 5 to 6 feet. Subsequently, we have a consistent 2 to 3 knot current as the tide rises and falls. Tidal range and current are helpful factors for anglers that plan accordingly.
My skiff drafts about 7 inches of water. Today, the Redfish were tailing in 5. So we had to take them on foot. Great day On The Fly.
The past few days have been very windy. So windy, that I abandoned my favorite finesse techniques and switched to power fishing mode with a quarter ounce Trout Eye Jig and Z-Man MinnowZ (Pearl Blue Glimmer) body. This combination casts well into the wind and stays in the strike zone despite the gale. Oh yeah, big Trout like it to too!
Top water fishing was tough yesterday. Super high tides and strong winds made me happy to catch just one (small) fish. However, the scenery was great!
The other day, I was working a school of Redfish in ultra shallow water. The Reds were very spooky so I was casting my lure (a Z-Man StreakZ on a Trout Eye Jig) onto the bank then pulling it into the water. This stealthy presentation was working well. After releasing a couple of decent size Redfish, I made another cast onto the bank. As I pulled the lure back into the water, I foul hooked this Flounder. As if that was not bad enough, the unlucky flat fish was keeper size. Typically, I release most of the fish I catch. However, this one was invited home for dinner.
For me, Summer begins when Redfish begin feeding on the surface. Last week, small pods of Redfish were chasing bait in the shallows. So I knew it was time to give top water a try. For the past few weeks, Trout have been crushing the new Rapala Skitter V. Turns out, Redfish like it too!
Last week while speaking at the Summerville Saltwater Anglers meeting, I was introduced to Grant Allison. Turns out Grant was working on a school project that required him to catch a Trout, Flounder and Redfish. The project was due this week and Grant needed a little help catching the fish. So I invited him to fish with me on Monday. It was blowing 20 knots when we launched the skiff. Rather than fight the elements, we tucked into a small creek and began casting Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 lures on 3/16th ounce Trout Eye finesse jigs. The bite was slow but Grant managed to release a few Trout and a Flounder. However, the Redfish eluded us. As the sun set, the wind finally let up. With just a few minutes of daylight left, we moved to a wind sheltered shallow area and immediately spotted a school of Redfish. It took a little doing but Grant finally got a Redfish to eat his StreakZ. Using the last rays of sunlight, we took a quick picture and released the fish.
bout what you see on the way to catch them. Took a bit of time recently to admire the scenes along the way. I wish my photography skills did them justice.