Tag: Lowcountry

Too Hot to Fish

A few years ago, there was a county music song with the lyrics “too hot to fish”. On Saturday, with the optimal tide occurring during the middle of the day, the lyrics to that song kept popping into my head. With the heat index hovering around 110 degrees, fishing was not very much fun. Despite my best efforts to stay hydrated, after a few hours in the intensely hot sun, I started to feel the symptoms of heat exhaustion. It is not fun (or safe) to fish with a pounding headache and being light headed. So, I quit fishing early on Saturday and did not fish at all on Sunday. It was literally, too hot to fish!

Thankfully, an early morning start (on Saturday) got us on to a solid Spanish Mackerel bite in the harbor. The Mackerel were chasing schools of glass minnows. Since a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Blue Back Herring) on a 1/8-ounce Trout Eye Finesse jig looks just like a glass minnow, the Spanish Mackerel readily ate our lures. On our first casts into the feeding school, David (my brother) and I each hooked a fish. Doubles! My son, Elliott, volunteered to take a picture. As he took the shot, my fish started vigorously flipping its tail and slapping David in the face. We all found this to be uproariously funny. Well, at least Elliott and I did.

Fishing in the late summer can be tough. Take it from me. Get out early and get back early (before it gets too hot). Unless of course, you like country music.

After the storm

The storm that rolled through the Lowcountry yesterday afternoon snarled traffic, dropped hail and put on an awesome (and dangerous) electrical show.  Delayed launching the skiff  (I am scared of lightning) until after the storm subsided.  Caught a bunch of Trout and Ladyfish on a Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 (Blue Back Herring) on a 1/8th ounce Eye Strike finesse jig.  Also, got this shot of my son (Captain Elliott) casting to a tailing Redfish.

The storm was bad.  The traffic was awful.  The fishing was pretty darn good!

Sometimes, a change is good


Sometimes, a change is good. Typically, I prefer to fish with flies and lures. However, my friend Donna Crocker, likes to fish with live shrimp. So, when we fish together, a coin flip determines which method we will use. On this fishing trip, I lost the coin toss.

We launched the skiff late in the afternoon near the end of the falling tide. It only took a few casts of the net to catch enough shrimp for a few of hours of fishing. Our plan was to look for feeding predators in shallow water (by observing shrimp jumping on the surface). Once located, casting a live shrimp on a lead head jig into the area often produces a Redfish, Trout or Flounder. In the summertime, this is a very reliable fishing pattern. Especially, during lower stages of the tide.

For the first hour or so of this trip, smaller fish were prevalent (at last for Donna). I managed to complete an inshore slam and release a couple of 25-inch Reds. As always, when we fish together, there is a lively banter about who is fishing the best. For most of the trip, I got the best of this exchange. As the sun began to set, we made one last stop on the way back to the boat landing. Donna spotted several shrimps jumping and fired a cast right on top of them. The water exploded as a big Redfish attacked her jig and shrimp combination. Immediately, I knew I was in trouble. Donna was giving me a hard time before she even landed the fish. When the fish came to the skiff, I had to admit to defeat. Heading back to the boat landing, I pretended to be unable to hear Donna because of the sound of the outboard engine. This got us to laughing. It was a fitting end to a great fishing trip with a good friend.

On The Fly

This week, fishing in the late afternoon and early evening has been outstanding.  Redfish and Trout are chasing shrimp during lower stages of tide.  So, they are easy to find.  Locate jumping shrimp and there is a good chance you have found feeding fish.  A quick cast into the feeding area often produces a solid strike.

A sparsely tied tan Clouser Minnow is an excellent shrimp imitation.  As such, it has been my go to fly this week.  The bite is on.  Tie a few flies and go catch some fish.

Fishing Class on June 6 @ 6:30

This is what I look like when I am not fishing.  Since I fish most of the time, this is a rare photo (on the order of a big foot sighting).  Of course, when I am not fishing, I like to talk about fishing.  Please join me at The Charleston Angler (West Ashley location) on June 6 at 6:30.  I will cover patterns and techniques that help me to consistently catch fish and complete inshore slams.

 

Hope to see you there!

When fishing does not go as planned

Sometimes, a fishing trip does not go as planned. This was certainly the case on Friday evening. Elliott and I decided (at the last minute) to target Redfish on the fly. It was breezy but the wind was forecast to subside, making for challenging but fly fishable conditions. The wind did not subside. Elliott thought I was bringing my 8-weight flyrod and I thought he was bringing his. We ended up fishing with an inexpensive 6-weight flyrod that I keep on the skiff (for just such emergencies). It was way under-powered for the size fly (a chartreuse bead chain Clouser Minnow) and wind conditions (15 knots) but it was all we had.

Upon arrival at our designated fishing area (a shallow area with a slight channel), we immediately saw a small school of Redfish chasing shrimp. Elliott volunteered to pole the skiff and I took the bow with 6-weight fly rod in hand. My first, second and third casts were simply awful. The wind kept knocking my presentation off line or short. In such conditions, an 8-weight fly rod would have been a great help. For the next hour, we cast to several fish but it was more of the same. I resolved to buy an 8-weight fly rod and keep it on the skiff.

Just as I was about to give up, Elliott spotted a single Redfish tailing beside an oyster bar. It was a short downwind cast and my first accurate fly presentation of the evening. On the first strip, I felt weight and thought the fly had gotten hung up on the oyster bar. Very frustrated, I began cussing and tried to break the fly off. Then I realized, it was actually a Redfish. Elliott made a comment about “the worst hook up on the fly” he had ever seen. He was laughing so hard, I thought he would fall off the poling platform. I began laughing too.

We eventually caught, photographed and released the fish. Fly fishing can be a challenging endeavor. Especially, when you forget to bring your fly rod.

Daniel Island News – May 18

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!

Q&A

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.

As the tide begins to fall, shrimp and baitfish funnel out of the marsh through small drains and creek mouths.  Trout, Flounder and Redfish have this figured out and position themselves accordingly.  So I tend to fish this pattern early in the falling tide.

When the water flow from small drains and creek mouths  begins to slow down (and food is no longer being funneled), I move to larger creek mouths or marsh points that are still being swept by a good current.  These areas are predator feeding stations and should be productive until slack tide.

At the bottom of the tide, I focus on Redfish in shallow water.  Not just any shallow area but areas with oyster bars and a depth transition (like a channel).  Bait gets concentrated in these areas and Redfish can often be seen chasing it around.  They are literally fishing in a barrel.  Anglers with shallow draft skiffs can fish in the same barrel.

Three patterns for three stages of the tide.  I hope this helps.

 

Sunrise Redfish

As Summer approaches, the waterways will become increasingly more crowded.  Being on the water (even if you are not fishing) is great fun.  However, heavy boat traffic can negatively impact fishing.  So, in the Summer, I tend to fish very early in the morning or late in the evening.  This keeps me out of the heat of the day and in optimal fishing conditions.

Recently, Elliott (my son) and David (my brother) joined me for an early morning fishing trip.  We launched the skiff well before the sun cleared the tree line.  The air was crisp and a bit cool.  It made for a chilly run to our first fishing location (a large submerged oyster bar).  The tide was falling and formed a current seam as it passed over the bar.  As I positioned the skiff (using the trolling motor), we saw Trout busting baitfish in the seam.  Elliott and David cast Chug Bug poppers into the current seam and were rewarded with crushing strikes from hungry Trout.  As they were fighting their fish, I cast a Lucky Craft Sammy into the current seam.  After a few iterations of a twitch and pause retrieve, my lure was inhaled but a slot-size Redfish.  The sunrise was magnificent.  The top water bite was even better.

After photographing and releasing the fish, the three of us took a moment to appreciate the new day.  We exchanged no words.  We simply looked at one another, nodded and smiled.  Over the years, I have come to realize that fishing is not about catching fish.  It is about the experience you share with your family and friends.  Summer is almost here.  So, gather your family and friends and go fishing.  You will be rewarded with a lifetime of memories and that is the best catch of all.