Fishing Experiences & Techniques
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
Salt Marsh Skiffs Heron 16
Picking up the new skiff on Monday! Thanks to the team at Salt Marsh Skiffs for a great build process. Can’t wait to get the Heron home and out on the water. Stay tuned for updates and fish pictures. Lots of fish pictures!
Todd Van Hoosier with a Good Redfish
Last week, I sold my trusty Mitzi Skiff to make room for the arrival of my new Salt Marsh Heron. If all goes well, I should take delivery of the new skiff in early November. In the interim, I am limited to fishing with friends on their boats. Thankfully, I have a lot of friends with boats!
On Friday, Todd Van Hoosier invited me to fish with him. We were joined by fellow Daniel Island Inshore Fishing Club member, Dave Twitchell. The tide was falling when we launched Todd’s boat. Our plan was to target Redfish until low tide. One benefit of being a guest and not the boat captain is that I can focus on learning new lures and techniques. Recently, I have been experimenting with the Z-Man Trick ShotZ on a Ned LockZ mushroom head jig. Friday was a good opportunity to practice with the new lure. After a short boat run, Todd stopped at a small channel that drains an expansive shallow area. It only took a few minutes to locate a big school of Redfish. Unfortunately, the Redfish felt our approach and spooked away from the boat. I made a long cast in front of the departing fish and a not-so-smart Redfish ate my lure. Sometimes, it pays to be lucky.
After a quick move to another shallow area, we located another school of Redfish. The school was so shallow that we could often see their backs out of the water. However, the fish never came within casting distance of Todd’s flats boat. Situations like this are perfect for my new Salt Marsh Heron. Technical skiffs are smaller and lighter than a flats boat. As such, they can get into much shallower water. In two weeks (upon delivery of my new skiff), I plan to pay this school of Redfish another visit.
We fished several more locations throughout the afternoon and caught fish pretty much everywhere we fished. But, we never found a truly hot bite. We ended the day releasing 15 to 20 fish. While we did not catch a lot of fish, we had a great day. Good weather. Good friends. Great time. Thanks Todd!
Received a couple of update pictures from the team at Salt Marsh Skiffs. My Heron is coming together nicely. In a few more weeks, it will be prowling the Lowcountry shallows.
Windy conditions (and a trip to the mountains) limited my local fishing time this week. However, I did brave the wind a few times before heading to the mountains. On those trips, the water was clear and 76 degrees. Perfect conditions for targeting Redfish, Trout and Flounder with lures. Recently, I have been experimenting with a Z-Man Trick ShotZ lure on a mushroom head jig. While I am still refining my technique, early results have been positive. Casting the Trick ShotZ into current seams using a snap and pause retrieve has been producing good numbers of fish. Creek mouths on the falling tide have been particularly good.
Of course, the StreakZ 3.75 is still my favorite lure but the Trick ShotZ is quickly becoming a close second. As the water cools and the fish begin to slow down, I believe the Trick ShotZ will become even more effective. So, I am practicing now in preparation for Winter.
The other day, I fished with a friend who prefers to fish with live bait. On the day of our trip, he was using mud minnows on a quarter ounce lead head jig. We took turns casting to the current seams. Both methods (lures and mud minnows) produced equally well. Regardless of how you prefer to fish, now is the time to fish!
As the days get shorter and the water gets cooler, fishing will improve from very good to great (and possibly even epic). The Cooper and Wando Rivers are full of Trout and Redfish that are schooling up and feeding voraciously. If there is such a time when fishing and catching are synonymous, this is that time. Don’t miss it.
The team at Salt Marsh Skiffs is building my new skiff (a Heron 16). In a few weeks, I hope to have it in the Lowcountry. Just in time for some fantastic Fall fishing. Really looking forward to stalking winter schools of Redfish On the Fly. Being light, with a shallow draft and very quiet, the Heron is an excellent platform for this style of fishing.
Stayed tuned for more updates.