Z-Man – Page 3 – Captain Greg Peralta

Fishing with The Charleston Angler Crew

Paul & Dave from The Charleston Angler

Wind and rain dominated the fishing scene this week. However, when I did manage to get out, the Trout and Redfish were biting. Earlier in the week, while at The Charleston Angler, my brother Dave, Paul Speranza and I were wondering how the bite was in the upper Wando. None of us had ventured up that way since the snow storm. Rather than continue to wonder, we decided to go find out. On Saturday, we launched into the last of the falling tide. A thick fog made navigating up river an interesting endeavor. Thankfully, my new skiff is equipped with a Garmin 54CV GPS/depth finder. The Garmin allowed us to make the trip in near zero visibility.

Upon arrival up river, we began casting Z-Man TRD Ned Rigs and TubeZ lures around docks and drop offs. The water temperature was 54 degrees (which is close to normal for this time of year) but the fishing was slow. We tried shallow and deep-water locations but we could not locate a large concentration of feeding fish. A few Trout is all we could manage in the first hour or two of fishing. Rather than continue scouting, we decided to head back down river and catch some fish. The fog had lifted by then so the run back down river was a quick one.

We stopped at a submerged oyster bar outside of Horlebeck Creek. On the first cast to the bar, I hooked an over-slot Redfish. Paul and Dave followed suit. At last, we had located a school of hungry fish. After releasing several Reds, we switched our attention to Trout in deeper water. It took a bit of looking, but we found a few schools holding along depth transitions in 10 to 15 feet of water. They were hungry too!

On the ride back to the boat landing, we laughed about wearing T-shirts and flip flops to fish in February. A far cry from fishing in the snow a few weeks ago. Hopefully, the warming trend holds and fishing continues to improve. Especially in the upper Wando.

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.

Neko Rig

Redfish on a Neko Rig

For several weeks, I have been experimenting with the Neko Rig. Most of the lures that I experiment with often end up in a discard pile in my garage. However, the Neko Rig has found a permanent place in my tackle box. When large schools of Redfish become spooky, the Neko Rig is now my go to lure. It casts well (on light tackle) and Redfish tolerate the lure landing in close proximity to the school. It is also a very easy lure to work. Just cast it and let is slowly sink to the bottom. Once on the bottom, I just let it sit. The current does all the work for you. Typically, it will not sit for very long. Redfish can not resist the Neko Rig.

The Neko Rig really shines when fishing over oyster bars or along the edges of the salt marsh. It rarely gets hung up. Even in the most gnarly situations.

My favorite lures for the Neko Rig are the Z-Man Hula StickZ or Big TRD. For weight, a 1/16th or 1/8th ounce nail-type weight provide a slow and undulating rate of descent that triggers Redfish to strike. This version of the Neko Rig is pretty light. So it is important to match your tackle to the lure. I prefer a Shimano Zodias 6’8″ Light rod with a 1000 frame Ci4 reel.

If you want to learn more about the Neko Rig, stop by the Z-Man booth at the Shallow Water Expo (on Saturday, January 20). I will be hanging out at the lure tank. Happy to share information and answers any questions.

January Event Schedule

On January 20, I will be at the Shallow Water Expo in the Z-Man and Shimano booths. Please stop by and say hello. I will be sharing techniques and tackle systems that will help you catch more fish.

The Charleston Boat Show is the following weekend. On the 27th, I will be in the Ankona / Salt Marsh Skiffs booth. While in the booth, I plan to share finesse techniques for cold water success. Also, I am happy to answer your fishing or skiff questions too!

Hope to see you at the shows.

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.

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!