Aug
22
Generally, mother nature rewards only the most determined anglers. This youngster is reaping his rewards…
Aug
21
October 2009… The first annual Rodgers’ family fishing trip
Aug
20
Dizzying redfish action characterizes fall fishing in Charleston. The reds attacked our baits until the live wells were empty and my hands were bleeding from re-rigging lines. There was way too much chaos to count the number of fish we landed on this charter but that’s a good thing in this context.
Aug
6
I had the pleasure of fishing with Katie and her family this past week while they where visiting the Isle of Palms. This young lady could do it all from redfish and flounder to this nice speckled sea trout, it was a great day fishing the Charleston Harbor and surrounding flats and estuaries.
Jul
29
Can’t argue with your son at 5 am when asked if we can go fishing.
Jul
27
Teaching locals how to fish Charleston waters is one of my favorite charters to run. Unfortunately, I rarely ever remember to take pictures when I take them fishing. Last weekend I spent the morning showing Adam, a Mt Pleasant resident, how to catch bait and where to find redfish when the weather heats up. Adam has gone on at least a dozen fishing charters or “classes” since our first trip last October and this is the first photo I’ve ever taken.
How to catch big redfish in Charleston
Jul
27
High heat, above average water temperatures and abundant bait for redfish make fishing in Charleston waters challenging during summer months. Fortunately, Brett was willing to leave the docks at Shem Creek at daybreak before the heat kicked in. The early start helped make Brett’s introduction to fishing in Charleston a success.
Jul
17
On their return trip the redfish treated them right. When we first met in the early spring the tide was rising and the wind was was out of the SW at 20, the conditions were tough to say the least. We worked hard and got a few. Second go around, just the opposite. Perfect, the tide was falling and wind light and variable, the bite was on.
Jul
13
Day break/sunrise can be the most spectacular time of the day for catching redfish in Charleston.
Jul
13
I wanted to let you know that Joseph and I had a great time fishing. It was the highlight of our trip. We will definitely be calling you the next time we head to Charleston.
Jul
13
Legare, here a picture of the 8# 30″ red that Erin caught when she and I went fishing with you. I appreciate all that you did to make sure that she had a quality experience. We both had a great time. If we get back down to Charleston, We’ll look you up.
Jun
2
Generally, most anglers and fishing guides in Charleston avoid being on the water on big holiday weekends. Memorial Weekend is well-known for insane boat traffic and less than optimal fishing conditions. Last week’s flood tides made this Memorial Weekend perfect for spending time with the family on land. Against my advice, I took some diehard clients on a fishing charter early Sunday morning. Fortunately, the clients were willing to leave the Isle of Palms Marina at 5:30 AM allowing us time to travel up the Intracostal Waterway by moonlight to our first destination 20 minutes north of IOP. Although the moonlight helped me navigate in the dark it also allowed the redfish to eat through the night further decreasing our chances of encountering nonstop action.
We found an unnamed flat protected by marsh grasses and a labyrinth of oyster beds near Copahee Sound where the redfish likely took refugee from the heavy boat traffic. Before first light we started casting live shrimp and mud minnows under weighted floats to schools of reds. I think we all had a that sinking gut feeling of getting skunked after no bites the first hour.
After sunrise, the redfish awoke and were surprisingly hungry. Against the odds, the redfish bite turned on and both anglers stayed busy for nearly 2 hours. The action was so good I didn’t have a chance to take pictures and everybody lost count of how many redfish we landed and lost – call it a baker’s dozen.
About 3 hours prior to high tide the bite turned off as suddenly as it turned on in the flats. We had enough time to catch a few bonus fish around Bulls Bay before calling it a day. Two more reds and a 14″ seatrout were landed before the fish moved into the grass at slack tide. The moderately paced action was actually a good thing because it gave me a chance to take the one picture below.
The unofficial count for the day: 14 redfish in the slot+ size range, 1 keeper size seatrout, 10 hookups that either broke the line or spit out the hook. A great day with ideal fishing conditions.
One of the last redfish landed. Too much action to photograph the first 13 reds caught that morning.
May
25
This morning’s fishing trip was a blast. The client was an experienced angler from the Netherlands who has fished all over the world and this morning was his first experience catching redfish in Charleston. We left Shem Creek around daybreak and spent a few hours catching seatrout with artificial lures – awesome topwater action. When the tide was right we moved to the ICW behind Isle of Palms and prepared for serious redfish action – an experience fishing guide doesn’t take a someone’s first experience catching redfish lightly! After poling around the flats and casting a variety of bait for an hour or so we found the spot. The pictures tell the story best.
Apr
9
The whole family was in town for Easter so what do you do? Take six children fishing off the dock. Everyone having fun and catching sheepshead as we watch the boats go up and down all day
Apr
7
Early April is typically a difficult time to catch redfish. I ran half a dozen trips out Isle of Palms Marina the first week of April. I fished different spots each charter and produced about the same results. The rising water temperatures are breaking up schools of reds found in shallow flats during the winter. Figuring out what they’re eating during seasonal transitions is challenging. Until the menhaden return to the Charleston Harbor (hopefully later this month) daily catches will vary. This time of year catching 6 or more big spottail bass on a half-day chater is a good day.
Apr
7
Left the Isle of Palms marina before daybreak searching for redfish. Pressure from increased fishing activity this time of year leads to frequent early morning fishing charters depending on tides. We reached the skinny waters of Hamlin Sound in about 10 minutes. I pushed through the flats for a good 15 minutes before spotting some tailing fish. The first few fish were caught sight casting to schooling redfish with artificial lures but, live mullet was easily their preference. The bite turned on around 7:30 AM and the reels screamed until we ran out of bait and headed home for an early lunch.
Apr
6
SC Department of Natural Resources recently published an article that’s loaded with quality information about seatrout or speckled trout fishing in the Charleston area. Learn how to catch specks from local Charleston anglers with years of all season fishing experience. Most inshore and flats fishing charter captains will be glad to show you their favorite trout spots and how to catch them using fly tackle or artificial lures.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/magazine/pubs/novdec2009/seatrout.html
Feb
27
The water temperature in the intracostal waterway between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms has been above 60 degrees for the past 10 days. I’ve run early morning and afternoon fishing charters for the past week and the redfish bite has been improving every day.
Finding redfish during spring months is half the battle. Redfish eating habits have been a bit finicky. I pushed into a school of hundreds of reds and threw everything at them – live minows, crab, soft plastics, top water lures, the whole tackle box – and not a single bite! While stalking redfish this week I saw multiple schools of shrimp, blue crab and mullet so reds have a diverse menu.
