Cast, catch, release and repeat
According to the fashion police, summer is officially over. Please don’t tell the fish! They don’t wear white pants anyway. The water temperature is now in the low 80-degree range. So, the fish are more comfortable and eating like I do at Orlando’s Pizza (which is a lot). For the next several weeks, I expect the late summer fishing party to continue and top water lures like the Rapala Skitterwalk SW08 are my preferred party favor.
Early Saturday morning, the party was going strong. I launched the skiff into the last of the falling tide. It was dark, but moonlight made navigating the Wando River no problem. A quick run to a shallow area with scattered oyster bars put me in prime trout and redfish feeding territory. I made a long cast with my bone-colored Skitterwalk. It was still dark enough that I did not see where it landed but I did hear it splash. Happy that the lure landed in the water, I began a slow twitch and pause retrieve. I still could not see the lure, but I heard and felt the strike. The fish made powerful runs and I assumed it was a redfish. However, when it came to the skiff, it was a large trout. I carefully released the fish and made another cast. Another trout blasted the lure. The trout party continued until the sun came up and I could see a school of redfish feeding down the shoreline. The fish were moving towards me, so I simply waited for them to get into casting distance. As I awaited their arrival, I took a minute to admire my surroundings. Sunrise over the marsh is a beautiful sight. When the school moved into casting distance, I made a long cast ahead of the school and a redfish ate the lure immediately.
When fishing top water lures, I set the drag on my reels to be pretty light. This helps to keep from pulling the hooks when large fish make long runs. With the cooler water temperatures, the redfish put up a feisty fight. After a few minutes, the light drag wore the redfish down and it came to the boat for a picture prior to release.
When I looked up from releasing the redfish, another school was approaching. It was like instant replay for the next two hours. Cast, catch, release and repeat. It was perhaps the best top water bite I have experienced in the Wando River. It was a party. A really good party!
Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.