The first top water redfish of the year!

Thanks to everyone that attended the community fishing class at the Daniel Island Library. Your support for the Lucy Boyle Memorial Fund and Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is greatly appreciated. Daniel Island is a wonderful place. Yes, it is beautiful. But it’s the people that make it wonderful.

After the fishing class, I went fishing for a couple of hours. It was breezy and the tide was not optimal, but I managed to release several trout and a few redfish before calling it a day around 3 p.m. As I was cleaning up the boat, the wind began to lay down. While eating a late lunch, I decided to launch the Pathfinder again at 6 p.m. and target redfish with top water lures.

When I re-launched the bay boat, conditions were perfect for top water fishing. The tide was approaching dead low and the wind was dead calm. After a short run, I quietly approached a shallow oyster bar using the trolling motor. When in easy casting distance of the bar, I deployed the power pole and began looking for redfish. It took a few minutes, but soon a school of redfish cruised up to the oyster bar looking for something to eat. I cast a Zara Spook top water lure ahead of the school and let it sit. The strike looked like someone dropped a bowling ball into the water. It was so violent, that I was taken slightly aback. Thankfully, the redfish was the cooperative type and it swam away from the oysters. As I fought the fish, it occurred to me that this was the first top water redfish of the year!

After a quick picture and successful release, I decided to sit down, drink a cold beer and enjoy the sunset. When the sun disappeared behind Daniel Island, I thought this is a wonderful place.

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.