Random Lowcountry winter weather makes fishing unpredictable

Winter in the Lowcountry is pretty random. One day, the weather is 70 degrees and beautiful. The next day is super windy and cold. Unfortunately, last Saturday was more of the latter.

A strong (and cold) northerly wind made for rough and tough fishing conditions. The wind was so strong that I found myself fishing in marginal areas that were sheltered from the gale. While these areas are good for comfort, they did not produce a single fish. After a couple of fishless hours, I decided to go where the fish were (as if I actually knew where the fish were).

Conditions in the Wando River were a bit sporty. But my Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid eats up the rough stuff and I was able to comfortably run upriver at 40 miles per hour.

Upon my arrival at a dock with reasonably clear water and lots of oysters, I cut the main engine and deployed the trolling motor. The wind was howling, and the constant wave action made water clarity extremely poor. Without much hope or confidence, I fired a cast to the base of the dock. To my surprise, a redfish ate the Z-Man Finesse TRD. It was a tiny redfish, but I was ecstatic. I had officially exceeded my expectations by one fish! Of course, that redfish ended up being the only fish on Saturday. It was a really rough and tough day.

Thanks for the tremendous interest in the cold-water fishing class. Brody and I are looking forward to sharing a few cold-water techniques in January. Stay tuned for more details about the free class next week.

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