Fishing conditions were challenging but improving

Early in the week, fishing conditions were challenging. Water clarity was the rough equivalent of chocolate milk and tides were running well above normal. These conditions combined to shut down the Trout bite. However, the unusually high tides had Redfish tailing in the marsh grass. So on Wednesday afternoon, I set-out to target tailing Redfish. The water on the flat was clear but stained with tannin. It reminded me of a dark roast coffee from Starbucks. Before looking for fish, I tried several different color lures to determine which would be the most visible in the stained water. The most visible lure was a 5 inch Z-Man StreakZ (Pearl) rigged weedless on a 4/0 sixteenth ounce flutter hook. With lure selection complete, I began scanning the flat looking for Redfish. For the first 20 minutes, the flat was devoid of life. Thankfully, as the tide rose, Redfish tails began popping up all around me. Some were so shallow that their backs were completely out of the water. I cast the StreakZ well past the closest tail (so the splash would not spook the fish) and retrieved the lure on the surface until it was directly in the path of the fish. When I stopped the retrieve, the lure slowly sank to the bottom and the Redfish crushed it. The fight was a long one (that spooked all the other Redfish off the flat) but eventually a 30 inch class Redfish came to the skiff. On Saturday, water conditions improved considerably. The Trout bite did as well. Shrimp are still around in good numbers (which is a big surprise after all the rain). So the rest of October is looking pretty good for fishing and shrimping. Don’t miss it! Contact Capt. Greg at: captgregp@gmail.com and (843) 224-0099.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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