Rainy fishing adventure brings in good catch and porpoise watching

***image1*** Daniel Island Fishing Report

The weather on Saturday was forecast to be mostly sunny and warm. So naturally, I was not surprised when Saturday morning dawned cloudy, rainy and cold. I figure being a weather forecaster is very similar to being a tournament fisherman. Everyone knows the results (good or bad).

I was joined on Saturday by my son Elliott and fellow Island resident John McLure. We launched my skiff at 7:30 a.m., about 90 minutes before high tide, so we could get under the bridge near Blackbaud Stadium. This was an excellent plan for getting under bridges, but left something to be desired in the area of catching fish. We spent 2 hours sitting in the rain waiting for the tide to turn. Right in the middle of my elaborate explanation of why fish don’t bite during slack tide, we caught a couple of trout. I am beginning to empathize with weather forecasters!

After a few more casts, we decided to make the run to the upper Wando River. This turned out to be a good decision. The trout were not stacked up, but we did have pretty consistent action on ¼ ounce lead head jigs tipped with gulp shrimp or electric chicken soft plastic bodies. After catching and releasing 10 or so trout, we decided to try our hand with the redfish.

The run to my favorite redfish flat only took a few minutes. The cold rain and 15 knot northeasterly wind made it seem like hours. During the run I was thinking to myself, are we having fun yet? Shortly after arriving on the flat, John hooked up with a nice 26 inch redfish. Elliott and I took turns with fish of similar size. We are all now feeling much warmer and definitely having fun! Our good fortune was fleeting as a pod of porpoise moved onto the flat. Watching porpoise chase redfish in less than a foot of water is very entertaining. It is a spectacle of nature to behold. It is also not very good if you are fishing for redfish!

Off to another flat, then another and another. Our last stop before heading home (or to the emergency room for hypothermia), we found another school of fish. John was able to spot, catch and release 3 more redfish in the 28 inch range. The water was very clear and 51 degrees. All reds were caught on gulp shrimp. Winter is a great time to fish. Next time the weather forecast is for sunny and warm, put on your rain gear and go have some fun!

If you have any questions about my reports or fishing in the waters surrounding our Island, please feel free to email me at captaingreg@shallowwatercharters.com.

Lake Moultrie

Largemouth Bass: Fair, cast spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure. Also cast Rattletraps and Rapala lures around Pinopolis Point and Old Hatchery. Striped Bass: Fair, casting and trolling. Crappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles. Catfish: Good, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, mullet, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 35 to 50 feet deep on bottom. Bream: Fair. Try using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors, crappie beds and around the dam around grates at powerhouse. Shellcrackers: Slow, try redworms and green worms along the banks along river runs and points.

Fishing Trends at the Piers

Winyah Bay Fishing and Observation Pier (Georgetown): Open 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, with free parking and fishing. Visitors also enjoy great bird watching. A Freshwater Fishing License is required due to brackish water.

Hobcaw Point Observation and Fishing Pier. Slow activity reported.

Folly Beach Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. April through October. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Nov. Open 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Dec. through Jan. Whiting and blues caught with cut mullet.