Winter time and the fishing is easy

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Saturday was scheduled to be a non-fishing day. My skiff (and my yard) required some much needed attention. Blue skies, warm temperatures and a light breeze changed my plans pretty quickly. After completing a few required maintenance tasks, I launched my skiff around 2 p.m. The harbor was slick calm so I ran around Daniel Island to some small creeks off the Wando River. Some nice size trout were holding in the deeper holes and channels (especially around oysters or docks). Most of my bites came on a 1/8 lead head jig tipped with a black and chartreuse plastic body. I would cast the lure up current of the hole or channel and let the tide sweep the lure into position. In the winter trout usually bite quite softly, on Saturday they were striking very aggressively. Fishing quickly and moving from creek to creek, I managed to release 27 trout in about 2 hours. Winter time and the fishing is easy. Hey, isn’t that a line from Porgy and Bess?

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

Fresh Water Fishing Report at 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: Fair, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles. Catfish: Excellent, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, mullet, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 25 to 40 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.

Saltwater 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. A second fishing pier on Winyah Bay has now opened called 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. Slow activity.

Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier: Pier is open 24 hours a day. The Nature Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues. though Sat. Stingray caught with cut mullet