Rainy day question: ‘Are we having fun yet?’

After fishing every day for two weeks in the Wando River, I felt like exploring new areas. So, on Friday, my brother Dave and my old friend Corey Hume set out to fish the waters around the Isle of Palms. 

 

Weather conditions were simply awful. A strong breeze and a light but persistent rain made fishing uncomfortable and difficult. However, Dave and Corey are experienced tournament anglers and I felt confident we would catch fish.  

 

For the first hour or so, my confidence was misplaced. We caught zero fish and did not get enough bites to establish a reliable fishing pattern. Wet, windblown, and fishless, Corey asked, “Are we having fun yet?”

 

The next hour was more of the same. To tell the truth, I was thinking about quitting fishing and grabbing lunch at Red’s on the way home. It was a bit early for lunch, but I made a note of the idea.  

 

While counting down the minutes to lunch, I accidentally caught a trout on a depth transition from 10 to 15 feet of water. A quick check on the fish finder showed a school of fish holding at the bottom of the channel. We cast Z-Man Finesse TRD and StreakZ 3.75 lures to the school and all three of us hooked up. With the fishing pattern now established, we concentrated our fishing effort on 15-foot depth transitions and enjoyed a solid trout bite.

 

A couple of hours before low tide, we left the trout biting to look for redfish. We looked and looked and looked. No redfish to be found. The sun was getting low and we had a long ride home, so we pulled the plug and headed for the dock.  

 

Back in Beresford Creek, we noticed a couple of seagulls hovering over an oyster bar. This is often the sign of feeding fish. We circled back to the birds and spotted a school of redfish. Corey fired a long cast ahead of the school and his lure was immediately crushed by a 30-inch red.  

 

After releasing the fish, we collectively determined that was the best way to end the day. We each grabbed a drink, turned on the stereo and idled our way home.   

 

On the slow ride to the dock, we decided to take a selfie. As we crowded into the picture, Corey asked, “Are we having fun yet?” 

 

Sometimes, a picture is better than a thousand words.

 

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