Redfish and trout have been active during the past winter.

What a winter! Or rather, what winter? Day after day of unseasonably warm weather has been an angler’s dream. Our fishery has remained active throughout the last few months and is building towards what should be an awesome spring.

Redfish remain in massive schools numbering in the hundreds as they try to avoid dolphins and stay warm. You’ll find these schools on mud flats as well as shallow banks that provide cover. On sunny days, redfish are especially drawn to the flats as the mud retains an extra few degrees of warmth. You’ll find the best fishing tends to be around low tide when these reds are balled up tight together.

Artificial jerk shad lures are a very popular option when casting to these schools. Bigger 4”-5” lures in darker tones that imitate the natural bait in the water have been quite effective. We’ve been particularly lucky with grey lures that have some sparkle or pearl white. I always pair these lures with a flutter hook, usually size 3/0. The flutter hook when combined with a loop knot provides great action and really entices those redfish.

For trout aficionados, this winter has been a welcome change to the past two winters that had very cold temperatures that pushed the trout bite back weeks if not months. We’ve been catching trout in modest numbers and often while targeting reds. It really feels like trout will be flourishing in March as opposed to May this year.

As trout become more active, popping corks cast along grass banks and over oyster beds will be a good bet paired with mud minnows. I usually use a 18”-24” leader and a size 1 circle hook. When working the popping cork, always try to keep slack out of your line and when that cork drops just reel tight to set the hook. You’ll find that the circle hook will do most of the work for you.

This a great time of year for fly fishing. Sight fishing abounds and stalking a school of a hundred plus fish is so exciting you almost fall off the bow with anticipation. Smaller flies in darker colors are working best and a black clouser minnow is a fine example. Remember when the fish hits, resist the temptation to lift your rod tip and strip strike instead.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com  or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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Cool days and lower water temperatures are setting our fishery on fire! Redfish and trout know they need to eat heartily now or go hungry over the winter. Fortunately, our waters are teeming with shrimp and mullet encouraging these fish to strap the feedbags on. If you have put fishing on hold for the rest of the year, get your tackle out and hit the water – you won’t regret it!

Redfish have begun to start schooling up as usual during this time of year. It has made for some fantastic fishing on the flats. On several charters, we’ve watched packs of redfish with their backs out of the water rushing up and down the banks chasing bait. Sometimes, the action has been so frenzied that birds will hover overhead picking up the scraps. Water clarity has been mixed so we’ve been casting darker artificial lures at these schools. Black with gold flakes has been a particularly productive color.

For trout, artificial paddle tail lures have begun to really produce. We fish them on a 1/4oz. jighead and vary the rate of retrieve. Again, we’ve been staying with darker bodies and Bass Assasain’s Chicken On A Chain or D.O.A.’s Fiji Chicken both work well. To make that jighead even more attractive, try putting a piece of shrimp on the hook. You can use pieces of live or frozen shrimp and it will put a scent trail on your lure that is hard to resist.

At the end of September, we had some massive tailing tides with high tides over seven feet. It made for a great opportunity for fly fishermen to stalk redfish up in the grass. The standard spoon fly with a good weed guard worked best. Watching redfish explode in a foot of water when they eat your fly is downright heart stopping. It can take lots of casts to get just one fish but it is worth the effort. Note that we have another series of big tides at the end of October.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages.

For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 324-3332, visit his website at charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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Fall is finally here! The fine fishing that accompanies this change in season has already begun. No more need to be on the water at first light to scratch out a few hours of fishing before the hot temperatures turn the bite off. Anglers can expect all species of fish to feed more aggressively. And, oh yeah, there will be much less traffic on the water to boot!

Recently, we’ve been casting artificials to redfish on the flats at low tide and found them to be finicky. So, back to the tried and true cracked blue crab. Set up your boat a good distance from the school and wait for the redfish to come back to you. We’ve been using size 3/0 circle hooks and it’s really important to make sure the hook point comes out nice and clean from the crab to ensure a good hook set. It’s best to put the rod in a holder and only pick it up once the drag starts singing.

The top water trout bite has really been smoking first thing in the morning. A creature of habit, I usually start with Super Spook Jrs. My favorite colors are black head/chartreuse body and silver shad. If these aren’t working, I’ll switch over to a lure with a slimmer profile like Yo Zuri’s banana boat. Remember to alternate your rate of retrieve until you find one that works. As an added bonus, we’ve been having big redfish bull rush these lures and absolutely crush them.

The flounder season has been one of the better ones in recent memory. Finger mullet fished under a popping cork has been working very well. Some of our best bites have come at low tide either around rock piles or along sandy bottoms. It hasn’t been unusual for a client to tell me they are stuck on something only to watch the rod tip start dipping up and down. Several flounder in the 3-4lb. range have made it into the boat recently.

Fly fishing has been best during big high tides or “tailing tides” when the redfish are way up in the grass. This produces very exciting fishing as anglers can see the backs and tails of redfish as they put their noses in the mud to forage for crabs. Spoon flies have been particularly effective and we’ve been using Dupre’s spoon fly in their root beer color quite often. When casting to redfish, remember to lead the fish by several feet — hitting them square on the head will cause them to spook and race away.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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No doubt it has been a hot summer, but it hasn’t slowed down the fishing. Anglers leaving first thing in morning have been rewarded with hungry redfish and trout.  All tactics, whether it be artificials, live bait or flies have been working well. Add all the seasonal species present to the mix and you have some great fishing.

We’ve been targeting redfish with artificial lures, especially around low tide. The longer jerk shad lures that worked so well in the spring are still productive. However, we have had better luck throwing smaller, darker artificials like Zman’s Streakz curly tail grub in black/gold flake. With both, we have been using flutter hooks to put more action on the lure.

As for trout, nothing new here. Popping corks remain the way to go. Surprisingly, we’ve had better luck with mud minnows under corks than with shrimp. It usually has been the other way around. If little fish keep stealing your live shrimp, switch over to a D.O.A. 3” artificial shrimp. Their Glow/Gold Rush Belly color has been quite effective.

Coinciding with early morning fishing, Spanish Mackerel have been showing up in numbers in the harbor as well as inlets. Gotcha plugs and Deadly Dick lures are traditional favorites. Anglers have reported that these fish have been finicky recently.  Keep changing lures until you find something that works.

Shrimp have started to really show up and their presence has made for some great fly fishing. On the flats at low tide, you can see redfish with their backs out of water charging down the banks chasing shrimp. Throwing gurglers or other surface patterns can provide some explosive strikes. It can be so hard to do, but when that fish slams your fly, set the hook with a strip set instead of lifting your rod tip.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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A relatively mature red

Thanks to ample amounts of bait teeming in our waters, fishing has been great so far this summer. The feeding switch has definitely been turned on. With the summer seasonal species now all present, there are no shortage of fish to target or ways to fish for them. In general, fishing has been best in the morning with its cooler temperatures.

Redfish, in particular, have been making short work of any well-placed bait. Make sure to bring your cast net along and catch some menhaden or finger mullet. We’ve been having the most success around docks or other structures while fishing live baits on a Carolina rig. Make sure to use a heavy-enough weight to hold the bait stationary, otherwise your rig will tumble along the bottom until it snags.

Trout have really reemerged over the last few weeks. It’s great to see that the trout stock was not hurt too badly by our cold winter. Anglers should stick with one of the tried and true methods for catching trout: the popping cork. A live shrimp or mud minnow is a hard treat to refuse when it comes floating by right in a trout’s strike zone. Make sure to lift your cork high and hard enough so it makes that clacking sound.

Anglers targeting flounder have been reporting good numbers. Try fishing finger mullet along the bottom around structures. Move the bait slowly and when you think you have a bite wait a few seconds (if you can) before setting the hook. We’ve been picking up quite a few flounder with mud minnows under a popping cork as well.

All of our seasonal species can be caught using the tactics listed above. My favorite summer-time fish is the ladyfish. These dynamic fish will smack shrimp under a popping cork and make your drag zing. Their acrobatic jumps and hard runs make these fish so entertaining. Look for them in some of the same spots that you find trout.

Fly fishing has also been quite good. While we have been seeing the most numbers of redfish when on the flats at low tide, they have been eating the best while in the grass. The copperhead fly, a local favorite, has been producing consistently. Make sure that your flies have a good weed guard so you don’t get hung up all the time.See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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There are a lot of things to consider when fishing in the Lowcountry, but I never thought I would have to worry about whether or not the weight of snow would cause the tarp covering my boat to collapse! Valentine’s Day weekend brought the first real snowfall that Charleston has seen in quite some time. Fortunately, the snow was followed by a stretch of brilliantly sunny days with temperatures reaching into the 60s. Fishermen weren’t the only people celebrating the good weather; the redfish were pretty darn happy, too. As the water temperature warmed, the reds really turned on. It seemed everybody on or in the water really appreciated a few hearty days of sun.

While the redfish have become more active, they are still somewhat wary and cautious. They continue to huddle in large schools (sometimes numbering in the hundreds), and will continue to do so into March. As I wrote earlier this year, fly fishermen enjoy a distinct advantage in these conditions since the presentation of flies can be so delicate. A well-cast fly landing in the water is almost imperceptible to the fish and can be cast within feet of a school without spooking them. Fly patterns with gold and other flashy colors work well. When redfish refuse these, we’ll often go to smaller flies in lighter colors that resemble minnows.

If you aren’t fly fishing, you’ll still need to consider the impact your lure makes when it hits the water. Redfish are defensive right now and will flee rather than investigate a strange sound or a lure that makes a big splat when it hits the water. The standard ¼ oz. jigheads that you could bomb into a school of fish in the fall and draw aggressive strikes will now send the entire school fleeing. Try using the least amount of weight possible to get your lure in front of fish. You might have to try casting lures with almost no weight at all, which may alter your casting range.

Keep practicing the stealth and slow deliberate movements that you’ve been using throughout the winter to sneak up on schools of redfish. It takes some patience to get to them, but casting to massive schools of fish can send your heart racing. The water temperature is now firmly on the upswing and is setting the stage for our fisheries to roar back to life. It will be here before you know it.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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There are a lot of things to consider when fishing in the Lowcountry, but I never thought I would have to worry about whether or not the weight of snow would cause the tarp covering my boat to collapse! Valentine’s Day weekend brought the first real snowfall that Charleston has seen in quite some time. Fortunately, the snow was followed by a stretch of brilliantly sunny days with temperatures reaching into the 60s. Fishermen weren’t the only people celebrating the good weather; the redfish were pretty darn happy, too. As the water temperature warmed, the reds really turned on. It seemed everybody on or in the water really appreciated a few hearty days of sun.

While the redfish have become more active, they are still somewhat wary and cautious. They continue to huddle in large schools (sometimes numbering in the hundreds), and will continue to do so into March. As I wrote earlier this year, fly fishermen enjoy a distinct advantage in these conditions since the presentation of flies can be so delicate. A well-cast fly landing in the water is almost imperceptible to the fish and can be cast within feet of a school without spooking them. Fly patterns with gold and other flashy colors work well. When redfish refuse these, we’ll often go to smaller flies in lighter colors that resemble minnows.

If you aren’t fly fishing, you’ll still need to consider the impact your lure makes when it hits the water. Redfish are defensive right now and will flee rather than investigate a strange sound or a lure that makes a big splat when it hits the water. The standard ¼ oz. jigheads that you could bomb into a school of fish in the fall and draw aggressive strikes will now send the entire school fleeing. Try using the least amount of weight possible to get your lure in front of fish. You might have to try casting lures with almost no weight at all, which may alter your casting range.

Keep practicing the stealth and slow deliberate movements that you’ve been using throughout the winter to sneak up on schools of redfish. It takes some patience to get to them, but casting to massive schools of fish can send your heart racing. The water temperature is now firmly on the upswing and is setting the stage for our fisheries to roar back to life. It will be here before you know it.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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We’ve had streaks of rainy and windy conditions over the last few weeks. Fortunately, the temperatures have been holding steady following last month’s cold snap. If you’re like me, though, cleaning your rods and reels or working on your boat during nasty weather can only keep you entertained for so long. The days are starting to grow noticeably longer and you may soon find yourself with a case of spring fever.

So what’s an angler to do in February? The answer is that you need to pick and choose your days. Although few and far between, the handful of warmer, sunnier days this month have produced some excellent fishing. Right now, a redfish has two priorities: don’t get eaten by a dolphin and try to stay warm. The sun will make the water on the flats a few degrees warmer and redfish in large schools will flood these flats.

During these days, the redfish will be more likely to consider eating, which is kind of a daily bonus for them this time of year(though I suspect that, relative to getting eaten by a dolphin, anything is a bonus). Once we locate these schools, we have been fishing with artificial lures about four to five inches in length called “jerk shad.” I usually rig jerk shad weedless, with the point of the hook pressed into the lure’s back. The profile of this lure is not only slender but also lands softly in the water, which helps to prevent spooking these already dolphin-wary schools. You may want to try a flutter hook, which has weight on the shank that imparts action on the lure and will help you cast farther.

On occasion, you will find that anything cast towards a school will send the fish fleeing when the lure hits the water. Live bait fished on the bottom becomes the best alternative. I really like to use cracked blue crab with cut mullet as my second choice. Redfish are scent feeders and you can image the scent trail crab infuses into the water. Put your bait on a #2/0 or # 3/0 circle hook, add weight to the line near the hook to hold the bait on the bottom and wait for the fish to come to you. A circle hook is designed to catch on the edge of a fish’s mouth without any additional pressure applied by the angler. Try not to set the hook yourself until that rod is bent over and the fish is taking line – much easier said than done!

Think about calling in sick the next time a beautiful day comes along. In February, your boss probably won’t suspect you of playing hooky to fish.

See you on the water!

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Winter fishing success continues in December.

With the chilly weather quickly moving in you might think that fish are nowhere to be found, but it’s a different story below the waves. It takes a long time for our local waters to completely cool off from the scorching days of August. Water temperatures are now in the low 60s and will drop modestly into the high 50s by the end of the month. December can be a very hospitable month for both trout and redfish.
This crisp weather, with its occasional cold snaps, really turns on the trout. Pretty much all tactics are working for trout: both artificials and live bait are working as the trout are feeding aggressively. This is a great time of year to get your young fisherman (or fisherwoman) “hooked” on fishing.
For the trout, we are using 3” D.O.A. plastic shrimp underneath a popping cork and it is a great setup. These shrimp come in a wide assortment of colors ranging from realistic lighter tones to bright attractor colors. I’ve found the best success comes from using the Glow color, which is basically white, as well as their Glitter colors which are translucent and filled with glitter. To me, these colors best represent what a live shrimp would look like. The Fiji Chicken color has become popular this season and is quite effective. These artificial shrimp already have weights inside their bodies, with the ¼ oz. weight being the most common. The weight makes the lure fall naturally into the water. Don’t be afraid to change the length of your leader as trout may sit in different parts of the water column.
One of the most interesting phenomena that occur when winter begins is the large schools of redfish that begin to form on the flats. They will develop these giant schools and stay in them throughout the winter. They bunch together as a means of protection from predators, namely bottlenose dolphins. As a result, these schools are quite skittish and spook easily. One of the best tactics is to locate a school and setup nearby while waiting for the fish to eventually come close to the boat. Live bait, especially chunks of blue crab, work very well when allowed to sit on the bottom. Redfish will happily devour these offerings!
The water is also becoming quite clear as the vegetation that was present in the summer has cleared out. Fly fishing is simply terrific as we stalk these big schools of redfish on the flats. The water clarity allows you to spot redfish from quite a distance. It is an awesome sight to see literally hundreds of fish balled up together in one spot. Watching the water erupt and boil when you hook into one fish is an experience like no other.
See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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