Share on Facebook

Although temperatures are getting cool, inland fishing remains hot.

The middle of November was witness to a week of heavy storms then followed by a week of huge daytime tides. The result was stained and choppy water that tempered the trout bite. With the water clearing as I write this, expect fishing to return to its normal late Fall excellence.  Make sure to treat yourself to some fishing with family and friends as the holiday season begins!
Redfish were less affected by the aforementioned poor conditions than the trout. Artificial lures remain the theme. While fishing in skinny water and on the flats, we also continue to trend to more delicate presentations. The flutter hooks that I had been using with weights on the shank have been replaced with weightless hooks. I’ve been reducing the size of the plastic lures I have been throwing as well. When sight casting to redfish, try to lead the fish by a few feet and bring the lure across its nose. Hitting the fish with the lure will more than likely cause it to spook and flee instead of drawing a strike. While not as prolific as in the summer, we are still finding “tailing” fish up in the grass. When redfish are rooting in the weeds for crabs and other crustaceans, their noses are to the ground while their tails wave above the water. Besides being an amazing sight to see, tailing fish are engrossed in digging up food and more approachable than a fish just cruising along. You can literally toss a lure right next to a redfish while its nose is in the dirt. When it raises its head, a little twitch of the lure and it’s on! Gulp! 3” crabs are an excellent choice and are very effective. You may need to add a small split shot weight a few inches above the hook so that you can cast a good distance when it is windy.
Trout have are growing bigger every day as they continue to gorge on the shrimp and other bait fish that now fill our waters. When conditions have displaced the trout from your usual fishing holes or you find them already occupied by fellow anglers, trolling can be a very efficient method of locating new fish. We will traditionally troll 1/4oz. jigheads with different color plastic paddletail grubs. Throwing the lure a good distance behind the boat, drive along banks covered with oyster beds and other structure paying special attention to creek mouths and cuts in the bank. The goal is to find a speed that keeps the lure swimming close to the bottom but not so low as to repeatedly get hung up and stuck. Clearly, having a trolling motor makes this a much easier exercise, but it can be done while running a boat’s engine. If you are running your engine, you may want to try trolling your lures even farther behind the boat to account for the noise possibly putting off the fish. Kayakers will find that they have the perfect vessel for this tactic given its stealth. Remember to set the drag on your reels lightly not only so you can detect a soft trout strike but also so if you do snag the bottom you will not immediately break off the lure.
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  http://www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at  captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

Share on Facebook

Addressing concerns that have arisen since the City has begun to pass legislation banning dogs on the north end of Folly Beach for the sake of migratory birds, Mayor Carl Beckmann reiterated his arguments for the ordinance. First, he pointed out that Folly Beach has always been a bird sanctuary and the ordinance is consistent with that dedication. Second, he clarified that the legislation is not a dog ordinance but a people ordinance. He has stated that the ordinance would not be necessary if dog owners would control their pets.
The ban has birthed some controversy. Arguments against the ban suggest that a few people are ruining it for everyone and that a lack of enforcement on the City’s part is, at least, partially responsible for the purported dangers of off-leash dogs playing in areas designated for migratory and nesting birds. The lack of enforcement issue has also been brought up during recent discussions concerning litter and alcohol on the beach.

Bohrn again

Relic hunter Robert Bohrn spoke to Council regarding a monument for 19 Civil War soldiers buried on Folly Beach. Bohrn had participated in the discovery of the soldiers in 1987, and wrote an account of the fallen men – African-American members of the 55th Massachusetts regiment – in the October 30 edition of The Folly Current.
At the meeting, he expressed great passion and appreciation for the soldiers’ service and sacrifice for the United States and asked the City Council to support a monument in any way they could. He pointed out that there are many Civil War era monuments all over the Lowcountry while Folly Beach, a very important locale for the war, has very little.
“They deserve a monument,” Bohrn said. “We should stand up as Americans in a time of war and recognize their sacrifice for our country.”
Bohrn also suggested that Folly Beach could actually celebrate its creation in 1863, which is when the soldiers were documented to have been living on the island. According to Borhn, they created a small town on Folly Beach building roads, digging wells, and opening stores to support the 10,000-13,000 people who were stationed on the island.
“We’ll be glad to help you in any way we can,” Mayor Beckmann said before presenting Bohrn with a coupon for a family dinner in appreciation for his efforts.

CARTA becoming Folly friendly?

Council member Tom Scruggs presented an update on CARTA’s test route that ran during weekend days during the busy college beach season this past year. The route was designed for College of Charleston students. However, the route was so successful that the college is seeking a permanent route that would run 7-8 times a day during the week from a shopping center on James Island. The route would finally provide a regular mode of public transportation for Folly Beach residents to travel the Charleston area. Furthermore, Scruggs stated that he was planning to attend an upcoming CARTA meeting and that the City should attempt to attain a seat on the CARTA board. Doing so, he said, would help make CARTA more considerate of Folly Beach.
“I believe we can get a seat on there,” he said.

Grinch can’t ruin Christmas spirit

Mayor Carl Beckmann announced that Christmas lights will be put back on the bridge in time for the holidays. The Mayor previously had expressed his frustration at a previous meeting after vandals destroyed the lights. Beckmann and his wife have been responsible for putting the lights up and maintaining them. “Hopefully, we’ll have a lot more on them,” he said.

Ordinances

The largest issue of the entire night was the failure of Resolution 50-09, which would have awarded a contract for the Public Safety Expansion to the lowest bidder; Emory J. Infinger & Associates. The measure failed by a 4-3 vote with Council members Dave Stormer, Eddie Ellis, Tim Goodwin, and Tom Scruggs providing the “nay” votes.
Second reading was passed on two ordinances which established the budgets for the Water Utility and Sewer Utility. They were passed by a 6-1 vote with Council member Eddie Ellis voting “no” on each ordinance. He did not discuss why he was against the budgets.
Council unanimously passed an ordinance that authorized and directed the Mayor and City Administrator to switch their Workers Compensation Fund money to the South Carolina Municipal Insurance Trust. It was stated that the current company has largely ignored the City, provided poor customer service, and is increasing their rates.
Senior Citizens could begin receiving discounts from the City on particular building and construction fees. The ordinance seems designed to simply honor senior citizens who are residents of Folly Beach. Council member Scruggs brought to light a couple of potential issues with the ordinance, however, pointing out that builders could claim they plan to live in a new building to be constructed and end up renting it. While there was no resolution to the issue, the Council passed the ordinance unanimously.
The City Council passed five ordinances as part of their “approval of consent , agenda”which means they were all passed with a single vote and without discussion. In the order in which they appeared on the agenda, the resolutions that were passed were as follows:
1. Resolution 48-09 allowed the City to spend $1500 to provide turkeys to all City employees at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
2. Resolution 51-09 provided an unspecified amount of money for the 2009 Christmas Parade.
3. Resolution 52-09 gave an unspecified amount of money to the Folly Beach Senior Citizens Club.
4. Resolution 53-09 approved an historical marker at the corner of West Indian and Center Streets, recognizing and commemorating the 19 Union soldiers that were discovered buried there in 1987.
5. Resolution 54-09 submits that the City will donate $500 toward the purchase of an historical marker at the Community Center “in recognition of one of the most historically significant finds in the State of South Carolina”. The summary provided by the City did not specify if the “find” was the 19 Union soldiers or something else.
For the second successive regular Council meeting, an ordinance to ban styrofoam was postponed.

Share on Facebook

True to form, fishing this fall is great. Fish are eating steadily during the cooler weather, and if you’ve been out on the water recently, you probably noticed that you have the water to yourself; even on some weekends. With hungry fish and less crowds, now is the time to get fishing!

Fishing in early November has continued to be hot as temperatures drop.

Redfish are present and active. With the fish eager this time of year, you should spend more time throwing artificial plastic lures. There are many options available. On our fishing trips, we’ll often switch between paddletail grubs and jerk shad, among others. We usually fish the grubs attached to a ¼ oz. jighead. You’ll find jigheads in all different colors. I usually choose unpainted, but it’s just a matter of your preference. Chicken on a Chain and Texas Roach are hot colors for the grubs, but check your local tackle shop to get an idea of what’s working. For jerk shad, I favor lighter colors and will use both Gulp! and D.O.A. lures. Try fishing the jerk shad on flutter hooks. These hooks have a weight on their shank that imparts additional action when you are working it in the water. With all of the above, try changing the speed of your retrieve, as well as the color of the lure. What was hot one day might not necessarily produce the next.
Redfish are responding well to live bait, too. Mud minnows suspended underneath a popping cork have been working the best for me. Casting this rig along grass banks has been very effective in locating fish. When you approach an area, try to stay as far away from the bank as possible so that your longest cast just reaches the target. Fish will sit surprisingly far off grass banks and quite far out along oyster beds, too. You can gradually move in closer if needed. As always, cuts or live bait on the bottom with a Carolina Rig is a very effective tactic. Right now, I favor cut mullet or smaller live baitfish. Cracked crab works great, but often gets picked to pieces by little fish before a redfish can get to it.
Trout will happily eat the paddletail plastic grubs mentioned above. When working an area, make sure to try a very slow retrieve every so often. Sometimes that slower speed can be the ticket for trout.  It sounds crazy, but I’ve had several occasions recently when trout would only eat these artificial lures, even when live mud minnows or live shrimp were presented under popping corks. Over oyster beds, try “live lining” D.O.A. 3” plastic shrimp. Live lining just means letting the shrimp drift naturally through the water column. The D.O.A. shrimp come in a variety of weights, but I am partial to the ¼ oz. You can add splitshot above the shrimp if you want to work it deeper. I try to have enough weight so that I can bounce the shrimp along the bottom and if I can do that without adding weight to the line, all the better.
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.

Share on Facebook

True to form, fishing this fall is great. Fish are eating steadily during the cooler weather, and if you’ve been out on the water recently, you probably noticed that you have the water to yourself; even on some weekends. With hungry fish and less crowds, now is the time to get fishing!
Redfish are present and active. With the fish eager this time of year, you should spend more time throwing artificial plastic lures. There are many options available. On our fishing trips, we’ll often switch between paddletail grubs and jerk shad, among others. We usually fish the grubs attached to a ¼ oz. jighead. You’ll find jigheads in all different colors. I usually choose unpainted, but it’s just a matter of your preference. Chicken on a Chain and Texas Roach are hot colors for the grubs, but check your local tackle shop to get an idea of what’s working. For jerk shad, I favor lighter colors and will use both Gulp! and D.O.A. lures. Try fishing the jerk shad on flutter hooks. These hooks have a weight on their shank that imparts additional action when you are working it in the water. With all of the above, try changing the speed of your retrieve, as well as the color of the lure. What was hot one day might not necessarily produce the next.
Redfish are responding well to live bait, too. Mud minnows suspended underneath a popping cork have been working the best for me. Casting this rig along grass banks has been very effective in locating fish. When you approach an area, try to stay as far away from the bank as possible so that your longest cast just reaches the target. Fish will sit surprisingly far off grass banks and quite far out along oyster beds, too. You can gradually move in closer if needed. As always, cuts or live bait on the bottom with a Carolina Rig is a very effective tactic. Right now, I favor cut mullet or smaller live baitfish. Cracked crab works great, but often gets picked to pieces by little fish before a redfish can get to it.
Trout will happily eat the paddletail plastic grubs mentioned above. When working an area, make sure to try a very slow retrieve every so often. Sometimes that slower speed can be the ticket for trout.  It sounds crazy, but I’ve had several occasions recently when trout would only eat these artificial lures, even when live mud minnows or live shrimp were presented under popping corks. Over oyster beds, try “live lining” D.O.A. 3” plastic shrimp. Live lining just means letting the shrimp drift naturally through the water column. The D.O.A. shrimp come in a variety of weights, but I am partial to the ¼ oz. You can add splitshot above the shrimp if you want to work it deeper. I try to have enough weight so that I can bounce the shrimp along the bottom and if I can do that without adding weight to the line, all the better.
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.

Share on Facebook