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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December 1- A man reported that his debit card number had been stolen and used in Charlotte, NC. The card itself was still in his possession.
December 1- Police were called in reference to a woman on Center Street who was obviously intoxicated, being very loud, and had urinated on herself. Officers attempted to help her get home, but she only become more boisterous. She was then arrested for public intoxication.
December 4- A resident reported that a screen door had been tampered with. However, there were no signs of entry. She was advised to leave outside lights on and officers would patrol the area.
December 5- A residence was discovered broken into as well as lived in by the suspect. Evidence of the suspect was located throughout the house and officers believed they knew who the suspect was based on clothing in the house that they had seen on a person the day before. Evidence was collected. The suspect was located the next morning and was very cooperative with the investigation and arrested without incident.
December 5- A building was broken into and a jar of coins containing about $100 was taken. The victim suspected a previous employee who had a key.
December 7- A man reported that his 2003 Honda Accord had been stolen from his car port the previous night. He believed that the keys may have been left in the car.
December 7- A representative from a local business reported that a counterfeit $20 bill had been used on November 28. The bill was not noticed until closing time and no one knew who had supplied it. The claimant stated they did not know what to do and reported the incident upon seeing an officer. The counterfeit bill was given to the officer.
December 7- A resident reported that his identity had been stolen. In May of 2009 he received a call saying his bank account was overdrawn and that funds could be transferred from another account to cover the balance to which he agreed. Several months later, he began to receive communications from a couple of financial institutions regarding delinquent payment on accounts/cards in his name that he had never opened.
December 9- A man voluntarily came to the Public Safety Office to admit that he had falsely claimed that his vehicle was stolen. The vehicle had been loaned to another man and was consequently involved in a high speed chase. He was arrested and charged with filing a false police report and six counts of “failure to comply with NRVC”. It was then discovered that the man had two rocks of crack in his pocket for which he was additionally charged before being taken to jail.
December 9- A woman was pulled over after following another vehicle very closely on Folly Road before entering Mariners Cay. The officer smelled alcohol when approaching the vehicle and noticed the driver’s eyes were red and bloodshot. She then admitted to having a few drinks. She failed the subsequent field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI. She later tested to have a .13% blood/alcohol level.
December 10- It was discovered that a woman was wanted by Charleston County police for “failure to appear” when she came to the Folly Beach Public Safety office to file a harassment claim against a former boyfriend. The woman was given over to Charleston County officials.
December 10- It was reported that an unknown person broke into the Pepsi machine at the end of the pier, obtaining about $20 in cash. Damage to the machine was estimated at $150.
December 11- During an estate sale, an unknown person stole a couple of pieces of gold jewelry from the deceased. The items were described as rare and one of a kind.
December 12- A woman was having trouble standing at the corner of Ashley and Center streets due to her level of intoxication. An officer provided the woman with a ride to her house after she could not locate a friend to pick her up. Upon arrival, the woman realized she did not know where her keys or purse were and consequently could not get inside. She was taken back to Public Safety where she was cited for disorderly conduct and forced to wait until a sober friend picked her up at 4:30am.
December 12- A resident reported that his home had been broken into. The unknown subject broke a rear window and entered the residence that way. Samples of blood were located outside and collected for evidence. Approximately $2790 worth of items were stolen.
December 13- A man known to have a suspended license after being arrested only four days earlier was observed to be driving a car. The vehicle was pulled over at the Piggly Wiggly and the subject was arrested for the offense. There were also two passengers in the vehicle, both of which were wanted by Charleston County and City for failure to appear. They were each arrested and given over to the respective officials.
December 17- Around 2am, an officer observed a man coming out of dimly lit corner of a residential neighborhood and became suspicious. He engaged the man in conversation and the subject appeared very nervous and gave contradictory stories regarding what he was doing. The officer observed a bulge beneath the subject’s sweater and stated that he was going to pat the subject down for weapons before continuing. The subject replied that he had a small amount of marijuana. The marijuana was found and he was cited for simple possession and released.
December 19- A man was yelling profanities in the middle of the road and refused to comply with police officers. After a failed tazer attempt on the subject, he was taken down by officers, at which point he attempted to flee and kick officers. He was restrained and arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
December 19- Officers responded to several people arguing loudly in public where one subject was suspected of having a gun. That subject was found to be wanted and was arrested.
December 22- A vehicle failed to come to a complete stop on the West side of Folly Beach and quickly accelerated. The witnessing officer gave chase and eventually caught up with the vehicle as it pulled into a carport at Turtle Bay. The driver, a female, exited the car and attempted to go up the stairs to her apartment, ignoring requests by the officer to turn around. She seemed unable to follow simple directions and smelled of alcohol and failed several field sobriety tests. She was arrested for DUI and registered a .17% blood/alcohol level at the detention center.
December 23- After failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, a driver was followed by an officer and seemed to be driving in circles. The officer instigated a traffic stop. The driver appeared to have been drinking and admitted to having at least six beverages. He failed several field sobriety tests before being arrested for DUI. He registered a .15% blood/alcohol level at the detention center.
December 26- An officer observed a man holding a cup in front of Bert’s market acting suspicious when the officer stopped at the stop sign. The officer drove the block and the man was seen with a beer can. He took off running and the officer gave chase. The subject was eventually caught and arrested for having an open container and for littering as he had thrown the beer can on the ground during the chase.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Cooler October weather is making for some great lowcountry fishing.

The last few weeks of fishing have been very good.  For a variety of reasons, fall is usually the best time of year to be fishing in the Charleston area.  Anglers can expect conditions to improve in October.
September brought a number of significant high tides. This higher water allows redfish to get access to flats and areas otherwise untouched. They will chase bait up onto these flats where they feed on small crabs and other crustaceans. This produces very exciting fishing as anglers can see the backs and tails of redfish as they feed. Sight casting to a redfish and hooking up is a true rush. When fish take your lure in such shallow water the strikes are explosive and you can see your fish take off, winding its way through the grass. You can spend literally a half hour stalking a fish and positioning yourself for just the right cast. It is very rewarding when you land that hard-earned redfish. Anglers using spinning tackle or fly rods can take advantage of this type of fishing. If you are using a spinning rod, you may want to consider tossing Gulp! 2” peeler crabs on a circle hook. Successful colors have included New Penny and Molting. With such shallow water, a delicate presentation is often needed and a fly can be a real advantage.  Crab pattern flies are working and it can be helpful to use flies that have a little weight on them in order to get them down and in front of the fish.
Redfish are still responding to bait fished on the bottom as well. Cut mullet has been working the best for me when combined with a Carolina rig. Live mullet will work too and are plentiful. Make sure to bring your cast net along. I’ll often fish the bait around docks while waiting for the redfish to come off the flats. Of course, cracked blue crab is a treat that few redfish will resist.
Trout will really begin to come into their own this month. As I write this, the weather has begun to noticeably cool. Cooler weather and its corresponding lower water temperature will really turn the trout on.  Shrimp are readily available and are another reason to bring your cast net with you. Fishing shrimp under a popping cork along grass banks is very effective. I will usually adjust the length of my leader under the popping cork based on where I am fishing. Make sure to try D.O.A’s 3” plastic shrimp both under a popping cork and free lined. If the trout are eating live shrimp, they will often eat these as well. Popular colors include white and clear with different colors of glitter. Make sure to check with the local tackle shops to see what is working best. These trout are accessible to fly fishermen too. Try clouser patterns in white/chartreuse and white/red.
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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