By Captain Geoff Bennett | Charleston Charter Fishing
Charleston is a great place to be fishing! No matter what type of fish you want to catch, they are all active and biting. Fishing for redfish and trout remains strong even with increasingly warmer water temperatures. Seasonal species like spanish mackerel, ladyfish, bluefish and shark are plentiful as well!
We’ve been targeting redfish with artificial lures especially around low tide. The longer jerk shad lures (4”-5” inches) are quite productive. We have been favoring lures in natural hues of silver and grey. Try using flutter hooks that not only put more action on the lure but land softer than a jighead. Remember to vary your rate of retrieve until you find what works best.
Popping corks remain the best choice when targeting trout. Bait stealers have been vicious and a live shrimp barely makes it a few seconds. We have been sticking with mud minnows paired with size 1 circle hooks. Popping corks can be hard to recover once hung up on a structure or around shell rakes. A trick that will save you time and money is attaching a 20 pound test line to the top of the cork and attaching a 15 pound test line to the hook from the bottom of the cork. When you pull hard, the line will snap at the hook and you will get your cork back.
While you have those popping corks out, be ready to get hit hard by ladyfish! These fish have really come in with the warmer water and are very aggressive. Don’t be surprised if your corks get hit once or twice in rapid succession until the hook finds the softer part of their mouth. Their strong runs and frequent jumps make these perfect for kids!
Sharks fish well irrespective of the temperature and our waters are full of them. Even in the afternoon heat, they will be cruising looking for easy prey. With lots of smaller sharks and other creatures pecking away at live and cut bait, we have at times been fishing an entire live blue crab on a 7/0 circle hook. You’ll have lots of drops but the sharks that hang on are the big ones! See you on the water!
Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing light tackle fishing charters. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.
