Low Tide. That's Better

4.29.16

water temp 77 degrees.

The tide rolled round nice as the early morning tide was a nice low one with gentle currents forecast on each side.

We were able to launch the tin boat two hours before low tide and fish through the high side with ease

And the fish certainly cooperated.

We managed 10 trout, the first Jack Crevalle of the year and two reds, one a keeper and on magnum lines tripping fool.

Nancy got on board first with her famous tourist rig with a new penny Gulp shrimp.

I got going after realizing that not all of the fish that were nipping at the end of my jerk bait were Jack Crevalle.  A few more trout came aboard as the tide petered out on the dead low.

With the low tide came the search for redfish and we weren't disappointed.

We headed to our dock red fish hole and managed a nice keeper red out of it.

I got snagged on a rock and was gently tugging on the jig head tipped with a 

Trout Trick.  I have history of redfish removing the snagged lure and running off with it while I try to figure out why the oyster is swimming.   I had a strong premonition that this was about to happen.  As I eased the trolling motor over the jig it started swimming off.  Hook set. Redfish in the boat.  Best lure remover ever made.

We eased into the BIG redfish hole and I quickly had my jig hook straightened by a red after a terrific start to a battle royale.

Being lazy, I didn't swap the jig head out for a new one and was rewarded later with a red actually snapping my hook into.

Finally, I call last cast and wham; hookset; loosen drag; pull anchor; battle red back and forth; captured!

This one was a 30" red that kicked my butt.

What a great four hours of fishing.

Now If I Can Only Figure Out Rising Tides

4.25.16

water temp 72 degrees.

We fished the mid to high tide today.  Sometimes these tide things just don't work out.

While it was an absolute beautiful Monday morning, the fishing was a little slow.

They started out quick for Nancy as she was getting set up in the boat at our first drop, she hung her rod over the side with a Gulp Shrimp barely in the water. I soon heard her rod banging against the side of the boat and she yanked the rod up before it went into the water.
She had a trout on the other end that was either stupid or really hungry.  Using her equipment as a cane pole she lifted the trout up until he fell off back into the water.

Then at our next stop she lost a monster redfish as it straighten her jig hook out after a fierce battle near some docks.

That was it for her success or lack thereof.

I caught one small trout and then finally connected on a nice 19" trout that was in our redfish hole.
Because of it's callous disregard of being in the redfish hole, it came home with us and became fish tacos Monday night.

Trout Tick Strikes Again!

Trout Bite Is ON!

4.20.16

water temp 68 degrees

After two weeks of gale force winds it is finally settling down here in the Lowcountry.

We have been wanting to get back out after our successful trip two weeks ago and the weather let us go yesterday.

I wasn't real jazzed about fishing the high tide, but I figured once it started to drain out of the river that the trout would bite.  And, indeed they did.

We brought 28 to the boat, which is probably the best we have ever done, ever!  And we were off the water in about 4 hours.

They bit on a variety of lures which is always nice.  Nancy was catching them on a tourist rig, while I was enjoying the bite on a jerk baits and Zman MinnowZ.

They were really biting the MinnowZ Slow Rolled

The bigger fish came on the BPS Suspending Minnow

Last Cast!  Paul Brown Fat Boy got clobbered.

Back In Action And A Lot of Action Was Had

4.4.16

Water Temp 71 degrees

After having a month of March to forget, Nancy and I finally got a chance to hit the water again.
The tide was right to hit the two hours before and two hours after the low tide.

I tied on new rigs trying to remember what to use in the spring.  I just went with some Florida basics and the ol' trout trick on a jig head.

We wanted to see if the trout had grown any so we headed to our trout drops near the Broad River.
It didn't take long as I landed two nice trout that slammed my suspending jerkbait on a mud line that had developed as the tide was leaving the river.

These were some of the largest trout we had caught here in the low country, a 19" and a 17".

We fished a couple of other holes and caught two more keeper trout along with a few non keepers.

With the tide just starting to come back in we headed to our redfish holes.  The first stop near some docks that didn't produce, but our next stop was on fire as four reds came aboard with one monster bull red escaping as it bent my hook straight after a brief battle.

It was a great start to spring fishing as the sight of fish in the boat and bald eagles made it a treat to be outside in the Lowcountry.

 A quick tally for the day was 4 reds and 8 trout.  Not a bad 4 hours of fishing.