Some days are not fit for fishing and Sunday was just such a day. The weather forecast was for clearing conditions, mild temperatures and light winds. Unfortunately, the weather on Sunday was quite different. A light rain and a cold Northerly wind combined to create a truly awful weather day. So I contacted my charter and we decided to reschedule our trip.
Rather than staying home and watching TV (which is what all the smart people did) I put on a good thermal base layer and my trusty Gill rain jacket then went fishing. On the way to the boat landing I called several people to see if they wanted to fish. Their responses ranged from "no" to "are you crazy". When I launched the skiff, it was still raining and bitterly cold. The tide was about 2 hours from low. Idling out of the creek, I passed the only boat I saw all day (and they were going home).
Upon my arrival at the first fishing spot, my hands were so cold it was difficult to place a 4" Z-Man PaddlerZ (Redbone) onto a 3/0 eighth ounce flutter hook. After several tries, I finally got it on properly and began to fish. Keeping the wind at my back, I made long down wind casts onto the flat. It was extremely difficult (if not impossible) to actually see the schools of redfish as the wave action had the water looking like chocolate milk.
After about 10 casts, I felt a light thump and set the hook into an over slot redfish. While fighting the fish, I deployed a pin anchor to stop my drift. That moment of distraction let the redfish get a little slack line and it got away. Since the skiff was staked out, I decided to fan cast the area and located a large school of fish holding in a slight channel on the flat. Pretty much every cast into the channel produced a redfish. The bite was epic and I released over 20 fish before the cold sent me home.
Winter fishing can be tough, especially when the water temperature is below 50 degrees. This winter (for the most part), our water has remained above the 50 degree mark. On Sunday the water temperature on the flat was 53 degrees. So next time the weather is not fit for fishing, check the water temperature. If it is above 50 degrees, bundle up and go fishing!
The Charleston Boat Show is this weekend. On Saturday at 11 I will be presenting a seminar called Using Soft Plastic Lures to Target Redfish and Trout. If you come to the boat show on Saturday, please drop by and say hello.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at captaingreg@shallowwatercharters.com or (843) 224-0099.
