Brody says the Spanish are here

Thanks to everyone for the positive texts and emails regarding the article with my daughters Maddie and Heather. Brody (the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog) and Elliott (my son) are not the only people in my family who can fish! 

The other day, I asked Brody if the Spanish mackerel were already in the harbor. He replied by running down the dock and jumping into the skiff. I wondered if that meant, “I don’t know, but let’s go see,” or “Yes, let’s go catch some.” As Brody refused to leave the skiff, I figured there was only one way to find out. We launched the skiff and headed to the harbor. 

When fishing offshore, we use Spanish mackerel as teasers and pitch baits. Blue marlin love them. As it turns out, freshly caught Spanish mackerel makes a tasty ceviche. My family loves them too. Given this demand, I fish for them regularly in the summer. They tend to congregate near current seams and upwellings all over the harbor, especially early in the morning. 

Spanish mackerel are aggressive surface feeders. They are plentiful and pretty easy to locate. A small Shimano current sniper quickly retrieved through a feeding school is pretty much a sure thing. 

Upon arrival in the harbor, I discovered that I had no current snipers or 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. Brody gave me a sad look. Like, “my human is dumb.” Undeterred, I picked up my ultra-light trout outfit rigged with a six-pound braid, eight-pound fluorocarbon leader, and a Finesse TRD on a 1/10th ounce jig. 

I cast the TRD to the feeding fish and immediately got bitten and then quickly cut off. Spanish mackerel have very sharp teeth. After repeating this process a few more times, I decided to quit targeting Spanish until I could rig up the right way. 

Brody and I moved to a submerged rock pile near the Waterfront Park. When positioning the skiff, I took a moment to admire the view. Charleston is a beautiful place. Charleston is also a wonderful place to fish. Brody and I quickly released a few nice-sized trout. Then Brody talked me into breakfast at Waffle House. 

Summer in Charleston – beautiful views, plenty of fish.