Make the most of Mother Nature’s conditions

Sometimes, you have to take what Mother Nature gives you. Sunday was one of those times. My son Elliott, brother David and fishing club friend Trent planned to target cobia on artificial reefs. We met at my house at 6 a.m. It was still dark. As we walked down the dock, we could see lightning off in the distance. A quick check of radar showed a line of thunderstorms a few miles offshore. However, the track of the storm was moving away from our planned fishing area. After a short debate, we decided to go.

 

As we navigated to the jetties, there was an unusual number of seagulls sitting in the water. I commented that the last time I saw this, a bad storm was coming. Undeterred, we pushed on. About then, a hazardous marine weather notification popped up on our phones. We double checked the track of the storm and pressed on. Ocean conditions were calm. In a few minutes, we arrived at the Charleston 60 reef. 

 

David and Trent began vertical jigging with Shimano slow pitch jigs. Elliott began casting a large surface popper. The bite was on. Elliott hooked up with a king mackerel and Trent landed a cobia. For the next 30 minutes, we enjoyed steady action. Unfortunately, the track of the storm changed. Heavy rain and lots of lighting were headed our way. It was time to leave.

 

I checked the radar and picked a small gap between storms for our route home. It was like going around the block to get next door, but we avoided most of the awful weather. 

 

Upon returning to the dock, it was still pretty early and the weather was clearing. So, we launched the skiff and went fishing inshore. Trout, flounder, redfish and ladyfish were feeding aggressively. We did not count the number of fish we released, but it was a lot. 

 

Sometimes, you have to take what Mother Nature gives you.

 

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at capgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.