Lowcountry Fishing Report - 1/24/2012

Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina:


Charleston Inshore Report:
Scott Hammond from Haddrell's Point West says that he isn't trying to jinx anything, but no one can remember nicer weather in January! Large schools of reds are all over the shallow water flats and they are eating Zman Smokey Shad paddlerz and Gulp jerkshads in black bass color. If you don't have any artificials to cast, set up on an oyster point with some cut mullet and then hang on. Sheepshead fishing continues to produce with most of the big ones coming from inshore waters where heavy structure is in 8 to 20-feet of water. Black drum are taking cut shrimp at the jetties on the falling tide. Target the tips of the jetties where the rocks first become submerged heading towards the Atlantic Ocean. For all the latest seminar information visit the Internet at HaddrellsPoint.

Capt. Peter Brown with a fine speckled trout - photo by Joel Arrington

Bart Manley from the Charleston Market location of The Charleston Angler reports consistent water temperatures in the 50's, and the water is as clear as it gets here. Fishing is slow unless an angler locates a school of redfish. Approach them with stealth, then toss either a mud minnow under a popping cork or a Zman Streakz curly tail in black and gold flake color. Anglers wishing to use fly tackle will want to use darker patterns with bead chain eyes around low tide. Anticipate where the school will move to and cast ahead of them for the best chance of hooking up a winter redfish. The trout bite has slowed, so remember to target the strong currents using a D.O.A. shrimp under a popping cork. Darker colors that offer a chartreuse tail work well this time of year. For all the latest seminar information visit CharlestonAngler.

Captain Peter Brown tells me that locating impressive numbers of red drum in the shallows is typical for this time of year. Schools of fish into the hundreds can be found in water one to three-feet deep and are being caught using sight-casting techniques. Soft plastics like Gulp shrimp rigged on Falcon worm hooks have been extremely effective during this unseasonably warm winter. Hard baits like the Bomber Long-A and Heddon Swim-n-Image are working well also. Catching double-digit numbers of redfish is not uncommon in January and February, and Brown reports one client catching a 19-pound hoss redfish in less than one foot of water during a Bull's Bay trip! Fly fishermen are having success with clouser minnows and Enrico Puglisi crab patterns when they are presented correctly. It varies from day to day whether the reds want a slow retrieve or a fast retrieve. Trout fishing can be rewarding if anglers are patient enough to work mirrolures slowly. For more info about Capt. Brown check out SaltCharters.

Charleston Offshore Report:
Bart reports a few sailfish still being caught, but the real focus for offshore fishermen might be trolling for wahoo. Winter is a good time to taget hoos since they bite well in the cold, when others tend to get sluggish. Pay attention to moon phases, and troll Black Bart Rum Candy lures at high speeds.

Scott reports that wahoo in the 40 to 60-poiund range have been caught recently just outside the ledge in 200 to 350-feet of water. The wahoo are not in great numbers however. At the nearshore reefs like the Lowcountry Anglers Reef, the North Edisto Nearshore Reef and the Charleston Nearshore Reef try dropping down some fiddlers to stop some medium-sized convicts in their tracks.

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