Tried underneath the Don Holt bridge today as well as Dynamite Hole with little luck. My neighbor and I spent the morning collecting black mussels and making a chum bag, but it didn’t seem to help us. Tried every crab presentation I could think of…whole crab, cracked, half crab, quartered, whole crab with crushed claws. Good day on the water though. Should I continue with the methods I used today or change it up? Also are there any reports of bull redfish starting to show up?
Keep doing what you are doing. Just use half of blue crab. I have never used a chum bag and caught many. many big black drum over the last 25 years or so. I have never tried the Don Holt, but the Wando bridge has produced many big blacks in the past. If you are not, you need to just fish the end and beginning of the tides, whether it is low or high. It is really hard to feel the big drum bite when the tide is rolling through. It is similar to a sheephead bite. You might also try to the mysterious Grillage. If you have a fish finder, go out there and find the drop off. It runs from the groin coming off of Sullivans in a arc to the red channel buoy you see some boats anchored around. It used to be called Bouy 22, but I think the number has changed now. Anywhere on that drop off is good. You will notice it. It will go from around 35ft to 60-70ft very quickly. It takes some time to get the hang of it, but it is important that you anchor where you are fishing this drop off. It is almost a vertical face in some areas. Get ready to hang up a lot if you like to check your baits constantly. Always pay attention to the rod tip as they will not usually take it like a red. They will just come up, suck the crab in, and munch on it. When you see the rod tip “getting a bite”, pick up the rod, take the slack out slowly, hold the rod and if you feel another tap, slowly reel the rod tip down to the water, slowly lift the rod tip, if you feel a heavy weight on the line or something pull back slightly, set the hook! You will know if it is a bog black! Sometimes a toad fish has you in the rocks or a hole and you are hung up. I have caught one bonnet head out there. That was very hard to reel in from 60ft in that kind of current.
The Grillage is a hard place for a beginner black drum fishermen to learn how to catch them because it is usually not very calm there. It is easier when you can see the rod tip action in calm waters and get used to what they feel like.
Well for me in the Charleston area it doesn’t seem like we have the same population levels of black drum as some of the other areas in the state. So in my personal experience/opinion it will probably take you several times to catch a black drum and plenty more to catch a monster, but some other good areas that aren’t as big water that are good are the lighthouse end of the folly river lots of reds and some black drums, lots of oyster mounds and shallow areas so navigate carefully. Another is the creek behind Morris island that leads to the Clark sound the first few docks and the nice dock on the corner have been very good for me. I have caught plenty of 30+ bass on the marsh line by the docks all year round, (the residential red fish that are here all year) as well as a few 20+ black drum. One more is the dock by its self to the left of Bowen’s by itself and the creek next to it has a sunken barge that’s decent fishing, but both of those spots will have boats on them on the nice days so you got to fish them early or late, or with the crowd. I never used the mussel chum technique in deep water usually 20 ft or less and low tide or the falling tide was when it worked best, the outgoing tide is the best for any chum technique. I never caught more black drum not using the technique then when using it so to me it works. Sometimes there just not there, did y’all catch anything or have any hits, fishing is still kind of slow so definitely don’t get discouraged by one trip. The techniques are solid so just try different areas or tides and most importantly just keep trying, it makes the elusive big guy that much rewarding knowing what it took to achieve your goal. If you ever watch river monsters with Jeremy Wade you will see it takes a lot of effort some times to get the fish you want.
Also are there any reports of bull redfish starting to show up?
The “Bull” Reds that have been wintering on the reefs are starting to move back in. Caught a healthy one 48"+ in the surf 3/21. And a fat one at the jetties 4/4. There is a secret spot somewhere in the harbor, I think near Ft. Moultrie. REALLY hard to find, ESPECIALLY when the bite is on. Anyways, that area should be turning on here shortly. Mmmmm…what’s the name again?
RWL,you know your black drum, and you give the same advice as two other black drum masters, Dr. Pat Leonard and Capt. J.R. Reid. Only thing I would add is circle hooks help; after they nibble and you reel in the slack and apply pressure, then hold on when they finally feel the hook, because they are headed for structure. I use 6 ft of braided wire leader when fishing bridges. See you out there, Dr. Pat!
“Don’t tell fish stories where people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.” Mark Twain
