Had several hours to get out on the water on Saturday. I keep my boat at Bristol Marina. Unfortunately the tide was high, very high. Went up the Wando, almost to the Highway 41 bridge. Water 56 degrees and the color of chocolate milk.
Did not see many fisherman on the water. Threw some artificials along the flats above Newell Creek. Nobody home. One Dolphin working the area with me. I am sure that he did better than me.
The water glassed out and the sun came out on the Wando for about one hour, but the rest of the day was chilly. Heavy chop on the way home around the battery.
Talked to an old timer at the dock. He is doing well at low-tide. Finding the redfish in very large schools, in very shallow water.The Menhadens are starting to come back into the harbor.
While I was cleaning the boat, a large school of dolphins were thrashing fish under the bridge, and between the two bridges in front of the harbor on the Ashley. I should have stayed closer to home.
Burgers on the menu today. No fish fry. Boat got cleaned. It was a mess. Did anyone else get out on the water on Saturday?
Over and out.
BG
Do you mean Nowell creek? If not where is Newell? Just looked on google maps and only see a Nowell. I’ve had better luck at the higher tides lately but it has to do with where you are I think. Do you have a flats boat with a platform? The trout are in deeper water and away from the marsh edge from what I can tell. Reds are concentrated (as are trout) so it’s harder (at least I think) to find the fish but when you do you are on a mess of them.
I’ve also had better luck with live bait than artificials. When I’ve found concentrated spottail I’ve been putting the live bait away and trying all diff kinds of artificial to see what works best, both which bait and which type of retrieve. Still struggling to get them to bite. Harder to catch trout under a popping cork given how deep they are. I’ve had my best luck throwing shrimp under a popping cork with 40” or so of liter on a jig head to get the bait down deeper.
Keep in mind with all of this I’m a better summer / fall fisherman than winter so I’d see who else chimes in as they probably have the winter fishing more dialed in than I do.
Where did you move from in CA? Love the handle by the way.
Sounds like a nice long ride. We got out Saturday. Anchored up on the back side of the northern point on a long vast beach with several sandbars guarding it. Most of which you can walk on until the tide comes in. September through November we did very well here but not so good Saturday. Ran out of daylight to fish the incoming, which is the time to be there as the fish chase mullet over the bars. Should have fished the skinny water flats at low, like my gut said. Seems to be a general consensus that the reds are packed tight in the shallow water, likely hiding from Mr. Dolphin and soaking up whatever heat they can. High water can be tough this time of year. I’m looking forward to some warmer weather and tails sticking up during that high water.