Hey all,
My wife and I have rented a home on that little point where Russel creek joins Steamboat creek, from May 4-17. Just a little curious about that area for fishing and kayaking that time of year. I fish from a Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5, so I’m hoping to do a little poling around on flats and sight casting with a fly rod or spinning gear. Any advice would be appreciated and if any fellow kayakers would like to join me for a “three hour tour” shoot me a pm. Thanks in advance.
Thats a gorgeous area, and an excellent place for your yak. The amount of flats there are staggering, and your problem won’t be finding flats, but narrowing your search! I’ve struggled to find productive tailing flats but I know they are there. I think there is just so much habitat that the fish are spread out. You might contact RADDADDY for some much more specific guidance. However I promise you you are going to have a great couple weeks down there. The water in Edisto is generally dirtier than in Charleston, so make sure to use sight (ie flashy), sound and smell to your advantage when choosing baits or lures.
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com | www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
Awesome to hear that encouragement and thanks for the reply! Is RADDADDY the guide Ron Davis? If so, we have loosely discussed doing a scouting trip when I first get there, to help get me get acquainted with the area.
What may ultimately narrow my flats options is the distance I can paddle, though I’m considering adding a trolling motor to increase my range. Heresy to some in the paddling world, but what can you do. I suppose I could also put in at 174 and fish ICW for more options. I wonder if I humbly approached the folks at that big shipping container facility (wadlamaw) if they’d let me put in there? Lastly, would it be a fool’s errand to try to cross the N. Edisto in my kayak? Too much wind, waves and current?Thanks again for the reply…counting down the days.
Yes that is him. IMO that would be $$ well spent, to maximize your catching. One you get to Steamboat from Russell by water, if you look left there are miles of flats.
There is a launch in Botany for yaks, that will give you access to Oscella creek also. The N Edisto can be flat as glass, or very rough. You can cross it, just be careful and mindful of the weather forecast. And, its farther than it looks to cross 
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com | www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
I would not leave Russle creek, there sre loads of fish there! Get you a minnow trap and bait it with sardeens load up with mudders and drag them in the creek, spscaly on an in comming tide and you will load up with bass and flounder in may! pay attention on bends with downed trees.
Duly noted on the minnow trap. I’ll give that a try and watch the weather when getting too far from home base. Thanks for the advice!
I would not worry about going far from where you are either. All up/down Russell, Blue House Cr and Brick House Cr. also round the corner up Sand Ck. Just where you round the fork to Sand Ck there are flats you can cross at high water and come out in ICW with more flats on north side of it. Plenty of good spots nearby. Dito what bootpoor said on the spots to ck. Also some of the older docks/piles and sea walls. When I fish that is where I usually go. I put in at Steamboat and go left.
J Ford
Thanks jford. Sounds like there are a lot of options for that area, without traveling too far. It’s difficult to gauge scale and distance from a map. I’ve looked at some of those creeks but just didn’t know how far they were. I realize, too, that if I ride the falling tide out and and the rising tide in, it will be a whole lot easier. The tides for that time seam favorable to long days of fishing, or sleeping in and catching “round two” in the afternoon. 
Went out on Russell creek on Monday with mud minnows and Gulp. Spent more time paddling than wetting my line…aargh. Did manage to catch 6 trout…two on minnows and four on Gulp. I live lined the minnows next to a hodge podge sea wall and they were eaten immediately, but I switched to Gulp to see if they hit that instead and they did. They didn’t seem too picky, so I’ll go back out today with just Gulp.
Getting out of my boat at the ramp my dog decides to jump out while I’m half in and half out of the boat and throws off my balance. My left foot lands in mud, shoe get’s sucked off and my left foot come down hard on oysters.[:I] Spent yesterday nursing my foot and resting. The dog is NOT going with me on the boat today.
Really enjoying my time here…such a beautiful place to while away the hours!
Not because I manufacture them, but because they work, if the water visibility is 14 inches or more, stop by the Edistonian, True Value or Edisto Marina and get a bag of TroutTricks. Directions are on the bag. Gulp 3 inch shrimp are the other plastic I throw, both on 1/8th ounce ball jighead. Feel free to call. Stick a pig. Bob
Bob Sanders
www.trouttrick.com
FishingWithBob
Big Fork Farms LLC
Real Estate Sales
803-300-2780
bob@fishingwithbob.com
www.fishingwithbob.com
www.southcarolinalandonline.com
Glad you had some success Yakkar. What’s your blood pressure? Close to zero I bet! Good luck… The TT’s do work, Bob has the Edisto trout trained to bite them
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com | www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
Thanks guys, I’ll try the TT’s. My wallet keeps getting thinner and my heart rate climbs whenever I enter a tackle shop.
Went out today and fished the first 3-4 hours of the incoming tide, but had no luck. Couldn’t find anywhere within paddling distance that had some decent current. Didn’t even see flipper, only gar.
On the positive side I did find a culvert within a 3 minute golf cart ride of our rental that is chalk full of bait. One cast and I could have filled five live wells with finger mullet. Checked the minnow trap when I got back it was super, overloaded, full! We’ll,try again tomorrow.
Paddle,paddle, paddle. Caught some more trout today. One piggy at 22" that wash full of eggs…let her go. Another good day on the water. Gotta get after some Reds!
All on mud minnows, free lining. Carolina rigs and popping corks aren’t working for me. Too much noise on entry? Dunno, but having a good time.
Great trout! And even better release. Keep the reports coming!
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com | www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
Try timeing your fishing with the tides so you wont have to paddle as much, Learned that 60 years ago gigging from a row boat!
Thanks for the advice boatpoor. There’s a spot up the creek that I’ve been fishing at the first of the high tide. Iv’e been paddling up there at the last of the low so I can get staged up and ready to fish. I’m gonna look like Popeye after a few mor days of doing this. 
Didn’t go fishing yesterday…picked my wife up at the airport. Now begins the fine art of sneaking in some fishing while keeping my wife entertained.
This afternoon I followed the last of the outgoing to the mouth of Russell creek and fished the first of the incoming. Scouted around until I found some white shell banks and got anchored up. Caught a dink trout and then moved to another white shell bank and caught two more, then the wind shut me down. Took a few waves over the bow skirt and decided to head back. Between the wind, and a guy who came blazing through (almost swamped me) in a big offshore boat, I cut my trip off early. We’ll give’er another shot tomorrow.
Last update from me…headed home tomorrow. I wanted to thank everyone who posted replies with advice on how to fish this area and I just want say that the Edisto marshes are among the more beautiful places I that I have had the pleasure of enjoying. Ok on to fishing!
5/15
Wife wanted to go to the beach, so I fished the first couple hours of the incoming, at Botany Bay. No luck.
5/16
Fished Russell creek and caught 3 small trout, one 15" flounder and a gar, that self released at the boat. Long day and a lot of paddling, but really enjoyed my time on the water.
5/17
Got a late start in the morning, trying to get two kayaks and gear in the water. Paddled out toward the mouth of the creek and staked up on a sand bar on the left side of the creek, where it formed a small gully on one side of the bar and a big one on the other side. Threw a Gulp minnow at the oysters a few times and hooked up with a 14" trout. Decided to throw a mud minnow in just to see what would happen and for about two hours it was “fish on” with every cast! After a while I just stopped counting and enjoyed the fishing. After the tide got up the fish stopped biting and I packed it in on a high note. . Hope you all have great summer of fishing…hoping to be back again next May.
Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed you week at Edisto! hope you learned a little and will come back.
well done, glad it was an enjoyable trip and way to end your trip on a good note!
liquor in the front, poker in the rear!