What kind of advice do y’all have for a guy who doesn’t have a boat?
Over the last year or so I’ve started really fishing again after a long hiatus. It’s been fun but without a boat or friends with waterfront property I’m limited to the handful of public places I can find. We used to live near Pitt Street Bridge, so I kind of made that home base to start going again. I’ve also fished Demetre Park a few times since Kebda’s viral posts lately.
I’ve been going to the free seminars the local shops have been holding and those have been great and informative. The last month I tried fishing almost entirely with artificials - trout trick, top water plugs, jigs and popping cork. Not using live bait has been challenging but rewarding, especially in the last couple of weeks.
I’ve spent time watching tides and winds and checking spots at different tides and times. Been reading up on what people have been posting here and on other places I can find advice. Just can’t wait for the day I get a boat and can move around and find some good spots.
Do y’all have any advice for me as far as where to go, how to fish, who to follow and learn from. I don’t have a ton of money to spend otherwise I’d hire out a guide. I’m just a simple guy trying to figure things out. Any advice would help and is greatly appreciated.
I’m in the same boat as you, lol. New to the area from Virginia Beach, VA area. Was told to go by Haddrell’s and they told me Demetre Park was the hot place to fish right now. Was planning on it this weekend, but thats not going to happen.
I’m in the same boat (well, lack of boat) as you, I’ve been fishing demetre almost every weekend the past 3 months because it’s close to where I live and I always catch a wide range of species when I’m there, recently I’ve started to try the folly pier but all I’ve caught is a bunch of whiting, experimenting with different baits and rigs just seems to get me different sizes of whiting and nothing else, which isn’t that fun when it happens 5 trips in a row (I’m going to keep trying though). I’m also planning to try Mt. Pleasant pier once the floods are over. I’ve heard mixed reviews about it but I’m going to give it a shot.
my advice would be to save up for a used kayak to increase your range. they are pretty cheap and easy to put a rod holder or two on most types. you don’t need the most expensive type with rudder, leg drive, yeti bracket, and depth finder. any basic kayak with something to hold a rod or two will do.
Surf fishing. We have miles and miles of beaches. The fall is some of the best surf fishing of the year. Go the the Surf and Pier forum on the website and read some of the posts regarding rigs, methods, etc. DParker (and others) on that forum have shared great info.
I am with Jack on the surf fishing. I fish saltwater 99.9% from the beach. The only true “slow” month woud be March. The bigger Black drum bite is excellent in Nov.-Dec. and have caught nice Reds in Jan. & Feb. Just got to have lines in to find out. Get some chest waders 'cause the water does get cold in the winter months. And Demetre park seems to be a hot spot, never been there myself, sounds productive. Maybe Folly pier?
Here is a Feb. Red. Note the two long sleeve shirts and chest waders. And what’s that in the backgrond? [:0]
Thanks for all the advice everyone. Much appreciated! I’m lucky to have found this forum and to find the good wisdom throughout the site. I’m actually working on getting a gheenoe sometime soon to putt around in, so I’m excited about that. Until then I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of friends who have me as company on their boats fairly often and I still hit up the little local spots like Demetre and Pitt. Getting the wife into it too! I definitely won’t mind if anyone has a little local spot they would like to privately share
My son (cofcfishing) is in the same boat (get it), no boat AND even worse, no transportation so he is relegated to walking anywhere he wants to fish. We’re hoping to find a decent parking spot next year so he can get out and do some fishing.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Any of the beaches hold fish so it’s worth checking out. Also, fishing from a paddle board is very possible. I have one made by Bote and it’s inflatable so it’s super easy for transporting. I like it better than a kayak because you get a better view of what’s going on. You can pole around in 6" of water no problem. Just my 2 cents.
