Hey guys,
I am wondering some good ways to attract fish to a dock. I have a dock on Sullivans Island on the the creek and I was wondering if you guys had any good ways of attracting fish to the dock. Is there any type of man made structure that I can put in the water so that oysters will grow and a type of habitat is created for the fish. There are not many oyster beds just pluff mud near my dock…
Thanks in advance for your responses
~Tight Lines
-Trent
Structure.
Any type of structure will attract fish…pilings, crabs pots, you name it. I would check the legality of placing things in the water just for fish habitat though. But if its part of your dock, then its part of your dock.
A dock light near the water level at high tide is another good attractor. If you have trout/reds nearby, during the summer, they will be around the light at night…some of the most fun fishing you can have!
Redfish Baron Extraordinaire
scdnr - http://saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/oyster.html
During the summer months, oysters spawn and release free-swimming larvae, called spat, into the water column. The spat are carried by tide and current and after spending about two weeks moving in the water column, seek a suitable surface upon which to attach and begin building their shells of calcium carbonate. Unless disturbed, they will spend the remainder of their life cycle where they have attached. Centuries of oyster cultivation experience have proven oyster shell to be one of most desirable materials (called cultch) for attachment and subsequent growth of young oysters. Other cultch materials, such as shucked whelk shell and wooden stakes have been very successful in attracting and supporting oyster spat.
Rebar - spat loves rebar
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com
Dump some toilets off the end of it. One of my favorite docks to fish in the Stono has a couple engine blocks and some toilets off the side of it in 8 feet of water low tide.
Sabalo 21 150 Yamaha (under construction)
Key West Stealth 150 V-max (SOLD)
Uh oh
I didn’t do it - some old timer lives there and has been building his “reef” for a long time. He came out on the dock last summer and gave me a brief 1 hour history lesson of johns island. I enjoyed it more than the fishing and I caught a bunch!
Sabalo 21 150 Yamaha (under construction)
Key West Stealth 150 V-max (SOLD)
cinder blocks? though I am pretty sure you have to cure them in freshwater first
“When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.” - Thomas Paine
How deep does DNR place re-cycled shells? What is the optimum depth for oyster reproduction?
DNR puts them in mesh type bags and rebars them down. All places that are dry at low and have water at a standard high tide. I would definitely put oyster shells out. Although it is known that spat is much more likely to stick to them if theyre stationary. So i would toss some bricks or rebar in there as well.Remember fish like current breaks. So i would do mine in a lines or something to break up current and have ambush spots. Dont over look underwater stuff. Some of the best docks i fish have deck chairs, crab pots, or anything of the sort under them. Id imagine any kind of cinder bricks and stuff would do the trick. Light is also a phenmenal idea, just make sure you have it turned on frequently so the fish get used to it and know where to come. Just be careful and smart about where you put this stuff in the water. You dont want a hazard to you and other boaters! You dont wanna build an awesome reef only to not be able to fish it from your dock because you break off every time and cant pull the fish out!
14’ Skiff-“Redfish Reaper”
rebar with thinset mortar is betterer
LED lights, low power, pointing down
bait balls with fish meal
dock lights, enough said
Placing structures, blocks, re-bar or other items in tidal waters of SC requires a permit from SCDHEC/Ocean & Coastal Resource Management. This type of proposal will be reviewed by OCRM and DNR. There is currently a program by DNR for “Living Shorelines” to create habitat and for erosion protection. Give DNR a call about this program for additional information.
Seafox 246 w 300 Yamaha
I understand the permit thing. I guess what I’m getting at is this: everyone knows that most inshore game fish are structure oriented, and oysters are the first choice. The advice is always " go find the oysters at low tide, and go back when they’re covered." But aren’t there deeper beds that are never exposed? How plentiful are they? How would you find them.? How deep could they be?
I don’t know why DNR does not put more effort into inshore fishing reefs. There is a spot down in Beaufort County where some old culvert pipes were dropped in 16-18’ of water years ago. Holds plenty of sheeps, BSB’s, flounder, and does not obstruct navigation. Inshore reefs work.
Seafox 246 w 300 Yamaha