Before there were flats boats here in Charleston, before there were poling platforms, before people fished with fly rods in the salt water, before there were Redfish What? Before there were Redfish? Yes before there were Redfish, back when everyone here in the lowcounty called Sciaenop ovellatus or Red Drum by the common names, Channel Bass or Spotail Bass. That?s right, once upon a time Redfish was a colloquium for Red Drum only used by those in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida and those of us here in the lowcountry were ignorant to fishing for Red Drum on the flats.
Over the years the common name of the Red Drum may have changed here locally from a Channel Bass to a Redfish, but the fact of the matter remains a Red Drum is still a Channel Bass. By now I imagine you may be a little confused and I am sure you are wondering exactly what I am driving at. Well let?s look at the name Channel Bass, a channel in nautical terms is defined as the deeper navigable part of a harbor or river. The reason those of us here in the lowcountry referred to the Red Drum as Channel Bass is because we usually caught these fish in deep holes and river channels. Let?s face it, though the flats may have become more popular fishing grounds in recent years for Red Drum, the fish have not changed, they are still Channel Bass and the deeper holes and channels still represent a significant habitat for these fish.
Through my personal experience, targeting fish in the deep channels can be a rewarding experience as these fish are usually larger, more mature fish often times exceeding 25 pounds in weight. You can use several avenues for locating your channels and holes for fishing. Perhaps the simplest method is to pull out a NOAA chart of your area with the surveyed depths and locate your fishing spots from the chart. Note: You should never anchor in a shipping channel, usually you can find channels and holes on a chart outside of the shipping channel, and these areas are best for fishing, obviously from a safety standpoint of less boat traf