Winters like the one we are having this year can be really hard on our inshore fish. The record low temperatures we experienced over the last few weeks really dropped inshore water temperatures and sent fish into slow motion. Speaking with a few people that fished during those cold days, they noted that most of the redfish they caught did not put up any kind of fight choosing the path of least resistance, swimming right to the boat. During these times as anglers it is really important that we take good care of these fish that are already under a lot of pressure from cold temperatures and hungry porpoises. When fishing this time of year the sooner you can get a fish back into the water and unhooked the better for the fish. If you have the ability to unhook the fish without taking it out of the water that is even better. The same goes for trout, which are even more susceptible to temperatures. There were a few reports of trout swimming slowly on the surface, being picked at by seagulls and even a few dead fish floating. Keep this in mind when you are deciding to keep some fish to eat. This time of year the fish can use all the help they can get to survive. While there are limits in place, there is nothing that says you have to keep the maximum number of fish under that limit. Taking care of our resource during these hard months will help us continue to enjoy the great fishing we have come to enjoy in recent years.
Andy Pickett,
CharlestonFishing.Com</font id=“blue”>