I’ll be staying in Edisto next week (Monday to Monday) and I’ll be bringing my KeyWest 2020. I want to fish the Edisto 40 reef. What bait should I bring with me on that trip so that I can be fully prepared? Mullet? Fiddlers? Menhaden? Mudminnows? Is there someplace on Edisto that you can buy bait or can I use the castnet somewhere to catch my own? Any help would be appreciated?
Key West 2020cc
I havent fished the 40 much but I fish the 60 a lot I would take some king rigs and before you put the boat in the marina go to the store on the south end of the island forgot what its called but it is on the same road as the edisto marina and they sell bait they have signs that say that but right across from there is a little golfcourse pond and it is loaded with mullet pull up there fill up the livewell with a bucket and catch a bunch of mulle then on the way out I would look for menhaden they seem to work better but the mullet will work and just slow troll them and you will catch some kings if you dont feel like messin with that I would try green drone spoons behind a number 2 planner.
Edisto Water Sports is the place for bait on the right before you get to the marina. It is beside the Dockside bar. Three weekends ago I was at the 40 and not much around so I would venture on out to the 60 and check it out. They were at the 60 when I was there.
23 Hydra sport 225 Yammy
Thanks. So if I go to the 60 reef, I should be trolling or…?? Do you anchor and put baits on the bottom?
Key West 2020cc
If you put bait on the bottom you won’t be able to keep the sharks away. Slow Troll the live bait. Are you familiar with slow trolling?
Maybe not. I’m familiar with trolling with artificial baits like spoons…but not with live or cut bait. Can you fill me in? I’ve lived in SC all my life, lived in the Lowcountry for 3 years, but sadly have not gotten much better at saltwater fishing…especially offshore (I just got the boat in April).
Key West 2020cc
With slow trollen you get a duuble trouble hook rig take the firtst hook through the nose then the other one in the back then you bump your motor in and out of gear so you are barely moven and let the baits swim behind your boat.
Fisherguy is dead-on, however; another tactic to slow trolling that we have used is to find the structure and pull the baits in a continuous circle around the structure. By doing this, the baits will follow the boat to the inside of the circle and be going a lot slower than the boat. This keeps you from having to constantly work the transmission in and out of gear. Key point to slow trolling is not pull the baits so fast that you kill them. Has anyone else ever tried this?