I now have access to the Edisto (main river, not the forks), and wondering what type of fish are commonly caught in it? I have read it has a good flathead catfish population. Any advice will be greatly apprecaited.
Which part of the main river??? Rock fish may be running up the river now. Have not been yet myself, too busy working.
There are lots of gators[:0]
Best known for the redbreast. There are bream and cats and fair amt of largemouth. Most cats are channels or bullheads. Most of the flatheads were introduced between hwy15 and Givanns. There only you can use live minnows on troutlines and limb lines. Not legal elsewhere in effort to lower population. Flatheads are hurting the panfish population.
J Ford
J16 cc Carolina Skiff “Hydro Therapy”
There are some panfish coming back into the river after the flathead fiasco. A guy that works for us swears that the bass have returned in droves if you actually go fishing for them. In the past redbreast, shad, and bream were the fish targeted. Most of them got wiped out by the cats, but a barage of set lines took care of that, and they appear to be making a comeback north of 15. We have a place on the river and there aren’t as many people fishing as there used to be.
I have a get away house on the river near Branchville. May not be as many people fishing, but plenty of people riding the river with large motors washing the eggs off of the bream beds. Lots more sand bars than the past. The river has even changed it’s path in my lifetime making dead horseshoe lakes.
I want to thank everyone for the info. It is very helpful!
My mom has a place on river between hwy 15 and Stokes Brdg. House built in '48. Not as many boats fishing as in the past but, not as many fish either. It’s still pretty good when it’s not too low. I still love it down there.
I can remember fishing with my granddad in the 60’s when we go out at 7:00 and back at the house at 9:30 with two limits of readbreast, few cats, bass, or jackfish in time for breakfast. Better have done good or grandmother will have outfished you from the hill. She would talk trash when that happens. Any not bigger than your hand went back. Even 12-15 yrs ago before the flatheads fishing was great. Seems fishing was better after a high water winter/spring. Kept people off the water. Use to flood every year. Takes care of the leaves. It hasn’t been real high often in the past 6-8 yrs.
I’ve got an uncle that does real good on bass. River changes a lot every time you have high/flood water. Lots of places have a maze of strainers and lots of sandbars. It’s really hard to go upstream from the house if it’s real low. Fishing picks up in April and peaks full moon in May and into June. Also good around end of Sept thru Oct.
J Ford
J16 cc Carolina Skiff “Hydro Therapy”
The best river fishing in my opinion is for redbreast. I grew up on the S. Edisto in Orangeburg Co. where the river changes a good bit back and forth through the swamp within someone’s lifetime as Edistobrad is talking about.
If you want to go after redbreast, then try and get off the main river flow and into one of the lakes that has been made by changing floods and silt. But the lake still has to have good running water through it. In the spring, the redbreast seem to prefer to bed in these lakes with a little deeper water and some water flow than in the river which is down in the summer from irrigation water pumped out and the heat/lack of rain. It won’t take long to find them with a tube of crickets and a pole so long as you are away from where the “public” could get by land to fish.
Luke 8:22-25
“Miss Phin” Aquasport Osprey 170 w/Johnson 90
what is a “troutline,” small diameter test?
dukmon
Troutlines are usually string tied to a pole stuck in the bank and baited for catfish. The poles are checked off and on and fish removed and poles re-baited. Sometimes done overnight, and sometimes during a weekend.
Also have seen where the end of the lines are tied to tree branches in place of bamboo poles.
Also have seen a line baited and placed on the bottom and strung across the entire creek (tied to a pole or branch on opposite banks).
EWC
You gotta love the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Just to let ya’ll know, I managed the fishery in the Edisto for the DNR for 30 years (now retired). While the fishing may have seemed to digress in the last few years, it really hasn’t changed that much considering the increases in fishing pressure. Let me set the record straight:
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Flatheads were stocked by individuals that brought fish in from Santee-Cooper. DNR didn’t stock any fish.
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Redbreast spawn in the main river areas not backwaters. Bluegill do that.
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As you might remember, redbreast fishing was fantastic after the flood and drought years several years ago. Why? Because anglers were restricted from access to the fish. High water in the spring allows redbreast to access the floodplain for food and thus increases their spawning success.
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While flatheads have been a factor in suppressing the redbreast population, it appears that the curve is flattening and they are NOT going to wipe redbreast out. Just keep throwing the little ones back to grow up. Takes 3 years to make a keeper.
The most important thing that you can do is protect the habitat along the river.
Thanks for posting, refugee. It has been rumoured for years that the DNR had a hand in the flathead introduction. I’ve no doubt you are spot-on about high water in the Spring and putting back small fish as being the keys to better redbreast fishing in subsequent years.
There were articles in the State, T&D, and N&C papers years back about how people had put in the flatheads from Santee. People have put in crappies from Santee too. Articles explained the problem with introducing non-native fish and discouraged it. E R - good post. Might have been you that spured the articles. That’s when DNR made the special rule on live bait sets to try to get the population down on the flat heads. Fishing is always better after a high water winter/spring. Check out “Friends of the Edisto”. Good cause there.
J Ford
J16 cc Carolina Skiff “Hydro Therapy”