Given how much rain the Columbia area has been getting lately, and all of the rivers dump into the Charleston area rivers and creeks, what kind of effect does this have on the fishing, if any? Always heard it negatively impacted fishing so i’m curious if this is legit or just an old wive’s tale.
Earn it everyday…
Charleston has been getting a lot of rain as well as the runoff from the upstate. The fresh and salt water mixing has not affected my fishing any, but I sure am tired of the rain. I know that many people say that when it rains it makes the water dirtier, if its even possible to make it any dirtier here, but I have been seeing the opposite effect. Charleston harbor’s water has had fairly good visibility lately. So to answer your question I do not believe that the fresh and salt water mixing has a detrimental effect on fishing, but that’s just my opinion. I have been catching fish and it’s been raining for months it seems.
2006 Grady Sportsman 180
16’ Sneak Boat Scanoe
I was always told that shrimp don’t like the fresh water do when it rains a lot they move out and the fish follow them but have no idea how true that is.
Three-fourths of the Earth’s surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn.
Yes, heavy rains can, and do, change the distribution of fish within any tidal river or estuary. It’s not an old wives tale, it’s a scientific fact.
It’s quite normal for the salinity of our rivers and estuaries near Charleston to change drastically in wet vs dry years. Luckily, the fish, crustaceans, and other organisms that occupy these areas have evolved to live within these highly dynamic systems. Short-term rain events, and even large spring tides can change the local area salinity in a short period of time. And long-term wet years or droughts can change the salinity of a large area for a long period of time. Within the normal daily tidal cycle the salinity on the bottom and surface of our coastal rivers even change significantly.
The good news is that red drum, trout, flounder, shrimp, bluecrabs, etc. are all very capable and tolerant of surviving in a wide range of salinities. They all do have their preferable ranges though. Therefore in some years you can see a significant shift in numbers of a given species due to salinity. Our fish seem a bit less sensitive to this shift but crabs and shrimp can be effected quite a bit which can shift the area they occupy by several river miles on extreme years. In general, the closer you get to the ocean the lesser the effect of freshwater input is due to mixing alone. The farther up a river you go, the more significant the effect of freshwater input can be in effecting fish species abundance in a given year.
I have an Instant Ocean Hydrometer I bought at Petco. It is not that useful in locating fish in Broad River, but helps in Combahee. I discovered on the internet that Trout prefer Salinity in the 18 to 22 PPT range, and Reds prefer 14 to 28 PPT. Pure ocean water is about 34 to 36 PPT and fresh water is, of course, zero. I put in at Steel Bridge, read the salinity, and that tells me whether to go up or down. There is sometimes a tremendous difference in the same place between incoming and outgoing tide salinity, as the outgoing can bring down fresh water from recent rains. Factors other than salinity can have great effect on the fishing, but salinity is just one more piece of the puzzle. Sometimes I find the “perfect” salinity and no fish, but often find that when I catch fish in Combahee, the salinity is “right”. The “rules” for preferred salinity appear to change when reds and some trout mature and leave the estuaries. They then tolerate full ocean salinity and can be caught along the beaches and at nearshore wrecks and reefs.
spec
1980 Skandia 21 w/ '93 JohnRude 150 gas drinker
Some of my best fishing spots are in brackish water as the Combahee. I have caught a lot of trout that were full of shrimp in places where you would not think there would be many shrimp.
I use to dive the Edisto around Canadys for sharks teeth and would see flounder. I guess fish in different areas adapt since most fish live in these area’s year round, and don’t travel very far.
War Eagle 115 yamaha 4 stroke
Yep, I have caught trout and flounder as far up as Sugar Hill in Combahee. Reds go on up. I never quit learning about the river and the good Lord’s critters!
spec
1980 Skandia 21 w/ '93 JohnRude 150 gas drinker
quote:
Originally posted by hotsauce
This is one of my favorite new spots…just sayin.
But if I see you out there, I’ll keep on going by…
Redfish Baron Extraordinaire
Salt water is heavier than fresh water so many times the water can be more salient lower in the water column. We did have about a 3 plus week stretch with no rain, and when it pours fast, it usually just runs off quickly.
