From 11/23/00</font id=“blue”>
Generally when you hear fishermen in the lowcountry talking about fishing the ledge they are talking about fishing offshore. The ledge is a very productive area for catching many different types of fish including Wahoo and Dolphin. Have you ever heard of fishermen catching trout on the ledge? Probably not, the ledge I am talking about is not offshore at all, but in the creeks and rivers of the lowcountry. As the tides and currents flow in and out a tremendous amount of water moves through the rivers and creeks. The movement of the water shapes the bottom and cuts out areas to handle larger amounts of water. As the water moves through and makes these cuts ledges are formed. These ledges make great spots for a hungry Trout to ambush smaller fish and shrimp. What many fishermen do not realize is that these ledges are abundant in our waters and can be some of the more productive areas to fish as the water temperatures drop. Trolling and paying close attention to your depth recorder will help you to locate these ledges and help you to learn how they are shaped and where to fish.
Unless we are trolling the average Trout fisherman will find a spot that looks good, anchor, and cast toward the bank retrieving your lure or bait perpendicular to the bank. This is productive when casting toward a defined structure like an oyster bar or the mouth of a feeder creek, but not as productive when fishing a ledge. You will probably pick up some fish because as your bait comes back toward your boat it will drop off of the ledge and to the fish waiting along the ledge. If you are fishing parallel to the banks and the ledge you increase the amount of time your bait is in front of the fish giving them more of an opportunity to take your bait. This is one of the reasons trolling can be so effective. Not only does trolling allow you to cover more ground and find schools of fish, but it also allows you to fish parallel along the ledges.
Once you find the ledges you may want to tro