I might as well stir the pot and get a little high energy posting going. For the life of me I can’t understand the attraction of putting the boat in on a windy cold day to catch a fish that will be there when the wind is calm and the temperature is above 70 degrees. The idea of wintertime fishing has never really appealed to me…heck it only lasts a couple of months down here, and there is no shortage of fun, interesting, and challenging things to do when it gets cold that don’t involve burning gas in an open boat. As far as I’m concerned fishing is most enjoyable when done in short pants and a t-shirt with a cooler full of cold drinks. I could care less if the fish are schooled up or scattered over a country mile, I want warm sun on my face and the breeze to refresh me rather than bite me like an angry osprey. I’ve caught boatloads of spotails and trout when my hands hurt like heck from the cold, and it never matched the fun of soaking a bait on a warm sunny day watching a boatload of beautiful lowcounty talent cruise on by. Now I’ll admit I’m not the run and gun rebel of my past youth, and age does add a certain dimension to the perception of “fun”, but even in my 20’s jumping the bow wake of that Delaware yatcht in the ditch in January put some serious torque on my butthole when the cold salty spray hit me flush in the face! I enjoy the posts and pictures, but I’ll sit it out on the hill until Rob Fowler tells me to break out the sunscreen. In the meantime ya’ll leave a few for seed, and I’ll see you at the landing in April.
LMAO Ya just got to love it, and I love the salt marsh in the winter. Now I’m getting longer in the tooth and shorter on teeth, so I ain’t as gung ho as I used to be, but if the temps are above 50 and the wind less than 20, and it ain’t raining, I can fish and love it. No crowds, beautiful clear water, fish are hungry, and it beats the heck out of watching TV
Edit:
quote:In the meantime ya’ll leave a few for seed, and I’ll see you at the landing in April.
Don’t worry, we usually release them all anyway. I’ll be hitting the opening day of grouper season in the GOM on April 1st.
We bought a dual console boat specifically so we could fish through the winter with relative comfort. Our limit is in the middle 50’s, but with the windshield and our custom built plug for the walk-through, we stay toasty on sunny Winter days even when running. The water clarity is usually much better in the Winter which makes sight fishing for reds possible in a few of the creeks above Bushy Park. There are fewer folks on the water, and the folks we do encounter seem to be almost all ‘hard core’ fishermen and sportsmen…just nicer folks than the crowd you run into in the Summer. Besides…no bugs…no sweat!
PioneerLouie
Pioneer Venture 175, Johnson 90
Summerville, SC
I agree with boss. All fishin should be done in the summer…and only on the weekends. I hear they don’t bite in the winter any way. You know, cause they’re cold
If you are a redfish enthusiast, your best research needs to be done during the COLD months. In order to catch reds during all tidal situations during the year, you have to make sure you are at least throwing AROUND fish. In the winter when the water is clear, you can follow each school throughout the tide to mark how and where they move. Even though they spread out during the warmer months, they will be in the same general area all year long. Fishing Dec-Feb the last 2 winters I would call paying your dues, but this year has been like fishing early Spring the entire time.
Hard for me to understand how anyone could think that summer fishing is better. If they would have been with me today I think they would change there mine. Mid sixties, one boat at landing, crystal clear water, large schools of hungry reds devouring everything I threw at them.
Summertime- dirty water, crowded landings, boats everwhere,burning hot sun,sweating,skiers,tubers,jet skiers, paddle boarders and yatchs kicking up big wakes. That is the time of the year when I stay off the water and waiting for the next fall. And as far at the fishing for trout and reds, no comparison. I can catch more trout and reds in the fall and winter in one season than 10 summers inshore.
19’ Seapro 150 Yamaha
12’ Hydrocraft 25 Evinrude
If that’s all I have to worry about…there’s nothing to worry about.
quote:
Summertime- dirty water, crowded landings, boats everwhere,burning hot sun,sweating,skiers,tubers,jet skiers, paddle boarders and yatchs kicking up big wakes.
Winter fishing is where it is at. The best part is the lack of dopes with too much money, too little boating experience and a giant boat that show no courtesy to other boaters… Those idiots don’t come out until it warms up. Some of my best days were Winter days. The only thing warm weather fishing offers is the occasional hottie in a bikini (which I am all for) and I saw one of those in December.
Looking through photos of some of our best catches, I found that most of the them were made were during the winter…at least as far as the reds and trout are concerned. Some of those warm, clear, winter days will change your mind. But we don’t mind if you stay home. It is nice to fish all day and not see more than a couple of boats…and that’s on the weekends!
PioneerLouie
Pioneer Venture 175, Johnson 90
Summerville, SC
The posts are low. What’s the harm in stirring up discussion (reason for a forum, right?). Attacking someone for a reasonable post is HARSH. Speaking of harsh… just spent winters in Colorado and Montana. I just spent Thanksgiving in a kayak off Folly Beach in 80 degree weather. Temps in CO where in the teens this am with a foot of snow on the ground. I look forward to being in Charleston on a boat this time of year. But BossDog, chasing birds this time of year is good too, and you warm up walking, for the cold days.
Many go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.
watching the weather forecasts and reports is a force of habit bordering neurosis for me when deciding whether or not i’m going out. old saws about caution and valor aside, if it’s not fun and safe, you’re not doing it right. every person’s definition of those two things is different.
that said, from my perspective, short pants ain’t the only fishin’ pants, and i have most often observed a direct and inverse relationship between good fishing and presence of “talent” mentioned in your other post, boss… “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”
Ya just got to love it, and I love the salt marsh in the winter. Now I’m getting longer in the tooth and shorter on teeth, so I ain’t as gung ho as I used to be, but if the temps are above 50 and the wind less than 20, and it ain’t raining, I can fish and love it. No crowds, beautiful clear water, fish are hungry, and it beats the heck out of watching TV 
