New to the area and the forum. Where should I go exploring ? Don’t beat me up… I’m not asking for numbers to your favorite flounder hole. I am curious about where I should start exploring and looking for myself.
I live close to the Wappoo Cut and not far from Folly to launch. I’ve pecked around the Harbor a few times already and snuck out once. Where should I start looking for inshore fishing spots, or good scenery or both ?
Should I be heading up The Ashley or The Stono or where?
Point me.
Stono is okay. Not the gem I hear it used to be, but it produces some fish. Mainly trout and shark, and the occasional red. I don’t fish anywhere north of Wappoo Cut in the Stono, in my opinion it’s just a waste of time. I fish more towards Sol Legre boat ramp on the Stono. Ashley river is good for putting bait in the net, but doesn’t yield much for target fish. Cooper River and Wando River seem to be where most of the target fish go. I pay a lot of attention to the water color when I pick my spots. I avoid the root-beer colored water, not salty enough. The salty water stays a grey-ish color. You’ll notice the difference as you make your way up river. Fish close to oyster beds, they seem to draw in a lot of action.
This is the best time of year to fish. As the water cools down, the target fish come into the shallow water areas. You can catch big reds in 1-2ft of water.
Lot of sandbars and oyster beds hiding under the water at high tide. Careful out there, use your safety equipment!
Thanks for that good info! I’ve got a 24’ bay boat and I’ve got Lots to learn! Thankful for good electronics. Is there an area that has a good flounder reputation?
Any where around the harbor is good for flounder. Sullivan’s is good, specifically breach. I’ve seen a lot of charters fishing the orange bouy line in the harbor. Stono is the toughest river to fish around here. Wappoo cut is good fishing.
With fall just around the corner, the bite is starting to really pick up. Most the bait is getting ready to exit the creeks over the next couple months so the fish will be fired up and eating aggressively. Your best way to find fish is time on the water. The best thing I can recommend is time on the water. Now, with that said, I am going to give you some pointers I have learned over the years. My favorite tide to fish is falling into low, then the first couple hours of incoming. Once high tide comes in, I still pick up a few fish it just gets a lot more difficult. Mostly due to the fact the reds are pushing up in the grass looking for food. Trout can be consistently caught as long as there is water moving. I only use artificials but here is my gameplan:
Reds: Fish structure(docks, oysters, trees etc) with jig heads and assorted soft plastics. I mostly use Zman products paired with Trout Eye jigheads and have great success. Fish grass points and around oysters with deeper edges you can float a popping cork with an artificial shrimp as well(Vudu, DOA etc)
Trout: Look for water in the 6-8’ range. A jig had with a trout trick, paddle tail or curly tail grub with bright colors usually results in a good bite. I look for grass points/oyster bars where there is a strong current break and will throw in the edge of the current. Let it hit the bottom and lightly give two twitches up and let the lure fall back to the bottom. The trout will usually hit on the fall. Trolling is also a good way to locate trout. You can set up a couple of rods with different color lures and troll two behind your boat. Once you hook up, there will usually be more in that area.
Flounder: Same setup used for reds and trout will work. Throw up into feeder creek openings, sloooooowly bump across the bottom and wait for the inevitable “tap tap” then wait 3 seconds and slowly reel. If you feel resistance, set the hook. If not, continue working the lure. Also cast mud flats/banks and repeat the same retrieve.