Each summer we make a trip or two to the artificial reefs off of our coast. Fishing these areas in the summer time offers many different options for anglers. Everyone loves to catch spadefish. They are normally fairly easy to catch and offer a great fight once hooked up. There are opportunities to catch barracuda on light tackle, which also put up a great fight and will often jump out of the water once hooked. Schools of Spanish mackerel also frequent the reefs and offer some fast action and great top-water fishing. King mackerel will often hang out around the perimeter of the reefs and slow trolling these areas offer some great shots at fish. We’ve witnessed some very nice cobia emerging from the shadows of schooling spadefish over the years and we’ve also hooked some huge amberjack on some of the reefs that are 60’ and deeper. The truth of the matter is that these reefs offer plenty of action and when you head out to fish them you really should have a plan a,b,c,d,e etc. because you never know just what type of opportunity may present itself when you fish them. If you have not had a chance or taken the time to fish one of the reefs you are really missing a good time on the water. If you are an inexperienced angler or do not have the type of boat that allows you to fish this type of water, there are plenty of experienced guides in the Charleston area offering trips to fish the reefs.
Andy Pickett
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