I remember well the first time we pulled up to the 4KI reef off off Kiawah and seeing huge schools of spadefish lazily swimming around on the surface. I also remember vividly the first fish I hooked one and the sound of my little Penn 714z screaming and sounding like it may self destruct at any moment. From that moment on I was hooked on these strange looking fish that pulled like a freight train every time you hooked them. I ended up burning the drag out of that reel on an 11 pounder and had to reach down and turn the actual spool with my hand to get that fish to the boat.
The reefs are a great way to introduce kids to fishing away from the shore and letting them get used to the rolling of the seas without being 70 miles away from land and they are also a great way to introduce kids to some really fun fishing. Our artificial reefs not only hold spadefish, but many other popular species. There are always plenty of barracuda around, which can be great fun on light tackle and many times you can find a hungry cobia hanging around as well. Some other species that can be caught on the reefs in include, trigger fish, Black Sea bass, redfish, flounder, and weakfish to name a few.
Here is a link to the SCDNR artificial reefs complete with GPS coordinates. This is an interactive map and will allow you to identify and drill down to specific coordinates for each individual piece of material on the reefs. This is a great resource to plan your next trip.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/artificialreefs/
Andy Pickett
CharlestonFishing.Com</font id=“blue”>