I am a total beginner to Salt Water fishing, so I need some help getting started. I have tried to figure things out on my own, but it’s not getting me very far. I normally go to Fort Moultrie to try to fish near the jetties, and I have yet to catch anything. I’m using shrimp,shad and a bottom rig, to no avail. I have spent so much time catching nothing, that I finally realizes that I needed from advice from some people who know what they are doing. I am boatless, and I don’t have access to a dock, so I’m stuck surf fishing, and fishing off the jetties for now I guess. What is the best place to catch fish? What is the best bait? Any additional info for this beginner would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for looking!
Fishing sites and places are highly guarded secrets on public forums. You best bet is to attend or join some of the local clubs. You are more than welcome to attend The East Cooper Fishing Club meeting next Monday (9-12-11) at 7pm. Come have a sit, listen, talk to some folks.
Also, I think there is a fishing club section of CF you can check out if East Cooper is too far from your house. ( We have members from all over the tri-county area, so don’t feel like you have to live in East Cooper to attend/join. )
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 16 year old
1 - 12 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
Those guys have fishing from shore down to a science and if there’s anyone who can help you, it’s them.
Also, as far as general fishing knowledge, just read thread after thread after thread on the forums and if you have a question, use the search function as there have probably been multiple threads on it before. Make sure to note the time of year the question was posed as that can also help you pick up on seasonal trends and you can see patterns from years past without having fished those years.
For first hand experience and the opportunity to tap into a wealth of knowledge, you can hire a charter captain to take you out for a day on the water. You’ll learn how to catch different fish, rigs, about different bait choices, tides, and have the opportunity to ask a professional ANY question about fishing and have them more than willing to talk your ear off about it. It’s what these guys love to do and they’ll talk all day till you tell them to shut up. I can recommend Capt. John Fuss with Holy City Fishing Charters as he’s a good personal friend and a great fisherman, having taught me a lot of what I know. You can PM him on here as he goes by the name Stretcharmstrong. The amount of information you walk away from your first few charters with is well worth the money. It would take year to figure out all the stuff you’d learn from a captain in just 1 day plus you’ll get to catch fish while learning!
Half the fun of fishing is the learning and figuring stuff out so don’t short change yourself. It’s pretty rewarding when you take the time to find your own spots to fish and figure out what techniques work at what tides at what times of year and are able to consistently catch fish there.
It’s true. Decide on which type of fish you want to catch, and how you want to fish (boat, pier, surf, walk). Then target the writeups. It’s all been said so many times on this site. You are new and really owe the folks on here the courtesy of spending some study time before expecting a lot of hand holding. People will help; that’s for sure. But you also need to do your part. Read enough to ask specific questions and you are MUCH more likely to get answers.
Pitt street bridge will likely produce better than any other pier right now. Live bait under a cork near the grass on an incoming tide (low to high). Bait of choice would be menhadden, mullet, or shrimp right now. Live is best, if you can’t get live, cut up mullet or dead shrimp works too.
If you are using store bought leaders, throw them out. Wire leaders won’t catch much inshore besides sharks or rays. If that’s your target, wire is fine, they aren’t as picky. If you want reds or trout or flounder, your hook up percentage will be much higher if you use a monofilament or flourocarbon leader. Mono is cheaper but flouro is advertised as disappearing more in the water. The theory is that if there is no line present, the bait looks more natural and fish will strike more often. Take that for what it is; I’ve been outfished by someone using mono when I had flouro on of the same size. I personally think it makes a difference most of the time, but not all the time. 30 lb is about as high as you want to go for your leader inshore when targeting reds. I generally use 15 to 30 depending on what I’m targeting and the type of structure in the area. Owner brand 1/O or 2/O circle hooks will be sufficient.
If you don’t know knots, attach your leader to your main line with a 30 or 50 lb swivel. Don’t go cheap on your swivel either. Spro makes good stuff. Your swivel should always be rated higher than your leader. 18" of leader is enough when targeting reds or trout or flounder.
The other option is to use a carolina rig. This is a simple setup. Main line to a one or two ounce egg sinker to a 30lb leader to a 2/O circle hook. Any type of bait, again live is best, but dead shrimp or mullet chunks will do. You can also use quartered blue crabs for this method. Reds love it, but you may have to fight through the sharks at pitt street using this bait.
Hope this helps you start out. Good luck and be sure to post a report when you finally catch a fish!
Very good advice from knowledgeable people. Take it all in. The one aspect of coastal fishing that is vitally important is understanding tides and their effect on where and when fish actually feed. The tide, the moon, and the wind are critical elements of success. You must atune yourself to these natural cycles. Daylight hours are also a big influence on the feeding patterns and migrations of most fin fish species. Alot of this takes years to assimilate and incorporate into success with rod and reel, but isn’t that a large part of the intrigue, challenge, and fun? A boat, a dock, or a hired guide are all helpful, but you must invest the TIME ON THE WATER before you can understand the combination of all things relative to predictable success at this challenging hobby. Good luck.
Find a dock somewhere or a good spot ont he bank and fish it hard whenever you can. Take note on the time, weather, tide, temp, season etc… I’ve learned more about fish behavior sitting on a dock all day and watching how the reds work the creek, then moving from place to place on a boat. If you spend enough time out there you will be able to know when the fish show up at that spot and why.
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