Coming to Charleston next weekend with my adult son Saturday and Sunday. We have some (not very much) experience fishing inshore saltwater but don’t get many chances to be in Charleston. My thought was to slow troll 4 or so artificials in hopes of catching some trout or reds. Maybe the old stand by electric chicken, etc. Would I basically stay in the creeks, intercoastal ww, or what ? Would I go against the tide ? Or does it not make sense to do this at all ? Thanks for any input.
I don’t troll for reds or trout, but have heard of people doing so from kayaks. I don’t do it because its difficult to make the baits seem “real”. They tend to skip across the top of the water or get snagged on things under the water. This is just my experience. I suggest you use the good ol’ carolina rig or popping cork. I know those catch fish.
2006 Grady Sportsman 180
16’ Sneak Boat Scanoe
Thanks sneak for taking the time to help. I thought that may be an issue. The problem for me will be trying find fish and I thought that may be the best for covering a lot of water. One more question, if I fish an area (mouth of a creek, etc), and put maybe 3 rods down and float 2 rods, should I move to another spot after 45 minutes or so ?
Yes, if I am “prospecting” and haven’t had any bites in even 30 minutes I will change spots, but the move doesn’t necessarily have to be far. Sometimes its just the next point or pocket. One thing to be mindful of is how you approach the spot you want to fish. A lot of people will charge in full throttle, come off plane a few yards away, and then go up and sling the anchor overboard and wonder why they haven’t caught any fish. Try to be sneaky and not scare any fish that are already there. Idle up to your spot or even drift back to it and slowly and carefully anchor. This way your not spending that 30-45 minutes waiting for the fish to come back.
I don’t know how big your boat is, but 5 rods fishing stands a good chance of doing more harm than good. Lines get tangled and there are too many things to pay attention to. Try using one bottom rig with live bait, one float with live bait doing its own thing, and then another float with an artificial that you are actively fishing in a cast and retrieve style. That way you have all your bases covered.
2006 Grady Sportsman 180
16’ Sneak Boat Scanoe
Agree with sneak on this one…good luck
06 Xpress,Yamaha TLR 70
Thanks guys, appreciate the advice. I’ll let you know how we do.
I have trolled for trout and reds from a kayak and from a boat. It’s easier from a boat. I just simply do a slow troll, bumping the bottom occasionally. Go with the current. From a boat, I prefer high tide going out. Find a relatively straight reach, troll one bait a couple feet off of the grass, the other off the other side of the boat. I’ve never used more than 2 or 3 lines. I have also never used a trolling motor, just go with the flow and bump it in/out of gear. 1/4 oz. jig head with a chicken or green grub works well.
If you are skipping your baits across the top of the water, you are going way too fast. Keep getting snagged on the bottom, move to an area that doesn’t have as many oysters, or slightly pick up your speed. You can cover a lot of area this way. Once you find them, you can always stop, double back, and cast thoroughly over the area.
I haven’t found much of a science to it yet, but if you can catch it on a grub, chances are you can catch it trolling.
Narcosis