Been trying to research this on the forums but have been coming up empty. I’ve been going fishing enough this year that I finally have whittled down my gear/supplies to the essential enough that I can fit all of them into my Native Ultimate kayak.
My question: Is there a beach that would be accessible by paddle but not regular beach goers? I’ve thought about Morris Island but don’t know for sure that you can fish there or how much of a paddle that would be. I’m really wanting to find something that might be a little secluded when I take a “staycation” in a couple of weeks.
Jared,
Stono River has several hummock islands that you can get to by kayak. Problem is, they’re heavily used. Same is probably true for most of the places you can get to by kayak. Try using some satellite images of the area and look for the beaches or sandy areas.
Good Luck!
Well start your endurance training. It depends on how strong you are but this shouldn’t be too far to go.
Launch at Demetre the last 30 minutes of outgoing tide and let it pull you toward Sumter
Then work you way here as the tide comes back in: https://goo.gl/maps/69zpl
Looks like an easy enough path to me. There appears to be 2 shipwrecks in this creek to explore and then you can explore the south tip of Morris. There are some ponds nearby. There appears to be a bridge that helps the people that live on Black island to Morris.
If you stay long enough you can ride the tide back out the creek until you hit the fort again. Also if you go during a flood tide you might be able to take a shortcut home and go straight across the marsh.
That bay just north of Black island also looks like prime red territory so let a rod troll behind you. It looks better as a spot to get stuck in with the fish at low tide but worth a try as you are passing.
Thanks for the replies. I’m going to take a look at that route. Not quite sure what a hummock island is but I’ll look into it. I’m hoping with school being back in session maybe it’ll be a little less crowded. Looking at satellite images, how do you tell the tide stage? Do you just look at the same spot on different map sites for differences?
I’m sure it varies a little and I bet there’s an old salt out there that knows better but I believe the marsh line usually marks where half tide is on average. On a flood tide most if not all marsh grass will be submerged. In my link it appears to be slightly above mid tide as it’s touching the grass. This is somewhat supported by the fact that the shipwreck is a 20’-25’ boat that would require a lot more water to get where it is so high tide must be a few hours away.
You can ride out to plenty of inlets at low tide and fish the sides of the inlets or the bars/islands in front. You have to be fairly confident with your skills and know how to pick your days and routes. Six miles is the minimum for any of these trips I’ve tried, and most I’ve done are at least 10 miles by day’s end. You don’t have to be an athlete or anything, but you have to pay close attention to conditions and weather to avoid getting stuck with a nasty return situation. And obviously these all have to be done around low tide.
