I am making a trip down to Kiawah Island next week and I’m hoping to get out fishing a number of times. This will be my first time visiting the area and I could definitely use some help planning. I am bringing my kayak and waders + my surf rod and 2 inshore rods. I’d really like to catch redfish and trout, but I’m also interested in sheepshead and anything else that may be biting. If possible, could you guys please help me out in some of these areas:
-best tidal stages in the marsh/ocean/inlet (high v. Low / Incoming v. Outgoing)
-time of day (Morning, noon, evening, night?)
-types of bait used
-lures and rigs commonly used
-general areas that I will have luck finding different species (surf/marsh/at the edge of feeder creeks vs. center of the river?) are there any well known rock piles for sheepshead? Not looking for anyones secret spots. Just looking for a general idea of how to fish different types of structure for different fish
-kayak launch points
-any good local B&T shops
-catching and/or storing bait (I won’t have a cast net or trap with me though)
-Water depth for different species
-Are any of them particularly good eating? Not sure I’m planning on keeping any anyway, but it would still be good to know
Any structure that has barnacles will hold sheepshead. Falling tide is best for me and we typically use fiddlers for sheeps. Kiawah doesn’t get fished as hard as other areas around Charleston, so you shouldn’t have too much competition around. Use the SEARCH function in the top right and you’ll have more information than you know what to do with on the reds and trout.
Are you staying on or off the island? I don’t know if there are ramps on the island or not, but depending on the area you’ll be in, there are a few nearby public ramps that are easily accessible for kayaks.
I fished from my kayaks there a few years ago. It’s a great place to paddle and see a lot of cool things. We saw dolphins strand feeding (near low tide) close up. It’s something unique to the coastal area.
You can launch at the bridge just a half mile outside the Kiawah gate. There’s parking along the road and it’s an easy place to park and launch. It’s easy access to a lot of fish-able water. You can paddle towards to ocean and fish many creek mouths and oyster rakes. You’ll find the same situation if you paddle inshore. All the standard tactics and baits apply. You’ll find many threads on here talking about tides, baits, methods etc. Likely one of the most common is to fish the draining creek mouths as the tide drops. Use live mud minnows or shrimp or any of several plastic baits on a jig head.
Find a tackle shop nearby and ask for help there too. They used to sell live mud minnows at the Bohicket Marina but I am not sure if they still do.
I’m not the expert on finding and catching fish but suggest using live or plastic shrimp under a popping cork in creek mouths on the dropping tide. You can also put them, finger mullet or mud minnows on a Carolina rig. Fish near the structure especially the oyster mounds.
