Guys, I’m new to the area. Moved down from Charlotte with the wife taking a new job. Been bass fishing for 25+ years in NC and surrounding areas and just now really getting started salt water/inshore fishing.
Been getting on a few really small reds out here in the Wando near where we live in Mt Pleasant but nothing of any size or decent numbers. Am throwing artificial lures (gulp variety) and topwater mostly with some but limited success.
Word I’m getting is live bait only due to water temp, fish lethargy, and so much natural bait in the water which makes sense but I don’t really do or want to do that so I thought I’d check in with the local experts on the artificial bite, ask about some general/typical locations (drains, ditches, drops, points, etc) to see if I’m looking in the right areas, and also water specifics (temp, color, preferred tides, etc).
No one is going to give up spots I know so I’m not going to ask but if you guys can share some pointers to help compress the learning cycle I’d be much appreciative.
Will continue running the Cooper up to and past the rice plantation to get on bass as I know that world fairly well in terms of how to find and catch largemouth but these salt specific river fish have me totally out of whack right now.
Any and all advice or guidance re: catching em on artificials this time of year would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks guys and tight lines to all!
Disclaimer: I’m as far from a “local expert” as you can get and I fish the Edisto area. However, I am like you on my learning curve. I have had to reluctantly accept that I better not leave the dock without live bait. Mud minnows are crazy easy to catch and a minnow trap with have plenty of bait after a couple of hours. I have posted here before that I purchased the Salt Strong redfish course and I think it has helped. What it says is this time of year (high water temps, lower oxygen content) the bite turns on when the incoming tide begins to flow faster, 45-90 minutes after incoming tide begins. The reason is that the incoming tide brings in cooler and better oxygenated water. I have had luck on Gulp shrimp rigged weedless on a keel-weighted circle hook. This has done well for me for flounder especially after I have learned what a flounder “hit” feels like. Pinfish love those shrimp though. Oyster beds are a good place to begin looking. I am also trying to learn about the very limited mud flats we have around Edisto. You may have more flats on your part of the coast. If you are like me once you start having more success in salt water it is tough to get too excited about being on a lake. Good luck.
Move and cast pardner , I hope you have an electric motor.There is a lot of good info in the inshore reports section and videos also.You will find em,hopefully before your arm is worn out.haha Artificials still work this time of year,you just got to get it in front of them.
While I find the fish frequently prefer live bait I outfished myself and my buddy the other day with Vudu shrimps and gulp grubs on jigheads. Sman is spot on- cover water and when you find fish pay attention to what is working and why. Good luck!
Thanks guys, got on some fish Sunday in the Wando using soft plastic jerk baits and some Gulp shrimp (3") on bass tackle (shakey head jigs - 1/8oz). Target areas were found during low tide and were oyster beds/mounds. Do have a MK Trolling motor and added the foot pedal (I’m a bass fisherman…) and just meandered through them during low tide chunking and winding. Managed to pick off a few here and there with some quality (2-4 lb) younger looking fish being caught throughout the day. The water in the Wando is clearing up a little bit which has to be helping I’d think. Caught a really nice keeper flounder and quite a few reds but no trout for the inshore slam but was happy with the outing.
High tide eludes me entirely as I look around and everything looks “fishy” so right now I’m a fan of a falling or low tide for locating spots plus my boat won’t get me as shallow as I’d like to get and I am not wading after seeing more than a few FAT gators in the salt marsh. I ain’t that good of a runner!
Ran out to the jetties just for the heck of it and to try the “spot lock” on the MK Trolling Motor out in some bigger water and wind conditions. I made a few throws and caught some nice juvenille reds (3-5lb class) as well as some black bass using the same baits. Did hook up with one big something or other but never turned it before it broke my florocarbon line (14# Sunline) and I’m guessing I may need to upsize line diameter a little bit to accommodate the teeth and rocks that can break us off… Overall a good day so thanks for the feed back and replies. Much appreciated!
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve used “bait” (live or cut) while inshore fishing over the last 11 years and both times it was with a charter captain. Like you, I’m a bass fisherman at heart. I use the same tactics (and same gear) I use for largemouth as I do for reds, trout and flounder. I use a lot of soft plastics on various rigs. My go-to jig head has become the Eye Strike jig head. I still use weighted swimbait hooks from time to time but far less since I’ve started using the Eye Strike products. I also use various topwater baits. Obviously there are times of the year it’s more productive than others. One of my favorite ways to catch bass is with a crankbait so a few years ago, I started throwing square bill crankbaits around structure for reds and trout and as it turns out they love’em and absolutely crush them. One modification I make though is I change the stock hooks. I go up a size and use a 2X EWG treble hook.
I’ve just never been much of a bait soaker (unless I’m catfishing) so I go with what I know and I consistently put fish in the boat. Like I said, I approach fishing inshore saltwater just like I approach freshwater for bass. Trout, reds and flounder are structure oriented predators. The biggest difference is the tides and learning how that impacts fish and their movements and feeding patterns. Other than, I think and fish like a bass fisherman and it’s worked for me so far.
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
Thanks guys, yeah it’s slowly coming together. Got out for a few hours today on the jetties and caught black bass, trout, reds, toad fish (nasty critter), and hooked in to but did not land a shark (not sure what kind). Bait of choice today was a soft plastic jerk bait (Gulp, Zoom Super Fluke 5", and Damiki 4"). Threw them on a 1/8oz and 1/4oz shakey head jig (war eagle) but am going to need to move to a shorter shank hook as I had a couple deep hooked as the hook is a 4/0 J-Hook and not a shorter / round bend which I think it needs to be.
Will take a look at the Eye Strike’s for sure (thank you bangstick for the tip). I’m throwing bait casters while my wife throws the spinning rig and I’m either spooled up with 14# Sunline floro or 20# Sunline floro and it’s working great with no lost fish other than the shark. Did have a pretty strong South wind today which put us on the North Jettie on the lee side and the bites were steady most of the time we were out there.
Water temp is cooling a little bit and the water is much clearer out there than in shore but I’ll be back on the Wando scouting more spots. Threw a lipless crank a while with no results and a medium diving crank bait banging the rocks and the fish wanted the baits slower and on the bottom so the soft plastic jerk bait was the ticket today. I am a full believer in the square bill as well and will be throwing it plenty through the Fall and Winter chewing the bills off of them on the oysters as the water cools. Swimbaits with a weighted belly hook got me no bites today which was a head scratcher as they look so great in the water and can be slow rolled through the rocks being entirely weedless/snag-free but no takers… Back to the lab later this week if time allows. Thanks guys!
You mentioned your experience with Bass fishing. Try some of the same technics and artificials. Been on a couple of Bass tournaments in brackish water and depending how much fresh water and river level caught more Spot Tail than Large Mouths. Bubble gum pink and spinner baits When they are hungry and you catch it just right, they’ll eat anything.
Thanks guys, yeah it’s slowly coming together. Got out for a few hours today on the jetties and caught black bass, trout, reds, toad fish (nasty critter), and hooked in to but did not land a shark (not sure what kind). Bait of choice today was a soft plastic jerk bait (Gulp, Zoom Super Fluke 5", and Damiki 4"). Threw them on a 1/8oz and 1/4oz shakey head jig (war eagle) but am going to need to move to a shorter shank hook as I had a couple deep hooked as the hook is a 4/0 J-Hook and not a shorter / round bend which I think it needs to be.
Will take a look at the Eye Strike’s for sure (thank you bangstick for the tip). I’m throwing bait casters while my wife throws the spinning rig and I’m either spooled up with 14# Sunline floro or 20# Sunline floro and it’s working great with no lost fish other than the shark. Did have a pretty strong South wind today which put us on the North Jettie on the lee side and the bites were steady most of the time we were out there.
Water temp is cooling a little bit and the water is much clearer out there than in shore but I’ll be back on the Wando scouting more spots. Threw a lipless crank a while with no results and a medium diving crank bait banging the rocks and the fish wanted the baits slower and on the bottom so the soft plastic jerk bait was the ticket today. I am a full believer in the square bill as well and will be throwing it plenty through the Fall and Winter chewing the bills off of them on the oysters as the water cools. Swimbaits with a weighted belly hook got me no bites today which was a head scratcher as they look so great in the water and can be slow rolled through the rocks being entirely weedless/snag-free but no takers… Back to the lab later this week if time allows. Thanks guys!
Thanks Fred, yep, that’s what I’m doing. Transferring 25+ years of tournament fishing to these waters and re-using what I can when I can. It’s coming together, dialing in all of the variables is what makes it so fun and at times frustrating but that’s why we do this fellas! When you have those great days it’s that much more rewarding for sure. Many thanks Bangstick for the PM on the Eye Strike jig heads, they look great on the site and the reviews I’ve gotten via texts with other guys I know have all been good. Will be placing an order shortly and moving away from bass shakey head jigs to the big eye Eye Strikes!
Just saw this thread. Thanks for the recommendation bangstick and Chuck D, just FYI we have a new product called a Texas Eye that is similar to a shakey head that you’re used to. BTW I feel like we are pretty much bass fishing in salt water, when you consider the techniques and methods used for fishing artificials.
1966 13’ Boston Whaler “Flatty”
2018 Sportsman Masters 207 www.eyestrikefishing.com#predatorsstriketheeye
Just saw this thread. Thanks for the recommendation bangstick and Chuck D, just FYI we have a new product called a Texas Eye that is similar to a shakey head that you’re used to. BTW I feel like we are pretty much bass fishing in salt water, when you consider the techniques and methods used for fishing artificials.
1966 13’ Boston Whaler “Flatty”
2018 Sportsman Masters 207 www.eyestrikefishing.com#predatorsstriketheeye
I thought the "Texas Eye is a “swinging head”??? A shakey head is a standard ball head (some use a football head as well) jig.
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
LOL!!! Yeah, but the shakey head doesn’t “swing” or articulate. It’s static. The Texas Eye adds exponentially more action to the bait, especially on steady retrieve baits.
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
Got out to the Eye Strike offices in North Charleston and met Dave. Great guy, super knowledgeable, and makes one HECK of a product in his jigs. Fished the Cooper today for bass and spent the day flipping & pitching along with some frog and topwater action. Was pretty slow but managed a few dinks. Need to really dial in fish location on that upper section for bass. I saw a dolphin within 2 miles of the dam which blew my mind, had no idea they’d go that far up or that the water could support them that far up???
Will be back out tomorrow in the salt either in shore, on the jetties, or nearshore depending on how things look when we get up and get rolling. Looking forward to reporting on the Eye Strikes and hauling some HOGS over the gunnel of this new boat! Tight lines fellas!
Thanks Charles J, look forward to wetting a line together with you again soon my man!
Eye Strike report, solid baits. Great hook - catch ratio, super easy to get un-snagged, lots of options for various presentations (TX Rig, Exposed Hook, Short Shank Hook (trout head), Longer Shank Hook (Red Fish Head), and wire guard which is entirely weedless all are terrific. I like the pearl/natural, “glow eye”, and the yellow eye myself but have no issue with the red or chartreuse and own a few of each and look forward to using them all. Being a bass guy I am all about natural looks and the three that I noted look spectacular with a soft plastic in front of them. Great hook keeper, works great with regular plastic or Z Man elaztec and holds the bait tight which means more fish per bait and less re rigging which is always good.
I use a ball jig with a screw lock for some shakey/TX rig special stuff I rig for my wife who gets snagged a little bit more than she’d like but is learning to walk the bait along and over the rocks and shells without actually getting it pinched in between some which usually means a break off due to line fray.
Overall, I really like the Eye Strikes and look forward to using more of them. I bought all of mine in 3/16 which lives between 1/8 and 1/4 and I’d like some of the 1/8oz jigs for colder water and slower presentations as we move from Fall to WInter later but I know where I can get em. Thanks Dave and team for making a great product! Thanks to Bangstick for turning me on to them. Helping anglers learn is what makes a site like this so great, much appreciated guys and hope this review helps you decide on giving them a try.
When they are hungry and you catch it just right, they’ll eat anything.