I wanted to open discussion on a small section of of northern end of the Wando River. This is just downriver from the 41 bridge/Shipyard Park and just North of Rivertown/Planters Pointe. It has a number of islands and estuaries which are very much tide specific. This would be East of Wando River day beacon 34.
I’ve been trying to play here all over the tides curves and to be honest. Not much luck. I know this has to be a highway for fish compared to the main channel.
What type of strategics would you employ for an area like this?
On a side note…always looking for fishing friends.
Check it out at low tide at night with some lights and a gig pole
It appears the north part of that run gets pretty shallow so that would force a fish traveling northbound and bypassing the main channel to change their depth which they may or may not do. I would look at that as more of a cul de sac than a highway.
A depth change for the fish is not as simple as just a depth change and they would need a reason to do so, not just out of boredom and curiosity. Going from 10ft to 2ft could change the water temp, clarity, forage of prey, current speed/direction and light among other factors that we as humans may not be able to observe so they need to be motivated to make that change. I believe their ultimate motivation to move any where at any time comes with hunting for food (and their primal instinct to procreate but that’s not what we’re talking about here)
I would think that the fish that enter that cut on an incoming tide in a northbound direction are entering from deeper water and there would have to be some real motivation to come up shallow and traverse the shallow flat to drop back into the main channel. I struggle to think that on an out going tide, they would come up into that shallow out of the main river in a southbound direction with the intent to drop down into that cut on an ebb tide instead of sticking to the depth contour they are happy at in the main river and then maybe choose to travel around the southern tip of that island out of the current.
I would venture to guess there could be a good tide line and/or eddy on the southern tip of that island during an ebb tide that would be fishy.
I may also be bold enough to suspect that there could be some spottail activity in that shallow area between your two “islands” in the winter when the water temp drops and those fish look for shallow, slower moving water that will hold a slightly higher temperature from the deeper and faster moving main river.
We fishermen LOVE to have theories about everything and can justify WHY we think the fish should be in a place even if they aren’t if we think about it hard enough.
1 Like
There’s fish around, but you got to have the stars aligned and your mouth hanging just right. The months you’ve been chasing them is your biggest obstacle. I know when i found them around they would be there on a specific month and then vanish. The kayaking bunch has started to harass such areas more in the week now and that is also a factor.
2 Likes
So, I’ve done a lot more research the past weeks by just staying in this general region.
Best action 1/3 to 1/2 rising tide.
Up-river (down stream on a rising tide) seems to hold fish.
I’ve been using popping cork and paddle tails. In both cases, WHITE is the primary color of the lures.
Took some pictures and video of the bottom tide to better understand the structure including oyster beds.
Good stuff from Rapchizzle. If you look at the depth contour that area overall is shallower than the rest of the main river. Fish tend to love flats, but often want a deeper channel nearby to escape to if needed. I also look at water flow on a macro scale when looking at maps like this. On outgoing tide, the main flow is going to be on the opposite side of the river, scouring those docks. I’d focus on incoming as that bay is kind of like a scoop pulling in water flow and forage and trapping it there. That being said, its shallow so its not gonna get a ton of flow, plus as Rap said there isn’t a very good outlet for the flow. The mouth of that creek in back probably is decent on outgoing. Overall, I’d say you’re doing the right thing by focusing on and truly learning an area in detail at all tides. I did the same thing in Clouter creek when I was starting out. Best of luck to you! Send catch pics 
2 Likes
