Hey everyone. I am new to Charleston and new to this board as well. I have a few questions about saltwater fishing around this area. First of all I will say my experience is greatly limited. I am originally from Louisiana and most of the saltwater fish I have ever caught on only a handful of occasions were speckled trout, red fish, and black drum.
As I recall, we caught redfish in lake ponchartrain just under the causeway bridge using jig/spoon bait, casting our bait next to the large columns below the bridge and simply jiggin the bait along the ground. Is there any place to go around here, like any of the piers, that people have used lure bait rather than live bait to catch fish? I have only visited folly pier briefly a couple of times and have seen people using mostly live bait.
In addition to redfish, we used to catch lots of speckled trout as well. As best I can remember, we actually used to catch tons of these using cocahoe minnows in the open water, but not in the gulf, rather in some of the brackish lakes such as lake ponchartrain. In the gulf of mexico at grand isle we used to catch them on live shrimp using floaters. I actually saw a guy catch a speckled trout off the mt pleasant pier last weekend using a cocahoe minnow.
Are there any locations where the above two scenarios can be viable used here in charleston?
Also, is there any way at all to use artificial bait to surf fish? I assume not, but just wondering. I have no problem using live bait I am just trying to keep the costs down. btw how much is the fee at the folly pier? I assume, no matter what, you have to pay the fee each time? Thanks alot
There are several places to fish from shore around here. Folly is good but there is a daily fee to fish, or you can buy an annual pass. If you live in Charleston County, $5 and $125 respectively. More if you don’t live here. $8/$155. Good fishing here, several nice kings caught and plenty of spanish off the pier each summer. Lots of sharks, black drum and others.
You might try your luck at Pitt street bridge in Mount Pleasant. Lots of reds around that area. It’s a little tougher to catch them on artificials this time of year though. Once winter comes around again and the bait is tough to come by, then it’s much easier to use the lures.
You see people using live bait here because its so plentiful right now. Much easier and usually more productive to the average fisherman to drown a shrimp or mullet instead of working an electric chicken or good spoon. They certainly work though.
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You can use artificials on the piers, but Folly is so high up off the water that soft plastics and some spoons will be difficult to work properly, and those are two of the go-to baits around here. You might have more luck at the Pitt Street pier in Mt. Pleasant over near Haddrells.
As for live bait, you don’t have to go broke with it. Just buy yourself a cast net. A 5 or 6 footer that you keep away from oyster beds will net you up a lot of good live bait this time of year.
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