As I watched the steady stream of people flow through the doors at the Shallow Water Fishing Expo last weekend I realized that shallow water angling in the Lowcountry has reached a level of popularity that most homegrown people, such as myself, never thought possible. There was not an empty chair in the seminar theaters. There were plenty of people standing, straining their ears to pick up as many tips as they could from the pros.
While many old-school anglers will tell you they have been catching these fish in the shallows for their entire lives, this knowledge and information has really only caught on with the mainstream public over the last 10-15 years and has experienced phenomenal growth over the last 5 years. The growth in the number of shallow-water guides in our area is a direct result of this growing interest and the number of people that are now willing to pay a guide to learn more and experience some shallow water excitement.
This increasing popularity is certainly not restricted to our area. Anglers around the world are showing more interest and spending more money than ever before. Manufactures have taken notice of this trend and are responding to the demand. The number of companies manufacturing boats designed for fishing in mere inches of water is growing every year. Clothing and tackle manufacturers are also riding the wave of popularity. Companies have done an excellent job in marketing shallow-water angling as a sport of the elite angler and the money anglers are willing to pay is reflected in their equipment. Flats fishing boats cost $30,000 or more are now the norm rather than the exception. The same can be said for clothing, lures costing $5-$6 each, and rod and reel combos often times exceed $500.00.
As I was getting my thoughts together about the growth in this type of fishing, I tried to pinpoint exactly why shallow-water angling has become so popular. What exactly is the appeal? I was fortunate enough to have worked in the fishing tackle retail business when the boom