Hi All,
I would like to take my family out to enjoy a day targeting spadefish. We are a family of 5 with kids aged 11-15. They have never done any nearshore/offshore fishing but all love bream fishing. Could someone advise a good charter for spades? My dad and I took a charter last year and asked specifically for spades. The guide agreed to look for spades but we spent 80% of the time trolling. Even when we fished the reefs, we were using fiddlers. We had a few hookups while trolling but we were still disappointed we didn’t really target the spades as we asked. I would like to avoid that with my family.
Also, when would be the best time/dates to plan our trip?
Thanks for your help!
spades dont eat fidders …
I know. I’ve done some homework and figured out that we basically got taken advantage of that trip. We did fish so it wasn’t a total bust. It just wasn’t what we the captain had agreed too. To his defense, some of the nearshore reefs were covered up with boats and he thought trolling would be a more effective use of our time.
What I would like to find is a captain that targets catching spades and knows how to get us on them. What we got last year was a Capt who knows spades are around the reefs and where the reefs are located… that’s not the same.
2072 Tracker Grizzly w/75 Merc
I’m not sure a captain could make a living targeting spadefish. They’re not here all the time , and when they are here the bait they like (jelly balls) are sometimes not around. I doubt you will find a guide that specifically targets spades
Dp2146,
It’s hard to target spades. We see them about 50% of the time when we are live bottom/reef fishing. Then 50% of that time, they will not bite/feed on anything. When we do catch them, we catch lots of them and usually on shrimp or jelly balls. Some days, they don’t care about the boat, other days they won’t come near the boat.
I would suggest your best bet for your family would be some nearshore (<20miles) reef fishing and you may just happen upon the spades. Your family would likely get lots of action. BTW, spades don’t fight as well as you would think, but they are good eating.
One other consideration is weather/seas. I charter out of Winyah Bay, and a good estimate is that the seas/weather are only conducive to still fishing at most 50% of the time (have an alternate plan).
The warmer the water the better, so June through September is when we see most of them.
22’ Carolina DLV - For Reel
James Lavanway is who I would call for spadefish
After being released, a lot of fish die, but a lot of them live also.
i have caught my share of them over the years but have never run a trip just to catch them. I have not seen any on the reefs I fish this year. Go on a weekday too, much less boats out there. They should show up soon though
Thanks for all of the replies!
I think I should clarify that I didn’t mean that I am looking for a guide who only fishes for spades. But I would like to have a guide who catches them when they are around and knows several places to try for them. I think the advantage of hiring a guide would be that he should know several options for locations he has caught the targeted species before and give you the best chance possible of catching those fish.
I think Jbhemm has the right idea. Plan a reef fishing trip and hope we can find/catch some spades.
I’ll look up Mr. Lavanway. Thanks for the help!
2072 Tracker Grizzly w/75 Merc
Saw lots of spades up to 10 lbs last trip out but we were looking for bottom dwellers. Give me a call if interested. Go for the bottom critters and be prepared if/when they show up. A family group needs lots of action, especially the teens to keep their attention.
Captain Jeff
Olde Man Charters
843-478-1538
Oldemancharters@gmail.com
286 Seafox/Twin 300’s
Jelly balls are everywhere in MI/Gtown right now…FYI
Call John. You wont regret it.
http://www.flyrightcharters.com/
Karma is 360 degrees
“If fishing were easy it would be called your mom”
Heritage fishing charters bohicket marina
Evant T.
quote:
Originally posted by dp2146
I know. I’ve done some homework and figured out that we basically got taken advantage of that trip. We did fish so it wasn’t a total bust. It just wasn’t what we the captain had agreed too. To his defense, some of the nearshore reefs were covered up with boats and he thought trolling would be a more effective use of our time.
What I would like to find is a captain that targets catching spades and knows how to get us on them. What we got last year was a Capt who knows spades are around the reefs and where the reefs are located… that’s not the same.
2072 Tracker Grizzly w/75 Merc
The ol’ fleece em and release em trick…
Thanks for all of the recommendations!
Exciting news since the start of this thread. A good friend bought a 18’ Dauntless. A group of guys -not my family- are considering a trip next week to learn the ropes and hopefully we can guide ourselves in the near future. Lots to learn!
2072 Tracker Grizzly w/75 Merc