Coming down to Edisto next week and am hoping to take my dad out on our boat to try our hand at some spanish mackerel fishing.
We have a 19’ CC and are staying at a creek house in The Hammocks for the week (Using a different boat for the creek).
I was thinking we could put ours in at one of the local landings, (I put in somewhere around there a few years ago for $5 or so) and then go out towards the ocean and look for bird activity on the water and cast towards there from the boat with spoons since we do not have planars/downriggers for trolling.
Does anyone have any tips/recommendations? Possible areas to target?
I’ve never done any spanish fishing before so any tips are appreciated!
I’ve done plenty of trolling two flat lines with no riggers. Get high quality barrel swivels to troll with, I’ve even used two - a snap barrel to connect to barrel in line swivel. You can get ungodly line twist trolling spoons! When casting, gotcha plugs will cast a mile, or use bubble rigs with your lure - they are fun , and fly for ages. Light tackle. Take buoys (cans ) out and look for birds, south is a big bar – others will know more about “where” than me. Hope you get into them. It was one of the first things I tried in salt when I got a boat. Spanish were one of the highlights of my boyhood salt fishing experience – we were deep sea fishing!! And might catch a king on the big rig!! Sweet memories.
South Edisto put in at Marina at EDISTO $10.00. Go out to “B” can. North Edisto put in at Steamboat and go out to Edisto near shore reef. Free launch. South Edisto state park ramp, be careful, swift water. $5.00 person. Use small Clark spoons, a couple of flat lines and a couple with trolling leads. If wind will let you get out go to the Edisto 40. Download gps location from DNR website.
Ditto what pokey joe said. They are out there. Just saw an instagram post with some nice ones caught by one of the charter captains last week. Good luck. Weather looks good all week.
I would suggest a couple of small planners with 20# test off the planner on swivel. Need a pair of good boat rods and run two flat lines with lead swivels and look for birds. Find the glass minnows the birds are eating and Spanish should be around. Good luck.
Thanks for the tips, definitely giving me a much better idea of where to go and what to look for.
Couple other questions for ya’ll:
To download the GPS location from the DNR website - I found where to download it, but is there a way to upload it into the GPS on my boat? It’s an '08 Tidewater with whichever Garmin came in it, nothing fancy.
If we go to the nearshore reef or the Edisto 40, would it be recommended to get a handheld VHF since the boat does not have one?
While I’ve been offshore several times, I haven’t piloted my boat offshore before so forgive my ignorance. Looking forward to learning!
Edisto nearshore reef out the mouth of the N Edisto inlet is often covered up with spanish. Its very close to shore relative to many reefs and you should easily have cell phone coverage there. Check your forecast, its an easy reef to do in a smallish boat. Don’t try to motor to the school they will sound. Look which way they are heading and get ahead of them and cut the motor. When they get in range, cast as far as possible (heavy spoons cast a mile) and reel fast. When they are busting you could probably catch them on anything honestly as long as they don’t know you’re there. Our 1/4 trouteye and Z-Man streakz 375 makes for a great glass minnow imitation that you can cast pretty far on light tackle. I wore them out on that combo last year.
1966 13’ Boston Whaler “Flatty”
2018 Sportsman Masters 207 www.eyestrikefishing.com#predatorsstriketheeye
Cbeck - I appreciate the offer! Though we aren’t getting into town until Friday evening so I imagine we will wait to go until during the week one day once everyone has settled in some.
After reading all the comments here though, I am feeling confident that we should be able to get some action
Little late on the report here, just a few weeks late.
Thanks for the tips all, we made it out on a Wednesday with me, pops, the lovely fiance, and my cousin.
After a brief navigational error on my part, we got out to the Nearshore reef. Unfortunately, there was not a bird in sight. I was going to continue moving around and looking for birds but once we cut the engine at the reef, my cousin took on a battle with the sea sickness and was chumming off the side so we just hung around there for an hour or two casting spoons without any luck except for a small BSB, go figure.
Wish I had thought to pack some cut bait or shrimp to try bottom fishing.
All in all, still had fun and was impressed with the fiance for being a good sport and not chumming off the side!
Hopefully I’ll make it out off the Charleston coast this summer to try again!
so we just hung around there for an hour or two casting spoons without any luck except for a small BSB, go figure.