We wanted to catch up some live bait in 150’ at a place that holds bait just about all year long. Unfortunately we didn’t mark any bait, but had a school of spadefish come up in the 65 degree water. We had to go with the backup plan and troll the ledge with artificials for a couple hours only catching a bonita in the frigid water. But our backup-backup plan was bottom fishing and I’ll take a bonita any day for that as there is no better bait for red snapper. We dropped bottom for about 3-4 hours and ended up with 5 Red Snapper (not sure of their nationality) 3 of which were keepers (caught on bonita chunks), a box of nice big vermillion, several good sized BSB’s, a few triggers, dozens of red porgies, some atlantic scampnose (Edisto Fisher’s favorite catch), and a few banded rudderfish. One of the snapper we let go may have been a silky (yellow iris), but I am about 100% sure that DNR would have thought it an undersized red snapper, so we let it go.
Almost had Charleston’s first sea creature grand slam out there. While dragging anchor I barely missed a leatherback turtle, a loggerhead turtle, and I did give a nice mola mola rope burn. We didn’t try, but we could have easily snatched them up on the anchor rope and had our pictures in the paper for Charleston’s first sea creature slam. We are conservationists though and let them all live. They sure would have made some good soup though…
We wanted to catch up some live bait in 150’ at a place that holds bait just about all year long. Unfortunately we didn’t mark any bait, but had a school of spadefish come up in the 65 degree water. We had to go with the backup plan and troll the ledge with artificials for a couple hours only catching a bonita in the frigid water. But our backup-backup plan was bottom fishing and I’ll take a bonita any day for that as there is no better bait for red snapper. We dropped bottom for about 3-4 hours and ended up with 5 Red Snapper (not sure of their nationality) 3 of which were keepers (caught on bonita chunks), a box of nice big vermillion, several good sized BSB’s, a few triggers, dozens of red porgies, some atlantic scampnose (Edisto Fisher’s favorite catch), and a few banded rudderfish. One of the snapper we let go may have been a silky (yellow iris), but I am about 100% sure that DNR would have thought it an undersized red snapper, so we let it go.
Almost had Charleston’s first sea creature grand slam out there. While dragging anchor I barely missed a leatherback turtle, a loggerhead turtle, and I did give a nice mola mola rope burn. We didn’t try, but we could have easily snatched them up on the anchor rope and had our pictures in the paper for Charleston’s first sea creature slam. We are conservationists though and let them all live. They sure would have made some good soup though…
Nice work.
But…
Why are you trying to drag an anchor? Isn’t that a little crazy?? Seems like big sharks would be attracted to that kind of thing if you ask me.
And I’ve never heard of anyone “dropping bottom” before. That must have been how you caught a foreign snapper amongst snapper with REAL ID’s and/or U.S. Passports.
And I’ve never heard of anyone “dropping bottom” before.
There are a lot of things that you haven't heard of before because you are pretty new to the whole fishing scene in Charleston thing. But right now, you need to focus on what is important to you this week for finals. That's Plessey vs. Ferguson, Brown vs. the Board of Education, Roe vs Wade, Miranda vs Arizona, etc and whatever else they might teach you at the "Charleston School of Legal Problems".
And I’ve never heard of anyone “dropping bottom” before.
There are a lot of things that you haven't heard of before because you are pretty new to the whole fishing scene in Charleston thing. But right now, you need to focus on what is important to you this week for finals. That's Plessey vs. Ferguson, Brown vs. the Board of Education, Roe vs Wade, Miranda vs Arizona, etc and whatever else they might teach you at the "Charleston School of Legal Problems".
Dude, I learned about those things in high school.
And I’ve told you before that I want no part of this harbor sight-seeing thing you seem to be into. I am happy fishing off of Edisto. If stono inlet gets shallower, I will find a hovercraft or learn to fly a sea plane.
Those submarines going through the jetties will swamp me in my little botes…