Curious about how the trout bite has been in your area? I mostly fish the Cooper and Wando and have been pleasantly surprised at the numbers and sizes. Everything from 8" up to 21.5". I’m curious if the trout fishing has been relatively good, bad, etc in the following areas:
IOP, ICW
Folly
Kiawah
Edisto
Murrells Inlet
Little River
Port Royal Sound
HHI
etc…
I feel like the abundance of deep water in the Cooper and Wando helped the populations, but I suspect the trout kill is localized in other areas.
Trout bite has been bad to non existent at a few what used to be very good trout spots. Ive only caught 1 trout this year and it was 20-22 inches and in good shape, not fat or skinny. I haven’tnt really been specifically trout fishing though. Since the freeze most of the fish ive caught were 25 to 30 inch reds. But I’vee mostly fished the same area, with similar styles, 3inch minnow imitations or mud minnows.
2 fish on mm’s late last week, within 2 miles of the ocean in 4’ near the edge of a flat- both were 14-16" and healthy. Used a different rod at the same time to put a trout eye/paddletail through the same current seam and got no takers… which mostly means I need to work on my artie game
Trout bite has been bad to non existent at a few what used to be very good trout spots. Ive only caught 1 trout this year and it was 20-22 inches and in good shape, not fat or skinny. I haven’tnt really been specifically trout fishing though. Since the freeze most of the fish ive caught were 25 to 30 inch reds. But I’vee mostly fished the same area, with similar styles, 3inch minnow imitations or mud minnows.
BTW I probably should have been more clear. What I’m curious about is if your catch (numbers and size) has been better, worse, the same as, for example, last year at this time in your area.
I wish I could contribute some info here but I’ve only fished once in 2018 and had the boat out 2 other times…d*amn home reno is consuming me and my time… Ill get back after em before too long though
I’ve caught one 18"er on Feb 21st in the Folly River on one of your trout eyes and zman paddle tail, none others since out of 3 or so attempts with same arti setup in fairly reliable spots in the Folly and off the Kiawah.
Wando upper and lower, Bulls Bay, Copahee area- surprisingly seems consistent with this time of year from last year on numbers and size but the caveat is that it seems I am having to work harder on presentation etc. to get them. All artificial.
Fished 3 times in February. Cooper and lower Wando. All artificial. 1 strike out,2nd trip,3 trout 16,17,21 and 5 slot reds. Last trip 2 17” trout and 2 dink reds and 2 slot reds. All were healthy. All fish released. Didn’t fish any first of 2017. So nothing to really compare it to. Spots much less productive than mid December
I fish mostly the upper Wando. Last week we did really well, 30+ trout, one being 21.5" but most were on the smaller side just under legal length (regardless, no fish are kept anyway). One thing I haven’t seen however, are the small juvy reds. Those being in slot or even under. We got 10+ with only one in upper slot. Have you been finding any dinks lately? BTW all reds and trout were caught on Slim Swimz or TRDs, most with the finesse ES jigheads.
I’ve been catching them every trip over the past two months with Gulp baits on jig heads or trout tricks fished in 10’ or more of water. I’ve kept 6 eaters, tossed back close to 20 that were not legal eaters. Switch over to a Cajun Thunder cork with a 14 inch leader if the bottom dragging is not producing. Mostly I fish the areas between Morris Is and Kiawah Is. Caught some nice flounder recently using the same rig with mud minnows.
I thought DNR asked us not to keep trout until September.
Mid Stono has been a big zero. Every spot that I know that produces trout has been vacant of all fish. I’ve been out a dozen times and nothing.
I thought DNR asked us not to keep trout until September.
Mid Stono has been a big zero. Every spot that I know that produces trout has been vacant of all fish. I’ve been out a dozen times and nothing.
Old Chicken Make Good Soup
I was thinking the same thing. Not sure if Capt Garry is charter capt but surprised if a charter capt would keep trout right now.
I’ve had surprising good luck with trout in the last three weeks off the cooper by the NWS down to drum island. Ranging from 13-24” mostly on 3” paddle tails and live bait. Most were larger than average. Just last Friday I was on Shem creek and doubled up with a red and trout on a double hook Carolina rig.
