Z-Man swimming trout tricks with trout eye
Fished 3 new (to me) areas that I’ve scouted. Worked from 1’ to 9’ depths.
Caught no fish so I went to 2 areas that typically produce for me, especially trout. Tried both artificials above and caught no fish. Not even a bite. Switched to small Gulp grub and worked as slow as possible…no luck.
0 fish total, couldn’t find a bite
Fished the lower Ashley again on 2nd day. Went back to same 5 spots, but this time with bait.
Worked 1’ to 15’ depths.
Artificials: tried swimming trout tricks, DOA shrimp, and zman minnowz: 0 bites
Bait: soaked 1/4ed blue crabs & fresh dead shrimp: 0 bites
Also bounced fresh dead shrimp all over the bottom: 0 bites
0 fish total, couldn’t find a bite
And for those that say “pics or it didn’t happen”:
Anyone can catch fish in the Cooper,Wando,Folly,Stono and the other bodies of water around here but it takes a bada$$ to catch em in the Ashley,good luck in your quest ,you stubborn son of a gun haha.Everytime I see your picture I get the urge to light up a Marlboro again,you can kick the habit,I did about 35 years ago.
Fished 8am to 1pm today near Morris and Sullivan’s islands and also in Wappoo area. Conditions felt right except the wind. Fished 1-12’ of water with multiple zman shapes and sizes, soaked some shrimp on bottom and floating, and some fresh frozen mullet on bottom. Had one eat half a mullet but never saw the hit in the wind. Other than that, nothing. SCDNR at ramp taking survey. Said everyone he has talked to has been struggling. I was starting to think it was just me. #129300;
I went to a good spot yesterday afternoon fished it from dead low to about 2 hrs into the incoming. The spot doesn’t turn on until a hour in to the incoming so I really just enjoyed the time out there for the first couple hours. When the tide was right the nats turned on big time. First hit was a slow take and I set the hook to soon. Second hit was a nice hit and also set the hook to soon but this time it was was only like 20% to soon instead of 100% to soon, most of the time the second hit would of been fish on. The third hit was fish on and it was pulling drag but I never set the hook and the hook pulled. All the action was in the second hour of the incoming. The nats were so bad I had to move around a lot and I was super distracted by them. They were biting in my nose and mouth and on my lips and there were swarms that would hit you like a sand or dust storm and cover up your close. The thickest I’ve ever seen nats. The bite was just picking up as I was losing my sanity do to the Nat infestation. As I was swatting nats I got a wind knot and popped my line instead of undoing it. I got bit like 30 times in the time it took to pop my line and pull it in. I called it quits and took the skunking.
I went out on the kayak Wednesday. Put in at Chandler Rd (Paradise Island). Fished from 10-2, hit all my normal spots that are usually productive. Used mud minnows, Voodoo shrimp under a popping cork, gulp shrimp on the bottom, paddle tail on a jig head.
Complete strike out, not even 1 bite.
Can’t complain too much, I was on the water and the lines were wet!
Anyone can catch fish in the Cooper,Wando,Folly,Stono and the other bodies of water around here but it takes a bada$$ to catch em in the Ashley
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What is it about the Ashley? Long before I knew this forum existed, I knew that the Ashley had a reputation. Heck, when we moved here nearly eight years ago–we’re part of the immigrant problem, though to our credit we got here before the vast majority of yahoos–I think the first thing anyone ever said to me was, “try the shrimp and grits … and, by the way, good luck catching anything in the Ashley.”
What gives? Is it BS? Lore? A carefully concocted and purposefully perpetuated rumor by those who want to fish in peace? I mean, Oldtown and Orangegrove Creeks in the lower Ashley look promising, as do some similar spots up near the tracks.
I’d love to know. We’re stacked at RiversEdge, so the Ashley being productive* would save a lot of time and gas – not to mention facilitate a lot more frequent, shorter trips.
*Whether or not a spot is “productive” or “reliable” really doesn’t matter when I’m holding a rod. Folks use “shooting fish in a barrel” as a euphemism for something being really easy to do – in reality, I could fish a stocked mop bucket with my AR-15 and still get skunked. Still, I’d love to know whether anyone else has luck.
The Ashley doesn’t have a whole lot of structure to congregate fish. Its also not good green/clear water.
I say that but… Last year pulling crab pots i had a large tarpon buzz the crab buoy. An elusive Silver King in that water was like seeing a unicorn.
I’ve had a few hits from reds but not many. Seen a few reds caught at the boat landing too using the ole bait and wait.
The Ashley is difficult to fish artificials because the water is very muddy, visibility is only a few inches usually. Also, for example, this winter the upper Ashley got very cold. 32F with icebergs, so I don’t think there was much left alive in the upper reaches in January. Its relatively shallow thus the temp fluctuations. That being said, once you figure out its secrets, it does hold fish. But in my experience, nothing like the number in the other rivers. It is, hands down, one of the most beautiful areas in this fine city, though - up in the historic district. Worth a boat ride if nothing else.
Water clarity in the Ashley has been worse than normal for this time of year. Lots of wind and some more rain needed to have cleaner freshwater push down the river. With 3" of visibility you need to put the bait right in front of the fish which takes knowledge of exactly where they are at. I have done okay over the last month in the Ashley. Once barely shaking off a skunk, another with about a dozen reds up to 27", and an in between trip. In all cases they have been very finicky on what lure they will strike and hang on to.
I believe the Ashley is still feeling the effects of heavy industry and mining. Heavy metals and phosphates just dont dissolve and disappear overnight. Fish can be had, but there are lots more productive areas
I believe the Ashley is still feeling the effects of heavy industry and mining. Heavy metals and phosphates just dont dissolve and disappear overnight. Fish can be had, but there are lots more productive areas
Spot on. Not only did the Ashley have the heavy industrial discharges, raw sewerage was dumped in the river for many years, resulting in very low dissolved oxygen levels and fish kills. You notice how there are hardly any oysters? If DNR could get them back you would have better fishing. I think things are slowly getting better. The lower part of the river is better than the upper for most fish. Also, during heavy rain periods, the salinity can drop to near zero nearly to the harbor.
With the help of Summerville Saltwater Anglers, we have planted approx 20 tons of oyster shell for substrate for new oyster beds in the lower Ashley. The reef is now about 300 yds long and growing new oysters every day! Last year we started on a new one near the Cosgrove bridge. Imagine what it will be in the future if we can get a lot more effort planting oysters in the Ashley…
The other item that doesn’t get much attention is how stressed the Church Creek drainage
system is from the build out of hwy61 and bees ferry areas. Folks concerned about the Ashley (and Stono) River need to be paying attention to the development plans aligned with North Charleston’s annexation attempts West Ashley
