One look off of Sullivans Island and there is no doubt that the Redfish, Spot tail, Channel Bass, or whatever nickname you may prefer to call Red Drum are running. The last two weekends I have counted well over 40 boats each day fishing the Grillage, not to mention the numerous boats at the end of the jetties, Dynamite Hole and the anglers standing in surf.
During the months of October and November as the water temperatures fall the Mullet begin to school in the inlets and along the beaches and with no surprise the mature Redfish work these same areas for a bite to eat. When I say mature Redfish I am referring to fish weighing in excess of 15 pounds and well over the South Carolina upper legal size limit of 27-inches. While these fish must be released to guarnatee Reddish stocks for the future they still attract many anglers including myself as fantastic sport fish.
Rigging techniques for the Red Drum varies from angler to angler, however most agree a simple fish finder rig and a medium action spinning or conventional outfit is best suited to this style of fishing. The purpose of this article is to simply provide the basics on setting up your tackle for these fish.
A fish finder rig, also known as a Carolina Rig, consists of a sinker slide also known as a fish finder, a pyramid or banks sinker, a short piece of leader, a hook and a barrel swivel. Sinker slides are constructed of a nylon sleeve that will slide up and down your main line and a metal hasp that connects to your sinker. The advantage of using a sinker slide over tying your weight directly to your rig lies with the bait presentation and I will address this issue further later in this article.
The choice of sinker style and size will be dependent upon the area that you are fishing. Pyramid sinkers function best in the surf and sandy areas as the edges dig into the sand and hold the bait in place. The size of the sinker required will be dependent upon the long shore currents and the size of the surf. I usually us