I believe most of us have seen the TV series, “Deadliest Catch”, where for generations these Captains have built their livelihood on finding and catching crab in one of the most treacherous places on Earth the Berring Sea. Even with all the technology and years of experience on the water, generations of logbooks help each Captain determine their course. There is truly no other way to reference past experience and apply that information to the next trip without noting the details along the way – and folks, our brains are to cluttered with work, gas prices, and the regular stresses of life to remember the specifics of all our prior fishing trips.
Today there are websites, GPS, sonar, radar, remote control trolling motors and so on that provide utility while fishing and help navigate to your waypoint or favorite creek mouth. However, once you depart from the dock, all that technology fails to answer the question, “Where to fish?” Where to fish is your decision!
Thirty three years old and armed with 14 years of trip records have allowed me to stay dialed into the bite year after year regardless of the salinity of the water. One particular trip stands out where my prior records allowed me to evaluate the next day’s conditions and formulate one superb day on the water. On the morning of July 7th 2006, there was a low tide around 6:30AM with light and variable winds. We caught menhaden in the ICW without issue at low tide and dropped anchor around the jetties in Charleston Harbor. In a 30 minute span on the beginning flood tide we quickly landed two big reds over 20lbs by 7:30Am. With the sun off the horizon and a good tideline ripping the water it was time to net jelly balls and set a new course for a nearshore reef. By 10:30 Am we had landed over 35 spadefish releasing all but 8 before heading inshore to target bonnetthead sharks on the last of the incoming tide. We returned to the marina at 1:15PM having burnt 22 gallons of fuel, spent 6 hours on the water, caught two big bull reds, 35 spadefish, 17 bonnetthea