Edisto backwaters are perfect for personal boats
With only a few weeks of summer vacation remaining before school starts back, Palmetto Paddling columnist Phillip Gentry shot this “How-to” video on having fun with the whole family – doing some kayak fishing in the backwaters of Edisto Island.
Anglers target redfish and flounder with a multitude of artificial lures, but during the height of summer, when the creeks are teeming with live bait, Gentry says it’s time to get back to basics by fishing with a cork and a bucket of minnows.
Both redfish and flounder will invade flooded marsh grass when the tide is high and their natural forage seeks the shelter of vegetation. Although there is very little “skinny water” that can’t be reached by kayak anglers, one of the easiest ways to target fish is by paddling back into the farthest reaches of shallow creeks and bays and working the edge of the banks on a falling tide. Gentry and his crew paddle these edges while casting mud minnows under a popping cork.
Redfish in particular are known to school tightly during the cooler months, but few anglers realize that those same schools remain together all through the summer, though less-densely packed. When the water leaves the grass, kayak anglers have an even better advantage by waiting back on the edge of a shallow flat and fishing the corks and minnows in a stationary fashion, placing the baits in the path of retreating reds and flounder as they move back from the grass into creek channels.
Be sure to check out Gentry’s monthly paddling column “Palmetto Paddling” each and every month in South Carolina Sportsman magazine or download the digital issue directly to your computer or smart phone.
