Find clear water, find speckled trout in Beaufort area

Runoff from recent rains has dirtied most places, but clear places are dynamite

The waters around Beaufort have been dirtied by recent rains, but guide Tuck Scott said that when you find clear water, you’ll find and catch huge numbers of speckled trout.

Scott, who guides out of Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250), said he’s found plenty of trout in clearer water around points near the mouth of small creeks. The presence of spartina grass is important, and when there are oyster rakes nearby, trout will be there.

The trout have been holding in about four feet of water close to current, hitting mud minnows fished under popping corks. On slack water – around high and low tide – casting jigs to blowdown trees has been a productive tactic, Scott said.

Sight-fishing for redfish has been great on the high end of the tide cycle, and the higher the tide, the better, thanks to the abundance of fiddler crabs stalking the shallows. Fiddler crabs are good baits, but redfish are eagerly taking shrimp and cut blue crabs fished in the flooded grass. Fly fishermen are catching them on crab patterns and small shrimp imitations.

Anglers fishing for redfish at low-tide should focus on wooden structure like docks, old bridges and walls. Cut blue crabs are deadly baits, and redfish in the 30- to 40-inch range are par for the course here, with bigger ones not at all uncommon. For anglers seeking keeper-sized redfish, smaller baits like Gulp! minnows and shrimp are doing the trick.