Harbor, jetties and Wando River are Charleston redfish hot spots

Live and cut menhaden fished on the bottom has been the ticket to good catches

Redfish of all sizes are biting in the Charleston area, and Capt. Addison Rupert of Lowcountry Outdoor Adventures said the top three places are the harbor, the jetties and the Wando River. A variety of live and cut baits are working, but Rupert said menhaden have been his bait of choice.

“Cut and live menhaden have been producing well on the bottom, especially in deeper holes,” said Rupert (843-557-3476), who has been fishing a basic Carolina rig with only enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom. “The size of your weight is going to depend on the current and the water depth, and you definitely want enough weight to keep you on the bottom, but you don’t want to overdo it.”

Using too big of a weight will make it more difficult to detect bites, according to Rupert, and it is also more noticeable to fish, who often drop the bait if they feel the kind of resistance that a big sinker can give.

“Deep holes and moving current are good spots because that is typically where the cooler water is,” Rupert said. “A lot of factors come into play to help me determine where I’m going to fish, but this time of year, it’s probably going to be at the jetties, in the harbor, or on the Wando.”

Rupert said the jetties hold a lot of fish, and a lot of anglers overlook the deep holes that are just a dozen or so feet off the rocks. These can produce plenty of fish, especially at slack tide when the bite often slows right along the jetties.

The harbor is an excellent place for redfish, and plenty of great fishing holes are easy to find if you know what you’re looking for. Find a small depth change in a large area with a consistent depth, and redfish – especially large ones – will likely use the area. Sometimes, the dip or hump can be as small as a boat, and depth need only change 6 to 8 inches, as redfish flock to such subtle changes.

The Wando is another promising area. Rupert likes to focus his efforts on wooden structure like docks and old bridge pilings. He also has his share of luck fishing weed lines, which offer shade, protection, and ambush opportunities. While putting menhaden on the bottom works fine for Rupert, it is also a good spot to dangle a live shrimp under a popping cork.