Let yourself be
With football season in full swing, weekends on the waters around Hilton Head and Beaufort are less crowded, but South Carolina’s southern coast still holds plenty of hot inshore fishing action. Dan Utley, a retired football coach turned fishing guide, is still scoring touchdowns, only this time instead of on the gridiron, he’s working the redfish flats around Hilton Head.
“On a rising tide, redfish will be working the flats adjacent to the grass,” said Utley, who runs Fishin’ Coach Charters. “They’re looking for crabs, shrimp and mullet, so they’re on the move. One of the best ways to get their attention is to sit on the edge of a flat and cast cut bait around the ditches and channels that lead up into the grass.”
Finding redfish flats around the Hilton Head/Beaufort area is as easy as throwing a dart at a map of the area. Utley’s favorites near his main fishing grounds of Hilton Head include the Chechessee River off Port Royal Sound, the main Colleton River near the Waddell Mariculture Center, the Broad River inland from the SC 170 Bridge, and Mackays and Skull creeks.
Of course, redfish aren’t the only game in town. Using live shrimp and mud minnows, Utley catches plenty of speckled trout and flounder as well.
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