North vs. South

The two rivers that outline Edisto Island like parentheses are full of redfish, but the tactics required to catch them are very different. Here are the basics to put more fish in the boat.

It’s not exactly a civil war, but if you’re headed to Edisto Island to catch redfish this fall, you need to decide which side you’re on. The North Edisto and South Edisto rivers, they’re similar only by name. They fish as different as night and day.

A look at the map offers some explanation. The Edisto River rises independently in two forks in Aiken County and flows across the lower third of South Carolina as a freshwater river. Below Willtown Bluff, where the river transitions from brackish to saltwater, the river splits — at least in name — and flows on either side of Edisto Island. The South Edisto retains the bulk of the flow, while the North Edisto splits off into a significantly smaller branch to join with the much-larger Wadmalaw River. Other than a little freshwater drainage from the Toogoodoo and Caw Caw Swamps, the North Edisto, via the Wadmalaw, is almost entirely a saltwater system.Click here to read more on North vs. South