Lowcountry redfish are schooled up and biting

Redfish are bunched up in big schools

In South Carolina’s Lowcountry, along the Intracoastal Waterway from Mount Pleasant to McClellanville and beyond, January means fewer anglers on the water, huge schools of redfish in the mud flats, and daily battles waiting to happen between the two.

For anglers, staying home is not an option. The fishing is truly as good as it gets if you practice a little bit of patience and take some precautions. Tom Siwarski of Carolina Aeromarine Adventures loves January fishing, and redfish are his prime target.

“This time of year, no fish is more predictable than redfish,” he said. “When you find a wintertime school of 100 redfish on Monday, that same school will be together and in the same general area on Friday almost 100% of the time.”

Those fish are cautious and eat less than they will in a few months. But they still get hungry. Anglers who offer them the right portions without spooking them can pick at a school throughout the day, catching one fish after another.

One reason Siwarski (843-327-3434) finds the fishing easier is the sheer size of the schools. In his decades of fishing, he’s spotted redfish schools that have contained 500 or more fish.

Safety from flipper is the goal of winter redfish

These reds are seeking safety in numbers from bottlenose dolphins, which prey on them heavily during winter.

Siwarski said the ICW is loaded with shallow mud flats that anglers can get to in boats of almost any size. The key, he said, is keeping your distance, making long casts and setting the hook when the time is right.

He loads his spinning reels with 10-pound PowerPro braid. Some anglers think that’s too small. But he said that, coupled with the right drag, is all you need. It allows for longer casts than heavier line. And that helps anglers keep their distance from these wary schools of fish.

“I like a 7-foot, medium-heavy rod, and I use about 18 inches of 15-pound fluorocarbon leader. I use 4- to 5-inch Gulp shad on a 1/16-ounce, 3/0 Gamakatsu flutter hook jig. It wobbles when it falls, and redfish can’t resist it,” he said.

Keep your distance from the schools

When anglers find a school of redfish, Siwarski said it’s best to get ahead of and parallel to the school. He suggests making a cast well in front of the lead fish, then lift the rod tip as the redfish move into range.

“That Gulp gives off a lot of scent, and the slight wobble created by lifting the rod tip is usually all you need to entice a bite,” he said.

Sometimes, the school will break up when you’re fighting a fish, especially if the fish bulls its way through the school. If that happens, Siwarski said to give it a little time, and the school will form back up. He also said it’s not usually difficult to find another school nearby. Moving back and forth between schools can help keep each school calm, together, and more willing to eat than they are when spooked.