Georgetown Jetty bulls

Big redfish are feeding strong out of Winyah Bay

By September, the Georgetown jetties out of South Carolina’s Winyah Bay are teeming with giant redfish. And they are here for one reason – to gorge themselves while they prepare to head offshore until the spring.

This is strictly a catch-and-release fishery, because these fish are all over-the-slot. But it’s a good chance for anglers to catch the biggest fish of their life.

“Redfish, once they get to about 3-years-old, pretty much become a different fish entirely. Those younger than that spend the whole year inshore, and mostly in shallow water. But once they get to about 30 inches long, they leave the inshore waters and head offshore during the late fall/early winter, and stay offshore until they come back inshore in the spring,” said Capt. Rod Thomas of Captain Ponytail Guide Service (336-240-5649).

Thomas said these big fish patrol both sides of the jetties, but on some days, one side is better than the other.

Use big baits

“I like to set up where the wind and the tide is positioning my boat in the best way for me to get my baits close to the rocks. And that can change throughout the day,” he said.

He uses big chunks of cut mullet for bait, and fishes with 5000- to 6000-series spinning reels and heavy duty braided line, finished off with a short segment of 100-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon line, and a 5/0 to 8/0 circle hook.

“I like to use as many rods as I can handle, because the more bait you have out, the better your chances at catching a fish,” he said. “And while I concentrate mostly on getting my bait close to the rocks, I also cast away from them, and on some days, you’ll get more bites away from the rocks.”

When landing these fish, Thomas doesn’t like to use a net. Instead, he gets them beside the boat, then, wearing gloves, he puts one hand around the tail, then puts the other hand inside the fish’s mouth. He’ll use his raw-water washdown hose to run water through the fish’s mouth and gills if it needs to be revived. Then he slips it back into the water to release it.

“Some of these fish are 40-, 50-years-old. We don’t want to cause them any harm, so we make sure they are ready to go before we release them,” he said.

Thomas said this bite usually continues through about Thanksgiving each year.