If summer is right around the corner, then it must be time to start seeing big redfish and all manner of sharks move into inlets along the South Carolina coast, providing some great battles for fishermen like Capt. Jeremy Espiritu of Shallow Thoughts Inshore Fishing in Charleston.
“We’re catching a lot of redfish close to 30 pounds and big sharks: bonnetheads, sharpnose and blacktips,” said Espiritu (843-509-4751), who has been fishing a couple of fairly well-known spots around the mouth of Charleston Harbor: the “Grillage” and the “Dynamite Hole.”
The Grillage is off the tip of Sullivan’s Island on the north side of the harbor’s mouth; Espiritu has been fishing their on outgoing tides. The Dynamite Hole is closer to the south jetty; it’s been his spot to fish on an incoming tide.
“When the current’s moving in there, it’s really ripping,” said Espiritu, who has been using a Carolina rig with eight to 10 ounces of weight to keep his live menhaden baits on the bottom.
The big redfish annually move into the mouth of Charleston Harbor shortly after Memorial Day. Biologists with the SCDNR believe a good deal of spawning takes place, especially around the Grillage, from July through August. The myriad shark species follow the menhaden as they move toward the backwaters after spending the winter and spring in the ocean.
Espiritu said he’s also been spending a fair amount of time – especially when the tides aren’t right to catch reds or sharks – fishing the Lowcountry Anglers Reef and 4KI reefs for spadefish. He nets a few jellyfish balls on the way out of the harbor, using long, thin slices to entice the spadefish to bite.
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