Captain Tommy Scarborough of Georgetown Coastal Adventures (843-546-3543) says that April will be a transition month in the Winyah Bay area as redfish move into their spring and summer patterns. “Water temps from the 68 to 72-degree range are the optimum for redfish to turn on and start feeding more aggressively,” said Scarborough. “By the end of the month we should be seeing some tailing redfish as the fiddlers emerge.”
“April brings some changes to the fish themselves as they will begin to have more of a red or bronze coloration, and mud minnows return to the waters for them to chase around,” said Scarborough. “Fish oyster points with Gulp shrimp rigged under a split shot and a popping cork first, then maybe try a Johnson silver minnow lure in black pearl.” Scarborough’s Pro Tip is that the black really silhouettes better than the gold spoon, which is always good for a few extra bites.
“When the silver dollar-size menhaden show up then we are going to fish with a White Nemire spoon in size 5/8 or 3/4,” said Scarborough. “Those small menhaden have a bit of yellow on the end of their tail so I will dip the tail of my white lure in some yellow-coloring to better try and mimic that. A live bait option for redfish is fresh cut finger mullet because the redfish won’t be wallering as much in April as during winter.” The peeler or soft shell crab season will also be a big part of April fishing.
Fishing for trout using a fly rod is much improved in April targeting shell banks in the flats, close to where the redfish are moving in. Scarborough uses a 6 or 7-weight fly rod and uses a clouser minnow in chartreuse and white or a slider minnow pattern in green with a white belly. “For low-light conditions like dawn, cloudy and foggy days I prefer the topwater gurgler fly in a shrimp pattern,” said Scarborough.
Flounder will begin staging in April but Scarborough won’t target them unless they show themselves. “If they crash a school of bait near where I am fishing, then I’ll let them settle down before casting a soft plastic like a Bass Assassin to them,” said Scarborough. It’s important to go light in these shallow waters so rig up a flutter-hook without a jighead for the flounder.
To see all of the April fishing forecast from the April edition of South Carolina Sportsman magazine, purchase a copy of our digital edition.
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