Cold, clear water makes for great trout fishing, even though fishermen will have to bundle up to stay warm.
Soft-plastic artificial lures or hard plugs will be the go-to lures since most live baits are long gone from coastal estuaries. After several mild winters in a row, South Carolina’s trout population is in good shape, and it just might be the right time to start trying to trick some trout.
“Finding the fish can be tough, because casting for an unproductive hour up and down a shell bank or other likely spot can make your fingers go numb and can make your mind question what you are doing out here,” said Capt. Danny Rourk of Tailwind Charters in Beaufort. “But when you find them on the shell they want to be around, you might catch 20 in a row and never have to change locations again that day.”
Rourk prefers a chartreuse Gulp! jerk shad rigged on an eighth-ounce Owner jighead that most likely will be fished under some sort of popping cork.
“When the water is cold, the trout move slower, so pop your cork and then let it come fully upright again, and then wait for them to hit it,” he said “Repeat this process and vary the wait time between clacking until you dial in on how the trout are reacting that day.”
Another helpful tip is to plan your fishing trip for the lower end of the tide cycle, and also pick a time when that low tide is close to mid-day so any overhead sun can heat up the shallow water over the oyster shells, giving a bit of pep to the otherwise sluggish fish. Oh yes, a little sunshine always goes a long way towards warming up frozen fingers too!
Gulp! baits are some of the most popular artificials available, with both guides and recreational anglers agreeing that they catch fish. D.O.A. Shrimp are No. 2 in all-around popularity because Capt. Mark Nichols’ patented weighted-shrimp is deadly on fish whether fished by itself or under a popping cork. You just about can’t go wrong with these top two artificials, but what about some other options?
Scott Hammond, the assistant manager at Haddrell’s Point West tackle shop in Mount Pleasant likes scented baits.
“Bio Baits are another type of scented baits that are popular,” he said. “They offer a different scent than (other) brands, and popular colors are strawberry/silver glitter and chartreuse/glow core.”
Another option is Z-man’s Minnowz baits, made with “Elaztech,” a rubbery material designed to take the abuse from multiple bites from specks’ teeth. They’re made in South Carolina.
Some offerings like Exude and Bomber soft plastics may be easy to find, but harder to find in local tackle shops are Sabile and Lucky Craft plugs and Marsh Works plastic baits. Fishermen likely will want to try a few different options, and then stick with what they are comfortable with considering price, availability, and, of course, whether or not the trout try and clean its clock when they see it. Remember, go with darker colors if the water is cloudy, but otherwise, bright colors work best.
Fishing with Rourk one day on the Beaufort River was a real education on trout tactics, especially with a 21½-inch speck that weighed a shade more than four pounds came to the net.
“We’ve caught a lot of trout around here, but we haven’t caught a lot like this Gator trout right here,” he said.
With large trout looming nearby and the water churning with activity, I made a short cast to nervous water and, WHAP! he hit it like a baseball player swinging a Louisville Slugger. Thinking I was tied into the trout of a lifetime, I was very happy, but then fate intervened and a genuine fish story began to develop.
The fish swam behind the transom, running parallel along the shell bank, and I instinctively walked around the poling platform on Rourk’s 18-foot Maverick flats boat. The motor was trimmed up, as was the PowerPole mounted on the corner of the transom. Before I could react, the fish made a 90-degree turn towards the boat and surged in between the protruding PowerPole and the prop, doubling the rod over before parting the line just above the cork.
Of course, I was “ruined” about losing a gator trout, and Rourk needled me saying, “That likely was a state-record trout.”
We had caught several trout in that area, so we fished the same bank for another hour of so. Rourk finally made this observation. “That fish is carrying a cigar-shaped float that is bright yellow, and if it’s still in this area, it will stick out like a sore thumb.
A moment or two later, we spotted the cork floating in shallow water in shallow water next to an oyster bar; I figured the fish had already rubbed it off on the sharp shells, but when we approached it to pick up the cork, the darn thing swam off — setting in motion a ridiculous plot to “catch that fish.”
After a couple of fruitless “chases,” Rourk backed the boat away from the fish, far enough not to spook it but close enough to keep an eye on the cork. We waited in ambush, hoping the fish would swim in our direction. Finally, it did, and after a handful of casts toward the cork failed to snag the leader or the cork, Rourk flipped a wide-gap worm hook in the right direction, turned the reel handle a couple of times, and the hook point struck home. Rourk’s rod bent double, the fish tried to surge away, but in a minute or two, the cork chase came to a close. The fish swam out from under the boat, into a waiting net.
My “state-record” trout turned out to be a 26-inch redfish, which we celebrated by taking turns in front of the camera lens before sending it on its way, knowing we had a great story to tell.
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