Why Knot

Sharp Shooters - South Carolina Sportsman

2011-05-09T19:46:00.000-04:00

Sharp Shooters - South Carolina Sportsman

Fishing for blackfin tuna off Charleston - Tideline Magazine - The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

2011-04-04T19:39:00.000-04:00

Fishing for blackfin tuna off Charleston - Tideline Magazine - The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

It would be nice if we had these in South Carolina

2011-02-23T18:48:00.001-05:00

You may recognize this prehistoric beast from Discovery Channel's River Monsters. But the alligator gar Jeremy Wade, River Monsters host, landed with a Texas freshwater guide, was tiny compared to this 327-pound behemoth. Read more by FoxNews by clicking on the image.

In case you haven't seen the River Monster's episode where Wade tangos with a much smaller alligator gar, the video below will only give us a glimpse into what this angler from Mississippi wrestled with in the picture above:

Source: Black seabass season to close Feb. 12 - Tideline Magazine - The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

2011-01-31T21:15:00.005-05:00

Source: Black seabass season to close Feb. 12 - Tideline Magazine - The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

It's great to see that preventive measures are being enforced to preserve the sea bass population. But it's discouraging to know that there's not enough restraint during the year-round bottom fishing season.

"Federal regulators say the sea bass closure is necessary because anglers are on track to exceed the maximum allowable catch for this fishing year."

Reds warm up in shallows on cold winter days

2010-12-30T15:21:00.002-05:00

The inshore waters of the Lowcountry are barren during winter compared to the spring through late fall months. But redfish stick it out for the lean, bait-deprived winter. They move onto shallow oyster and sandbar flats in schools to warm up and stay inaccessible to patrolling dolphin.

When you find them in a school (sometimes in the hundreds), it's the best inshore fishing any time of year.

Here's a slot fish that Pate caught (last December) after we herded a school like sheepdogs for two hours, landing seven. Several were hogs over 30 inches.

Nature Conservancy grows Black River Swamp 440 more acres

2010-11-21T23:46:00.000-05:00

Cypress preserve gets more acres | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment

7 ships cited for speed | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment

2010-11-17T23:31:00.000-05:00

7 ships cited for speed | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment

Tideline Magazine opens up reader-voice section in next issue

2010-11-10T23:52:00.002-05:00

The new November/December issue of Tideline is out.

You can pick up a free copy of the magazine from north to Murrells Inlet and south to Hilton Head. A new section, starting in January, will be designated to reader-submitted fishing advice and your voice can be heard about anything ranging from snapper regulations to tournaments, and no-wake zones.

Here's the letter from editor Matt Winter, who I get to work with on a couple articles a year. Shoot Matt an email. It may be published in the next issue.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/nov/02/editor/

Clear skies and clear water on Charleston Harbor

2010-10-18T22:33:00.009-04:00

It was a special kind of day on Charleston Harbor Sunday with virtually no wind, a crisp 75 degrees, and no clouds in the sky.

We started off Sullivans Island at the grillage and landed one small flounder. The tide turned, incoming, so we pulled anchor and went to the jetties after bait bandits started plowing through cut mullet.

Rods were doubled over on three different boats when we pulled up to the south end of the jetties about an hour after the tide started rolling in. Clarity was down to at least three feet. Still using cut mullet, we landed four redfish (2 slot fish), 20 seabass (3 keepers), and two bluefish. The bite turned off after an hour.

I normally like to release the reds, but Dad and little brother were in town from Beaufort, so we tossed them in the cooler for dinner.

Torture for Cuffy.

Jaws producers had it all wrong

2010-10-16T10:54:00.004-04:00

After reading this article, it's now clear the Jaws producers didn't do their research before sending this box office thriller to the big screen. Just because the Great white was over 25 feet and three tons, it doesn't mean the shark could smell Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider's fear on the Orca before eating one third of the crew, and half the boat.

Good read...

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/10/14/shark-smell-myth-fishy/

Oh my god, it almost looks like a triple splash!

2010-09-27T22:26:00.010-04:00

Last weekend my buddy Ben and I took a break at slack tide after catching a few redfish in the harbor. We cruised over to Morris Island to scope out the scene before trying out a new spot. Most of us that have been privileged enough to grow up in the Lowcountry tend to take dolphin for granted when they're cruising by the boat and surfacing for air or spooking our fish. However, it never gets old when we get to see their awesome power as they torpedo toward a mud bank and launch their bodies into a school of unsuspecting fish.

Ben snagged this pretty cool video. The audio has been removed because it may be the next YouTube sensation. 'Oh my god, it almost looks like a triple splash!'

In case you haven't seen the 'double rainbow' video already...enjoy

Here's the same dolphin earning its lunch off Morris Island

We caught and released a few small slot fish

There's more to menhaden than meets the nose

2010-09-26T19:51:00.008-04:00

Last week I was cruising on Google for some research on a dolphin story that's coming out next week with www.SimplyFishingMagazine.com. I came across a review for an awesome book that I read a couple years ago.

'The Most Important Fish in the Sea' really gave me a new true-found respect for the oily, most fishy smelling fish in the sea. Menhaden aka pogies have a lot more value (I learned) than to dangle on the end of our lines to coax the gamut of rod benders to the hook.

These fish are used for paint, fertilizers and household items you'd never expect. They had a significant impact on our country's growth during colonial days, and are the ocean's natural filter for phytoplankton and preventing oxygen-depleted dead zones. I recommend checking it out when you get a chance. It's an easy read and you'll probably have more respect for this greasy little bait fish.

http://books.google.com/books?id=UcWJCqKgtZAC&lpg=PP1&dq='the%20most%20important%20fish%20in%20the%20sea'&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Change couch position, at the beach

2010-09-15T18:34:00.011-04:00

About a month or so ago I was thinking about why I don't, along with most of my other fishing buddies, do some of the easiest saltwater fishing we have around the Lowcountry: surf fishing.

Hopefully you'll catch a bigger fish.

That's more like it.

There are several easy-access public beaches that are less than a 30-minute drive for most of us in Charleston county. You don't need to drag the boat around town, spend money on fuel or contend with the elements like you do on the river or bigger bodies of water. Plus...plus the biggest migrating redfish come within cast range from now until November.

So, I decided I'd learn more about what it takes to land a big redfish, shark or even a rare, but majestic tarpon. I trolled around local fishing forum www.CharlestonFishing.com until I hooked up with Ron Walters, and he lays it down in this article I just wrote for locally-based Tideline Magazine.

Maybe I'll go to the beach and try it out now. The article's not live yet online, but here's a preview. Go grab a free issue when you get a chance. It's free. So check it out.
No-fuss fishin’

Hit the beach for a relaxing but productive angling experience

BY ROB CARLI

Ron Walters, 50, doesn’t hit the beach on his weekends off to catch rays or ride waves. After more than 20 years of casting baits along the Lowcountry coastline, the low-maintenance aspect of surf fishing keeps bringing him back for more.

“I surf fish because it’s not really stressful, but you can still catch a lot of fish … and some big fish,” Walters says. “I try to go once a week.”

Walters, a 22-year set-up mechanic for Robert Bosch Corporation’s North Charleston plant, finds respite from the work week by frequenting Folly Beach, Edisto, and Hunting Island State Park outside Beaufort.

South Carolina offers anglers 187 miles coastline to choose a personal spot, according to the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. The best part? No boat required.

Surf fishing is productive from late spring through summer, but these bait-rich fall months bring bull redfish, tarpon, and other game fish within casting range.

Walters, a three-year organizer of the former North Folly Surf Fishing Meet and Greet Tournament, catches his largest fish in the fall.

“The prime time for big spot-tails in the surf is the fall months, when the redfish begin moving back offshore for the winter,” he says. “In fact, the three biggest redfish I’ve ever caught, all over 40 inches, were in October and November.”

Walters was willing to share some of his tricks to land surf-cruising fish from the tiny whiting to massive, reel-spooling reds.

Find a beach with character

Anglers in the Charleston area can choose between Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island to the north and Folly Beach to the south. Edisto Island and Hunting Island are farther south, but still less than a two-hour drive.

Walters has his favorite beaches, and he’s not shy about sharing some of his most productive areas.

“One of my favorite spots is on the east end of Folly,” Walters says. “It’s all the way down in front of the old Coast Guard station, and there are some rocks there going into the ocean.”

He says that northeastern tip of Folly has all the key ingredients, “as well as seclusion from the homes, swimmers and sunbathers.”

Walters is also a regular at popular surf-fishing spots to the north.

“A lot of people like to go to Breech Inlet and right in front of Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s,” Walters says. “It’s easy to get to, and the water is calmer and good for flounder.”

Regardless of which beach he picks, Walters likes to scout the terrain at low tide for tell-tale undulations.

“I look for sloughs and troughs or any holes, because bait hangs out there,” Walters says. “Bigger fish, especially spottails, hang out in bigger holes.”

Walters has caught fish on flat surfaces, but advises anglers to concentrate on any area with a depth change.

“The more structure you have, it will be more active with smaller fish, and bigger fish too,” he says.

When to hit the surf

Water temperature is an important factor, Walters says, when targeting beach-cruising fish.

“Generally, when the water warms to 70 degrees in late spring the fish will start showing up in the surf, beginning with small whiting, blues and sharks,” Walters says. “As the water warms, the fish tend to get more plentiful and bigger, and will stay that way until the late fall.”

Unlike some of our favorite inshore spots along an oyster bank or marsh grass, surf fishing is less dependent on the tide cycle.

Walters says a tidal stage never determines whether he’ll head to the surf, but he does find more productive fishing on the tail-end of each tide.

“I prefer around low tide,” he says. “The last few hours of falling tide, and last few hours of incoming are good.”

The strength of a given tide can create a challenge for surf fishermen.

“The full moon creates strong current, and sometimes you can’t keep your line out there,” Walters

Tails are everywhere

2010-08-13T20:34:00.007-04:00

This past Tuesday night brought us Lowcountry anglers quite the gift. A new moon. Like the full moon, a new one creates dramatic tides. Low tide is lower than normal. High tide, well, is higher than normal.

This brought the water onto a marsh grass flat that is always exposed, except for these tides on steroids. The flat beckoned dozens upon dozens of hungry redfish to feed on the crustacean buffet of shrimp and blue crabs.

There's not much better than walking through the marsh on a calm night, being surrounded by redfish that are gorging themselves. That's probably why we only caught one, but it's really just a bonus or at least what we tell ourselves when we don't catch more. The full moon is only two weeks away....stoked.

The fish liked Crosby's Gulp shrimp over the Gulp minnow.

2010-07-28T20:07:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year. The water in, around, and off the Lowcountry coast is bath-water warm. King mackerel thrive within just a couple miles of the shore while other offshore game species retreat to deeper, cooler water.

I'm not much of a king fishing guru. That's why I took notes from Capt. Robert Olsen. Here's a Q & A with Olsen that I wrote last summer after getting a chance to get after kings on a hot day in July last year with his crew.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2167235/king_tourney_qa_with_capt_robert_olsen.html?cat=11

An even bigger bull redfish than Colonial Lake's?

2010-07-18T13:52:00.006-04:00

Matty Phifer has something to say about the Colonial Lake fish caught last week...

"Heres a 48 inch bass I caught in the fall that tipped the boca grip scales at 31 lbs. Doubt that guy's fish weighed over 30, much less 45. I also caught mine in the wild."

The Post and Courier - C of C student lands 45-inch red drum at Colonial Lake - Charleston SC - postandcourier.com

2010-07-13T18:46:00.000-04:00

45 pounds might be a stretch, but still pretty cool, and proof that redfish are resilient in almost any habitat. John Eggert aka Dirt McGert brought this to my attention.

The Post and Courier - C of C student lands 45-inch red drum at Colonial Lake - Charleston SC - postandcourier.com

For those that haven't already seen Turtleman

2010-07-13T00:37:00.001-04:00

New article featured in Tideline Magazine

2010-07-11T19:12:00.000-04:00

The new July/August issue of Tideline Magazine has hit all the racks along the South Carolina coast, from Hilton Head, up to Myrtle Beach. Here's where you can pick up a free issue:

http://www.postandcourier.com/tideline2 /distribution/

I had a chance to chat with five experts around the Lowcountry about preventive measures we can all take to avoid costly mistakes on our next boating venture, from the house, to the water.

The new article is called 'What Makes a Good Day Go Bad.' Hope you enjoy.

Ingenuity on the water with a Propel bottle

2010-07-11T18:36:00.001-04:00

Had a chance to catch the falling tide with some buddies yesterday morning and land three nice reds before the water got too skinny and had to leave the fish biting.

Seth landed a nice slot fish on a mud minnow underneath a Propel drink bottle. It was pretty awesome to see the spot-tail drag the entire bottle under, then tear off into the grass. I hate to admit this was his idea, but I offered moral support so that's probably why it worked.

The water was pretty muddy off Folly River, but live bait was the ticket and we got off the river before thunderstorms let loose.

New water whip

2010-07-11T13:05:00.000-04:00

I don't have to bum inshore fishing or booze cruising rides anymore. Scout 153 Sport II.

The Lowcountry's Go-To Fish: Redfish that is...

2010-07-11T12:56:00.001-04:00

Capt. John Irwin of Fly Right Charters here in Charleston, S.C. is the man. Went out with him in the winter of 2009 and we laid into a school of about 200 fat, hungry reds. Here's another story I wrote for SImply Fishing Magazine.com last fall where Irwin really breaks it down on how to catch redfish year round, on the fly or spinning rod.

Oh yeah, Stephen Colbert (from Charleston) is one of his repeat clients....The story starts on pg. 48. Enjoy, and please share with anyone who enjoys fishing or looking into learning about it.

http://www.simplyfishingmagazine.com/pages/november-2009-issue.php

New seatrout story in www.SimplyFishingMagazine.com

2010-07-11T12:20:00.000-04:00

Here's a new story that came out in the March/April/May issue of Simply Fishing Magazine.com. I had a chance to get on the water with Captain Danny Rourk of Tailwind Charters in Beaufort, S.C., and learned a lot from him about trout and redfish.

Below is a link to the most recent issue of our two-year old, free, digital fishing magazine. Hope you enjoy and please share the link to this page to any fellow anglers out there.

The article starts on page. 26.

http://view.digsint.com/?userpath=00000401/00007953/00053308/