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WELCOME
By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon
Tuna Town TO
I
had only been fishing a few years when I wound up taking a job in Venice, Louisiana. I had gotten the lead on a first mate position through a mutual friend of a captain who I had never met before. When I called the captain, I asked when he needed me. He told me, “yesterday.” So I went to the tackle shop, bought my first pair of slickers, and hit the road. The only thing I knew about Venice was that there was no cell phone service and no women. As I drove down the road south of New Orleans, I began to notice ships on both sides of the road simultaneously. I realized I had better call someone to let them know I was heading to a deadzone in the middle of nowhere, filled with lonely, salty men. I arrived at night and located my captain’s houseboat, where I would be staying. I made the jump across to the boat and opened the door without knocking—as I was instructed to do. A dozen men, drinking beer, went silent as they stared at me. I looked around the room at the welcoming party, and the walls that were lined with shelves of alcohol bottles and a deer head decorated with Mardi Gras beads and bras. They offered me a beer and I declined. After the 14-hour drive, I most definitely wanted a beer, however, this did not seem like the time and place to let my guard down. The captain showed me the boat docked out back, my bunk where I would be staying, and told me what time to set my alarm for the charter the following morning. I had no idea what to expect or what I had gotten myself into, but I quickly fell in love with the fishery and a week-long trip turned into a year and a half. The fishermen there were nothing but respectful and treated me like one of the guys. I had only been fishing for two years at the time and had a lot to learn. I spent evenings teaching myself how to tie snell knots and throw a cast net. When the locals would go out fun fishing and bring back coolers with hundreds of trout, they were more than happy to teach me how to fillet fish. The fishermen didn’t cut me any slack for being a woman, which I was grateful for. I worked just as hard as they did, earned respect, and learned everything I needed to become a competent fisherman. I was openly doubted every step of the way, until I was able to learn and prove myself, which I did. But I was told that if I made it to the fall, there was no way that a woman could handle shrimp-boat season. Shrimp-boat season involves pulling behind shrimp boats and then boarding them by jumping from the bow of your boat onto the tires that hang from the stern of the shrimp boat. Then you promptly scurry up before your bow has a chance to crush your feet. You then shovel bycatch into a bag or basket, get it back to your boat, and hopefully get yourself back on the boat before your crew hooks up to a big tuna and abandons you there for the fight. The goal is to not die, break your ankles or get murdered by the shrimp-boat crew in the process. I did make it to the fall, and I did survive shrimp-boat season, and it was some of my favorite fishing I’ve done, to this day. It wasn’t until I left that the ball-busting ceased and I received positive feedback, when a captain called to tell me I did a really great job and that I’d earned a place and should come back for the following season. I am so grateful Tuna Town was a stop on my journey to where I am now. I am indebted to the fishermen there who helped teach me things the right way, without mercy. Capt. Quinlyn Haddon, with Sweet e’nuf charters out of Marathon, Florida Keys, can be reached at (504) 920-6342. See CaptainQuinlyn.com and @captainquinlyn.
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THROW UMBRELLA RIGS FOR WINTER BASS
When the bass are feeding up on baitfish in the winter, the natural bait ball presentation with multiple baits swimming together drives these bass absolutely crazy. It can make for a very fun day on the water. Setting up your “rig” is not complicated. Depending on how deep you are looking to fish, use 1/8-ounce jig heads for shallow water (10 feet or less) and ¼-ounce jig heads for anything deeper than 10 feet. Pick TYLER WOOLCOTT out some small 3- to 4-inch natural shad colored boot-tail swimbaits to attach to your jig heads and that’s all there is to it. inter can be a tricky time of year to go fishing, The winter months is typically the time when bass to feed up before but I want to tell you about a bait that might help you put some more fish in the boat. In fact, this lure is so good that they spawn. Whether you see it going on or not, they are eating a lot of bait somewhere on your some tournaments don’t allow body of water. You can throw anglers to use them anymore. this rig basically anywhere, I’m talking about the Alabama and if there are fish around, rig, which some people call they will bite it! I throw it the umbrella rig. around grass, rocks, docks, This device made its debut open water, points and on the bass fishing scene in ditches. 2011 and absolutely dominated the tournament fishing scene Gear for a few years before it was When throwing an A-rig, eventually outlawed by most it can get pretty heavy once professional fishing series for you add all the jig heads and basically being an unfair way swimbaits onto it. You’ll want to catch fish. The rig consists to use a big heavy rod with of a baitfish-style head where some strong line. A 13 Fishing you tie your line with multiple Muse Black 7’6” rod paired metal-wire arms that extend with a Concept A 6:8:1 reel is out where you attach jig heads a good fit. Spool this up with with a swimbaits. Most come 20-pound Seaguar Abraz-X standard with five metal arms line and you are good to go! and five jig heads. Good luck out there! Even though the Alabama rig is outlawed by most pro fishing leagues, that doesn’t mean you can’t use it when you are out fun Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. fishing or even fishing smaller tournaments. It is a fish-catching machine! Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcottfishing.com.
W
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JANUARY 2024
NATIONAL 7
A GREAT LAKES FORMULA FOR
By Nick Carter
JUST ONE FISH
C
obi Pellerito’s goal in a day is just one fish, and with the surge in Great Lakes smallmouth fisheries, there’s a good chance he’ll find what he’s looking for: one giant smallie. “Big smallmouth is my jam,” he said. “It’s not like tournament fishing, where you’re looking for a limit. I’m out there looking for one big fish.” Pellerito theorized that three invasive species are responsible for Great Lakes smallmouth achieving grotesque proportions with weights in the 7- to 8-pound range. European round gobies and rusty crayfish from the Ohio River Basin have become important prey species since their invasion. European Zebra mussels are forage for another smallmouth favorite: perch, and these filter-feeders also create clear water, which is great for visual hunters like bass.
8 NATIONAL
JANUARY 2024
Pellerito bemoaned the destruction these invasives wreak but figures we might as well take advantage. THE FORMULA: The size of the Great Lakes system is incredible. From a home base in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Pellerito has explored parts of it from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, downstream through lakes Michigan, St. Clair, Huron, Erie and over to the St. Lawrence River. Over this vast expanse, state fisheries reports tell him where the largest smallmouth are. “Once you’ve picked a fishery, there’s no substitute for time on the water,” he said. “Find the most desirable structure in the lake or in the part of the lake you’re fishing.” Smallmouth can be patterned seasonally. From there, Pellerito fishes long days to eliminate water. He looks for big points and transitions in bottom composition. He seeks out subtle structure like boulders or logs on barren flats. Bait presence is important, whether its gobies or crayfish in the rocks, perch in the grass or balls of suspended baitfish. THE FISHING: When he finds an area he likes, Pellerito covers water quickly with a crankbait. He likes a Megabass Deep-X 300, which dives 12 to 15 feet. “Covering water until you find where the fish are is important, then you slow down,” he said. “The biggest fish tend to be a step off from where the rest of them are.” Big smallmouth hold in “wolf packs” of two or three fish, and this can sometimes lead to days of more than “just one fish.” Recently, Pellerito boated an incredible 35-pound, 9-ounce five fish limit. Find one big fish, and it pays to pick that area apart. For this, Pellerito switches to classic drop shots or tubes. A standard tube crawls through the rocks like a goby or a crayfish. With the drop shot, Pellerito fishes a Megabass 3-inch Hazedong, which looks like a goby. It takes light line to draw strikes in clear water. Pellerito uses 15-foot leaders of 5- to 7-pound fluorocarbon with a main line of 8- to 10-pound braid. He’s experienced tremendous success with these tactics. This season, he boated 39 fish heavier than 6 pounds, 19 heavier than 7 pounds and two heavier than 8 pounds. To see more of Cobi Pellerito’s giant fish, see his Instagram @cobi.pellerito.
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FISHING FORECAST by Capt. Chase Edgren, Contributing Writer
H
ello Everyone, Capt Chase here with Last Cast Charleston. Winter fishing Charleston brings great opportunity to target Wahoo, Tuna, and a surprise sailfish will show up from time to time. I like to focus my day over some form of structure, being live bottom or ledges from 150 to 250’. Checking Sea Surface Temperatures with phone apps like (Hiltons Realtime Navigator or Satfish) helps you find the late season warmer temperature breaks. Water clarity isn’t a huge focus though I try and stay away from king fish green water. Fishing for Tuna, I will always have a Cedar Plug rigged with 60-80’ fluorocarbon and as far away from the boat as you can tolerate. With that a light colored seawitch with a small ballyhoo in our long rigger has produced some good numbers this winter. Wahoo, we always have a Nomad DTX in the spread nice and tight to the boat along with larger ilander lures with a medium or large ballyhoo pulled on our short rigger. To prevent bite off ’s we rig the baits with 270lbs cable and a #9 hook. While trolling over the structure, watch your depth machine. If you’re marking bait 30-100’ below the boat make sure your crew is ready. While trolling, be afraid to pull your baits at 8-9kts for Tuna and Wahoo. Another great alternative to catching wahoo and eliminating bycatch of Barracuda and other species is High Speed Trolling 12kts +. Utilizing inline trolling weights from 12oz upwards of 64oz. 25’ of shock leader followed by an our favorites, Black Bart Sal Sandy and a Cowbell Lure have produced some of our larger wahoo. The speed is dictated by your tackle and the ability to keep the lures in the water. Chase P. Edgren 719-930-9008 ranger.edgren@hotmail.com
2 LOWCOUNTRY
JAN. 2024
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HIGH COUNTRY STYLE. LOWCOUNTRY STATE OF MIND.
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JAN. 2024
LOWCOUNTRY 3
FISHING FORECAST
Mount Pleasant Pier by Chris Pounder, Contributing Writer
W
ater temperature is one of the keys to winter fishing at the pier so keep your fingers crossed it stays above 55 degrees. If the temp stays above the magic number you could be counting sheepshead or trout as they come over the rail. Between the 50 – 55-degree mark you can still catch a few, but action will be slower. Temps lower than that and you’ll need some luck on your side. Target trout during the last two hours of the outgoing tide and the first two hours of the incoming one. Artificials like Billy Bay, Vudu, and ZMan are all popular among trout fishermen. One consistent method is to cast parallel to the pier and work your lure back at various depths and speeds. As the water temperature dips you’ll want to slow your retrieve significantly since the fish won’t be as active. Don’t underestimate letting it sit on the bottom and bumping it along slowly as you might just run into a flounder still hanging around. Some sheepshead will move to deeper water as it gets colder, but there’s also a resident population that typically hangs around the pier pilings year-round. During the winter months, anglers have better luck with clams and oysters than fiddler crabs. The crabs will still produce though if you have the patience to sift thru some smaller fish and donate a few to the bait stealers. The River Watch Café and Gift Shop sells frozen sand fleas which are also productive for sheepshead. November thru February are typically the months we see some of the largest sheepshead caught each year. It is not uncommon to see catches in the 7 – 10-pound range with some pushing 12 pounds or more. At the time of print there was an angler that landed 7 keepers on the incoming tide with the largest weighing in at 11 pounds 12 ounces. Be sure to let us know when you land the big one on the pier and we’ll be glad to feature you in the next article. Stop by the shop or flag down our staff to share your success.
4 LOWCOUNTRY
JAN. 2024
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For any additional information about the pier or what’s biting this week feel free to call the River Watch Cafe & Gift Shop on the pier at 843-762-9946 Chris Pounder, CPRP Manager Mount Pleasant Pier
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JAN. 2024
LOWCOUNTRY 5
Jiggin' Jerry
Downtime:
MAINTENANCE & TUNING YOUR FISHING REELS DURING THE SLOW SEASON by Jiggin’ Jerry, Contributing Writer
D Greasing Oscillating Line Guide Garcia Round Reel
Greasing Pinion Gear Spinning Reel
Greasing Spur Gear Spinning Shimano Calcutta 200
uring the colder winter months here in the Lowcountry, fishing slows down for a lot of anglers. Lots of species of fish they are used to targeting are harder to find or migrating along with some of the baits that are used to target some of those species. I myself continue to inshore fish through the winter months, primarily targeting Sheepshead and Spotted Seatrout, but of course, I have other species of freshwater fish I will target during these cold months. A lot of anglers that do not like being cold and do not like the struggle that comes with targeting fish during the winter take a break waiting for the spring weather to arrive. We call this down time. So while you have some down time, it is also the perfect time to maintenance and tune your fishing reels for the upcoming season. First, I would like to remind everyone that the maintenance and tuning I am about to explain can be done on and off throughout the year while fishing, depending on how frequent you are using your equipment, the maintenance on them can be vital to the longevity and the operation of your reels. So let’s start at the beginning. The first step of maintaining your fishing reels that a lot of people take is to wash them off. When using them in saltwater, it is recommended to rinse your reels off after a day of fishing. This should go for both freshwater and saltwater because of other deposits other than salt, like sand and minerals, including bacteria and algae, that can attack the surfaces of moving parts of your reels. This happens when the water evaporates, leaving the deposits behind, then the deposits dry hard, some like concrete, and can jam ball bearings, bushings, springs, etc., in your reel. I’m sure a lot of anglers have experienced grabbing their fishing reel a day or two later and then trying to turn it and find out it is very stiff and makes light grinding or squeaking noises. This is the result of a reel not properly cleaned after use. Now a lot of anglers are quick about rinsing off their reel. They immediately grab a garden hose and spray their rod and reel all over the place then shake it once or twice and put it up. But in the end they too find their reels sometimes stiff, squeaking or grinding when they start to reel them. Some anglers blame the brand of reel for this and, in some cases, they might be right. There are inexpensive reels out there that are made with inferior materials that just cannot hold up to the environment. But with expensive equipment, they still are finding the same issue. Why? Well, let me explain. The answer can be simple. Either they are not rinsing the reel off enough to remove the deposits and saltwater or it is the water you are using to clean the reel itself. You are probably thinking—what?! How could that be? Freshwater from the garden hose? Well, yes, freshwater from the garden hose, a garden hose that is hooked up to city water. City water has chemicals in it, chlorine and other chemicals that will leave deposits themselves and erode ball bearings and bushings in your fishing reel. If you are not familiar with what city water can do to metals, I would recommend carefully looking in the back tank of your bathroom toilet. When doing so, you will most likely notice two round blobs of erosion to the left and right side of your stopper or flapper. That erosion is actually the brass bolts that hold your tank to the toilet. That is the same effect that treated city water can have on yourfishing reels. For those of you that have well water, you are in good shape. Most deep wells and filtered wells have clean water. Shallow wells, on the other hand, can have sediment if not filtered and a sulfur smell. This is why I personally recommend buying a few gallons of distilled water. It is not expensive and easy to use. I personally do not dump the water all over my reel. I pour a small amount of water into a bucket. I place my reel over the bucket still attached to my rod. I take a soft bristle brush and small dab of Dawn dish soap and I lightly scrub my reel all over. Then I take a soft rag, I dip it into the bucket and wipe the rest of my reel down. Then I take a dry rag and lightly dry my reel, wipe my rod and put my rod away.
Greasing Spur Gear Spinning Reel 6 LOWCOUNTRY
JAN. 2024
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Oiling Ball Bearing Spinning Reel
Some of you are probably saying that takes too much time, but it really does not. It just takes a little work, but in the long run, your reels will run great and last you a lot longer, saving you time and money. I myself maintenance and tune my reels once a month, but this is because I am continuously using a number of my reels. Let’s go over some details. First, you are going to need lubrications: white lithium grease or reel grease and a quality reel oil. To disassemble some of the reels, you will need a small, adjustable wrench, a small Phillipshead screwdriver and a medium flathead screwdriver. If you are not mechanically inclined, I do not recommend you attempt disassembling your fishing reels. It might be best to take your reels to a tackle shop that has a certified technician available that you can pay to do the job for you. If you are mechanically inclined and feel as though you can easily disassemble and reassemble your reels correctly, then this may help you. Spinning reels. Not all spinning reels are built the same. I would recommend looking at your reel’s schematics before disassembling if you are not familiar with how to disassemble your reel. The average spinning reel is quite simple. First, you remove your handle. Then you remove your side plate. After doing so, you will see your spur gear with either a bushing or a bearing on its side. You will also notice a brass pinion gear and your oscillating shaft. Most of these reels will have a small amount of reel grease on the gears, but you will notice that a lot of the grease has moved to the sides of the reel and away from the gears. For those of you who want to continue to use reel grease, you would reapply fresh grease to the spur gear, pinion gear and oscillating shaft. Then you would take reel oil and apply it to your bearings or bushings. Reassemble your reel and then give it a spin. If done correctly, it should start to spin smooth and quiet. I myself favor white lithium grease. It is waterproof and seems to bind itself to the gears better in my experience and I personally use it in my Shimano reels because I find that my reels run smoother with the lithium than reel grease. Bait cast reels. There are different brands of bait cast reels and a lot of them disassemble differently. I would recommend looking at your reel’s schematics before disassembling if you are not familiar with how to disassemble your reel. A Garcia round reel, for example, has three side plate screws that take a flathead screwdriver to loosen. After doing so, the side of the reel comes off, allowing you to remove the spool and see the spool bearings. This also gives you access to the spur gear and pinion gear, which would need to be greased. These reels also have an oscillating line guide, which will need to be greased and oiled. The spool bearings will need to be oiled. After doing so, reassemble the reel and give it a spin. If done correctly, the reel should spin smoothly. If you hear a grinding noise before you had disassembled the reel and after you applied fresh lubricants and reassembled the reel, you most likely have a bad bearing that has already been affected by the elements, just FYI. I hope this information helps you with your next fishing adventure. Like I always say good luck out there and have fun fishing! To view some fishing adventures, go to my YouTube Channel Fishing With Jiggin Jerry or follow me on Facebook @fwjigginjerry.
Oiling Oscillating Shaft & Gear Spinning Reel
Oiling Spool Bearing Garcia Round Reel
Oiling Pinion Gear Garcia Round Reel
Oiling Spool Bearing Shimano Calcutta 200
Jiggin’ Jerry 843-619-7437 fwjigginjerry@gmail.com
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JAN. 2024
LOWCOUNTRY 7
FISHING FORECAST
Folly Beach Pier by Noah O’Brien, Contributing Writer
W
ith the Winter weather in full effect, many fish come to the shallow water for cover. Out at the Folly Beach Pier the sheepshead, sea trout, and black drum bite in the surf is always hot. Many of our regular anglers who are brave enough to deal with the colder weather are reaping the benefits. While many people come out here with a 10-foot surf rod and go all the way down towards the end, all you need is a 6-7 foot lightweight, low-to-medium action rod for shallow water. Some of our regulars might get mad at me for exposing this secret, but I am here to help everybody catch fish. The shallow water is where the most action is. A lot of people do not think to drop a line in a foot or two of water where the waves are crashing, but that is the place to be. There are a lot of days where we ask how the bite is, and everybody fishing in the surf is killing it, while everybody towards the end is either getting skunked or getting 3-ounce croaker and nothing else. The only real reason to go towards the end is for the larger fish like king mackerel, jack crevalle, bull reds, and Spanish mackerel, and we do not typically see a lot, if any at all, being caught this time of the year. As always, we hope to see you out here and we always encourage you to ask us to weigh a fish, and even get a picture of you and your catch taken!
8 LOWCOUNTRY
JAN. 2024
Noah O’Brien, Operations Manager II Folly Beach Pier 101 E Arctic Ave, Folly Beach, SC 29439 Office: 843-762-9516 / Mobile: 843-814-7344 Noah O’Brien@ccprc.com / CharlestonCountyParks.com
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PRESENT
JANUARY 26-28, 2024 Charleston Area Convention Center
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UPCOMING COASTAL EVENTS Now - March 31
Arts Bar and Grill Oyster Roast Every Saturday and Sunday 1:00pm-7:00pm 413 Coleman Blvd., Mt. Pleasant
January 17
FEB 16-18, 2024 SC STATE FAIRGROUNDS
Suds & Bugs Fly Tying
Free event 6:30-8:30 pm Rivers and Glen Fly Shop, Mt. Pleasant
January 20-21
Haddrell’s Point Fishing Expo Omar Shrine, Mt. Pleasant
January 26-28
Charleston Boat Show Charleston Area Convention Center www.thecharlestonboatshow.com
February 16-18
SEWE Southeaster Wildlife Exposition Multiple Venues www.sewe.com
February 16-18
Columbia Boat Show South Carolina State Fairgrounds Columbia, SC www.columbiaboatshow.com
February 21
Suds & Bugs Fly Tying
Free event 6:30-8:30 pm Rivers and Glen Fly Shop, Mt. Pleasant
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Submit your upcoming events or tournament Info to:
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JAN. 2024
LOWCOUNTRY 11
EDISTO FISHING FORECAST
Winter Techniques by Capt. Justin Ravenel, Contributing Writer Hello from Edisto Island! It’s that time of year when the kids are back in school, the hunters are in the woods and the fish are fired up and ready to be caught! Winter means all kinds of things for folks that enjoy the outdoors. Some of us get rifles sighted in for deer and others fashion duck blinds for early morning hunts. Myself however; I’m just excited to have the water all to myself for the next few months! A cold empty boat landing provides a warm welcome for the seasoned angler. In short; as the water cools off the bulk of the live bait heads out to sea. The reds, trout, black drum and flounder stay close to shore and boy do they know that the food source is about to dwindle significantly! What does this mean for you? It means that you don’t have to mess with live bait! Pick out your favorite soft plastic, top water plug, or my special preference, a hand tied fly. You can certainly catch with artificial bait year round but winter is the absolute best time! During the summer, when the water is flush with thick pods of menhaden, mullet and glass minnows; fish are a more likely to respond to what’s naturally abundant all around them. Does this mean you can’t or shouldn’t use cut or frozen bait in the winter? Of course not; it’s simply preference. My Grandfather gave me my first boat in 1995 and I was set loose to explore the vast network of wetlands we call the Lowcountry. Since then I have fished every species we have to offer, using almost every method to do so. At this stage of my angling evolution all I really care about is fly fishing. However, any type of artificial is still satisfying in my book. There is no better feeling of accomplishment than catching a fish on an artificial bait. Typically this means casting repeatedly in different directions until you find the fish instead of staying in one location and waiting for a fish to
find you. Using artificial bait is where you leave the world of sit and wait fishing and enter the hybrid world of fishing/hunting. Think about it; those fish are hunting all day every day. Up and down banks, in and out of tidal rips, behind oyster beds, under that fallen tree. The point is, saltwater fish are always on the move. They might not be moving really fast but they are definitely moving with the tide. This brings me to my next point; movement. If you are a fish, the name of the game is how can I feed myself with minimal effort? Wasted energy is an atrocity in Mother Nature and it could mean the difference between life and death. Where I’m going with this is when using artificial bait, start off by working them on the slower side. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to reel it back to you. Instead, think in terms of how much movement my lure can make without getting it back too quickly. When it comes to soft plastics, paddle tails are wonderful and they definitely work but they are designed to swim a certain speed and create a small vibration. I prefer plastics such as jerk shads and shrimp patterns. I’ll pair that with either ¼ or 3/8 ounce jig head. After casting; instead of immediately retrieving I’ll let that sink down the bottom. Next I’ll work that back to me in a way that reminds me of a little frog hoping along the bottom all the way back to me. Achieve this by slowly reeling until the line is just tight enough to twitch the bait, THAT’S IT. Time and time again I see folks cast and begin reeling at fast pace as soon as the bait hits the water. Give that fish time to make a mistake! Let him see the bait moving in a way that says “Hey, I’m over here and you don’t even have try hard to get me!” My product of the month is the 3/8 ounce “Texas Eye Rig” by Z-man Fishing Paired with “Shrimpz” by Z-man as well. Any color will work when it’s cold but I’ve been getting really great results with this “Houdini” pattern shown below. Thanks for reading and stay warm out there!
Captain Justin Ravenel Ravenel Fishing Charters 843-864-5056 ravenelfishingcharters.com
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LOWCOUNTRY 15
Joseph with a beautiful trout that put him over the top in a local tournament
Tony landed a bull red in the creek near his home
Gunnar with a bull red off the jetties
Charles with a red on the fly
Young Nicklaus caught a large bonnet head off of Dewees
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Sam with a nice redfish in the ICW
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ENTICE BIG TROUT WITH
ERRATIC ACTION PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®.
By Capt. Michael Okruhlik
A
common principle anglers abide by during winter months is to slow down their retrieve or presentation. Although this is a good default option, it may fail to entice strikes of those big, cold, winter trout. Let’s discuss. Some of my favorite lures for targeting trophy trout in the winter are those that suspend, slow sink, and have an erratic movement. When I
define a slow presentation, I am referencing the speed at which the lure moves toward the angler, the retrieve speed, not the motion. As a young angler, I was always told to slow down when it’s cold and then slow it down a little more. Although this has its place, it should not be set in stone, or ice if it’s really cold. OK, enough of the bad jokes. When trout are cold and may not be feeding
as aggressively as we would like, an extremely erratic motion can entice the strike. This erratic motion makes the lure dance in place with little to no forward movement. I use a rod with a whippy action for this. This allows me to point my rod tip at the lure and shake it up and down aggressively causing the lure to almost dance in place. I then let it pause, suspending or slow-sinking as I reel up the slack. I then repeat this practice, modifying according to the conditions. Fishing braided line is imperative for this method. The stretch in mono will not allow your slow-sinking lure to dance in place at the end of a long cast, but the zero stretch of braid makes it move like it is on a wire. I learned this the hard way 20 years ago. I was fishing with four friends, and I was the only one using mono and the only one not catching. I mimicked every move my buddy made to no avail. I then ask him to cast his lure and retrieve it near me. I watched it dance past with great action. I then cast my lure near him. Although I moved my rod more vigorously, he said my lure was moving in a straight line as if I was just reeling it in. I switched to braid on the next trip and never went back, and of course this dancing method started to produce fish! If you pay attention to the strike, this method will let you know if you should modify your retrieve. If they bite on the pause, you may want to slow it down a bit. If they bite on the shake, you may want to speed it up. I hope this helps you land more big trout this season. Good Luck! Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com
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By Capt. Jamie Thrappas
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t was a chilly winter morning, and my crew—a good friend Zach and his two sons—all knew it was going to be either a tough day or a great one. It was a typical morning for winter here in the Daytona, Fla. area, with overcast skies, highs in the low 60s and a dominant wind and swell headed from the northeast. The inshore bite is typically pretty good this time of year, with a variety of different species usually willing to cooperate. Red drum are a favorite backcountry target during the colder months. When they move up on the flats to feed, it can lead to good action on spoons and paddletails. On the end of the outgoing tide, we hoped to bag a few redfish before the switch, but the bite never happened. We kept busy with some small permit, pompano, mangrove snapper and even a flounder. By the time the tide switched mid-morning, the bite had slowed down with just a few small sheepshead taking our bait. Sheepshead are delicious, and around here the causeways of the Intracoastal along with barnacle- or oyster-encrusted docks, bridges and jetties are a pretty good bet for picking up a few for the cooler. They love sand fleas and fiddler crabs but will also eat shrimp on a jig head or Carolina rig. Something I like to do while targeting other species is to leave baits out for red or black drum. I had two dead stick bottom rods out the back soaking halved blue crabs in the hopes that a drum would be hungry enough to pick it up. With the action pretty slow, and while we still had some time left in the trip, I decided we should make a move. I told Zach’s younger son Gavin, who is an employee of mine at Yellow Dawg Bait & Tackle in Ormond Beach, to reel in the back rods that had been soaking. At first it looked like he had a snag as the rod bent when he picked it up, but then the drag took off. Big black drum are tanks! It’s almost like they have shoulders and they’ve been working out all week waiting for you. The big ugly that highlighted that trip was somewhere in the 50-plus-pound range, a trophy for sure! Gavin, who is the younger guy in the photo, will be in U.S. Coast Guard boot camp when this edition hits the racks. His dad, Zach, is a veteran, along with his other two sons Logan and Cameron. A big thanks to all the men and women out there who serve our country! Capt. Jamie Thrappas is Co-Publisher of Coastal Angler - Volusia County and owner of Yellow Dawg Fishing. Check out yellowdawgfishing.com. To win a free half-day inshore or offshore charter with Capt. Thrappas, enter the Fish with Coastal Angler drawing at coastalanglermag.com/contest.
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Delayed Harvest Trout By Nick Carter
A
AT FIRES CREEK, N.C.
delayed harvest trout stream is a better place than most to spend a winter afternoon, and if you can find a two- or three-day warming trend, there’s a good chance you’ll get into some pretty good fishing. North Carolina’s Fires Creek has a 2-mile stretch of delayed harvest water on U.S. Forest Service land off U.S. 64 between Murphy and Hayesville. Rainbow, brown and brook trout are stocked in the creek and protected under catch-and-release, single-hook, artificial only regulations during the October into June delayed
harvest season. It’s a small-stream setting with more and bigger trout than one would find in most creeks this size. The creek is gorgeous, with clear plunge pools and deep bend runs sliding into skinny pocket water that twists for miles through the bottom of a rhododendron-choked valley. Even the rounded river rocks are notable for their beauty, with striking dark gray and tan bands that’ll make you want to stash a few flat stones in your vest to take home. The fishing is about like any other delayed
harvest in terms of fish size and the density of stockings, but it is a small stream, so you’ll be tempted to—and you should—explore your way upstream instead of settling in on the big holes. Small streams are just more fun when you fish them that way. Around each bend lies a new challenge, another series of pools and runs. Tightlining nymphs is probably the most effective way to fool fish this time of year. They might fall for the standard “junk flies,” but a few months into the DH season, the fish might also be looking for something more natural. In winter, the aquatic insects will be small. Little black stoneflies, midges and blue-winged olives might hatch off on a warm afternoon and lead to some dry fly action, but unless you see bugs in the air, you’re better off fishing subsurface imitations of these insects. A double-nymph rig with a big attractor nymph below a smaller more natural looking nymph is always a good option. The foot bridge at the Fires Creek Picnic Area is the lower boundary of the DH water. Access above the foot bridge is easy on a streamside trail and also along Fires Creek Wildlife Road. This gravel track parallels the creek way up into its headwaters. The delayed harvest ends at the Forest Service 340A bridge. Upstream of this point, the trout population trends toward stream-born rainbows that top out at 10 or 11 inches. For GPS coordinates to access points and detailed maps of North Carolina and Georgia’s best trout water, check out “Flyfishers Guide to North Carolina & Georgia.” It is available at fly shops, on Amazon, and signed copies are available from the author by e-mailing nsc8957@gmail.com.
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A FEW THOUGHTS ON
SHEEPSHEAD By CAM Staff
S
heepshead have become a wintertime staple when water temps drop and the regular cast of inshore characters become more difficult to target. If you’re a cold-weather inshore angler, you’re probably already familiar with sheepshead, so here are a few tips you might not have heard yet. Finding Fish: Convict fish travel and feed in packs. Once you locate them, the action can be fast, but you have to find them first. Obviously, they like structure like bridges, docks and jetties, where they can happily gnaw on barnacles. When considering structure, older, rambling docks with lots of pilings provide more surface area for established colonies of crustaceans. These can be honeyholes, but keep moving if you’re not catching fish. You might run a dozen different structures in a day and catch 90 percent of your fish on one. In the clear water of winter, sheepshead can often be sight fished, and they don’t really spook, so look for them before casting. If the water is too dingy to see them, you can sometimes hear them crunching shells if you listen quietly. Chum ’Em Up: This might sound silly, but sheepshead get excited about free food just like any other species of fish. Keep a shovel on the boat and scrape barnacles off the structure you’re fishing. This rings the dinner bell, and it’ll also help you spot them as they dart around to pick off the falling morsels. Looking for scraped pilings is also a good way to identify where other anglers have chummed sheepies before. Play the Tides: Pretty much every fish feeds best on a moving tide, but a ripping flow can be detrimental when fishing for such a structure oriented fish. Fast moving water tends to pin sheepshead right up against structure. This, and the tide itself, can make presenting baits more difficult. Find a moderate tide, and
sheepshead will spread out and move around a little more, which makes them easier to catch. Position yourself up-current and allow your baits to drift down into the fish. The Business End: Although they are not skittish, sheepshead can be selective. Whether you’re fishing fiddler crabs, shrimp tails, sand fleas, oysters or clams, use a small, short-shank hook and hide it inside your bait. Also, fish braided line. Braid has less stretch, so those little bumps when a sheepshead taps your bait translate better to the rod tip. Braid also has better abrasion resistance for when they pull you around a piling, but the increased sensitivity is key. With their black and white bars, convicts are notorious bait thieves. You need to know it the instant they suck in your bait.
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