“The coming weeks should provide some of the best fishing of the fall!”
Fishing has good for the most part. Several large seatrout have been caught during the past week. The seatrout bite has noticeably picked up. Nonetheless, there are still lots of small fish present that can steal your bait and make fishing frustrating. When fishing and there are no small fish present that can be a good sign. When there no small bait stealer biting it can means big fish are present! Expect to find lots of small until water temperatures drops. At present water temperature is in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. We’ll need around a 10 degree drop to see these small fish starting to disappear. There’s plenty of shrimp in the creeks and rivers. Likewise there can be good fishing in the creeks and rivers as well. Allen Collins has had some good seatrout action in the Wilmington River. Activity in the Savannah River has picked as conditions have improved. Small male seatrout are the move as well as some large females. Usually the best seatrout fishing is where fishermen find a “drift”. A drift is moving water. Redfish are usually found closer to structure. Seatrout are thought of as further off the structure and in the current. A few bonnet head sharks are still present but most of the shark activity has slowed. Whiting are running the sand bars with some large bull whiting being caught. Some black drum activity has been reported. Usually black drum bite best in slower moving water, often at high tide. A black drum bite can easily be confused with a small fish bite. Often a black drum will have a soft bite. Shrimp that are eaten from the tail forward might indicate a black drum. Black drum are schooling fishing so its uncommon to have several drum in the area if you’ve caught one.
Still lots of small seatrout being caught. A good sign for next year provided we don’t an extremely cold winter. The coming weeks should provide some of the best fishing of the fall! If you don’t catch fish immediately don’t get discouraged. This is an excellence time of the year for inshore fishing! Look for clean water. Try to distance from other fishermen. Groups of boats together might indicate a big catch. More than likely it’s simply the law of attraction one boat attracts another until there’s a small raft of boats trying to fish one section of the river. On days with a slow drift, not much current, boats moving to and fro will likely deter the fishing by scaring the fish. On slow drift days try to minimize your noise and keep a respectable from other fishermen.
When to leave
Leave your drop after you’ve exhausted the possibilities: try the bottom, try fishing out away from the bank, try pitching a plastic. Sometimes the problem might be the fish are there but you can’t get your bait through the small fish. Pitching a plastic letting it sink through the small fish and slowly working your plastic in. Work your plastic slow in slow moving water. Fish moving water! The most difficult time to catch is on slack water. When fishing look for clean moving water and bait and you’ll likely catch fish.
Tides
The tides for the coming week are in the 7 foot range. Should be fine for fine! Watch your noise on small tides. Last week tides were much bigger than predicted, perhaps due to the lunar eclipse. Tides this week should be easier to work. Should be good fishing!
Capt. Jack McGowan