Fishing Report (Updated 8.5.2010)

Thanks to Ron Davis, inventor of the Chatterbait, for this inshore report.

Spanish mackerel: Very good.  On the nearshore wrecks and at the mouths of the two rivers Spanish mackerel fishing continues to be strong.  Gulls and terns will give their location away, and best times for schooling activity have been before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Small bucktails and spoons moved very quickly are the baits of choice.

Sheephead: Very good.  Fish around trees, stumps, and old pilings with fiddler crabs. Best catches have been around low tide near the full and new moons.

Redfish: Good.  Fishing has slowed in the last week or two, but spottail bass can still be caught.  In the North Edisto River, fishing the shallow main river oyster flats with live shrimp 18" beneath a float or on a light jighead is a good bet once a school is found, but all sorts of spoons, spinners, and plastics will take fish.  Fishing in the South Edisto has been best well up the creeks where the wind has less effect on clarity.  Pilings and fallen trees are where most are being caught on live and cut bait. Watch for the moon tides when tailing reds can be caught on the grass flats as they gorge on fiddler crabs. These times are prime scenarios for the fly rodders.    

Tarpon: Good.  Around the sand bars and deep holes near the mouths of the rivers, tarpon can be seen rolling and gulping early in the morning on calm days. Cut blue crabs and large mullet fished on Carolina rigs are the best bets. Chumming can be a big help, but it does tend to really draw in the sharks this time of year.

Flounder: Good.  Fish around docks, shell bars, and creek mouths by slowly dragging finger mullet or mud minnows along the bottom. Numbers are really strong for the Edisto area this year, but many fish are undersized. 

Trout: Fair. Reports have picked up for specks, but catches are way down from previous years due to the winter die-off.  Best catches are coming towards the top of the tide cycles with live shrimp fished 2-5 feet under a popping cork around deep grass edges with scattered white and live oyster shells.

Offshore: Edisto Marina reports that the offshore fishing is getting a bit thin.  Dolphin are getting scarce, and only the occasional billfish is being picked up. 

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