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Find cleanest, moving water and spank the specks

May is a great time to catch speckled trout in Charleston’s Wando River, and anglers can boat their share as long as they keep a few details in mind, according to guide Garrett Lacy of Charleston Fishing Adventures.

“There are three main things to remember when fishing for speckled trout this time of year,” Lacy said. “The first is that trout like to hang out in the cleanest water they can find. No matter how good a spot has been for you in the past, if you pull up to it and find that the water is muddy, you’re better off passing by and searching for clean water.”

And while they look for the cleanest water they can find, Lacy said that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll only be in pristine water.

“They are going to find the cleanest water around, but on some days, the cleanest water might still be stained, so don’t give up on trout if you simply can’t find gin-clear water. Just make sure you’re fishing the cleanest water you can find,” he said.

No. 2 on Lacy’s list is to fish in moving water, and not just water moved by the tide.

“When I find a small feeder creek that’s emptying water into the main river, I’m going to try that spot for trout. They love to hang out where one current runs into another,” he said.

One of Lacy’s favorite tactics for fishing areas like this is to use live bait under a popping cork. He casts across the current of the smaller creek, then pops the cork and bait back into the current. Next, he stops popping it and lets the current take over. He will often open the bail of his spinning reel to let the current carry the cork until it empties into the bigger flow. Then, he’ll close the bail and begin popping it back to the boat.

For his third tip, Lacy (843-478-8216) said anglers should try topwater lures, especially early in the morning.

“Nothing gets your heart racing like seeing and hearing a trout blow up on a topwater lure first thing in the morning,” he said.

Banks with deep indentions, like ones found in the river upstream from Charleston Harbor, and even above the SC 41 bridge, are prime spots for topwater lures like Zara Spooks, She Dogs and the Glass Minnow Walking Bait.

Lacy said any time the tide is moving up or down as the sun is rising, fishermen should definitely start their days throwing topwater lures in these areas on the Wando.

Soft-plastic crustaceans are the ticket this month to catching redfish in this Charleston area river. Here’s why…

As the summer sun resets towards its fall position, redfish are in transition up and down South Carolina’s coast as forage species begin to relocate. And the Wando River, which begins and ends within Charleston County’s borders, supports a massive shrimp population that fires up the feisty reds that call it home. Beginning this month and continuing into the fall, anglers can home in on the Wando River for their redfish fix.

The waters around Charleston are some of the best places in South Carolina to float a boat and wet a line during the early fall. Of the four — the Stono, Cooper, Ashley and Wando — only the Cooper has a wide drainage. The other three originate a relative few miles from Charleston Harbor, and because they drain relatively small areas, they remain more stable and create ideal nursery grounds for small fish, and of course, shrimp.

Shrimp is sort of the glue of the ocean. There are very few fish that will not devour a shrimp at any time of the year. Shrimp in South Carolina waters are either brown, pink or white, and since white shrimp never leave the ocean, the pinks and browns are the primary shrimp eaten by inshore redfish.

As the water temperature begins to drop this month, the millions of brown shrimp, aka grass shrimp, prepare to evacuate the protected marshes up in the Wando to make their way to their spawning grounds in the ocean. And this is when Capt. Jeff Yates of TyJo Knot Charters relies on shrimp and shrimp imitations to catch his inshore prizes.

“The shrimp are about the thickest in September as they will ever get,” said Yates (843-270-8956). “It’s when the kids go back to school.”

Typically, these shrimp will stay up in the creeks and scatter across the super-shallow mud flats well away from the main river channel through the summer, but September is different. The shrimp begin to collect in the feeder creeks and head for the main river channel.

“Every little shrimp is falling out to the main river preparing to make their move. They will be migrating soon, and they will be very thick in September and October in the Wando,” Yates said.

The redfish that normally cruise the grass-covered mud flats have also pulled out of their normal summer scavenging mode and shift to more of a gluttonous rampage, with shrimp at the top of their menu.

“This is when the reds are at their thickest. They get shoulder to shoulder and cruise 15-fish wide down the banks at low tide,” says Yates.

Capt. Amy Little of Fine Lines Charters fishes the Wando during the fall for redfish right when the shrimp are at their thickest.

“During the late summer and early fall, shrimp are the primary food source for redfish in the Wando,” said Little (843-345-1310). “I find the largest concentrations of shrimp and redfish along exposed, muddy banks near creek mouths.”

Luckily, reds are not the only predator species participating in these gluttonous behaviors. Seagulls and other avian scavengers will pinpoint concentrations of shrimp when redfish have them gaggled up.

Yates always keeps his eyes open for a collection of birds off in the distance.

“September is the time when you are looking for birds hovering down the edges. It is awesome to see the schools of reds plowing across a school of shrimp with birds overhead marking their way,” he said. “In September, I am looking for flats and birds.”

Sometimes, the birds may not be on their game, and the redfish may be eating alone. Even though the shrimp are mostly exposed along these mud banks, they will seek shelter and protection from any type of structure that is around. Yates prefers to fish on the low end of the tide cycle and will look for mud flats with oysters.

“The big oyster beds are supposed to hold more fish, but sometimes the small oyster beds will surprise you,” he said.

During the feeding frenzy, anglers can have success using a wide variety of baits and lures, but anything that resembles a shrimp is going to be No. 1. Both Yates and Little use a full assortment of artificial offerings for September redfish.

“Artificial lures can work well even with the heavy presence of live shrimp,” said Little, “but presentation is everything. You want a natural presentation of bait trying to escape a predator and not of a shrimp being aggressive. Put it in front of him, but far enough away so as not to spook him.”

Little will use a variety of artificials during the fall, but she will keep one brand well stocked.

“Egret Bait’s Vudu line is my favorite artificial shrimp because of their quality, life-like features. The Kevlar fabric throughout the body and segmented tail mimics the movements of real shrimp when moved through the water,” said Little, who uses the standard 3-inch model mostly in magic and natural colors.

A natural presentation is a key for anglers to compete with the thousands of real shrimp in the water column. However, Little tries to use colors that are very visible under different water conditions.

“When the water is clear, I want my baits to look as natural as possible,” she said. “When the water is dirtier, I like to use brighter baits for the contrast and easier visibility for the redfish.”

No. 1 on Little’s list and Yates’ No. 1 imitation shrimp is the original 3-inch D.O.A. shrimp. She uses the chartreuse, pearl and others tipped with the orange firetail.

“I like the firetail colors in murkier water,” said Little, who believes the added orange on the tip of the tail adds just enough color to catch the eye of passing reds.

Yates uses three basic colors of D.O.A. shrimp and all have glitter as part of the color palate.

“D.O.A. shrimp are the only shrimp I’ll have in my boat that are not alive and kicking around,” he said. “I use the 3-inch or ¼-ounce size, and the gold glitter is my ‘go-to’ color, but I also like silver glitter and holographic glitter.”

The best of the dozens of different shrimp imitations on the market are the ones that maneuver most naturally in the water column. Typically, shrimp use their legs to walk along the bottom to feed, but often the current will pull them up into the water column or they will use their tail to propel themselves backwards. Afterwards, they will settle back to the bottom to either get out of the current or to start foraging again. D.O.A, Vudu and other good imitation shrimp will settle right-side up and not on its side looking lifeless.

DESTINATION INFORMATION

HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO — The Wando River empties into Charleston Harbor between Mt. Pleasant and Daniel Island. The most-popular and most-accessible boat landing is at Remley’s Point off Mathis Ferry Road in Mt. Pleasant. On the upper Wando, Paradise Boat Landing at the end of Chandler Road off US 17 is available for small johnboats and kayaks. The public access on Shem Creek at the end of Mill Street in Mt. Pleasant is also convenient. The redfish bite cranks up when shrimp begin to stack up in the river’s main channel, normally in September. The action will continue well into the fall.

TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Soft-plastic imitation shrimp and live shrimp can be fished on cork rigs on a 24- to 36-inch fluorocarbon leader or cast without weight on medium- to light-action spinning gear spooled with 20-pound braid. Fishermen should cast upcurrent and use their rod tips to twitch the lures every few seconds during the retrieve.

FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Capt. Jeff Yates, TyJo Knot Charters, 843-270-8956, www.inshorefishingcharleston.com; Capt. Amy Little, Fine Lines Charters, 843-345-1310, www.finelinescharters.com; Haddrell’s Point Tackle, Mt. Pleasant, 843-881-3644. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.

ACCOMMODATIONS — Hampton Inn-Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant, 843-881-3300; Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.charlestoncvb.com), South Carolina Association of Visitors Bureaus (www.discoversouthcarolina.com).

MAPS — Navionics, 800-848-5896, www.navionics.com; Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullcharts.com; Sealake Fishing; Guides, 800-411-0185, www.thegoodspots.com.

Learn where South Carolina’s three top inshore species live and catch them all

“You’re gonna have to horse him out of there. Don’t give him any slack,” said Capt. Addison Rupert of Charleston’s Lowcountry Outdoor Adventures, coaching a client who was hooked up with a bull redfish around some wooden structure in the Wando River. A few minutes later, Rupert hoisted the 42-inch redfish aboard, then asked his client if she was ready to go for the speckled trout and flounder. They were after an “inshore slam.”

Rupert said the Wando is one of many places in the Lowcountry where a fisherman has a chance to catch a slam this month: redfish, speckled trout and flounder.

“Redfish love to hang out along grass lines and in deep holes near wooden structures. Speckled trout like moving water, especially areas with cross currents. Flounder prefer smooth sandy or muddy bottom with structure nearby,” he said. “The Wando has all of these, and it has them all close together.”

A moving tide is preferable for all three species, said Rupert, but he said flounder bite on a slack tide more readily than redfish or trout, so he concentrates on those two species when the tide is moving, then targets flounder at ebb tide.

This month, redfish are all over the Lowcountry, and they are feeding aggressively. Rupert targets them with live or cut bait.

“I know I’ll find some redfish near wooden structures, especially ones that are near deep holes, and the Wando is full of such structures,” said Rupert, who fishes with live mud minnows on jigheads, and with cut blue crabs. With a quarter of a crab threaded onto a 3/0 circle hook at the end of a Carolina rig, Rupert anchors down or ties up within casting distance of docks or old bridge pilings. He fan-casts a spread of several rods — some with blue crab and some with mud minnows — then waits for a bite.

If nothing bites in 15 or 20 minutes, Rupert moves, but sometimes it’s a very subtle move.

“Sometimes I’ll just move a few feet so I can reach another side of whatever structure I’m fishing. Other times, I’ll run downriver to another piece of structure,” he said.

When it’s time for trout, Rupert focuses on moving water. Points on the main river often feature different currents that collide, and Rupert targets them with popping corks and mud minnows. He casts into one current, lets the current carry the cork into the other, then reels the rig back in, making it pop all the way back, often drawing strikes from trout.

When using popping corks, Rupert likes to have an 18-inch leader under the cork; he said many anglers are too shy when it comes to popping the rigs.

“I want it moving the whole time. I let it settle, then pop it across the water. The trout come to check out the noise, see the bait, then hopefully bite it,” he said.

Flounder, Rupert said, are the most challenging of the three inshore slam species.

“They are more particular about where they hang out, and they are finicky biters compared to redfish and trout, especially this month when those two species are pretty aggressive,” he said.

But the Wando has plenty of spots where flounder like to gather, said Rupert, who looks for shallow water with a smooth bottom. A black, muddy bottom is good, but a white sandy one is just as good. He uses a Carolina rig with a 12- to 18-inch leader and a mud minnow for bait. He sticks with 12- to 15-pound test line and suggests casting the minnow out, then slowly working it back toward the boat. He cautions anglers not to set the hook too quickly.

“If they run away with it, then you need to set the hook right away, but if you just feel a slight tick, just be patient and let the fish take it in. Flounder don’t bite like other fish; they take longer to work the bait into their mouths,” Rupert said.

In the Wando, Rupert said it’s easy to find flounder spots. Some are between the docks of riverfront homes. Look for areas that have very gentle slopes from shore to deeper water. At low tide, some of this water is inches deep, even 30 or 40 feet from the shore. It’s flat and sandy, a welcome habitat for flounder. He finds other flounder spots with flat, muddy bottoms where undeveloped land meets the river, mostly along the left bank of the river heading upstream from Remley’s Point.

Rupert said other inshore slam hot spots this month include creeks around the Isle of Palms Marina and the grass-lined banks in the harbor out of Shem Creek’s public boat ramp.

Another Charleston-area guide, Capt. Amy Little of Fine Lines Charters, likes pursuing the inshore slam, often out of the Breach Inlet boat ramp on Isle of Palms. Many of her favorite redfish and trout holes are within sight of the ramp and include some of the old wooden pilings near private docks. She likes to tie up or anchor within casting distance of these structures, then uses corks to suspend her bait above the bottom. She also likes to target grass lines, especially ones with shell banks nearby.

“When I see a grass line near a shell bank, then notice a jut in the grass line that creates a hole or opening in the grass, I will give that area special attention. I expect to catch redfish tight to the grass there, and trout are usually hanging out just off the grass, between the grass and shell bank,” Little said.

When fishing these shell banks, Little almost exclusively uses corks, suspending her bait with 12- to 15-inch leaders.

“You want to keep your hooks off those shell banks to keep from getting hooked on the shells. The trout sometimes bite very lightly too, so the cork helps detect bites,” said Little, who doesn’t impart a lot of action into the popping corks when her bait — usually live mud minnows or live shrimp — is fresh. “Once the bait gets a little sluggish, I’ll start popping it some, but I usually let the bait do its own thing.”

Aside from areas around Breach Inlet, Little said the waters around the Pitt Street bridge are productive for the inshore slam.

“The bull redfish hang out along the pilings of the bridge, and the grass lines all around the bridge are good spots for redfish and trout,” she said. “Water flows under the bridge to the main waterway, and the bottom there is a combination of shell banks and smooth sand. Anchoring in one spot can be productive for all three inshore slam species.”

Castle Pinckney is another productive spot for Little. Letting her cork float along with the tide on the outskirts of the island is a good tactic for trout, but she also catches flounder on the bottom between the island and a nearby cluster of pilings. She said flatfish love hugging the bottom close to the rocks that line the island, looking for an easy meal to ambush.

“They like a flat bottom, but they like it even better if it’s near some sort of change in structure like rock piles or even shell banks,” she said.

Aside from live mud minnows, Little likes using artificial lures for redfish and flounder, especially soft plastics like Vudu Shrimp.

“These baits are really good. They work well and they stand up to abuse. You can catch dozens of redfish and trout on one of these without them tearing up,” said Little.

Like Rupert, Little prefers a moving tide for this type of fishing,and said the incoming is almost always best.

“At low tide, these fish are ready to move into the areas they haven’t had access to in several hours. They know food is waiting for them, and once the tide starts rising, these fish will come in and hit the shell banks, grass lines, and dock pilings to look for food that is only available on the incoming or high tide,” she said.

DESTINATION INFORMATION

HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO — The Charleston area is blessed with dozens of public boat ramps that allow great access to productive waters like the Wando River. The Remley Point ramp is on the Cooper River at the foot of the US 17 bridge in Mount Pleasant; it is close to the mouth of the Wando River. The Paradise Island landing is on CR 1453 off US 17 on the Wando. The Breech Inlet ramp is a pay ramp at Isle of Palms Marina. June is a great month to target an inshore slam because flounder and trout have arrived, and along with redfish, they are very active before water temperatures warm to true summer levels.

TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Medium-action spinning or baitcasting tackle will get the job done on trout, reds and flounder. Carolina rigs are most-often used when targeting flounder using live bait. For trout, a live bait suspended under a popping cork can do the trick. Reds will also hit live bait on a jighead or under a cork, or crab chunks on a Carolina rig.

GUIDES/FISHING INFO — Capt. Addison Rupert, Lowcountry Outdoor Adventures, 843-557-3476, www.lowcountryoutdooradventures.com; Capt. Amy Little, Fine Lines Charters, 843-345-1310, www.finelinescharters.com; Haddrell’s Point Tackle, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-3644; Charleston Angler, Mount Pleasant, 843-884-2095; Isle of Palms Marina, Isle of Palms, 843-886-0209; Atlantic Game & Tackle, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-6900; Henry’s Sporting Goods, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-0465. See also Guides & Charters in Classifieds.

ACCOMMODATIONS — Hampton Inn & Suites, Mount Pleasant, 843-856-3900; Holiday Inn, Mount Pleasant, 843-884-6000; Seaside Inn, Isle of Palms, 888-999-6516; Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, Mount Pleasant, 888-856-0028; Shem Creek Inn, Mount Pleasant, 843-881-1000.

MAPS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullcharts.com; Sealake Fishing; Guides, 800-411-0185, www.thegoodspots.com; Maps Unique, 910-458-9923, www.mapsunique.com.