Fall has got it all

It is an early weekday morning, the water is glassy and the sun is just arriving as we pole to the back of a large mud flat. I have been watching the fish move in the shallows for some time. The gulls riding their backs make them easy to spot from a great distance as we slowly make our way across the flat toward them. Fall is in the air.

Something great is happening. The heat has somewhat dissipated, the crowds have lessened a bit, and we are entering into a time when the inshore fishing reaches its pinnacle. It seems to be a constant theme for wildlife everywhere. As air and water temperatures begin to fall, most creatures begin foraging for the long winter. And that is exactly what occurs in our inshore fishery here in the Lowcountry. Redfish and trout don’t miss a single opportunity to get that next meal.

For both veteran and beginner anglers, this is a wonderful time. If you’re new to fishing, October should give you plenty of opportunities to have very successful and productive days on the water. If you’re a veteran, it’s time to experiment a little more. Fish some new places and try some new things. It’s a great time to find new spots that may fish well later in the year.

When it comes to fishing, fall is a real get-back-to-basics time of year. Fish are much more abundant, and they’re going to be in many more places. That bank you fished last summer that you thought looked good but were surprised that it didn’t have any fish on it? Go back and try it again.

Zero in on the fish

There are many factors that create great fishing spots. Water clarity, tidal movement, bottom texture, depth and food supply are some of the most important. I often hear anglers say “it all looks the same,” but if you consider the right elements, you can change the way you look at the water and improve your fishing.

Water clarity is one of the most important factors — it helps the fish zero in on your bait or lure. This time of year, we see great improvement in water clarity around the Lowcountry. Algae and other organisms in the water bloom less and less as the water cools. In the coldest months, saltwater around Charleston can resemble a glass of tap water.

Clear water also seems to be more prevalent on incoming tides. Cleaner water entering from the ocean and deeper channels on the incoming tide will usually provide some better visibility.

Tidal movement is one of the trickier elements to consider when picking a spot to fish. Always make sure the area you’re fishing has good current. Fish just don’t feed well unless the tide is moving.

But just because the tide is coming in or going out does not mean there is good current flow in a particular area. On any given day, the tide in the Wando River could be moving at a fast clip, but in the Cooper it could seem to hardly move at all.

Bottom texture is another key element of a good fishing spot. Trout love to feed over hard bottom, namely sand, shell and areas that have been scoured by the tide. Look for spots with something other than just pluff mud. Redfish also feed in these same hard-bottom areas, and it’s not uncommon to catch both trout and reds just as successfully in the same place.

Shell banks are probably the most visible and most abundant source of structure we have here in the Lowcountry. Marsh points at creek mouths are another great form of natural structure. These creek mouths generally have nice current, eddies and seams around them.

Docks, of course, are also great structure, and we catch both trout and reds near them. Not all docks are special, though. You need to find the ones with some of the other key elements nearby, like a creek mouth or hard bottom.

Concentrate your efforts in areas that include good shell, moving water and good water clarity, and you should catch more fish.

Though water depths can reach 65 feet in some inshore waterways, most of my efforts this time of year are concentrated in 7 feet or less.

Redfish, our most popular shallow-water fish, can occasionally be found in 6 inches of water. Sometimes their backs are completely out of the water. Many flats around Charleston are great places to fish, from fall all the way into winter. Flats can be found along the sides of the Intercostal Waterway, the edges of the rivers and all throughout the back bays around Charleston. They provide excellent habitat for reds and sometimes even large trout.

Bait and rigs for all fishing

Fish hang out where they can find food, so I’m always looking for spots with a lot of bait. A lot of times, this can come in the form of a small ditch or creek that I know is pumping out a lot of bait on a falling tide.

Shrimp and finger mullet are my favorite baits, and they’re both prevalent right now. Fish seem to be especially keyed in on the shrimp in the fall.

Both artificial and live baits work well this time of year. When I am charter fishing, I use a mix of live shrimp, finger mullet, soft plastic lures and flies. Deciding which bait to use depends on the anglers and their abilities.

For a lot of people, live bait is probably the best choice. It’s extremely productive and easy to use. I primarily use popping-float rigs when fishing live baits over shells and around docks, points and edges. I like for the bait to suspend and drift just above the bottom.

I like the Cajun Thunders with the weighted balls at the base. I rig these with 3 or 4 feet of 12-pound fluorocarbon leader, with a small piece of split shot about 8 inches above the hook. This helps get the bait down quickly and keep it down.

You can use shorter leader in shallower water, and heavier leader (16- to 20-pound-test), depending on the fish you’re targeting.

This same rig is also very effective with the DOA shrimp. Start with a popping cork; tie on 3 to 4 feet of leader and a quarter-ounce of DOA shrimp. I recommend leaving the split shot out of this equation, because the weight would interfere with the proper presentation of the bait.

When fishing this popping-cork/DOA shrimp rig, I like to drop the lure into the water and count how long it takes for the shrimp to fall down out of sight and the leader to straighten out. This gives me an average time I need to wait between pops. These types of floats make an excellent sound when popped sharply across the surface, and will attract fish when used with the DOAs or live bait.

When bottom fishing with live and cut bait, I generally use two setups. My favorite consists of a 3/0 Daiichi circle hook, a 30-pound leader and some split shot. I’ll also use a Carolina rig, which starts with an egg weight on the mainline, followed by a Spro swivel, 16 to 20 inches of leader and the same type of Daiichi circle hook.

The split-shot rig seems to get hung up a lot less, so it fishes well against the shells and grass in shallow water.

Top water lures are also an excellent choice in the fall. I like MirrOlure’s Top Dog, Yozuri’s Banana Boat, and Heddon’s Spittin Image and Super Spook Jrs. Topwater fishing works great early and late in the day, when the light is low. Working these plugs can also be very productive on overcast days. Anytime you see fish crashing the surface, don’t hesitate to break one out. As the fish become more and more aggressive, you can find days they will smash these plugs under many different light conditions.

And don’t forget about shad-tail and curly-tail grubs, which are also very effective this time of year. DOA has an excellent line of 3- and 4-inch shad grubs in every color. Make sure you have a good variety of colors — fish here can be very color dependent, and might react differently under different light conditions and water clarity.

I typically rig these grubs on a quarter-ounce jig head with a fluorocarbon leader. I like to use at least 3 feet.

On the flats, the 5-inch shad-tail grub rigged on a worm hook seems to work very well. I stick to the non-weighted hooks and add weight to the hook as needed. DOA makes some nice pinch-on weights that attach directly to the shank of a hook. These weights can be broken and made smaller to reach the exact amount of weight you need.

Gulp’s jerk-shads in the “white and sapphire shine” color scheme seem to be pretty hot, too.

Get out there!

As the water continues to cool, we can all expect the fishing to just keep improving. Once we get closer to 70 degrees, which seems to be a magic number, the fish will hasten their feeding. And then as the bait starts to disappear before winter sets in, they’ll feed even harder.

So get out there, enjoy the wonderful weather, and enjoy some of the best fishing our area has to offer.

And feel free to e-mail me anytime with any questions. I am always happy to talk fishing.

Charter captains interested in sharing their own “Captain’s Choice” can call 843-937-5568 or send an e-mail to matt@tidelinemagazine.com.

You can reach Capt. John Irwin at 843-860-4231 or by e-mail at john@flyrightcharters.com.