# 51430: Subject: Charleston Area - March Report, South Carolina

Submitted by Capt. J.R. Waits (ip 68.58.238.62)

• Fished on 4/12/2004

• Report received: 4/12/04

Water Temperature: .
Water Clarity: .
Seas: .
Weather: .
Fishing_for: rod benders
Boat: Fish Call
captain: me

Report:
Welcome all Fish Callers! I'm a little late with this report, but better now than never. Well, March came in like a lion and continued to be a lion for the entire month. If you fished with me in March, then you know the wind I am talking about. The best trips for March were as follows: on 3/10, Larry and Trey Dempsey had a great day catching adn releasing 11 nice redfish. Scott Smith came down from Columbia to entertain some clients. We did well on the 17th releasing 10 big redfish. On 3/19, Hylann Furniss and father got together to nail 12 big reds on artificials. This day, the fish were eating Exude jerk baits rigged on flutter hooks. I took outdoor writer Jeff Samsel and Shakespeare guru Mark Davis on 3/24. The wind was up but the fish cooperated! They got some great shots of the 8 nice redfish that we caught. Jeff is an independent writer so I am not sure where the pics will show up, but I'll let everyone know when Jeff tells me. Frank Washick and buddy Walt had the best day of March on the FISH CALL. The weather on 3/26 was finally nice and the fish were hot! They released 22 big redfish! Walt caught 8 reds in 8 consecutive casts! This day, the fish were eating live mud minnows rigged on 1/4oz. jig heads. I took Dave Dunbar and a friend the next day, but we had trouble getting the fish to bite in the early morning. As high tide rolled around, the bite turned on! They ended up releasing 9 big redfish and 3 flounders. That's right, flounders! They are starting to show up as are other warmer water species. We are looking forward to a red hot spring!

The weather has finally warmed up and we have been having some excellent catches this April, but you will have to wait for next months newsletter for details. With the warmer weather, the fishing will change. The reds have started feeding on crabs heavily which means "tailing tide" trips are available. For those who have not experienced it, a "tailing tide" is a new or full moon tide that floods the marshes. The extra water allows the reds to feed on crabs that they normally can't get to. The water is clear and shallow. The reds will go up into these flats searching for crabs. When they find one, the crab usually goes darting for a hole to hide in. the redfish will come over and literally suck the crab out of the hole. In doing this, his tail comes wagging out of the water making for excellent sightcasting. We typically do not catch large numbers of fish this way, but it is very exciting to actually hunt and stalk down a tailing redfish. Many times we will leave the baot and go after them on foot. This is excellent fishing for flyfishermen and spinning rods will do the trick as well. These "tailing tides" are effected by wind direction so a good tide can be ruined by a bad wind. Also, to go for tailing redfish, these tides have to coincide with daylight hours so there are limited available times to fish for tailing reds. This years tailing dates are 5/2-4, 5/16-18, 5/30-31, 6/1-2, 6/15-17, 6/28-30, 7/1-2, 7/26-31, 8/14-15, 8/23-29, 8/30-9/3 (morning tides!), 9/11-14, 9/15-20 (morning tides), 9/21-26, and 9/27-10/3 (morning tides). Unless specified, all of the tailing tides are in the afternoon. Some of these dates are already booked, but I still have several available! Also with the warmer weather, expect my interest to turn to tarpon, sharks, and big reds soon. In next months newsletter, I will give the best guess as to the best days to target tarpon. The boat is still for sale, but I have had a few very interested parties. We are still dreaming of a 17' kevlar flats boat and a 21' bayboat to tackle all types of inshore fishing this year. Until next time, TIGHT LINES.....

Cheers,

Capt. J.R. Waits, FISH CALL CHARTERS

http://www.fishcall.com

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