SC coast

[twospots]

Going to Charleston SC for a few days at the end of the month for mini vaca.
No money for a guide and would not have time for an all day trip anyway.

Only taking the fly rod cause last time I went I didn't and regretted it. I'll have some free time but not too much. Basically while the "normal" people I'm going with are posted up on the beach, I'd like to be fishing...

Any advise is welcome. What I really want is specs or pompano (sp?). Surf is usually harsh, but at the northern end of Folly beach I can fish that inlet without too much hassle from the surf... I could rent a kayak and play in the tidal areas...? Just wanting to catch some decent fish while I'm there for fun. Anyone been there bouts and have some advise?

[twospots]

oh, and do you know if I need to add on to a liscence for tidal flats or brakish river areas? Not talking lakes and rivers inland, but not out in the ocean so maybe there is another tag for that?

[peregrines]

As of July 1 it looks like you'll need a saltwater license to fish from shore
SCDNR News Release

That should cover you in tidal areas as well. I'm no expert on specs or pomapno, but I imagine the usual suspects clousers (white, tan, chartreuse) maybe a size 2 or 1 would be good bets for both, and add some 1 or 1/0 deceivers and maybe a popper or crease fly or two for specs on top. Not sure what to use specifically for pompano- maybe mole crab type patterns like this one?
Fly Fishing in Salt Waters - Corbina Crusher

Some guys up here use them for stripers on a full sink fly line. I'd tie it with sparkle yarn rather than EP fibers and use some softtex or flexament instead of the Tuffleye (The Tuffleye stuff is a special goop cured by a special wavelength light (not UV) used in place of epoxy. It's great stuff but will cost about 80 bucks for the stuff plus the special light)

Hopefully other folks will weigh in with better suggestions for you.

Good luck on your trip.

mark

[twospots]

Thanks! I like that mole crab pattern.
I sort of came up with an idea for them as most of the patterns I have seen didn't seem right to me. Basically a clouser tied on a size 4 Mustad hook with orange bucktail on bottom and black pearl crystal flash on top. Tied short to match the crab size not long like a baitfish pattern. Could put something else on top, but the orange bucktail would remain. I'll try them and see what happens.

The shrimp pattern I have been tying is based on the Pink Pig: The Pink Pig or Pattegrisen - A tentacled all-rounder - Global FlyFisher
But I have not tied it in pink yet LOL.
I've been tying it with more weight than the pattern states but will make a few lighter...

[peregrines]

Great looking pattern!

[twospots]

3 days and I'm gone... Can't wait...

So I'll have a kayak with me. Don't want to take it in big water so I'll keep to the tidal creeks and rivers on that...
What should I expect in those areas?
Also, when in the surf, where should I be casting? just to where the shelf is for Poms?
I lived in FLA when I was young ut never fished in the surf with a fly rod... Always a boat or just baitfishing from a pier.

Also taking a 15 ft surf rod and might just kayak out some big bait for shark. Any tips there would be good too...
Gonna trap some crabs too... Should be fun no matter what, but I'd like to catch something for dinner each day we are there since we are camping. Probably be too stinky for a restaurant...

[peregrines]

Twospots-

Have a great trip!

Try and get some info from a local Bait and Tackle down there for general areas to fish. The same places other folks fish with light spinning tackle would be perfect for FF (unless it's a crowded jetty). If you can, try and get a sense of what spots fish best on different stages of tide-- and a tide chart/current table. It can happen any time anywhere, but some flats might tend to fish well on incoming as fish move up to feed, or on dropoffs next to them as water drains on outgoing. Creek and river mouths can be good on incoming as fish move up with increases in salinity, and inlets and outlets to saltwater ponds are often good on outgoing as they carry bait like shrimp and small baitfish out of their nurseries. Riptides may set up on points and off the tip of jetties on certain stages of tide. But folks in a B&T should be able to give you some good info.

This will give you a range of options during different times of the day, and if you can pick spots with the best tides that coincide with low light, that might up your chances.

Riptide does a lot of fishing out of a yak, and he'd be good to PM (if he doesn't weigh in here) for some tips on #1 saftey, and #2 fishing tips from a yak. Just be careful around yahoos in boats.

As far as the open surf, it can be tough, often offshore winds this time of year, especially in the afternoon, can make casting difficult. I'd try and scope out the beach at low tide and fish the incoming. Look for holes and troughs, and subtle changes in the wave forms or surf line that might give you a clue as to where holes, troughs and outflows that might be fish runways are. If you see spots like that try and get a fix on landmarks on shore so you can find them again.

Examples--- waves that form coming into the beach, then flatten out, then rise again are passing over a bar, then trough, the then the bar/or beach.

breaks in wave lines that that roll into the beach might flatten out in certain
spots, usually this means there's a hole with a break in the bar on either side. Often you'll see mini rips of foam running out to sea as the waves recede. these are good ambush points for fish. The changes in depth in such spots can be small- often just a couple of feet.

The more inherent structure, and bait in a spot the better and the more you should work it over. If it's a beach you might try and cover a lot of ground to intercept some cruising fish.

Good luck on the sharking--- (yikes!). You could toss or use the yak to run out a hunk of something out there while you're fly fishing. Just be sure to use the "bait runner" feature if your reel has one, or a light drag setting if it's left in a sand spike, so it doesn't get yanked out to sea--- it happens every year.

Good luck! Looking forward to your trip report...

mark

[twospots]

LOL... Funniest thing I ever seen was two guys fishing for carp on the bank of a local creek I fish. There was no rod tip bobbing, no warning no nothing, just a crack (holder cracking) and splash (rod going in the water). Guys just looked at each other then the one started cursing... Man that was great...
I usually leave the anti- reverse off when cat or carp fishing, then when it starts spinning backward, just grab it real quick. Unfortunately I have a nice Salt Stryker reel, but it does not have a baitrunner function, so I'll leave the drag very loose.

My kayaking will be done in the Folly river area and other backwater creeks, so I think I'll be fairly safe (except for boats). And if I can get it to the beech (13.5 foot tandem 75 pound kayak) I'll use it to take the baits out for shark. I have a 15 foot surf rod and made some decent 6 ft wire cable leaders with a 200# swivel break at 3 ft. But I only have 20# siege mono on the reel. But there is a LOT of it - like 300 yards with 50 yrds of 30# backing (just so I would save a little of the 20). I have some 10/0 hooks and some 4/0 hooks... Figure I'd try for 2-4 foot black tips with the 4/0 hooks. Don't really think I need to catch anything bigger than that...
Hope that will be enough...

[twospots]

Well, I had a good time and a caught a few fish, but the fishing was really not that good. Too windy for fly fishing even in the backwater areas. I got bumpped by a shark in my kayak... (then I peed in the yak - no, not really)...
Surf fishing was slow too. I managed one whiting on the fly rod in the surf, and one on my surf rod and one small shark... Had a decent time though. Didn't put in as much time fishing as I thought I would. trapped some blue crabs (and one stone) the day we got there and ate them for breakfast... Drank some Mojitos and beer and had a lot of good food and company.