Copyright 2006 Brandon W. Smith.  All rights reserved.

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Fishing Team

TortTeaser

2008 Reports

BMI Kings for Kids

August 8-9, 2008

No Report

Tailwalker Marine’s Offshore Challenge

June 5-7, 2008

No Report.

The Edisto Bite|May 2008

"The Whiting are biting!"  That is the report from Newton Hornsby, a local resident, avid fisherman and my father-in-law.  I was able to observe his expertise recently at locating and catching these tasty fish on dead shrimp.  Whiting can be found all around the Edisto area both inshore and near shore.  A good location is just off of a shell bank in the rivers and creeks.  The rock piles off the beach as well as the area around the “B” Can are also very productive.  Whiting are great for those days you just want to catch a fish, and can provide great entertainment for children and the elderly alike.  When bottom fishing for Whiting, you can also expect to catch the occasional ray and small shark.

Other inshore species have slowed over the past few weeks, though the Sheepshead bite still remains as many have been caught along the docks of Big Bay Creek.  Many fisherman dig Fiddler Crabs for bait, but some old salts have also been reported to use broken oyster shells as chum, and the tough meat of the clam for bait.  I am no expert with either, but both sound like a good strategy to me.

The Cobia have not made their full arrival in the Broad River.  I have heard a couple of reports of a few fish coming from the bridge, but the major migration has not started.  If you make your way to the Broad River to fish for Cobia, the South Carolina DNR and Waddell Mariculture Center have teamed up and will be looking for live breading females as well as catch information with regard to all Cobia.  They ask that you contact them on the radio if you have a live fish you are willing to donate and they will come to you to transport the fish to the Waddell Mariculture Center.  If you are releasing your fish, they ask for a small fin clip from the anal fin to DNA test to determine if the fish is a result of their restocking program.  This clipping does not hurt the fish, but does provide all the necessary DNA information the DNR is looking for.  Many local tackle stores in Beaufort have the clipping kit or you can contact the DNR to participate.  If you are consuming your fish, you can still help as they ask for the rack (carcass with head intact), which can be dropped off at Port Royal Landing Marina in Beaufort or Edisto Watersports and Tackle on Edisto.  The rack should be placed inside a garbage bag with an ID card that includes the anglers name, the capture location, date, length and weight of the fish.  Blank ID cards are located inside the freezers and can be filled out at the time of drop off.  From these racks, scientists will be able to utilize the otilith (ear bone) to assess age, gonads to assess sexual maturity, stomach contents to assess feeding habits of Cobia and liver tissue to determine genetic characteristics.  With the passing of the full moon and a warming trend over the next few weeks to bring the water temperature up, we should soon start to see some decent catches as we approach the Cobia Tournament Season.

Speaking of Tournaments, Edisto Beach is hosting the first leg of the 20th annual South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Tournament, scheduled for May 14-17.  The Series was established in 1989 to promote the state's billfish fishery and encourage conservation of the ocean's limited natural resources.  With over 99% of the billfish caught in last year's tournaments released alive, South Carolina is recognized as a world leader in marine fisheries conservation, ensuring the health and future or our natural resources.  Prizes are awarded at each individual tournament for Outstanding Billfish Boat, Outstanding Billfish Conservationist, Blue Water Conservationist, Outstanding Billfish, Outstanding Dolphin, Outstanding Tuna, and Outstanding Wahoo with additional prizes for Outstanding Youth and Female Anglers.  There are also prizes for the overall winners from the combined events at Edisto, Georgetown, Charleston Harbor, Megadock and Bohicket.

The tournament is formatted that each boat will fish two out of three possible fishing days, with the captain choosing the boat's 'lay' day in advance.  The tournament usually draws around 30 boats, and it is a great time to go to the marina to see many fine sportfish boats in one place.  This years tournament starts with the Captain's meeting (with food and entertainment) on Wednesday, May 14, live weigh in each tournament day at the Marina on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the awards dinner and entertainment on Saturday, May 17.  Plan to come down to the dock, have a drink and witness the weigh in and some nice fish being brought to the dock.  If you do not have a team to cheer for, you can root for the Contractor 4; we need all the help we can get.

Good luck and good fishing.

April 27, 2008

Lovick, Ashley Twombley and I took the TortTeaser out the Deli hoping to chase after some Dolphin and maybe the occasional Tuna.  We slept in a little, and rose at 5:00 a.m. to fuel and ice the boat.  The long and expensive process had us leave the dock at 6:30.  We made good time offshore, wetting our first line just before 9:00 a.m.

Within five minutes we had our first strike, but did not hook up.  It was quite for the next hour as we worked some bottom structure in 180 feet with temperatures at 75 degrees, missing one other strike and landing one small Dolphin.  We then pushed offshore and found a pod of Porpoises crashing some bait.  We had one knockdown that we missed, followed by a hookup with a Wahoo that cut the line.  We stayed in 380 feet with 76-77 degree water and were marauded while working another bait pod covered up with Porpoises.

Two lines were crushed as Twombley and Lovick grabbed the rods.  Within 30 seconds the other two lines were screaming as I was trying to keep the lines on the unattended rods tight while they brought in their fish.  Unfortunately, both Twombley and Lovick got a little greedy, wanting to rush the two fish they had on the line to catch the two waiting for their turn.  Twombley broke 30# class line and Lovick pulled the hook on the biggest fish of the day, both within 20 yards of the boat.

They then moved to the two fish patiently waiting to be caught.  I quickly was able to gaff Twombley’s fish, and then Lovick landed the biggest fish of the day, a 50# Dolphin.  We finished with a few more fish and had a nice ride in.

April 26, 2008

I drove up to Georgetown from Edisto to join Greg and Jeff Weathers on the Triple Gobble for some Tuna fishing.  I arrived at Pawley's Island around 11:00 p.m., we geared up and left the house at 12:00 a.m.  We first had to fuel and ice the boat, which took over an hour with a very slow pump.  We then hit the water by 1:30 a.m. and were fishing before 4:00 a.m.

The plan was to catch the Blackfin Tuna bite in the morning before the sun came up, or at least locate a school before the Georgetown Hole became a parking lot.  Unfortunately, our plan did not come together as we hoped.  No strikes in the dark, and though we did locate some fish, we could not produce any results.

We had our fair share of strikes, over 13 with no hookups.  Perplexed by our poor hookup ratio, we managed to land only one Blackfin and a couple of Barracudas.

The Tuna would bust the surface sporadically throughout the day, but it was not until 2:00 p.m. did they really come up in full force.  We were lucky enough to be right there when it happened.  Greg trolled perfectly around the school, but we had no strikes.  Before we could make another pass, the fleet had chased them down.

There were some decent sized Tuna busting the surface, but there were also plenty of small fish, which I have made the assumption were the bait stealers that resulted in our poor hookup ratio.

It was a beautiful day our on the water nonetheless.  We fished around 180 feet in 71 degree water for most of the day.

The Edisto Bite|April 2008

Spring is here!!!  Spring is here!!!  Now is the time that we grit our teeth and reluctantly bear the high cost of fuel, burning a little more to reach the Gulf Stream in search of Tuna, Dolphin and Wahoo.

Over the past few weeks many fishermen from Murrells Inlet, Charleston, Edisto and Beaufort have been out on the water in search of the first Yellowfin Tuna.  These early season March trips have been rewarded with a few Wahoo and a decent Blackfin Tuna catch, but the Yellowfin typically do not arrive until the very end of March and early April.

Over the past several years, the lucky fisherman landing a nice catch of Yellowfin Tuna have been few and far between for those fishing from Edisto.  The best concentration of fish has been at the Georgetown Hole, a very long ride from Charleston, and an extreme ride from Edisto of over 100 miles.  Though there have been good catches from the Edisto Banks, out to the 226 and 380 holes as well as the Deli Ledge in the past, they have been sporadic and short lived…those that were successful were in the right place at the right time.

There is plenty of luck involved in fishing, but those that are successful are usually more than just lucky; they plan their trips and put themselves in the right place at the right time.  Offshore fishing in the Gulf Stream requires more than just a passing thought that it could be a nice day on the water.  You need to know the weather and sea conditions, check all available fishing reports and know where to find temperature breaks.  The research you can do at the dock can help to ensure a better offshore trip, produce a more impressive fish box, and save you money in the long run.

Talk to your local tackle shops, marina and other fishermen to find out what others who have been out have brought back to the dock.  Find out where they have fished, and more importantly, the conditions they fished, including the water temperature.  There are many online resources, including public message boards such as CharlestonFishing.com, where other fishermen share their reports and can shed some light on the areas that are more likely to produce a better bite.  Online products exist to display sea surface temperatures and other ocean conditions that can help you narrow your search.  One in particular is Hilton’s Realtime-Navigator.com.  This member only product will overlay data with GPS coordinates that you can use to find the temperature breaks that collect baitfish, and ultimately, game fish.  As the temperatures in the ocean steadily rise during the spring and early summer, the focus on water temperature is not on the precise degree of temperature, but the change that might exist when warm water meets cooler water, such as the edge of the Gulf Stream or from a warm or cold water eddy that spins off the Gulf Stream.  Both of these websites, as well as others including some free water temperature sites can be found as links at my website; www.tortteaser.com.

As with all fishing, everyone has their favorite rigs, and this remains true with offshore fishing.  Many different lures and plugs will work, but the most common rig is the Ballyhoo rig.  Make sure your Ballyhoo is fresh, and most importantly, rigged properly so that it ‘swims’ and appears as natural as possible.  Tuna have good eyesight, so dropping down the size of your rig, and many times, dropping the bait over 100 yards behind the boat can produce a bite when the fish are finicky and reluctant to take your bait.  Though all forms and colors of skirts, including Island Lures, C&H Lures and others work, I prefer a simple blue and black or blue and white skirt, such as those I make and can be purchased at www.LowcountrySportfishing.net.

For those that do not want to invest the time, and more importantly the fuel, required for the offshore bite, do not be deterred.  The renowned Lowcountry Cobia fishery begins with the first fish typically being caught in April.  While most will focus their efforts in the Broad River south of Beaufort, there is a very strong bite that can be found in St. Helena Sound, especially near the Combahee Light.  The timing and numbers of fish that have been caught over the past few years has varied, but if last year can be used as an indicator, it should be a very successful year for many.  The fishery receives increased pressure every year as more come to test their luck on the Broad, but St. Helena Sound is generally a little less crowded, and only a short ride from Edisto.

The Cobia first appear at the offshore live bottom areas and artificial reefs, and then move into the rivers to spawn.  There has been some interesting research as scientists are trying to learn more about these somewhat mysterious fish.  Satellite tags have been placed on several breeding females to study their daily habits, and many tagged fish from the Waddell Mariculture Center have shed light on to the range the Cobia travel, with some being caught as far away as the Gulf of Mexico!

Cobia are opportunistic feeders and have been caught on a variety of rigs and bait, though most fishermen anchor and fish with cut bait and squid or live Greenies when available.  The best fishing is just before or after the tide change.  While some fishermen prefer the ebb tide, others prefer the flood tide; I just like the water to be moving, but not ripping.  As the tide begins to run hard, many times I will pull my anchor and look along the shoreline and rips in the river for Cobia that might be swimming on the surface, and attempt to sight cast to them.

If you are fortunate enough to land a Cobia, be sure to follow the laws on size and retention limits, and be sure to release any fish you do not plan to consume.  I support the right for each fisherman to enjoy catching and consuming his or her catch, but we are learning this resource is fragile, and each fisherman has a responsibility to make sure it remains strong for generations to come.

Good luck and good fishing.

The Edisto Bite|March 2008

Hello Edisto Fishermen and Fisherwomen, my name is Brandon W. Smith.  I am a resident of Lady’s Island, South Carolina, but a fisherman from Edisto.  My passion is tournament fishing for King Mackerel, but like all fisherman I am always seeking a chance to wet a line, from the lowcountry creeks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.  We are blessed with a wonderful fishery, and you should get out there and enjoy it!

During the cold winter months, many fisherman winterize their boats and put away their rods and reels, but they are missing out on some very good fishing.  Many days the winds will lay down and the temperatures will rise; these are the days you should be out enjoying a beautiful day on the water.  The weather patterns during the winter can be tough, but you can usually find a couple of good fishing days between the passing fronts; you just have to be ready to take advantage of those days when Mother Nature allows.

Inshore, the main focus has been the Trout and Redfish.  Both fish are ambush predators, but with the lower water temperatures, you will find they can be a little slower to react to your natural or artificial bait.  Typical areas to focus for Trout are over oyster beds and along shell banks, while many will focus on the flats and in the grass looking for tailing Reds.  We have had good success on the Trout with a simple red head jig with a white body, but there are many variations that can be productive…I am a firm believer that many times, the color of the lure does more to attract the fisherman than the fish.  When you find the fish, work that area, as they do school and you will find more fish in the same spot.  Many like to fish low water, which is useful for locating oyster beds and sandbars, but I will typically fish the last two hours of the flood tide and the first two hours of the ebb tide, expecting a little slower action when the water is slack.  My last trips have focused on Oyster Factory Creek, but you can try any of your favorite creeks as they should produce good results.  You will also find that Sheepshead, though finicky, are being caught along the docks of Big Bay Creek.

The Offshore focus by many is bottomfishing, though several have made their way to the Gulf Stream and have been rewarded with Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo.  The primary target for most out to 60’ are Black Sea Bass, which can be caught on a typical bottom rig with just about any bait, though cut squid is the standard.  The size and bag limit for Blackfish have been revised, so be aware of the current regulations; 12” total length and 15 fish per person.  If you make your way a little further offshore, Grouper, both Scamp and Gag, small American Red Snapper, Vermillion Snapper (Beeliners), Silver Snapper (Red Porgy/Pink Snapper), and Triggerfish can be found in depths of 70’ plus.  Out past 100’ and your chances for a true American Red Snapper increase.  Again, the typical bottom rig with squid can be effective, though many focusing on the Grouper and Snapper will use live bait jigged from an Artificial Reef on the ride out.  You will also want to bring along one of the many brands of deep jigs on the market today, as many fishermen have found them to be very productive.

When the weather does not allow us to get out on the water, this is the time you should focus on maintenance on the boat and your gear.  Your boat, if it is not being used frequently during the winter, should be winterized and your fuel stabilized.  If you are fortunate enough to be running the motor every couple of weeks, and have not winterized your engine, this is a good time to change your engine oil (four stroke outboards) and change the lower unit oil (all outboards).  You should also remove the prop to check for any fishing line or other garbage that might foul you lower unit seals.  Most maintenance can be done by the owner, but if you do not feel comfortable or do not have the time, getting your maintenance taken care of now by your mechanic can save you time and stress, before the spring rush puts you at the back of the line with others that waited to get into the shop.

This is also a good time to go over your tackle and gear.  Check your rods, and look for any guides that are damaged.  Have them replaced now so they do not result in a lost trophy fish later in the year.  Have your reels serviced if needed and replace your line.  Again, the goal is to have everything in order so that when you are able to get out on the water, your equipment and tackle are ready too.

Spring is just around the corner, and as most look to the upcoming fishing season, they overlook the opportunities that are available today.  Keep an open mind with the cooler temperatures, and look for the good fishing days that are available.

Good luck and good fishing.

February 8, 2008

Newton, Linda Derrick and I left the dock at Edisto around 8:30 a.m. and pointed the bow back toward the Mitten.  NOAA had called for 2’ seas in the morning, subsiding to 1’ or less in the afternoon, but the strong West wind led me to believe the seas were going to be a little more than predicted.  Though it was not rough, it was a little sloppier than expected.

I hoped to find more American Red Snapper and Grouper, but our fist drift was disappointing.  The current was ripping and the bite was off.  We worked several spots with little success before moving to another spot near the North Hole.

Again, the fish did not want to cooperate.  I tried several more areas before heading to the Southeast Bottom.  Newton’s numbers paid off and salvaged the trip with Silver Snapper and Black Bass.  Not a great catch, but it was shaping up to be a very poor day in the beginning.  The New Moon likely led to the stronger currents and slower bite.

February 3, 2008

Lovick, Newton, Ashley Twombley and I left Edisto around 8:00 a.m. and headed out to the Mitten Bottom to search for some Snapper and Grouper.  Cruising over 40 mph, I pulled back the throttles after just over an hour and we set our first drift.

Newton quickly boated a nice American Red Snapper as Lovick and I brought in some nice Vermillion Snapper.  Twombley then lands a nice Scamp and the trip is starting out wonderful.  Then it slowed.  Though we continued with nice Beelines and Black Bass, the ARS were short and the Grouper bite was dead.

Newton wanted to fish his Southeast Bottom, so we picked up and ran 12 miles to his spot.  It was dead. We finished at the Edisto 60, but nothing but small Blackfish were there.

Overall, we had a nice trip, but should have worked the Mitten a little more before giving up.

January 5, 2008

Mary Coleman, Lovick and I headed up Hwy 17 to Holden Beach so that we could join the large contention of boats seeking the ever elusive Bluefin Tuna.  Lovick and I were excited about our first attempt to catch these massive tuna, armed with two Penn 80s, two Shimano Tiagra 30 wides, a borrowed stand up harness, and horse ballyhoo, we anticipated fishing three lines, an 80 down, and 80 on the outrigger, and the 30 back in the prop wash, knowing a hookup on it would be a difficult fight.

As I have not run either Lockwood or Shallotte Inlet in a while, I decided that we would leave Saturday morning in time to follow someone out of Shallotte Inlet.  We did not arrive at Holden until late on Friday, so we were not able to launch the boat until Saturday morning.

We arose at 4:15 to finish loading the boat and call Steve Barnes to join us on our trip, but Steve found yet another excuse to avoid the ocean with us.  It was 27 degrees when we launched the boat at the Holden Beach Bridge and were ready to make our way down the waterway to the Shallotte Inlet.  As I fired up the engines and prepared the electronics, I could not get the radar to turn on.  After a few minutes trying to get it started, I told Lovick that it might be easier to leave Lockwood, though it has been in bad shape, and follow one of the several boats that seemed to be heading that way.

We pushed off the dock and I turned the engines hard to port, and then tried to turn them hard to starboard, but I could not get them to move.  Without any steering, other than using the engines, we drifted to Captain Pete’s to determine our problem.

My first thought was that there was a blown seal in the hydraulic steering.  Lovick grabbed some steering fluid, but as I tried to add it I could see that the reservoir was already full.  Perplexed by this, we searched the steering column and lines for a leak, or some obvious problem.  We could not find anything.  The wheel was hard to port, or would just turn circles.

We sat and contemplated our options.  With Lovick turning the wheel and me pushing the motors, we could not get them to budge.  Maybe something was frozen in the lines?  I was about to make the decision to get breakfast, wait for the Holden Beach Marina to open and see if they could fix the problem and we would fish Sunday.

Then I thought about revving the engines to see if that would free them.  Unfortunately, the engines are so smooth, that they did not move when I revved them up.  Then Lovick suggested putting them in reverse while turning.  When I did, they popped loose and the steering was back to perfect.  The only conclusion I had was that some water froze on the steering rod and kept them hard to port.  It was a bad start, but we were on our way.

I had seen a boat loading up at Holden Beach Marina, so we idled over there and I asked if there were leaving through Lockwood.  The Captain said they were, and he indicated he had run it recently, so I told him we would follow him out, since we had already experience two problems, and they tend to come in three.

Lovick and I waited for them to finish loading the boat, but after twenty minutes of watching them try to defrost their window and curtains with water, it sub freezing temperatures, I told Lovick our chances were better on our own and were headed to the inlet.

Lockwood was no problem.  It was a ¾ tide and the lowest water we found was 5.9 feet.  We turned the bow to the Knuckle Buoy and set our cruise at a comfortable 38 mph.  Just a few miles off the beach, we found a lot of bait and birds working, and I made the comment to Lovick that we should probably fish there, but since this was our first trip, I was going to where the fish have been caught in the past and were they majority of the boats would be.  The ride passed quickly, and much warmer than expected with the curtains, and we joined the large fleet at the Knuckle and made our way toward the Raritan and Horseshoe.

There was a good amount of bait, but we did not mark a lot on the sounder or see a bunch of birds working the surface.  The water temperature was right at 60 degrees, and according to the radio, much warmer than the east side of the shoals which was around 52 degrees.

The morning was slow, there was no radio fish and it seemed as our first trip would be uneventful.  I began looking at the chart to find some bottom numbers when Lovick yelled “fish!”  My reaction of surprise as I turned to look at the stern saw the 30 wide doubled over as Lovick got to the back of the boat.  Before he could harness up, the line was slack.  He had seen the tuna bust the water on the naked rig, but it came in hook only.  He swallowed the bait, but it did not hook up.  It was bad luck not to get a solid hookup, but it was exciting for our first attempt.

We trolled for another 45 minutes before opting for some bottom fishing around the tower which included BSBs, Beeliners, Grunts, and Flounder.

We headed in at 42 mph (though we could have run WOT if fuel mileage was not an issue) and again found a bunch of bait and birds closer to shore around the Lighthouse area.  My thoughts are that we ran over the fish heading out, and if I was fishing Sunday, I would start trolling a little closer to shore.

Depending on what happens with the bite over the next week or so, we will decide whether or not we will make another trip up north to try our luck again with the elusive Bluefin.