MarshRat
Steelhead
My wife and I moved from North Puget Sound to the SC Lowcountry 5 years ago- to stretch our legs and freshen our perspective, no connections nor expectations. Youtube had me excited to chase redfish, she was eager for some sunshine, and that’s about all we had to go on.
My fishing evolution started on foot, as most angling journeys start. Wading the spartina grass on king (flood) tides, I eventually caught my first couple summertime tailers. Fish-stalking at its finest and the definition of fair chase.
Heading into fall, we lost our wade-friendly flood tides, and an inflatable paddleboard provided access to low tide creeks where redfish belly crawl the mud. I became a slave to tide charts and wind forecasts, but every once in a while conditions would line up for really incredible sight fishing opportunities.
After a few dozen missions, the inflatable grew weary of being dragged across oyster bars, and a hard board became the permanent solution.
As the months slipped by, our social network grew, and I found myself aboard some boats. The guys had plenty of inshore experience to share, but were new to fly fishing. Casting lessons were offered in exchange for boat rides and things really started to dial in.
As their casting improved, I grew ashamed of bumming free rides from buddies, and I took a gamble on a Craigslist project. Completely new to boat-ownership, a whole new learning curve was stacked onto saltwater angling. With lots of adult supervision, I slowly worked my way through all systems and got her (usually) seaworthy.
With my range multiplied exponentially, I wandered the endless marsh creek systems and started putting more pieces together- seasonal changes, feeding behaviors, bait patterns, etc. I even participated in some citizen science. I was now full-in, and things hummed along for a few fantastic years.
Nothing stays the same forever, and our life outside of fishing slowly changed. For multiple reasons we started to feel the pull back west. In anticipation of a move, the boat was sold this spring. I spent a couple months back at the beginning, paddling the same flats where I saw my first tailing redfish 5 years ago. My last fish was caught not 50 yards from my first.
The rods are now packed and our one-way flights have been booked. Bittersweet.
I was a member of the old forum before moving out east, and I hopped on this one as soon as it formed. Mostly been lurking, but I hope to contribute more and maybe even meet some members as I resume fishing my true home water.
My fishing evolution started on foot, as most angling journeys start. Wading the spartina grass on king (flood) tides, I eventually caught my first couple summertime tailers. Fish-stalking at its finest and the definition of fair chase.
Heading into fall, we lost our wade-friendly flood tides, and an inflatable paddleboard provided access to low tide creeks where redfish belly crawl the mud. I became a slave to tide charts and wind forecasts, but every once in a while conditions would line up for really incredible sight fishing opportunities.
After a few dozen missions, the inflatable grew weary of being dragged across oyster bars, and a hard board became the permanent solution.
As the months slipped by, our social network grew, and I found myself aboard some boats. The guys had plenty of inshore experience to share, but were new to fly fishing. Casting lessons were offered in exchange for boat rides and things really started to dial in.
As their casting improved, I grew ashamed of bumming free rides from buddies, and I took a gamble on a Craigslist project. Completely new to boat-ownership, a whole new learning curve was stacked onto saltwater angling. With lots of adult supervision, I slowly worked my way through all systems and got her (usually) seaworthy.
With my range multiplied exponentially, I wandered the endless marsh creek systems and started putting more pieces together- seasonal changes, feeding behaviors, bait patterns, etc. I even participated in some citizen science. I was now full-in, and things hummed along for a few fantastic years.
Nothing stays the same forever, and our life outside of fishing slowly changed. For multiple reasons we started to feel the pull back west. In anticipation of a move, the boat was sold this spring. I spent a couple months back at the beginning, paddling the same flats where I saw my first tailing redfish 5 years ago. My last fish was caught not 50 yards from my first.
The rods are now packed and our one-way flights have been booked. Bittersweet.
I was a member of the old forum before moving out east, and I hopped on this one as soon as it formed. Mostly been lurking, but I hope to contribute more and maybe even meet some members as I resume fishing my true home water.
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