With water temps slowly rising in the Charleston marshes, I've been anxious to return to the grass flats and sightfish cruising reds. March is a little early for this style of fishing, as the prey that inhabit the grass flats can be slow to return from winter hideouts.
However, a recent acquisition gave me the perfect excuse to paddle a neighborhood flat during a sunrise flood tide. After torturing an inflatable paddleboard (PVC dropstitch) for the last 18 months, I scooped a used hard board (polyethylene) earlier in the week and wanted to get it wet. No longer must I fear oyster beds.
So I woke before the sun, tossed the board on the roof rack, and drove half a mile to the undeveloped kayak launch down the road. Water had already passed the normal high tide mark and was flooding the short grass at the top of the marsh. 15 minutes of poling in 18" of water, and suddenly a toilet-flush eruption occurred 30 yds away. A few slow strokes toward the scene, and I saw a tail finning just subsurface, headed left-to-right at a slow walking pace. One cast- leading the redfish by 3 ft, a couple small tics of the fly line, a push of water, and suddenly I was tight.
After a few stressful minutes of fighting the redfish in thick cover, I slid my net underneath his broad copper penny body. Quick setup for a tripod shot, another quick shot posing on the new board, and then quickly returned to his cover.
30 more minutes of poling yielded nothing more than fresh air and light exercise.
Happy Spring!
However, a recent acquisition gave me the perfect excuse to paddle a neighborhood flat during a sunrise flood tide. After torturing an inflatable paddleboard (PVC dropstitch) for the last 18 months, I scooped a used hard board (polyethylene) earlier in the week and wanted to get it wet. No longer must I fear oyster beds.
So I woke before the sun, tossed the board on the roof rack, and drove half a mile to the undeveloped kayak launch down the road. Water had already passed the normal high tide mark and was flooding the short grass at the top of the marsh. 15 minutes of poling in 18" of water, and suddenly a toilet-flush eruption occurred 30 yds away. A few slow strokes toward the scene, and I saw a tail finning just subsurface, headed left-to-right at a slow walking pace. One cast- leading the redfish by 3 ft, a couple small tics of the fly line, a push of water, and suddenly I was tight.
After a few stressful minutes of fighting the redfish in thick cover, I slid my net underneath his broad copper penny body. Quick setup for a tripod shot, another quick shot posing on the new board, and then quickly returned to his cover.
30 more minutes of poling yielded nothing more than fresh air and light exercise.
Happy Spring!
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