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Beaufort and Hilton Head - January 3rd, 2007
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Fair
It's supposed to be winter but its been more like late spring with temperatures in the mid to high 70's for a number of days.
Speckled Trout dissappeared for a few days after we had 5.5 inches of rain in a three day period but have returned to their usual haunts. We smoked 'em over the last two days on small artificial shrimp. Working the baits slowly over the bottom near shell points produced mucho strikes.
Redfish were a little tougher on the flats mainly due to poor sightfishing conditions. Heavy cloud cover and rain gave us zero visibility under the surface. We still managed some good numbers though my guys had to blind cast about 8 bazillion times.
A cold front is now upon us so it's back to heavy jackets and bibs. The bite should continue to be good as the water temperature is still in the high 50's so let's go fishing................................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - December 14th, 2006
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Good
The late fall/early winter bite is alive and well in the Lowcountry. Redfish are schooled up properly and the trout bite will likely continue on through December.
Water temperature is 54 degrees after a pretty darn cold weekend(lows in the teens) but air temps this week are in the high 60's and winds are light and variable making for near perfect conditions.
Sightfishing has been very good for redfish and I have been impressed with how aggressive these fish are feeding. Many times while casting popping corks to reds, the floats are being blasted out of the water. This doesn't help your hook up ratio but it sure as hell is entertaining.One guy was retrieving the cork really fast after a missed strike when a pig redfish charges the float right at the boat and it scared the angler so badly he ripped the lure out of the water before the redfish could eat it. The dude says, "I'm sorry man. I freaked". It was cool to say the least.
It's all good. Dress warmly and let's go fishing.................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - September 7th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Great
Tides South Carolina [click here]
A couple of cold fronts moved through from the northeast and screwed up our bait situation for a couple of days but we should be back to normal in a day or two. In between the fronts the bite was pretty good with some indication of changes to come.
Water temp has dropped a couple of degrees but has a ways to go before tarpon move out. We should continue to have 'poons through September and into early October.
While tarpon fishing this week we had a couple of good hits that turned out to be.........redfish. Big redfish. Bulls. Stags. 25 to 52 lb redfish. Hoowah. It's that time again as well. The sound will soon stack up with Stags so you folks coming to the Beaufort/Hilton Head area should get your upper body workout in order. These big reds will make you feel the burn for sure.
Spanish Mackerel have been pretty thick and we have had good success on fly, Clark spoons and Sidewinders. Running and gunning for Spaniards and Bluefish has been a hot ticket.
Redfish will begin to school this month so you guys that want to chase reds on the flats this fall and winter best line up your fishing days soon. I'm already jacked over seeing those big honking schools of redfish. Let's go fishing.....................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - August 16th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Excellent
Tides South Carolina [click here]
The Lowcountry is smokin' hot in all kinds of ways. Tarpon have shown up with a vengence and all the other summertime species are here as well.
I hit the water early a few days last week looking to find tarpon on the surface and we weren't dissapointed. Small groups of 'poons were scattered around the sound feeding on glass minnows near the surface. We positioned the boat to drift down current and pitched live menhaden to 50-100 lb tarpon crashing bait. Stevie Wonder could have done the same thing. The baits were blown up immediately after they hit the water and the show was on. The most exciting thing was dodging the hooks as the 'poons spit them back at us time and again. We jumped bunches and brought a few to hand as well.
My friend and fellow guide, Capt. Johnny Walker was close by doing the same when they hooked up to a nice 80 lb tarpon. The fish did the usual acrobatics and then settled down for the tug of war that follows. After about 20 minutes a Tiger shark of 10-12 feet shows up, tracks down the 'poon and folds it in two beside Capt. Johnny's boat. A sight to see for sure but thank goodness not something that happens here very often.
Spanish mackerel are pretty thick around the nearshore reefs and bars (sand bars). We have also caught excellent numbers of Jacks, Bluefish and Ladyfish on fly. Tarpon will be here through September and the "Stag" redfish will show up in a few weeks so get here soon so you don't miss the show. Let's go fishing..........................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - July 14th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Great
Tides South Carolina [click here]
The cobia parade has finally slipped in to full throttle. It took forever to happen but happen it has.
So much fishing, so little time.
The cobia migration has come and gone but good numbers of cobia continue to be caught in the sound and on the nearshore reefs and wrecks. I can't remember a year when so many 60-70 lb cobia have been caught. I'm catching cobia on live bait while fishing for ................tarpon. That's right. 'Poons are here and it looks like the big boys are first to show. I've brought a 140+ and a 120+ to hand so far and jumped a few more that were monsters. Even though last week was a little slow due to big tides and tons of rain, it appears we are off to yet another banner tarpon season.
Spanish Mackerel are in the river and off the beaches in fair numbers. There has been some five and six pounders caught in the river using the usual trolling techniques as well as tossing flies, Clark spoons and Sidewinders into schools of herring on the surface. A few schools of jack crevalle are around and a friend of mine boated a pig of about 35 lbs on light spinning gear on Tuesday. It was a hell of a fight to be sure.
Summer in the Lowcountry and all is well. Let's go fishing.........................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - May 21st, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Great
Tides South Carolina [click here]
The cobia parade has finally slipped in to full throttle. It took forever to happen but happen it has.
Water temps have reached proper levels and the numbers of brownies is now what we all have been looking for. Last week was the first really good set of tides, weather and fish we've had and it didn't disappoint. We had a number of multiple fish days and another state record was caught on Wednesday. The old record, set last year was 86 lbs and change. The new record is a bit over 87lbs and I can tell you I believe that will soon be broken as well. I've seen a couple I believe are in the 90 lb range as have a few of my guide buddies. Time will surely tell.
No secret baits I'm aware of. Cobia have eaten squid, eels, threadfin herring, whiting, bluefish, pogies, eel flies, whistler patterns and some dude on the radio said he had one nibbling on his chum bag so take your pick. Be persistent as hell and your chances are excellent.
Lots going on here in the Lowcountry. Let's go fishing................................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - March 18th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Good
Tides South Carolina [click here]
So much of what I do here is closely related to the weather conditions at the time. Wind direction and speed, water temperature and amount of sun help determine what we can do and where we can do it. March is famous for having drop dead gorgeous weather one day and howling atrocious weather less than 24 hours later. Boys and girls, we have had it all so far this month.
Redfish are doing the deal just like they are supposed to.......when the weather will let us get out. I've called a few trips due to GALE FORCE winds in the last two weeks. One day last week it was almost 70 degrees and calm with perfect conditions. We did, as you might suspect, punish the redfish. We pulled on the faces of a few dozen, released them all in good health and slipped back to the dock in search of adult refreshments. The ususal suspects of baits were again deadly. The GULP! shrimp worked its magic while cut mullet never got a bite. I just call 'em like I see 'em.
The good weather days have produced good numbers of larges reds and the marginal days have also been successful but it makes us work a lot harder. Fish are harder to see and it's harder to cast in the right "spot" when the wind is up. Persistence usually pays off though.
Water temperature was up to nearly 59 degrees last week but has fallen to 51 as we speak. The drop in temperature caused the reds to get lock-jawed for a day but they got hungry pretty quickly. I did see a few schools of finger mullet on the flats so that is a sure sign Spring is close. That means the cobia migration is right around the corner........makes me quiver like a chinchilla just thinking about it.
Good things are happening here on Hilton Head. Some guide buddies and I have leased the entire dock at Charley's Crab on Squire Pope Road on the north end of the island and refurbished it completely. Lots of fun this year as we all gather before and after fishing trips, comparing catches, misses and sharing tales. You folks will have a great time time fishing with us because we have a great time doing what we do.
The reds are chewing and the cobia are on the way. Let's go fishing...............................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - February 10th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Good
Tides South Carolina [click here]
I've been light on the report for the last couple of weeks due to not having a boat. I now a have new sled and am really happy with it. She's a Triton 240 LTS rigged with all the bells and whistles for chasing reds on the flats or any nearshore species we want to pursue. She is broken in right and now has had the proper amount of fish slime on her decks.
The weather has been tough for some time but it broke off better this week with sunshine even though it was a little chilly with a north/northeast wind of 10-15 knots. Redfish abound on the flats but they are harder to find with a chop on the water. We found them though and they continued to eat heartily. The Berkeley GULP! shrimp/crabs are the bait of choice. I know I'm redundant in crowing about these artificial baits but they have truly amazed me with how consintantly redfish eat them. By the way, I am not a Berkeley sponsored guide so I'm not blowing smoke. It's just a tip to let you guys/gals know what has worked for me.
I had to burn some fuel this weekend to find fish but find them we did. The water temperature is 43 to 44 degrees so we had to work the baits slowly. Reds don't want to have to move a great distance to strike a lure when the water is this cold. They need to conserve energy so make your cast as close to the strike zone as possible.
You know, there's always cool things happenng in the salt. Yesterday while easing down a nice flat, I spotted a large school of reds ahead of us about 50 yards. We were sneaking up on those boys when I caught a glimpse of something off to my left and when I spun to look, I first thought it was a school of monster reds but two things didn't look right. One, the push of water was about 15 inches high and two, it was screaming by the boat at about 40 miles an hour. Two dolphins had radar lock on the school of reds and scorched past me about 15 feet from the boat. We never had a chance and neither did a few of those redfish. The dolphins blew up the school at mach II and raped and pillaged for three or four minutes. It was quite a show for us though I guess the redfish were less than euphoric over the visit from Mr. I'll Eat Your Ass Like A Snickers Bar.
Such is life in the salt. You never know when your ticket could get punched, so Let's Go Fishing......................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - January 10th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Great
Tides South Carolina [click here]
can't remember when fishing for redfish has been better. Each time I sit down to type a report it seems I'm writing the same thing; beautiful Lowcountry weather, clear water and tons of reds. Boys and girls, this one will be no different. The weather here has been spring-like. Air temps in the mid to high 70's, lots of sun and water temperature that has climbed from 47 degrees to 56 degrees as of yesterday afternoon. I've never seen so many redfish so happy.....and hungryyyyyyyy? These boys are chewing.
We continue to have great success with the Gulp! artificial shrimp for the spin fisherpeople and had a great day with the flyrod as well. Chartruese clousers did the job all day. I varied the weight of the fly as water became shallower on the ebb tide because the lighter fly makes for a better presentation in skinny, clear water. Reds tend to become a bit more skittish under those conditions. It didn't hurt that my sport on Saturday was a drop dead, on the money, 80 foot fly caster. A really good caster can make the guide look like he has x-ray vision.
It all happened again yesterday when a doctor friend of mine was on the bow and tossing artificials. Slick calm and clear water. The schools of reds were enormous and plentiful. Big fish too. We caught one fish yesterday UNDER 8 lbs! One was just over 9 and the rest were 10-12lbs. Pigs I tell ya. They were freakin' pigs. My man finally decided to take a stab at them with the fly. I eased the boat up on a school of several hundred reds in about a foot of water while my man was ready on the fly rod. It was tough to get close because both of us were quivering like a chinchilla trying to pass a peach seed and I think the fish could feel the boat vibrating. I'm telling you people, creeping up on a big school of monster reds in very shallow water when you can see all those tails waving around just below the surface and knowing you're about to drop a bait in amongst them will raise your pucker factor considerably. That's Showtime. Do it right and you witness the fish eat your bait. Screw it up and you witness a redfish tsunami as they un-ass the area. It's exciting at any rate. By the way, my man did it right.
It's going on down here in the Lowcountry. The weather is good. Let's go fishing................
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Beaufort and Hilton Head - January 4th, 2005
supplied by: Capt. Mike Upchurch
FISHING: Excellent
Tides South Carolina [click here]
Happy New Year y'all.
The weather this week in the Lowcountry has been as gorgeous as one could ask for. Air temps in the mid sixties, bright sun and hardly a breath of wind. Sight conditions for redfish have been excellent and so has the fishing.
I found good schools of reds on every flat I've fished and they cooperated for us by eating artificials with gusto. I continue to be impressed with the Berkeley Gulp crabs and shrimp lures. With the exception of using a little cut bait for some kids, we brought around 100 redfish to the boat this week using the GULP baits exclusively. The 3" Molting Shrimp, the 3" New Penny Shrimp, the 2" Molting Peeler Crab were hammered all week. The water is clear and the colors of these baits and the scent dispersed by them make them the most effective artificial saltwater baits I've ever seen. I can't wait to pitch one of these crabs to a cruising cobia this Spring.
We were lucky enough to have great fishing this week but I notice some anglers have a little trouble with the proper hook set when they get a bite. Too many folks get caught up with the way some bass fishing "TV Boys" set the hook. When they feel the strike, the first thing they do is drop the rod tip towards the fish and yank like hell which normally results in one of two things, they miss the hook set all together or the line breaks. Why? When you drop the rod tip to the fish you put slack in the line making it easy for a fish to spit the bait and even if the fish has the bait and the line gets yanked hard, the slack line comes tight too fast and the line parts. Jerking the line hooked to a fish is never a good idea. Also by dipping the rod quickly it is easy for the line to loop around the rod tip and that will absolutely guarantee a quick release from a parted line. The technique is simply this. Keep your rod tip high in the 10 to 11 o'clock range and keep the line tight as you bump the bait along the bottom. By keeping the slack out of the line at all times all you must do on the strike is to give the rod a firm, quick snap to the 12 or 1 o'clock position while making a turn or two on the reel. Fish on!
Winter is here and the fishing is outstanding. Let's go fishing.............................
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