Reeling in Winter Fish

We're lucky to live in South Carolina, where the average high temperature in December is around 60 degrees. Our boating season isn't quite so dependent on Mother Nature like our counterparts in the Northeastern United States. While the weather may no longer welcome bare arms and legs, that doesn't mean we need to tuck in our boats for the winter just yet. There's plenty of great winter fishing to be found in the Charleston area.

Here are some helpful tips so you can make the most of your winter fishing excursions.

1. Check the latest reports. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources publishes saltwater fishing reports, which can be very helpful in determining where to drop your line and what bait to use. According to the November 29th report, trout fishing is great around Haddrell’s Point, where they're readily eating soft plastics.

2. Make use of the artificial reefs. There are several artificial reefs in our area, and they are home to a wide variety of fish species year round. In the winter, popular species like cobia, king mackerel, red drum and spotted sea trout are around. During the coldest months of the year, artificial reefs are still a haven for large black sea bass, grouper, sheepshead and drum. Don't make the mistake of assuming the reef is located directly at the buoy marker. There may be some structure there, but usually it is scattered about in clumps. The coordinates of the various pieces of structure are provided in reef descriptions, so do your research online ahead of time. When you arrive at a reef, spend some time searching. If you find an odd piece of debris located off to the side, you should be rewarded with under-pressured fish of larger-than-average size.

3. Use the right equipment. You probably don't want to be sticking your arm in the water to snag those sheepshead during the winter, so bring a landing net to stay dry. A Carolina rig works well fishing on the reefs, and check your lures/bait to ensure you bring along what is the most enticing to our winter-loving fish species.

Want to learn more about winter fishing? Check out this post from Game & Fish Magazine.

One last thing: spotted seatrout bite best during the colder months, so look for those guys as long as the temperature isn't dipping below 40 consistently (then they die off).

How do you make the most of winter fishing in the Charleston area?