Red fish, also called red drum or channel bass, are prevalent across the South Carolina coast.
I have had most of my time of inshore saltwater fishing in the inlets, rivers, and bays near Georgetown. These fish are identified by a bold black spot along the tail and a bright reddish colored back and sides. Red fish can be caught all year round and different seasons call for different tactics. Sometimes the reds can be easily spotted with their tail protruding from the surface. This means that the fish is searching through the mud and oysters to find prey. They spend most of their time in the marsh grass bordering the rivers. There they can find protection from dolphins and other predators. A red fish will eat virtually any type of inshore bait as long as it is presented correctly.
Artificial spoons, grubs, and scent bait can cover a lot of ground without taking much time, but nothing beats live shrimp, crabs, mullet, or cut bait. Red fish have a strong jaw which is backed by a row of crushers which is meant to break down even the toughest blue crab shells. These crushers will pinch an angler’s hand if he happens to allow his fingers to slip into the fish’ gills while holding it. Most of the redfish that are caught in the grass are average sized fish which can make a great meal. The keeper range for redfish in South Carolina is between 15 and 23 inches. No more than 3 red drum can be kept per person. Keeping a fish larger or smaller than this slot will result in a hefty fine by DNR. The laws for most fish only have a minimum size but the large red drum are protected for breeding purposes. The smaller reds will have a better flavor than the larger bulls who begin to taste more like the ocean and mullet. I always enjoy catching the slot sized red drum in the creeks ,but one of my favorite things to do is to chase down the bull reds in the inlet. A red drum officially becomes a bull when it grows to be larger than 27 inches in length.
Bull reds migrate to warmer and deeper water through the winter but return to our coast to feed most actively in the spring and fall. I had begun to hear that some friends were beginning to have some luck fishing for the bulls on the first weekend of April; so I planned a trip to Georgetown for April 9th. Ryan Stephens and I pulled a 21 foot Carolina skiff from Dillon to Georgetown early in the morning and met with Bo Hutchison, John Palmer, and Tad at the South Island Ferry landing in Georgetown. We quickly loaded the boat and pushed away from the dock at 5:30. I drove the boat while John stood on the bow shining the spot light and watching for crab pots. Bo and Ryan sat on the back and rigged the fishing rods so we would be ready as soon as we arrive at the mouth of the inlet. There is certainly no need to leave this early to catch a red fish. A boat ride to the mouth of the inlet is only 30 minutes and the fish bite all day long. We were just too excited to be catching fish to be waiting for sunrise. We followed the Intracoastal Waterway south until we met the North Santee River and followed the river to the ocean. To continue on the Intracoastal Waterway would put you on the South Santee River which is just as good fishing as the North River.  The river is extremely shallow at regular levels but the fact that we were driving in at low tide didn’t help. I had a course on the GPS of where I had been before and I followed the path that I had traveled before which hugs the marsh grass on the right side of the river. We finally reached the inlet and could make out the sandbars which were scattered around us. One wrong turn and the boat will be in less than a foot of water. I do not mind stepping out to push the boat in the summer, but this morning was cold. The low was 36 degrees with 30 plus mile per hour wind through the day. We idled around the inlet analyzing options of places to anchor based on the current and depth for some time before choosing the right spot. This inlet can be very disorienting as the sandbars always appear to have moved between fishing trips and the currents change with every changing level of the tides.
We anchored the boat and dropped our lines in the water just as the eastern sky was getting lighter. The best way to figure out what a fish wants is to give many options and take note of what they choose. Our lines were rigged with full blue crabs, cut mullet, and cut shad (which we caught in February near Lake Moultrie). Frozen meat looses texture after being thawed and the current will quickly pull it from the hook. Bo soaked the shad in Brine Salt so that the cut bait would retain the texture and stay on the hook. The rig we use is 50 pound braided line with a 4 ounce sinker on a Carolina rig with a size 5 circle hook. I use 80 pound leader because the water is so murky that the fish will never notice it.
The sun began to rise into a cloudless sky and we had still not landed a fish. The wind was blowing furiously from land, and the ocean lay flat as a lake except for around the sandbars. We gave the spot some time and decided to lift the anchor and move again. The bull reds like to be in swift current and can be caught in water as shallow as 2 feet or less. The current and waves beat on the many sandbars splashing water sky high as the waves try to cover the sand. In these areas, there is no particular wave direction and the water moves in chaos. The mullet and other bait fish know that the shallow sand bar is their only hope for surviving the tide, but they are tossed about, out of control, and gulped by the frenzies of reds which patrol the borders of the sandbars. The ideal position is to be anchored near the sandbar, so that the current pulls your lines into or near the breakers. We anchored and dropped our lines towards the sandbar and quickly had a bite. Ryan landed his first Bull red which measured  40 inches in length. Shortly after Ryan released his fish, another rod bows over and Tad pulls it from the rod holder. The red fish gained a boost of energy each time that it saw the boat and exhausted every ounce of effort in its fight. John yanked the red fish from the water, removed the hook and released it. Moments later, two rods bowed over which John and Tad picked up. The back of the boat is chaos when two fish are on at the same time. John and Tad continually switched sides and crossed each other in order to prevent a tangle or loss. John landed his fish first as Tad worked to finish his red. Tad’s arms were shaking, and Bo finally pulled the fish onto the boat. Just as quick as a light switch, the fish stopped biting. We sat for a few more minutes before moving again. As the tide rises, the reds can move closer to the sandbar, and the fishermen have to follow if they want any action. We moved to the opposite side of the channel where Ryan and Tad had a double hook up with Reds again. The two fish swam side by side for a moment, and we thought they would be tangled until Ryan redirected his fish. Ryan successfully landed his bull, but Tad’s fish swam underneath the anchor rope and broke the line.
The tide went slack, and there was no current in the water. Many fish seem to take a break from feeding in the ebb tide, so we sat anchored in the channel, napping and eating until the water began to flow again. A pod of dolphins swam by, and we knew that it was time to move. The bull reds are larger than what a dolphin wants to eat, but they likely flee at the sight because of their past encounters with dolphins when they were younger. We lifted the anchor and dropped it near the beach on the opposite side of the channel where Bo caught the largest fish of the day which measured 42 inches long. We lost our anchor to some subsurface structure and called it a day at about 1:15 after having caught 6 bull reds. The day had been a great success, and we made plans to return on the coming Saturday.
One of my favorite aspects of this fishery is the remoteness of the landscape. Looking towards the beach from the ocean, there is no sign or structure visible in any direction, and I imagine it is not too different from what the first settlers of South Carolina saw when they arrived hundreds of years ago. Bull Red fishing is all about enjoying the fight and the sheer size of the fish, and the boat usually returns to the dock with an empty cooler unless other fish were caught through the day. Many people find a thrill in red fishing and can reach them on a boat as small as a john boat on a good day. Since there is so much pressure on these fish, care must be taken in order to ensure a successful revival and release of the fish. I would love for the fish to bring excitement to another crew in the future.