For those of us in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, a short 4-5hr. drive to the coast makes it all the more enticing to slip away from Old Man Winter and his new, friend Polar Vortex for a long weekend of flip-flops, low country seafood, and Redfish on the fly.
We did just that a couple weeks ago, only we brought winter with us. Instead of flip-flops and T-shirts, we were layered up in thermals and hand warmers in our pockets. We allotted 5 days in the low country and got in 2 good days of fishing. This is normal, so keep this in mind if you are thinking about making the trip.
While we were there, we hooked up with the friendly folks at Bay Street Outfitters and shared a presentation on fishing in Western NC, and East TN with the Sea Island Fly Fishing Club. A big thank you to everyone for welcoming us and putting us on some fish in challenging conditions.
The fishing was tough, but we had an outstanding time thanks to great guides. Winds were pushing 10-15mph which makes it difficult to sight fish, manage fly line, and cast the tiny flies that were working. Several times, we were just poling along on a nice drift and suddenly the water would boil and a school of 50+ fish would spook. That made for some quick response times and short targets. The temperature dropped the day we got into town and the fish were slow to strike. We slowed our presentation down and tied a few flies with more weight and less bulk. This combination made it easier to get the fly action we wanted without covering too much distance while stripping, and it worked. Mud Minnow patterns produced the majority of the fish on flats and at the mouths of creeks. We also learned that crabs don't really become active until the water rises above 64 degrees, so Redfish don't bother coming up into the grass with flood tides during winter months. That's the kind of stuff you can write home to mom about.
For more info on booking a trip down to the low county for yourself, send an email to FlyFishingAsheville@gmail.com Please include your contact info, the number of people in your group and the dates you are interested in, and we’ll be happy to help you find your way.
Here's a video we put together of the trip...
