Coming out of winter and needing to feed in preparation for the upcoming spawn, trout can be caught in good numbers now before water temperature increases too much. In Charleston, this time of year brings quite a lot of wind
and the water can be choppy, so expect some light sea spray as you are boating to the fishing location.  The good news is that some of the best wind-protected areas are also great for trout fishing.

Trout are an ambush sight predator and knowing this can make finding locations to target trout much easier. They can be found in areas that provide a break from the current while close to a ste
ady flow of current that the bait will be swimming in. Matching that with cleaner water can often produce good numbers of trout during any time of the day.

Mimicking the food source available
is a big key to being successful whether using live bait or artificial lures.  This time of year the trout are keyed in on things such as shrimp, glass minnows, small mullet, and menhaden. Another important factor to being successful is making sure to present your baits with the direction of the current adjacent to the ambush point.

I prefer when fishing live bait to use a Bomber popping cork due to the titanium wire which is more resilient, with a 2.5 foot to 4 foot 15-pound Seaguar leader and a  thin wire hook that affect the bait’s ability to swim. My favorite rod is the St. Croix 7 foot medium fast action Tidemaster paired with the Penn Battle 3000 size spooled with 20-pound PowerPro braid.  As far as artificial lures go, the trout bite has been hot when using Trout Eye jigs paired to the Z-Man minnowZ fishing in the same areas that produce when using live bait.

The trout bite will con
tinue to stay hot as long as temperatures don’t get too far above the low 80’s and now through mid-May is your best chance at catching the next trophy. Even when temperatures get above this point, they can still be caught readily through the Lowcountry but will be often found better during low-light conditions. For the adventurous angler, night fishing under lights can be a very productive way to catch trout during the hotter summer months here in Charleston.

Feel free to email me if you would like more information or to book a trip while the trout bite is good!