Fishing the Charleston area in April can be simply unpredictable, and the type of fishing you do will depend on the weather. We have had several 80-degree days already, so we should be fishing an early summer pattern. Some days in the spring, the redfish will get quite picky to say the least. When this happens, you might find that anchoring the boat and soaking some cut bait works best. I like to use cracked crabs or cut mullet for this purpose. However, if you have some live mud minnows or live mullet, they will also work well.
If April brings continual warm, sunny days and the water warms to the high 60- or low 70-degree mark, we will have several options. The redfish will begin to look for crabs in the grass at high tide, and you might find the first tailing fish of the year. Crab flies and a weedless DOA shrimp or artificial crab will work great. This will also be a perfect time to start fishing for seatrout. A mud minnow or DOA shrimp under a cork is hard to beat. I always like April for the start of flounder season, too. Use a mud minnow or finger mullet on the bottom fished slowly, and you might catch a great dinner. If the seas are calm, you can look for the annual cobia run off the beaches and jetties. The last few years have seen some red hot cobia action in April, as they migrate north for the summer. Cobia love bait fish and eels, so anything that resembles these will work. Make sure you have a rod and reel in the 20lb. to 50lb. class because some of the cobia can be over 50 pounds! While off the beach, you may also try fishing for sheepshead as they are schooled up good this time of year on structure. It’s definitely time to get on the water and enjoy being in Charleston!
A great way to spend the day on the water is to book one of the area’s great guides. Having fished in Charleston for almost 22 years, I am extremely knowledgeable and experienced in this area. As owner and operator of Shore Thang Charters, I would love to share my expertise with you on the water.
Capt. Mark Phelps
Shore Thang Charters
www.ShoreThangCharters.com
ShoreThangCharter@hotmail.com
(843) 475-1274