by Capt. Mike Able, Contributing Writer
The year was 1982 in the small town of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. The population at that time was around 14,000 folks. One of those individuals was a man named Mike Able. Mike spent the previous fifteen years growing up on Shem Creek and fishing any time he could.
Whether it was on the creek or over at the Pitt Street Bridge he had a passion for fishing. While his father didn’t have that same urge, his uncle Jimmy did, and that’s who really got him into fishing. In his early thirties he was working at a local lumber yard in town, but knew that’s not what he wanted to do the rest of his life. He got together with a friend, John Royall, and that’s where this story really gets going! They knew of other tackle shops in the surrounding areas, but none in Mt. Pleasant. They saw a need for a tackle shop in town, hence Mike and John opening Haddrell’s Point in September of 1983. As with any small business, there are challenges. The first five years proved to be just that. Whether the business would survive was sometimes a question. On top of that challenge, the business and the entire state would be hit with the most notorious named Hurricane to hit, Hugo. Hurricane Hugo arrived in September of 1989 and left a trail of destruction. There were many devastating stories and events involving Hugo. Many residents had to rebuild their businesses, homes, and lives after such a powerful storm.
Years later the shop continues to grow little by little. The next big thing to happen to Haddrell’s was Mike making the cover of Saltwater Sportsman in 1992. Mike and good friend, Jack Golden, discovered catching tailing redfish in the grass. Being on the cover of the magazine had business booming. As the redfish scene in Charleston exploded, at the same time fly fishing was really on the rise. Mike was traveling to fly shows in the southeast for seminars and instruction.
While his early years of business pertained to mostly inshore fishing, he also catered to the offshore crowd. Those were the days of yellowfin tuna being plentiful, and catching one blue marlin a day was heroic! Catering to anyone wanting drag peeled off their reel was the idea! As the early years of new skiffs, fly fishing booming, and tailing reds in the grass boat manufacturers made skiffs with poling platforms on the back of them to gain access to fish in skinny waters. Mike was one of the first few guides in Charleston with a poling skiff.
It’s now early nineties and the inshore fishing scene is still booming and poling skiffs are gaining huge traction. Maverick and Hewes boats put on a Shallow Water Fishing Expo, managed by Mark Castlow. Mark took the show around the southeast hosting big names in the fly industry and showing off some of the finest skiffs and gear you can use. He truly put on some of the best shows and had big name attendees like Flip Pallot, Chico Fernandez, Lefty Kreh just to name a few. Attendees could always catch a seminar, fly casting demo, and especially a good laugh from Lefty!
Fast forward to 2025 and Haddrell’s Point Tackle is still serving the fishing community in Mt. Pleasant and West Ashley. Mike’s two sons, Michael and Graham, have taken over the business since 2020 and continued on in his footsteps. The inshore fishery continues to be really strong with tarpon and bull redfishing being really popular in their respective months. The offshore billfish bite is truly off the charts, while meat fishing for wahoo, mahi, and blackfin tuna can be pretty good.
We took what Mark Castlow was doing and transformed it into the Haddrell’s Point Fishing Expo. This coming January will mark ten years since we started on our own. Dubbed, the Haddrell’s Point Fishing Expo, this same theme of getting the fishing community together has been a yearly tradition for us. We changed the name so we could really target all anglers, whether inshore, freshwater, or offshore anglers. We’ve had so many great headliners like Rick Murphy, C.A Richardson, Bob Clouser, Mark Nichols, Shane Lehew, RJ Boyle, Nick Stanzyck, Linda Heller, and many more! For under ten dollars you can see any and all the seminars you’d like at no charge. You can also take advantage of discounts, only offered at the Fishing Expo.
It’s a great way to learn about a multitude of fisheries by different captains in a fishing buzzed atmosphere. The energy in the room last year was just unimaginable. The Haddrell’s Point Fishing Expo has really flourished for us and we have gotten tremendous response from customers! We look forward to it each year, so you don’t want to miss it! We’ve got some great seminars lined up, with even better headliners! It’s only two days out of the year so you can’t miss it! January 17 and 18th, 2026 at the Omar Shrine Temple in Mt Pleasant!
Now being in business for over forty years we are so grateful for our community! Charleston is still booming and we are appreciative to be able to share our love, passion, and techniques with newcomers! Be sure to stop by and see us or check out our website for more information on fishing, and especially the Haddrell’s Point Fishing Expo!
Cheers and Tight Lines to another 40 plus years!
Capt Mike Able
Haddrell’s Point Tackle & Supply • Since 1983
843-881-3644(Mt Pleasant)
843-573-3474(West Ashley)
Early days of what was The Shallow Water Fishing Expo, now the Haddrell’s Point Fishing Expo. From left to right, Doug Cutting, Mike Able, Greg Miller, Flip Pallot, Jerry Ciandella, Gary Visser, Billy Glenn (no longer with us), unknown, Wally Burbage.