Sight Fishing Reds In The South Carolina Lowcountry

By Cam Staff

Poling his skiff through grass in shin-deep water, Capt. Josh Boyles was the first to spot a big redfish crashing bait about 100 yards away. The vast grass beds around Hilton Head, S.C. were inundated in an especially high tide, and we had been working them for a couple hours with limited success.

Most of the limited success was blamed on a pair of trout anglers with little saltwater fly fishing experience. Boyles had already put us on a couple fish. We had botched both royally.

Conditions seemed right, with plenty of water for reds to push into in search of crabs, but the fish weren’t showing themselves. And we needed to see fish in order to cast to them with one of Boyles’ Swamp Fox flies on an 8-weight fly rod.

“I’m not going to lie. This is pretty slow,” Boyles said. “We should be seeing a half-dozen fish at once and trying to decide which one to go after.”

With classic tailing redfish behavior, fish root around with their noses in the muck. On the other end, their tails wave above the surface like little beacons. Reds are not hard to find when they do what they’re supposed to. These fish were not cooperating.

Instead of seeking tails, we were reduced to watching for unusual wakes and nervous water. Boyles hypothesized the fish might be eating baitfish or shrimp instead of crabs, which would account for their horizontal position in skinny water.

As we poled slowly to where the fish was spotted in an open pool amid a sea of grass, I stripped line from the reel and onto the deck. There was no additional sign of the fish, but we had to check it out. The tide was beginning to turn out, and it would take all the fish with it.

Boyles had earlier explained why tailing reds are great sport for fly rodders just getting into the saltwater game. Redfish are comfortable in the shallows, so they don’t spook easily. Also, they feed actively and opportunistically in the grass. If they see the fly, they will most likely eat it.

When our redfish reappeared, it was right in front of the boat. So close that it made casting difficult. I saw it for a second, but Boyles could see it clear as day from the platform. He began barking instructions.

“Two o’clock, about 15 feet out,” he said. “See the wake?”

The fish was moving right to left across the bow. I made a timid first cast, which caught the wind and plopped down off target.

“Pick it up! Do it again,” Boyles said, urgency entering his voice. “Play the wind. Put it in front of him.”

The pressure was on, and the second cast was better.

“Strip it… Strip it… Now stop!” Boyles instructed as he watched the action unfold. “Give it a little twitch.”

He didn’t have to tell me to set the hook.

The fish swirled. I jerked back hard with my line hand, the rod pointed right at the commotion. With a jolt, the redfish was on and streaking across the flat!

Pound-for-pound, nothing pulls like a red, and this was a big one, spending its last season in the marsh before it would move offshore to join the rest of the big bulls.

Capt. Josh Boyles is a veteran Lowcountry guide who offers local and international fishing experiences. Email him at joshboylesfishing@gmail.com or call (843) 816-2229.