The water temps are up in the mid 60’s, it’s sunny and the bait is rolling back into the rivers and creeks in waves!
Why waves you may ask? Because it is being chased up and down tidal creeks by hungry Reds!
April is a great month to seek out our fantastic springtime Redfish bite. They cruise up and down the grass lines chasing their next meal.
I love to put my kayak in about mid-way thru the falling tide, just as the water is dropping out of the grass.
It’s bringing all the bait (and the Reds) into the shallow creeks, making them easy to spot and sight cast to.
When the Reds are chewing they will go after just about any bait that you put in the water
Being able to maneuver a kayak in 3 to 5 inches of water gives me a great advantage over anglers in boats!
More good news, when the Reds are chewing they will go after just about any bait that you put in the water.
Added movement and flash will draw their attention to your bait and help make it stand out.
Try to throw big soft plastics like Zman Diesel Minnowz or Zman Streakz.
They work well on Eye Strike Redfish Eye jig heads (4.75 in) , or a Redfish Magic with their flashy gold blade.
Hands down though the most fun can be had by throwing a Heddon Super Spook Jr
Hands down though the most fun can be had by throwing a Heddon Super Spook Jr and “walking the dog” along those grass lines.
Big Reds will turn and attack that surface lure!
In addition, in April, Lowcountry Kayak Anglers hold the Second event of our Inshore Trail Series. For this event the target species will be the Redfish.
The best three Redfish “bag” (in total inches) will win in a Catch Photo Release (CPR) tournament event.
May 18th brings our third Inshore Trail Event and this one will be in Murrell’s Inlet.
This will be the first trail event of the year that we will fish for multiple species. We call this event the 3/2 combo. Three target species will be Speckled Sea Trout, Redfish and Flounder.
Only the biggest two fish (in inches) of different species will count. If you catch a Flounder and a Trout but no Redfish, your biggest of each will count (and vice-versa).
The best tournament of the year though for LKA is the Battle at Paradise in June. This is a charity tournament and all proceeds go to supporting Heroes on the Water.
This organization supports the rehabilitation of veterans through kayak fishing.
This year, thanks to the generosity of Jackson Kayaks a brand new Jackson Bite will be given to the winner of the tournament!
June 8th is the date for Battle at Paradise.
More information will be shared in the coming months. Look for the info on Coastal Angler Magazine Charleston as well as our Facebook page, Lowcountry Kayak Anglers.
Get out there and start fine-tuning your Redfish game today and we’ll see you on the water.
Tight Lines!
Mike Kohler
LKA Tournament Director
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