Sweet Carolina!

We just returned from a trip to visit my wife's family in coastal South Carolina; spending a long, slow week on Kiawah Island about 20 miles south of Charleston. After way too much Yuengling and dishes like "cheese grits with a shrimp and oyster succotash and fried catfish filet" or "Crab and blue cheese stuffed fried pork chop" - I'm amazed that I only put on a few pounds! Low country cuisine is amazing and will trump "cajun" food any day of the week. These people would fry the iced tea (sweet, of course) if they could figure out how to do it and every recipe starts with "melt a stick of butter." Lord help the guests at our next dinner party . . . I've got recipes and I'm not afraid to use 'em!

Maybe the lack of huge weight gain was interrupted by the athletic fishing I did. Usually on these trips I'm able to sneak off for a day or two of guided fishing. However, with a six year old and a six MONTH old that's not sleeping very well - that was not going to be the case. Redfishing in SC is AWESOME! You don't see the numbers of fish like you will on the Texas coast but you will see TOADS. I've seen more trophy reds in SC (way over 36") than I have in the much publicized deltas of Louisiana. There is almost no wade fishing and with 5-6 foot tides, you have to know where you are and when it's time to leave - most of the fishing is flooded spartina grass and oyster beds.

Kiawah Island itself is laced with tidal creeks and lagoons, half of which make up the water hazards for the golf courses. I've never fished them before (and have not poached a golf course in 25 years) but decided to try this year after seeing a kid pull a huge crab out of one "pond." They where full of fish - croakers, ladyfish, spots, trout, black drum and MONSTER redfish. I caught the pictured small red on the second morning before being chased of the course by the golf pro - evidently I was the first Schwarzfischer they've seen.

The large reds (two of which had to be over 40") would spook and flush at ANY fly I threw to them. One of them accidentally swam over my leader and snagged himself under the jaw. In the ensuing fight, he broke my rod in two places and snapped the leader. I had to "MacGyver" the rod together with sections of an old spinning rod and epoxy, turning my 4 pc. 8wt. into a 2 pc. 10 wt.! This broomstick was up to the challenge when the pictured black drum took a small, #8 shrimp pattern. Great fight and I even managed to stop play on the nearby 17th green!

So now it's a goofy transition from 86 degree highs and 80% humidity to Texas in July. On a different note - Ray Roberts is transitioning wonderfully into the "deep summer" pattern. Many new flats are approaching great water levels and the sand bass bite is dialing in . . . this July promises to be one of the BEST!

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