As I write this, I have a cold drink in my hand and am looking out over the pool and the spring breakers sunning themselves poolside. I know there is probably still snow on the ground at home so I am fairly happy to be down in South Carolina visiting my inlaws. They come down every spring to play some golf and enjoy some warmer weather. This is the second year now that I have taken my family down to visit. Last year I spent a fair amount of time walking the banks of the golf course ponds fishing for large mouths (see an entry from last year Golf, Gators, and Bass). This year I plan to do the same but thought I would also try my hand at a little salt water action.

I took a trip out with Outside Hilton Head to try and catch a few fish. They offer a variety of trips but I settled on the kayak fishing for Redfish and Speckled Sea trout. I have fished from a Kayak before but never from the Hobie Mirage Outback. I know Hank Parker is a big fan so they must be "Really Cool" right? To be honest they were pretty neat. The ability to pedal with your feet leaves your hands free to fish. I could see it working pretty well for jump shooting ducks as well. I may have to look into getting one for next fall.



It was myself and one other client on the trip. Our guides name was Joe. He was a Jersey native who moved to Hilton Head a couple years ago to escape the cold weather. When he isn't taking people fishing he leads Eco-Tourists on kayak tours around the island . As a licensed home inspector, he also does some of that work (although not much lately I would guess). If that wasn't enough, he plays in a band at night at a few of the local watering holes. Joe stays busy. The other client on the trip was named Bassum (bassem? not sure on the spelling). I knew I was going to like him as soon as I heard his name. He was from Ohio and spent his free time chasing steelhead on the rivers and streams near his home. He also mentioned catching the occasional lake Erie Smallmouth. Surely three accomplished anglers such as us would have no problem catching a few fish on the falling tide.

 I will spare you all the gory details but in the end we all got skunked. Not a single fish amongst three of us. We covered lots of water and tried a variety of live and artificial baits but never found the fish. We did get to watch a few dolphins feeding in shallow water and birds feeding on the exposed oyster beds. All in all there are worse ways to spend a morning.



Well my drink is almost empty and I think I am going to go through some top water on the pond across the street so I will call it an entry. Check back and I will let you know how the golf course ponds produce.

Sport
www.SportSmithFishing.com