I have a good friend coming in from Idaho on Oct 6 to fish the flood tides on the 7th, 8th, and 9th. Unfortunately, it looks like Hurricane Imelda is going to touch down in Charleston Sep 29-30. Not likely to be more than a cat 2 or 3, but 75-90 mph winds and heavy rain possible.
Do you guys think the fish will have recovered, the mud cleared up, and the salinity back up by the 7th?
I haven’t been here through a hurricane since I was a kid (other than Debbie…just a rain event really). I hate to have him eat non-refundable change fees, but don’t want him to come all the way here is sight fishing is dead.
The fish aren’t going to go too far from their normal areas. Water will likely still be muddy especially if we get the crazy rain amounts some models are forecasting. I was out a couple days after hurricane Matthew in 2016. That affected Charleston as a Cat 1. There was a lot of floating debris. I saw several floating docks that had come loose in the ICW around Bulls bay. It seemed like that dirty water sat off the beach for a few weeks. The water would clear slightly on the fall but as soon as the tide turned all of the dirty water would flood in with It. It may be muddy through that stretch of tides anyhow due to 7.5 feet of water movement. If it hits us as a Cat 3 there will be much bigger things to worry about than flood tide fishing.
All that said the models are all over the place with it possibly stalling or getting close to the coast but no landfall. I would make a last minute decision if possible.
Fishing after hurricanes can be absolutely off the charts. The bite after Hurricane Hugo back in the day was pretty insane despite some very tannic looking water that persisted for a weeks. After one of the storms a few years back (can’t remember which one), we had an epic topwater bite with reds tearing across the surface and skying out of the water on our plugs like I’ve never seen before. It seems like these storms flush a lot of bait out of the estuaries, so the fish are hungry. Massive amount of rain can definitely screw things up, so if this turns into a huge rain event and really muddies up the water, it could be an issue, but I’d guess everything would be fine October 7-9. If the storm ends up moving inland and dumps a bunch of rain that ends up draining down the river, the Wando should still clean up pretty quick.
“If it hits us as a Cat 3 there will be much bigger things to worry about than flood tide fishing”
LowcountryAngling, you are absolutely right. In the red mist of hoping to impress my Snake River friend with our wonderful Low Country fly fishing, I lost perspective. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the forecasts are typical media hyperbole and Imelda ends up being just a lot of rain.
As of this morning it looks like it’s trending more towards stalling off the coast then pushing east out to sea.. hopefully that’s the case. I have that same week off that your buddy is planning to come in town. I was hoping to do some shrimping. If we get a ton of rain it will push the shrimp offshore to higher salinities. Cross your fingers.
Bigger issue will be wind. We are gonna get a 2 week blow from the north and east based on the latest predictions. That may make for a good high flood tide but tough sighting conditions.
I’ve been watching the wind forecasts. My app says 9-10 mph on Oct 7th-9th. 10mph we can handle. I’ll drag out the 9# of it gets worse. I have one flat between an island and the mainland that stays pretty calm. Unfortunately, it can get muddy after heavy rains. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed I guess.
Its been my experience that, once you make the decision and stop second guessing it, you can make almost anything work. Maybe lower your expectations but I bet you find fish and do better than you fear!
Thanks Maverick, for the positive thoughts. I hope you’re right.
My friend and I have been fishing together for 25 years. We both retired in 2020. I always knew I was coming back to SC, but he chose a house on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake near St Anthony, ID. We had many debates about the pros and cons of both places. I went there in July and we were very successful on dry flies during a green drake hatch. He’s been gloating. I’m very competitive. If I can put him on a 20” red on a 7#, well then…I win and he can go back to Idaho to freeze his A$$ off.
After Helene last year, I went out when I got done cleaning up around the house. Probably 2-3 days later. You couldn’t keep the fish out of the boat! The weather was nice though, not a lingering wind.
What you are seeing in the app is based on past history, nothing actual.
A forecast that far out is no different than placing a chip on the betting line of a roulette table. I don’t even trust one week out. Nothing firms up until 48 hours with near term models, and even then, there is a 20% chance of it being wrong. My brother was a helicopter pilot that did fire, search and rescue in bad conditions - he can read the weather better than anyone I know, but he taught me not to trust much until that 48 hour window.
10 mph is a great day and an absolute pleasure IMO. I don’t call it unless it is blowing over 20 mph. I had two days this week with 10 - 15 in the morning and 15 to 20 in the afternoon. But it was sunny, which makes all the difference.
But as they say, you don’t know if you don’t go! And you can’t catch fish sitting on the couch!
I will echo others, I fished after Matthew and the hurricanes each year since that have hit our area. Great fishing right after. It is like all their food was washed away and thus they will eat anything!
Also, love fishing in Idaho (near St Anthony’s and parts there in)…. Needs to be bigger than a 20” red to beat some Cutties on dry!
Ya, cutties and browns on dry flies are fun, but if you don’t time a hatch on the Henry’s Fork it’s a rainbow drifting a nymph on an indicator. That’s like bobber fishing.
Two weeks ago I caught a 27” red on a 7# after watching one belly walk out of the mud. That’s hard to beat.
Most of the replies in this thread are about the fishing…. Mine will be a few safety thoughts… Hurricanes move things around (understatement) and places and water depths you’re comfortable running in might not be safe at all (it’s not the tree you can see -but the one under the surface, for instance…). I’d expect markers to be down, channels through soft bottom areas to be filled in here or there, etc. A quick “for instance”… back in 2005 hurricane Wilma came out of the west and while only a cat two storm - just trashed the west coast of the Everglades between Cape Sable and Lostman’s river. In one night I lost every fishing spot (downed trees that had been there for years and years….) since every one of them were picked and tossed back into the jungle… A month or two after the storm, guys lost lower units running in places with four feet of water since there were entire trees in that area after the hurricane… and most of them weren’t visible at all…
Stay out in deeper waters than you normally would when running… When you get to a spot or stretch of shoreline, idle down and “no wake” it as you move into what will surely be a minefield in some places. Expect shallow channels to be shallower, etc. If you’re going slow and hit something - no be deal. Hit something at speed and you’ll come home on the end of a rope… Expect the “unexpected” and maybe some outstanding fishing - to go with the hazards…
