Tailing redfish are an amazing part of the low country lifestyle that only a relatively few individuals ever experience in their life.  When you see a tailer, its satisfying enough just to watch it – to catch one on a fly rod … will turn a grown man into a little boy.

High tides during the new and full moons flood the expansive spartina flats around Charleston, and red drum will work their way into small feeder creeks, then on to the flats to feed on fiddler crabs and small baitfish.  Fiddler crabs are like candy to reds, and they take full advantage of the opportunity to feed on them.  When they nose down to suck the crabs out of their holes, the redfish tail will often lazily wave above the surface.  This can be seen at a distance by someone with a trained eye.

I have read about tailers, and have tried countless times to find tails.  Those I have found I have had only limited success catching – mostly due to lack of opportunity.  It can be extremely frustrating.  Once, after several unsuccessful attempts, I made a post on a local fishing forum, venting my frustration to no one in particular.  My frustration apparently struck a nerve with Jeremy Mehlhaff, a local fly fishing guide who has been in my shoes, and overcome.  He contacted me and gave me a few tips.  From some of his prior posts, I knew of Jeremy and admired him being an innovative fisherman and also an excellent photographer.  I could tell he, like me, was very analytical and always trying to understand why fish behave the way they do.  In fact, his tips lead to me catching my first tailer the next year.

Fast-forward a few years, and for my 44th birthday I told my family what I really wanted for a present was to charter Jeremy.  This would be a chance to focus on the fly rod only, and really get out of my comfort zone.  I knew it would be a challenge.  We talked, and being local, I was able to be flexible and wait for good conditions and for an opening in his guiding schedule.  We picked a morning in October, and even though a strong cold front blew through the day before, the morning of the charter was picture perfect.

We set out in Jeremy’s Hells Bay skiff and flew through the small tidal creeks north of Isle of Palms.  He knows these creeks like the back of his hand, and in short order we were at our first spot.  We pushed onto the flat, through some tall grass, and were instantly surrounded by at least a dozen tails.  It was an incredible sight to me.  I had legitimate shots at at least 10 fish.  You see, I am a novice fly caster.  I can cast well enough but have trouble landing it just right, amongst a bunch of other bad habits.  Thus, I had many misses.  In my defense, the fish were rather skittish, as the flat was very calm, and water clear.  One did take my fly, but I did not get a good hook set.

As we pushed on, Jeremy coached me through how to present the fly and complete my cast.  Eventually we found three fish in close proximity.  I made a passable cast, and he coached me through the presentation.  The line came tight, strip strike, and I landed a fish.  Not a monster, but a very nice little slot redfish.

We finished the day trying a few more spots, and ended up looking in deeper pools for cruisers.  We did find some, and I almost had a couple fish.

To some, it might sound like a slow trip, but it far exceeded my expectations.  If I had spinning gear, I would have caught a dozen fish.  But this was all about the fly rod, and I was challenged like I hoped, and was able to hook two and land one.  I learned so much and can’t wait to put it to use in the future.  Personally, I would not hire anyone but Jeremy as a guide for this type of fishing.  He is a true professional, extremely knowledgeable and willing to teach you all he knows.  All you have to do is listen.  Capt. Jeremy Mehlhaff (www.charlestonshallows.com)

I’m a firm believer that you have to get out of your comfort zone to reach a new level in anything you do. Whether it’s fishing with artificial baits only, getting up before dawn, or fly casting to a tailing fish in 9 inches of water – you will be rewarded for your efforts.

– Dave Fladd

The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is starting a Summerville Chapter.  Ralph Phillips Inshore Productions supports the CCA.  The first event is the Inaugural “Celebrating Conservation” Banquet to be held on Friday, Oct. 26 at 6pm.  The banquet will be at Miler CC.  Below is a flyer for the event.

Ralph and I have been working with a videographer, SSgt Nick McNaughton, USAF, who learned of Ralph by reading our article in Azalea magazine.  He asked if he could do a documentary on Ralph.  Nick has also mentoring me in the art of documentary filmmaking which I value a lot.  He is professionally trained and really knows his stuff.

We spent one morning out filming with Nick and here is a short trailer he has put together so far.

https://vimeo.com/49190526

Check out Nicks other work on his Vimeo page as well –

Fall in the low country of South Carolina is my favorite time of year.  Cooler weather, football, oyster roasts, what is not to love!  The fishing is also at it’s best in the fall.  Inshore, the shrimp are large and headed for the ocean – that means shrimp baiting season…unique to South Carolina.  Also, the mullet run is in full swing, with huge schools of mullet running the beaches and creeks.  The cooler water triggers the game fish that it’s time to forget about spawning and start fattening up for the upcoming winter.  The biggest problem in the fall is trying to decide what to do with so many options!

I had a chance to scout some new water this Labor Day weekend, and put to use everything that Ralph has taught me about how to find the fish in a new area.  We had many inches of rain the week before (remnant’s of hurricane Isaac) and a full moon – meaning that the tides would be very high and the water would be dirty and less saline than normal.

I was able to find clear water on the incoming tide and the bait was everywhere – along with striking fish – perfect topwater conditions.  Each day began an hour before sunrise and I found redfish and trout very aggressive and eager to strike a topwater plug.

My first redfish struck my Skitter Walk plug and missed.  I twitched it a few times and it came back and belly-flopped my plug.  It immediately ran for the spartina grass.  I followed it into the grass with my trolling motor, and then it left the grass into a side creek.  It took about 20 minutes to land using my Trout Special rod (light tackle) but I eventually landed my personal best red at 34″ and on topwater.  Ended the day with several nice reds and trout on topwater – a great day.

Sunday was a little slower but I still managed a nice red on top.  I decided to try to catch one on a fly rod, but was not successful landing one despite a few good strikes.  The theme for the day was losing fish.  About 4 fish spit the hook – perhaps they were more of a reaction bite rather than a hungry gulp.  Towards the end of the morning I was casting a bank and saw something roll.  I went closer to investigate and saw what looked like a log.  On closer inspection it was definitely a fish, but black.  Maybe a black drum?  It rolled on its side and I nearly lost my breath.  It was a triple-tail of about 6 or 7 lbs!  This is a rare fish for inshore, and one of the best eating – or so I hear.  I cast my jig rigged with a Gulp Sapphire Shine behind it and dropped it right in front.  He picked it up, turned, and bent the rod over double – and spit the hook!  Nooooo!  Oh well, another “one that got away” story.

Labor day I had my good friend and fishing buddy Ray with me.  We hit a familiar flat and had a good bite.  We found fish in a few places, and the highlight of the day was this double – a 27.5″ and 30.25″ red both on topwater.

What a weekend!  The low country of South Carolina is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Ralph and I went offshore to troll for dolphin, wahoo, tuna, etc.  We had a great time, and caught some “Carolina Gold”, among other things.  Ralph taught me how to work the reels, set the lines, and rig the ballyhoo.  His 15 years of offshore experience gave him a lot of wisdom, and we need to find a way to get some of his offshore knowledge published!  Here are some pics of our day.

Here is the link to the online Azalea mag with our article.  The article begins on Page 17.

Azalea Mag Summer 2012

Our fellow fishing/video/photog junkies will probably be familiar with Catch Magazine, a very high-end fly fishing and photography mag.  Two of my acquaintances (Jason Stemple, and Jeremy Mehlhaff) are featured in a beautiful article “Lowcountry Reds” submitted by Jason.  The mag recently went to a subscription (used to be free), and unfortunately you will need to subscribe to see the article ($12/yr).  I’m not endorsed by them or the mag at all, by the way.  Here is a preview of the amazing photos included.

Hey everyone… we appreciate all the positive feedback on the website and new business venture!  Our biggest question is “when will the video(s) be available?”.  Now that we have the online business set up, we will focus on getting these first couple videos published.  I’m interested in opinions on what format would be most desirable for video delivery?

1. Regular DVD or Blu-Ray (ie. disk in a case)
2. Online download
3. Online streaming
4. Pay per view

Leave a comment and let me know what you prefer.

Thanks – Dave

On March 23, Ralph and I took the owners of Summerville’s Azalea Magazine out for a morning of fishing for a photo shoot they are doing in support of a feature article on Ralph and our new business Ralph Phillips Inshore Productions.  As you can see, it was a gorgeous day and in typical fashion, Ralph was able to show them how to catch trout.  I’ll let the pics speak for themselves.  Look out for the article in the upcoming Azalea magazine, to be released on June 1st.

After experiencing a very strong redfish bite in late January, Ralph had the idea of entering the Lowcountry Redfish Cup’s first event of 2012:  The Charleston SC, North event on 2/4/12.  As I have never entered a “big-time” tournament, this would prove to be a great experience regardless of the outcome.

I drove back from business in Jacksonville, FL to meet up with Ralph and our wives at Reds Ice House for registration and the captain’s meeting on Friday.  The turnout was a who’s-who of lowcountry inshore fishing, with 61 boats entered in the tournament.  We received our launch number (34) and headed out to dinner, then home to prepare for an early morning.

Saturday AM we launched the boat and headed to the City Marina.  The number of flats boats of all types was staggering.  As we waited for our number to be called, we watched as boat after boat turned and headed toward the Intracoastal waterway, with the extensive flats that they have to offer.  We were one of only a handful of boats to head north.  We motored at full speed to our destination to find no boats on the spot – a good sign!  Well, as fishing goes, the fish were there but not like they had been in weeks leading up to this morning.

So, we set about finding the fish.  We fished a cove with a rocky point and I cast up near the grass and worked my jig out across the rocks and hooked up with a really nice fish.  The longer I fought it the more it pulled or so it seemed.  You know you have a big fish when you have trouble fitting it in the net!  This was my biggest redfish ever, at 33″ and over 15 lbs.

We kept fishing structure and I caught a potentially perfect fish.  Upon first measure it was exactly 23″, the legal upper limit for redfish.  We re-measured carefully and it was just over the limit, at 23 1/16″, so we released it.  Undeterred, we kept at it until Ralph got a strike, and then hooked a nice 22.5″ fish.  I put it in the live well, and Ralph continued to pull fish off this spot, as I made sure we always had a line in the water.  It was a school of “tourney-fish” all above 21″ and we eventually had six fish in the well – all over 21″.  We carefully measured and weighed and culled them down to three “triplets” of 22+”, 4 lb fish.   With smiles on our faces, and a few hours till weigh-in, we slowly made our way back to the marina.

At the weigh-in, we heard many stories of being surrounded by hundreds of fish but they would not bite.  We took our time to get in line to weigh-in, and our fish were 4.2 and 4.1 lbs.  We watched the remainder of the weigh-in and saw no one with more weight than us.  After the scores were tallied, we ended up in 5th place.  Not bad for my first real tournament!  I learned a lot from Ralph about adapting to the situation at hand, working as a team, and especially having fun.