Irwin recommended fishing for spotted seatrout around the I-526 bridge pilings on the Wando River during an incoming tide.

South, down the coast, two other guides have some other recommendations.

“The trout bite in November is really good,” said Capt. Mike Upchurch of Osprey Charters (843/908-2325 or Carolina-Fishing-Charter.com) in the Beaufort/Hilton Head area. “These fish will feed right into the winter until it gets real cold.

“Berkley Gulp! baits work well for the trout. I like to fish Gulp! shrimp under a float for around three hours on either side of the high tide.”

Upchurch normally finds spotted seatrout outside of small feeder creeks along oyster shell banks.

Captain Dan Utley, who is known as the Fishing Coach around Hilton Head (FishinCoach.com, 843/757-2126) trolls for fall spotted seatrout.

“Creek mouths and oyster bars help break up the shoreline,” Utley said. “As the tide moves along the bank, eddies are formed around these areas and that’s where the trout are located.”

Utley trolls a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce grub as slowly as possible along the bank. His favorite colors are metal flake green, metal flake silver and electric chicken.

“You want your bait to run just off the bottom,” Utley said. “If you feel it snagging, reel in some line or go with a slightly lighter line.

“During bright days, the trout will probably be found a little deeper than during darker days. Once you pick up a fish or two in a particular spot, go back and anchor off that location. You should be able to pick up a few more fish from the school by free-casting a lure in there.”

FLOUNDER
Batting in the third spot on the lineup card of inshore saltwater fish are flounder. Given their wonderful qualities on the table, you would think that they’d be batting leadoff. Their designation farther down the card, however, is probably related to attributes that can make it difficult for casual anglers to get them in the boat.

Flounder are ambush feeders that use their coloration to blend into the bottom. When unsuspecting baitfish swim overhead, flounder grab them with ferocity. They do the same to your bait, but it’s what they do afterward that gets novice anglers into trouble.

Flounder will move the bait around in their mouth until they get it into the correct position to swallow. A fisherman who doesn’t know a flounder bite will attempt to set the hook while the flounder is still maneuvering the bait, but doing so only yanks the rig right out of the flounder’s mouth. You have to give a flounder time before setting the hook.

Most flounder are caught trolling.

“By May, flounder will be moving into North Inlet,” said Capt. Tommy Scarborough of Georgetown Coastal Adventures (843/546-3543 or CaptainTommy.com). “You can also find the fish around the jetties at the mouth of Winyah Bay.

“To catch flounder, I recommend trolling mud minnows. You’ll see a lot of people drifting with the tide just inside North Inlet. You can drift or troll with your engine just above idle speed. You can do this in any creek or along the rocks at the jetties.”