When you feel your bait stop, keep the boat moving as before, but at the same time, begin to let out line. Most successful anglers usually count to 10 before setting the hook. It takes practice, but after some time you’ll be proficient.

Besides mud minnows, finger mullet are another great bait. Flounder have big mouths, so don’t be intimated by hooking a 4- or 5-inch mullet on a No. 1/0 Kahle hook. Trolling a Carolina rig with just enough weight to hold the rig along the bottom is all that is needed.

Lastly, take a landing net with you. Flounder have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, so lipping them like a bass is out. If you try to swing them into the boat, you’ll watch your dinner swim away more times than not. And big flounder are pretty wide, so bring enough net.

KING MACKEREL
The high-dollar fishing tournaments along the coast are not limited to billfish these days. When you see 40-foot boats with three engines across the stern and T-tops better equipped than a Hummer on the road, you would guess correctly if you thought a king mackerel tournament was in town.

King mackerel fishing has increased tremendously in popularity. Most boats can easily reach the offshore species and the fish’s explosive style and expansive distribution make it particularly attractive.

Long, silver and cylindrical, king mackerel are built for speed. That, combined with an extensive set of teeth, makes king mackerel a terror for schools of baitfish. To find the kings, you have to find the right water and concentrations of baitfish.

Many king mackerel are caught during the hot months of the year near the Charleston jetty and along tide lines just off the beach up and down the entire coast. But if you want real action, it pays to look for these fish in the early fall around artificial reefs.

“Offshore at the reefs, fishing for kings is incredible in October,” said Fred Rourk of Sweet Tea Charters (800/768-2495) in Georgetown. “I have seen it where you couldn’t put two hooks in the water because there was so much action.”

With declining water temperatures, Rourk said mackerel begin concentrating at the reefs. Kings will follow the bait, and will tolerate water temperatures below 65 degrees only if the bait is around.

“The fall kings on the artificial reefs won’t be real big fish,” Rourk said. “On average, it will be mostly schoolies in the 12- to 15-pound range.

“All anglers have to do is troll large plugs or spoons. If you’re not into fish, troll lures on the surface as well as on a downrigger. However, once you locate them, you probably won’t be able to fish more than one or two rods.

“This is great fishing for kids,” Rourk said. “After you keep what you want to eat, let the kids have a ball catching and releasing the rest.”

SAILFISH
Although normally thought about during the warmer months, offshore anglers will be neglectful if they ignore the fall sailfish bite.

“The sailfish bite usually holds right to the end of November. Boats have been flying over a dozen release flags after fall trips during the last two years,” said Capt. Mike Able, owner of Haddrell’s Point Tackle and Supply in Mount Pleasant (843/881-3644 or www.haddrellspoint.com).