Fishing on Foot

Outstanding Pier Signs

Usually it isn’t a cluster of signs that impress me at a fishing destination, but in this case, it was just that!

While exploring Edisto Island State Park in South Carolina with my daughters last week, we roamed onto the fishing pier behind the Edisto Environmental Learning Center.

The pier stretches past the marsh to provide good fishing access to Big Bay Creek, a tidal creek that’s not far from the ocean. The pier is well maintained and provides nice public foot access to inside waters for fishing and crabbing. However, what impressed me the most on this particular pier was a cluster of signs.

I don’t normally give much thought to signs, beyond noting a rule about allowable area uses or maybe learning something about natural or human history where I’m standing.

These signs, which were actually a collection of stickers and laminated posters, were highly functional and contained exactly the information that the pier’s primary users would need the most.

Measuring Sticker

Right on top was a 37-inch fish-measuring ruler sticker printed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Lined up with various inch marks were listings of species with minimum or maximum harvest lengths at that measurement. The smallest was a 5-inch minimum width for blue crabs; the largest, a 36-inch minimum size for cobia.

Below the ruler markings, the sticker listed creel limits for a popular species and a few other regulations notes and had a QR Code for full details. Importantly, the sticker also was clearly dated on top so it was easy to see those were the regulations for the current license year.

I suppose those stickers are made primarily to distribute in tackle shops for anglers to put on their boats, but hopefully they are also on public piers all along the SC coast. Modern fisheries management and regulations are vital, but undoubtedly challenging to keep up with for many anglers, so having the ruler and key information on one handy sticker is very helpful.

Useful Posters

Beneath the sticker were three fish ID posters: two covered all of South Carolina’s popular marine sport fish species, inshore and offshore, and one was specific to the species most apt to be caught from that particular pier.

Educational posters also include one showing five very common bait animals (shrimp, mud minnows, fiddler crabs, mullet and squid) and best uses for each; one detailing a useful knot; and one about best practices for handling fish that will be released.

Finally, two posters highlight regulations for redfish and blue crabs, which are certainly among the most popular species to pursue from that pier.

Great work by the folks who chose the information to highlight on that pier!

Single-Lure Fish Fest

A tiny Arkansas creek yielded a couple of hours of big fun.

A tiny creek in a recreation area in the Ouachita National Forest has caught my eye and raised my curiosity more than once. It’s near an area in Arkansas I occasionally travel to for work.

People visit this site to picnic, camp and play in the creek, including swimming in one pooled section that is formed by a small dam. And while I’m sure a few folks fish the creek when they camp, few would regard it specifically as a fishing spot.

I really enjoy fishing little creeks, though, and I knew the curiosity factor would only continue to grow until learned for myself what was in the creek’s runs. I ended up with a short afternoon window during last week’s Arkansas travels and decided I needed to check it out.

I’m glad I did.

While I didn’t catch anything large, I probably caught 30 or so fish, including five different species, in a couple of hours, and some of the creek’s runs were very pretty.

I fished very simply, with an ultralight rod and reel and a Rebel Crickhopper. I carried a handful of other lures in a little lure wallet that clips to a belt loop, but never had reason to change lures.

While I caught multiple species, I only caught one or two of most species. The bulk of my fish were green sunfish, which are more commonly called black perch in that part of Arkansas. Whatever you call them, they hit lures with vigor on the surface and are a bundle of fun.

I also had the creek to myself. A handful of people drove in and out of the day-use area, roamed down to the swimming area, or were set up in the campground, but no one was using the same part of the creek as me, fishing or otherwise.

I’ll most likely be back at some point, but it’s hard to say for sure because I’m not in that region very often, and a couple of other creek runs also have caught my eye and might need exploring first!

Sometime soon there should be a video from my outing on Fishing on Foot YouTube. I hope you will check it out.

Walk-In Fishing Spots

To me, there’s something special about a bank-fishing or wading spot that can only be reached by a bit of a hike.

I hooked and landed a fish on my first cast, but the morning’s reward came even before that. Reward came the moment my daughter Autumn and I stepped out of the woods to descend the final slope to the edge of the Chattooga National Wild & Scenic River.

We’d hiked a little less than a mile down a lightly used trail after driving a few miles down rough Forest Service roads and had ducked through a rhododendron tunnel to get to the river.

Walk-in spots are special, from my perspective, and even modest effort reaching a fishing location adds a value that’s hard to rightly quantify. There’s a bit of extra ownership of the spot and the day, and every fish feels a little more earned.

Don’t get me wrong. When I can hop out of the car, walk a few steps to the water and start catching fish, I’m always thrilled to do so, and I’m not trying to make some snobby claim of walk-in fishing trips or catches somehow counting for more.

For me, sometimes the hike in and out are part of the adventure, and an added value comes in finding little or no company at water’s edge and finding an area that seems lightly fished. Autumn and I fished all morning and never saw anyone else.

Of course, the spot we fished has its own set of rewards. We reached the river beside a fabulous green pool, flanked by a 200-foot cliff, with rapids upstream and downstream and car-sized boulders to climb and fish between. I’ve fished a lot of marvelous spots on the Chattooga but can only think of one that might rival where we were from a scenery standpoint.

We also caught quite a few fish, which never hurts. I can truthfully say, though, that I would have very much enjoyed our morning adventure even if we hadn’t caught a fish.

If you’d to check out our morning of fishing, I shared a video on the Fishing on Foot YouTube channel.

Hike-In River Bass Fishing Adventure with my Daughter
https://youtu.be/Tcc56ma3k_I

3 Years for Fishing on Foot YouTube

3-year anniversary for the “Fishing on Foot” YouTube channel.

The first video posted on the “Fishing on Foot” YouTube channel, which preceded this site and goes with it, will be 3 years old this weekend.

The channel remains a learning project, and the videos still fall far short of what I imagine, but I’m gradually learning and figuring out the types of content I want to be prevalent.

To this point, the video focus has been more stream heavy than I’d like to be in the long haul. That has much to do with practicality and geography. There is a lot of that type of opportunity near me, and the channel is an after-hours project.

That’s arguably the type of fishing I enjoy the most, but in the long haul, I want “Fishing on Foot” broader and more balanced. Surf-fishing, walk-on ice-fishing, trout fishing out West and casting from the shore for Great Lakes walleyes are just as much “Fishing on Foot” as wading an Appalachian river for trout or river bass.

Channel growth has been slow but steady, and slow is probably fine because I’ve been pretty slow upgrading my gear, improving techniques and generally elevating the quality of videos.

If you haven’t checked out the “Fishing in Foot” YouTube channel, I hope you’ll do so. It’s all about every type of fishing that can be done by wading or walking the shore.

Chattooga River Bartram’s Bass

Bartram’s bass offer fun and largely overlooked fishing opportunities through much of the Chattooga River.

From a fishing standpoint, the Chattooga National Wild & Scenic River is best known for its trout offerings. Overlooked by many is a splendid population of native Bartram’s bass, an upland river bass species that is only found in the upper Savannah River drainage.

The trout attention is reasonable. Beginning in its headwaters high on Whiteside Mountain in Western North Carolina and continuing along the Georgia/South Carolina border, the Chattooga offers many miles of splendid trout habitat. Diverse offerings include wild populations of brook, rainbow and brown trout, put-and-take trout waters, a semi-wild browns that grow to large sizes and a highly popular delayed-harvest section.

I’m a big fan of trout in this river and have spent many great days trout fishing on the Chattooga. The Bartram’s are my favorites, though, and often I head straight to the lower half of the river, where the bass are the primary game fish species. More often than not I have these waters and the beautiful bass that inhabit them to myself.

Through several miles of the river, both above and below the Highway 28 bridge, the trout and bass are mixed, with trout being generally more prevalent during winter and spring but more bass moving into those areas and getting active through summer and fall.

I’ve been fishing the Chattooga for Bartram’s bass for around 30 years. Of course, the species hadn’t been identified when I first started targeting them. They were initially lumped in with shoal bass and then separated as redeye bass. Eventually, biologists began recognizing genetically distinct upland bass species in various watersheds, including the Bartram’s in the Savannah drainage. They have been named and known for more than a decade, but only officially designated as a distinct species about a year ago.

Chattooga Waters

From my experience, there is no “best area” for Bartram’s on the Chattooga. I’ve enjoyed good fishing days from well up onto trout waters to the farthest downstream I’ve fished, which is less than a mile from the free-flowing river’s end, where it backs into Lake Tugaloo.

I’ll pick spots based on how far I want to walk any given day, the water level, and simply the river section I want to explore. Some sections offer a modest walk and fairly easy access for a short outing. Others lend themselves to more of a day’s adventure, with more walking and bushwhacking and more challenging wading.

The Chattooga is both accessible and remote. It’s almost entirely on public land and has trails along much it, along with various spur trails that lead to the water. Wild and Scenic River designation stops roads at least 1/4 mile from the river, though, and only two bridges cross the Bartram’s bass waters. Because of the depth of some pools and rapids in places, some parts of the river legitimately aren’t accessible by foot. And in places, a paralleling trail might be 100 feet or more above the water.

That said there is no lack of fishing areas at reasonable water levels. Despite my having fished the river for three decades, there are accessible areas I’ve still never explored.

Water levels are worth noting. As a free-flowing river with steep sides, the Chattooga varies dramatically in character depending on recent rainfall patterns, and Bartram’s fishing can be extremely limited during high spring flows.

I keep my fishing tactics simple. I use light spinning tackle with 6-pound test for targeting Bartram’s bass and small topwater lures, crankbaits and soft-plastic lures.

5 Top Bartram’s Bass Lures

Rebel Crickhopper
Heddon Teeny Torpedo
Rebel Teeny Wee-Craw
Bobby Garland Mayfly
Rebel LIVEflex Hellgrammite

Steps Toward Better Fishing Experiences

A few extra steps can go a long way toward tapping into a better fishing experience.

Boating anglers commonly race right past good spots that are near the boat launch. Anglers Fishing on Foot too frequently do the opposite — selecting a spot to fish based on little more than its convenience to a parking area.

Granted, the first easy access spot at any given waterway could happen to be a good spot — even a great one. That said, the most convenient spots almost invariably get the most fishing pressure, and my experience suggests that walking a few extra steps can go a long way toward tapping into a better fishing experience.

Fewer people fishing naturally equates to less pressured fish and in cases of fish that people commonly keep, more fish available. Beyond starting with less-fished waters, a willingness to walk lets you try more spots to search for active fish.

Even beyond fish-catching prospects, for most types of fishing, I simply prefer a little less company. I’m not anti-social overall, and there are a few settings — like a popular public pier — where the community aspect even adds to the experience.

Typically, though, I like to at least feel like I have an area to myself when I’m fishing. That’s extra true for any fishing that has me standing in a stream.

The nice thing is that most people don’t like to walk and don’t equip themselves well for a mobile approach. From my experience, you don’t have to walk far up a creek or along a lake’s bank to have spots to yourself. Even in popular trout streams that have regular pull offs along them, simply wading the stretches between pull offs instead of fishing next to them can make it feel like you’ve stepped into wilderness.

Because I like to start away from the easiest access and to work a section of bank or wade up a creek, I tend to pack light, and I carry only stuff I can put in a backpack or clip to a loop. With less total weight and nothing I need to set down and pick back up, I’m far freer to walk more steps to find the best fishing experience!

Chattahoochee Bass

Never heard of a Chattahoochee bass? Here are a few things I’ve learned about these pretty little river bass.

Last weekend I managed to catch a couple of Chattahoochee bass, and one was large enough that I will be able to add it to my 2026 Georgia Bass Slam qualifying fish.

If you’ve never heard of a Chattahoochee bass, you’re far from alone. Their range is limited to upland streams in the Chattahoochee River watershed, and biologists have only recognized them as a distinctive black bass species for a little more than a decade.

I only became aware of the Chattahoochee bass’ existence five or six years ago, and I didn’t catch my first one until last summer. In fact, although the river stretch that produced my first Chattahoochee bass last year is less than a half hour from my house and on public land, I’d never tried fishing there prior to last year.

Beautiful Little Bass

Chattahoochee bass don’t grow very large. One that hits the 8-inch minimum for the Georgia Bass Slam qualification is a quality fish. They are among the prettiest of the black bass species, though, with distinctive side makings and brilliant orange margins on the tail and fins that really set them apart from other kinds of bass.

Like a few other upland bass species that are found in North Georgia, the Chattahoochee bass face significant challenges, both from loss of habitat and from other bass species — especially non-native bass — which often outcompete Chattahoochee bass within their native range, along with cross-breeding and taking away the genetic integrity.

Chattahoochee bass are currently only found well up the Chattahoochee and Chestatee rivers and in tributaries that offer good rocky habitat and are on the small side to be of as much interest to larger shoal bass, spotted bass and Alabama bass.

They also get crunched from the top end because if you go very far up the same streams, the water stays too cool most of the year, and they must compete with rainbow and brown trout for habitat and food.

For now, some in-between waters exist where Chattahoochee bass can still be caught. I’m glad I’m familiar with them now because they are a lot of fun to catch! I’m thankful that the Georgia Bass Slam has prompted me to learn about other black bass species and discover different waters.

Practice Stealth for Better Summer Trout Fishing

An easily controllable aspect of your trout fishing approach that can help you catch more fish.

“The fly you use doesn’t much matter,” an old timer responded when I asked about the best flies for a wild trout river he regularly fished. “More important is that the trout sees your fly before it sees you.”

Talking more, I realized “before it sees you” implied “before the trout senses your presence in any way.” He also assumed a natural, drag-free drift. The crux was that while wild Appalachian trout tend to be very opportunistic about meal opportunities, they also spook very easily, and stream stealth often is more important than matching any kind of hatch.

Of course the virtue of stream stealth doesn’t only apply to fly fishing — nor does it only apply to wild Appalachian trout. Adding a bit of sneakiness to your approach will improve your odds of success in most stream trout fishing situations, and that becomes even truer during mid-summer, when creeks and rivers tend to run low and clear.

As much as many trout fishermen love putting those waders to use and getting out in the middle of the stream, if you watch veteran anglers you’ll notice they stay along the edges and even out of the water as much as possible. And for small streams and slick pools, especially, they’ll commonly position themselves well back from the water’s edge.

Stealth doesn’t mean going in full stalking mode — not necessarily, anyway. It’s simply means things like staying back a little, avoiding splashing and moving too abruptly, using natural features for concealment, working from downstream of fish when possible, and dressing in natural tones.

The degree of stealth needed depends on many factors, including whether fish are stocked or wild, the amount of fishing pressure, the color of the water and the size and character of the streams. No matter those answers, added stealth never hurts, and it’s an easily controllable thing that can help you catch more trout.

The Bridge

A little footbridge in Clearwater, Florida helped shape me as an angler.

The bridge spanned Allen Creek about a quarter mile from the home I grew up in and was just wide enough for two-way bike or pedestrian traffic. I spent hundreds of hours either on the bridge or standing on a little grassy spot beside it where I was permitted to fish.

Within view of Imperial Park, the neighborhood I grew up in, and Oak Grove Middle School, the bridge provided a safe place for a very small angler to walk to and fish. Sometimes I went with buddies. Occasionally with my brother, although fishing never has had the same appeal to him. Usually I’d fish alone, often standing in the same spot for hours.

I seldom fished for a specific species. Whatever would bite suited me. Usually I caught golden shiners and bluegill. Occasionally, a largemouth bass or something else.

My most common tackle selection was quite complex: a package of long-shank No. 16 hooks, some split shot and a few little round bobbers. For bait, I’d carry about three slices of white bread, kept in a sandwich bag so it wouldn’t dry out and could be made into nice little balls.

Often I didn’t use the shot or bobbers. I’d just put a tiny bread ball on the point of my hook, drop it straight down and watch carefully as it slowly sank into the dark but clear water. Little fish would bat it back and forth. When it disappeared, I knew to set the hook.

Of course, over the years, I tried fishing with various lures I would come across, and at times I would trap minnows or dig worms.

Occasionally, I’d bring a second, slightly bigger rod with a No. 1 or 2 hook tied on, and if I caught a small shiner, I would rehook it and try to catch a bass. I can still envision bass darting out from under the hyacinths and opening their big mouths to engulf my shiner!

Because of the overhead vantage, I learned a tremendous amount about fish movements and behavior and how they used various habitats, and I suspect fishing from the bridge did more than I can fully understand to shape my fishing preferences toward simple gear, a multi-species approach and, of course, Fishing on Foot.

Simple Rig for Saltwater Shore-Fishing Success

A popping cork matched with a soft plastic minnow or shrimp imitation is the closest thing there is to a cheat code for shore fishing or wade fishing on the coast.

If I could pick only one rig for inshore saltwater fishing with artificial lures, my clear choice would be a rattling popping cork matched with a soft-plastic minnow imitation on a jighead. Whether I’m wading in the surf, walking a seawall, standing on riprap beneath a bridge or fishing from a pier, this rig is tough to top for catching redfish, speckled trout, flounder and more.

I frequently tie on a popping cork first for exploring coastal waters, and it’s always high on my recommendations list when friends are heading to the beach and want to know what types of lures to use.

Popping Cork Rig

My preferred rig is simple and consists of a Bomber Paradise Popper X-Treme, 2 or 3 feet of leader, and a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jighead matched with a YUM Pulse or YUM Scottsboro Swimbait. If shrimp are extra prevalent, I might instead use a YUM Spine Craw, which is an excellent shrimp imitation.

The Paradise Popper comes in oval and popping shapes, and I almost always choose the popping version. Some anglers favor the subtlety of the oval and rely on built-in rattles to do the fish attracting.

To rig, tie on the rigged jighead first and then cut the line a few feet above the jig to form your leader. The Paradise Popper comes with swivels at both ends. Orient the popping face toward the main line and tie that end to your main line and the other to your leader.

Popping Cork Fishing

The popping cork offers the same simplicity as bobber fishing in a pond. It provides weight for easy casting, keeps an enticing bait suspended in a key zone, and makes it obvious when a fish bites by darting under. As importantly, a Paradise Popper attracts fish.

Popping the cork attracts feeding fish in the same way a topwater lure does. The splash suggests the sounds of another predator fish feeding, and gamefish come to investigate. The Paradise Popper is also equipped with rattles that engage with each snap of the rod tip, and the rattling sound also helps attract fish and trigger strikes.

When fish investigate the sound, they find what looks like an easy meal just waiting to be enjoyed. Many fish that would not quite commit to striking a topwater lure cannot resist nabbing a vulnerable-looking soft plastic offering.

Fishing this rig is wonderfully simple. Cast, allow the rig to settle for a few seconds and then work it by alternating rod sweeps that make the popper pop and pauses and watch for the cork to dart under or begin moving swiftly sideways.

Experiment with the sharpness and length of your rod movements and with your cadence. Some days plenty of pops and only short pauses work best. Other days you only want to pop the rig occasionally, and most fish will bite when only the wave action is moving the lure.

Usually it’s, somewhere in between. Pay attention, and the fish will let you know!