Unashamed Adventures

Southern Redfish Cup Charleston

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 02:21:10 +0000

Southern Redfish Cup Charleston

Captain Stephen Flook
December 14, 2022

What's Crackalacking Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen Here With Another Fishing Report.

It’s been a solid week and great start to Christmas for us on the water. Last week my dad and I fished the Southern Redfish Cup Charleston tournament. It was a great event and we did well. I spent a few days fishing down around Isle of Palms searching for new schools of redfish and was very successful. That said, in the tournament we ran back up to McClellanville so we could fish my comfort zone. We had our 3 fish limit by 7:36am and then went sight fishing the rest of the day. When the tide started coming in, we worked a large school of fish in a foot of water and caught a lot of fish. We were able to upgrade one of our fish to a 23” perfect fish and get rid of one of the small ones. We stayed and fished that school for more than an hour and after catching a handful of fish that were too big we decided to move. With only an hour and a half left of fishing time, we made a quick stop at an old spot of mine and on the 2nd or 3rd cast had another perfect 23” fish and was able to cull out another small fish. When you hook up a good tournament fish with only a little bit of time remaining the pressure is on and when we got that fish to net we were relieved. After catching a few fish that were just a hair over the 23” line, we ran to one last spot but weren’t able to upgrade our last fish. With an hour run back to the ramp we cut it close and made it back with just 3 minutes to spare. It was one of my most memorable days with my dad on the water. We caught all of our fish on the Zman TRD Ned rig in the mud minnow color rigged on an Eye Strike Texas Eye Finesse jighead. We were casting these baits on 8lb braid and 7 1/2ft medium light rods. With a setup like that, shallow water redfish don’t stand a chance.

Sunday to now the fishing has been solid. The water temperatures have been around 59-63 degrees and we have a cold front finally coming in today. The redfish bite has been good as well as the trout bite, and I expect the trout bite to pick up every time we have a cold front.

For trout I like high water-the top of incoming and top of outgoing, fishing oysters and structure along the intercoastal this time of year. Zmans, Mirrodines, Paul Browns, DOAs have all been catching good numbers of trout. We also have been doing well on the fly rod and with topwaters! Throw different colors until you figure out what they want.

This week we also got to fish with Richard and Lauren who we fished back in November. I love having them on the boat. They are so eager to improve and learn new techniques. We patiently worked a school of reds and were rewarded with some quality Lowcountry redfish on artificials-I love to coach and teach and help my clients improve their fishing skills! Our first trip our we worked with Lauren on casting a spinning rod and this time she put the hammer down on a 26” redfish on artificial. Solid work!

Good luck out there and Merry Christmas! If you need help Christmas shopping we offer gift certificates if you want to gift a trip to one of those hard to shop for family members!

Don’t forget to check out our weekly fishing report for McClellanville on the Salt Strong Insider Report-I drop some good info and you get a solid discount on tackle if you’re a member.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Stephen Flook Jr.

Unashamed Adventures offers exciting inshore fishing charters in Charleston, SC. Captain Stephen has been fishing his entire life and can’t wait to get you out on the water. If you’re looking for a great time fishing, look no further than Unashamed Adventures!

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Fly Fishing For Redfish In SC

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 14:53:06 +0000

Fly Fishing For Redfish In SC

Captain Stephen Flook
November 29, 2022

Hey Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen here with your weekly fishing report.

With the redfish keyed in on tiny shrimp and fry-sized baits this time of year, there is no better time than now to catch one of these beautiful fish on a fly rod.

As the days shorten and winter nears I like later morning and early afternoon low tides when looking for redfish. With lower tides later in the day, the water warms faster as the sun has time to hit the exposed mud flats. When water rises with the incoming tide, it warms quickly which makes for happier fish.

To locate schools of redfish, I like to idle near large shallow flats and look for schools of mullet, birds circling in the sky or birds feeding in shallow water. Shrimp jumping out of the water is a great clue that there are fish nearby.

Another method (my favorite) is to make your way to the very end of smaller tidal creeks. Small creeks with oyster bars in the mouth that you can barely get your boat over at low tide normally are the best ones. Go slow as fish can be lurking near oyster bars or depressions behind oyster bars in these creeks. Smaller Shallow drafting boats are best for these creek fishing operations. This is why I fish from an 18ft aluminum boat. Creek fishing is a great way to spend a windy day on the water as you generally are below the grass line which helps cut down the wind.

If you look down in the water and see muddy poofs, more than likely you spooked redfish.

An 8wt fly rod is a great choice for these adventures. A good quality line is crucial for good casts and some shrimp and crustacean imitations are great choices for flies. Being able to double haul your fly line while casting is a skill I highly recommend learning as it makes your fly fishing experience much smoother in windier conditions. Flip Pallot and Lefty Kreh have some great videos on YouTube instructing this technique.

These next couple of months are my favorite time to flyfish for redfish here in the lowcountry of South Carolina, get out on the water and go fishing!

Capt. Stephen Flook Jr

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Happy Thanksgiving – Winter Is Coming!

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 16:30:02 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving – Winter Is Coming!

Captain Stephen Flook
November 24, 2022

Hey Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen here with your weekly fishing report.

It looks like we are finally going to start getting the winter weather patterns I have been anxiously waiting for. Cold fronts are on the way and the fishing should settle in to a more stable pattern. Last week we had large tides and tons of wind that dirtied up the water. We still managed 25 fish on some tougher weather days. Whenever we found clean water, we got on the fish. When the water is stained, one of my go-to colors is the Zman Tater Salad MinnowZ smothered in procure scent. This bait covers 3 of the fish’s senses-sight, sound, and scent. The bright Chertruese tail not only draws attention but also provides vibration in the water. Procure scent helps those weary fish commit to the plastic.

The water temperature rose to around 60 degrees and is on its way back into the 50’s thankfully. With afternoon low tides coming, look for schools of redfish up shallow basquing over mud bottoms. Lighten up your braid to 6 or 8lb test so you can make long casts to these schools and keep them happy.

On higher water, look for a stellar trout bite. Clean moving water is the key for trout. A couple of days ago I fished around Isle of Palms and almost every creek mouth I casted my jig to I caught a trout on the falling tide. Expect that bite to continue through the end of the year.

In other news I am happy to announce I will be doing weekly reports for the Salt Strong Insider Club for the McClellanville region. Salt Strong produces high quality content through their mastery courses that I have taken and I highly recommend them to all anglers of all skill levels. They also make some very productive lures and colors including the Slam Shady color, one of my go-to colors. That said, poke over to their website and become a member. They provide so much value for the dollar.

Thanks again for checking out my reports and making it this far down the page-it’s 11:46pm and the alarm is set to go off at 4am so I better close this out. I couldn’t be more thankful to God to get to do what I’m doing.

See y’all soon.

Tight lines,

Capt. Stephen

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Isle of Palms Cruising & Fishing

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 14:57:50 +0000

Isle of Palms Cruising & Fishing

Captain Stephen Flook
November 3, 2022

Hey Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen here with your weekly fishing report.

The water temperatures between Isle of Palms and Georgetown SC have been in the upper 60’s this week and the fishing has been steady. I have been finding plenty of trout spread out along flats with oyster bars on rising water, and plenty of redfish and trout in the mouth of creeks on falling water.

I have pretty much made the switch to only throwing artificials as the fish have been keyed in on smaller fry-sized baits. So anything in the Zman Ned rig line up has been working well, including the EZ ShrimpZ. Paul Brown Soft Dines have been working great as well. Find some bait and you will find the fish this time of year.

The top water bite has been decent in the early morning and evening hours-any plug that resembles a finger mullet will get some exciting blow-ups!

In other news, we are expecting our 2nd child sometime in May of 2023 and my wife and son and I are really excited for the new addition.

Until next week,

Captain Stephen Flook

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JMT Creek Slam Tournament

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 17:19:00 +0000

JMT Creek Slam Tournament

Captain Stephen Flook
October 16, 2022

Hey Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen here with your weekly fishing report.

With the Fall cold front pattern starting to get more consistent, you can count on the bite to continue to be really good as the water temperature continues to fall.

As bait continues to be tougher to find, the artificial bite will continue to turn on. Recently I picked up some Paul Brown lures and the big trout have loved them. The first trip out with this new-to-me bait scored a thick 20” trout that we safely released.

We fished the JMT Creek Slam Tournament this past Saturday and did really well. We had our upper slot redfish in the boat before 8am, and had a 20” trout in the boat by 1pm. We went on the search for flounder for the rest of the day and were unsuccessful. Only 2 flounder were weighed in out of 65 boats. Regardless it was a great day and we ended up getting an envelope for our trout! The point system is a little confusing but I think we ended up finished in 5th overall.

Last week we missed our report as we have been on the water every day with our awesome clients! We have been hammering the fish averaging 15-20+ for our half day charters and 30 to over 50 fish on our 3/4 to full day trips. Now is the time to get on the water and experience fall fishing in the lowcountry!

With this strong cold front coming early this next week, get ready for a crazy trout bite! Any Zman MinnowZ, Jerk shadZ, or other profile rigged on an Eye Strike Fishing Swimbait Eye will catch fish! And always remember to release those big trout 20” and up as they are our breed stock! Check out Release Over 20” for more info on trout!

Until next week,

Tight lines,

Capt. Stephen Flook Jr.

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What We’re Seein’ After Hurricane Ian!

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 19:34:10 +0000

What We’re Seein’ After Hurricane Ian!

Captain Stephen Flook
October 4, 2022

Hey Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen here with your weekly fishing report.

Hurricane Ian brought the fall bite into full swing. We were fortunate that we escaped the path of the storm with no damage and our hearts and prayers go out to the people down in Southwest Florida.
After the storm passed Friday I got out on the water Saturday and the water temperature has been in the mid 60s. The trout bite has been off the chain on pretty much any Zman soft plastic swim bait. The red fish have really liked the new Zman Ned rig shrimps. I normally don’t like to talk numbers because fishing is not about catching numbers of fish but the experience you have in nature. That being said our half-day charters have averaged around 15-20 trout per trip and our full day charters have averaged anywhere from 20 to 50 fish.

That being said we only have one weekend left in October that isn’t booked and two weekends in November that aren’t booked and only a few weekdays left open so if you are planning to book a trip simply fill out the form on our website and I will be in contact with you to book your fishing experience of a lifetime!

Till next week,

Capt Stephen signing off!

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Trout Time With Captain Stephen!

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 17:40:02 +0000

Trout Time With Captain Stephen!

Captain Stephen Flook
September 27, 2022

Hey Fishing Fam! Captain Stephen here with your weekly fishing report.

With these gorgeous fronts that are pushing through the trout bite has been starting to fire off on artificial‘s. I recommend using anywhere from an 1/8th ounce Eyestrike Trout Eye Jighead up to a 1/4 ounce jighead and I have been catching fish on almost any color of Zman including Rootbeer Minnowz with a chartreuse tail, Fried Chicken EZ ShrimpZ and 5 inch Slam Shady paddlers.

The water temperature has been 74 to 75° for the past few days which has fish in a feeding mood. The redfish have been chewing well at low tide on the Zman Kicker CrabZ in the red bone color and the live mullet bite has been on fire. There have been lots of mullet schools around and when I’m fishing live mullet I like to use three different rigs. I like to have one on a bottom rig even if I’m in shallow water. I also like to have one under a cork suspended and I also like to have one free lined. A pro tip that I like to do is to trim the tail of the mullet which makes it distressed which is a flashing siren to the game fish.

Get out and go fishing!

Till next week,

Captain Stephen

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Here Comes The Fall Season!

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 15:08:16 +0000

Here Comes The Fall Season!

Captain Stephen Flook
September 18, 2022

Here Comes The Fall!

There’s a chill in the air when you step out of the truck to launch the boat. Schools of mullet push wakes across the flats as the sun creeps off of the horizon, and the fish are going nuts! The water temperature dropped to 76 degrees this past week and the fall bite turned on! Redfish have been binge eating finger mullet like they are going out of style! I like to fish them tail hooked on an Eyestrike Jighead under a popping cork, or free-lined with a 4/0 Owner Circle hook. The artificial bite for redfish has been getting fired up too on the new ZMan Kicker CrabZ rigged on an Eyestrike Swimbait Eye for more open water or a Texas Eye for fishing around oyster bars. Smother it and Cover it with Pro Cure like a Waffle House Breakfast for an extra bite. The trout finally fired off for us on Saturday, catching 20 fish on Zman Minnowz in the Slam Shady color.

Focus On Catching Good Quality Bait To Have More Successful Trips

To catch finger mullet, idle around or use the trolling motor on the flats and creeks and look for v wakes. Low tide is the best, as the finger mullet will be out of the grass. Normally you will see one jump occasionally. Get the largest cast net you can comfortably throw well (I prefer a 10ft 3/8” mesh Calusa to cover the most water but an 8fter will get the job done.) and throw right on top of the v wakes. The fish have been hitting finger mullet anywhere from 3 inches to 6 inches, the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish! It is very important to let the fish take the bait for a handful of seconds as it is a lot of bait to eat. If you rush the process and try and reel or set the hook too quickly the fish won’t have the mullet in their mouth all of the way and you will lose the fish. If you do miss a fish, bring your bait back in and put a fresh mullet on. Also, remember not to overfill your live well with bait. Fresh healthy bait catches more fish than sad, beat-up bait does. Less bait in the livewell equals more oxygen for each bait.

I hope this report and tips help you catch more fish this fall!

Capt. Stephen

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Summer Is Coming!

unashamedadventures@gmail.com — Mon, 16 May 2022 20:52:00 +0000

Summer Is Coming!

Captain Stephen Flook
May 16, 2022

Another great week here at Unashamed Adventures is in the books!

Monday May 16, 2022 we had Troy and Koby out from South Dakota and got them on their first redfish!

This week we caught most of our redfish on live menhaden under a cork and some Zman EZ Shrimpz in a variety of colors.

Tuesday and Wednesday we found our first big school of bull reds, averaged 4-6 fish per day in the 40” class range, all on live menhaden on bottom rigs. tide didn’t seem to matter much!

my wife Morgan and me with her biggest redfish ever at 43” caught May 18, 2022.

The sharks are back thick in deeper creek holes-drop some cut bait down and hang on!

Friday we had return client Chris and his wife out for a half day-with the strong winds we stayed back in the creeks and found a wad of quality reds up to 29” around oyster bars-all caught on live menhaden under a cork-

Chris and his wife Sheila with a quality redfish caught on Friday May 20, 2022 with Capt. Stephen.

Water temps are at 79-81 degrees and the fish know it! This is an exciting time of year to be on the water so get out on the water and keep the rods bent!

till next week,

Capt. Stephen

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