Fly fishing in the Lowcountry exploding in popularity | South Eastern Wildlife Expo | postandcourier.com - Charleston Post Courier

Not too many years ago, it was a rarity to see someone fly fishing on the creeks and rivers of the Lowcountry. Today, the thrill of targeting red drum — also known as redfish, channel bass and spot-tail bass — lures anglers of all ages with fly rods to the area's bountiful salt marshes.

The popularity of fly fishing has mirrored the population growth along the South Carolina coast, which has exploded in recent years.

"Fly fishing is a different way of experiencing fishing," said Dani Billings, store manager for Orvis of Charleston and a Lowcountry native. "It's the tranquility and being alone with nature, a fun and relaxing sport."

David Hance, fishing manager for the local Orvis store, will be leading fly casting demonstrations at Brittlebank Park during the 2022 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. Capt. Cleve Hancock/Browndog Sportfishing/Provided 

David Hance, the fishing manager for the local Orvis store, said he learned about fly fishing when he was a youngster, watching and listening to his father, who would make annual trips to the Bahamas to fish for bonefish.

"I got a youth fly rod when I was 10 or 11 years old and started learning to fly fish on ponds, fishing for bream or bass. That was the introduction for me," said Hance, who will be leading fly casting demonstrations for Orvis at Brittlebank Park during the 2022 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.

Hance said as a teen he and his buddies would cast for redfish during the summer flood tides. He also began to fly fish for trout in the mountains during his college years at Clemson.

"The fact that Orvis has a store (in Charleston) is a testament to how the sport has grown here. I can tell you from personal experience that 10 years ago you could go up the Wando River or the Intracoastal Waterway and you wouldn't have any other boats around. Now when I go up there, unless I get off work early, there are already boats on all those flats."

The vast salt marshes of the Lowcountry are prime spots to fly cast for redfish. David Hance/Provided

Hance said that while chasing reds during the summer can't be beat, winter fly fishing for redfish is often overlooked. The reds school up during the winter months and you can often find large schools in shallow creeks or flats.

"It's a totally different kind of fishing. You change your tactics and really focus your efforts around low tide. It's the most productive time to fish in winter," Hance said.

Second behind redfish in terms of Lowcountry popularity would be the spotted seatrout, which can be taken year-round fly casting. It's not the classic sight casting where you see the fish and throw to it, Hance said, but trout are fun to catch during the fall and winter months when they are receptive to topwater baits.

"We have a pretty diverse fishery here in the Lowcountry. While redfish occupy our brains the majority of the time, other species you can get after with a fly rod that are a lot of fun include flounder, black drum and sheepshead. It's not as classic as sight-casting, but it's a blast," Hance said.

Other opportunities during the summer months are jack crevalle and Spanish mackerel in the harbor. Some Lowcountry anglers target tarpon when the big fish make their late summer visit to local waters.

Hance said fly fishermen also can target largemouth bass and bream in neighborhood or farm ponds, and there is excellent freshwater fishing in various lakes throughout Francis Marion National Forest.

Hance said one of the barriers to entry into the sport of fly fishing is the mystique, something he and the Orvis staff try to overcome with free Fly Fishing 101 classes, an abbreviated version that will be on display during the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.

David Hance, fishing manager for the local Orvis store, hooks a redfish while fly fishing in a Lowcountry river. Brett McDonald/Provided 

"It's the impression a lot of people have, that it's super expensive and a super hard kind of thing to do. Our Fly Fishing 101 is an introductory crash course into the fundamentals. We try to make it fun and interesting. We boil it down to basics, how does the cast work, and how does it compare to a conventional rod and reel," Hance said.

"It's a common misconception that it's very challenging and very expensive. You can do it in a budget-friendly way. You don't have to be throwing a 90-foot perfect cast to catch fish. While it's beautiful and pretty, fly casting is something you never perfect.

"Your whole life you are working on your cast. I compare it to a golf swing. Golfers are always working on their swing, never satisfied. We try to get more people out on the water. The more people care about this sport we love, the more people are going to protect the environment we do it in."