A CHARTER ACCOUNT

CAPTAIN HOUGH: INSHORE LEGEND, MASTER CHEF, & PHILANTRHOPIST

It’s 6:30 AM and we’re standing on the docks of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, SC straining to see through the morning darkness.

Cutting through the stillness of the water, the sound of a boat can be heard approaching in the distance. As the boat nears closer, the sound of Journey’s “Faithfully” grows louder until a silhouette pulls up on the dock around our group. Captain Jamie Hough, a legend on these waters, quickly ties up and prepares the boat for the adventure ahead. Jamie has fished off the same boat for 19 years, guiding anglers to glorious redfish inshore in South Carolina to trophy tarpon expeditions off the Florida Keys. But today, it’s all about the hammer trout.

FOLLOW THE GREEN LIGHT

As we climb aboard, the water is calm and the sun still has not risen. Captain Jamie hits the throttle and steers us outside of the creek where the only lights breaking through the early morning haze are those of other dedicated nearby shrimpers. Each glow of green light signifies a location where nets are being dropped into deep holes.

“We’re going deep holing for shrimp”, Captain Jamie says and continues to explain the deep holing technique. “Shrimp don’t like the light, and they move into shallower waters in the dark, swimming with the wind.” It’s a delicate process but these boats have it down to a science. After dropping a couple nets for a small haul of shrimp, Jamie revs the boat and we head out, speeding past sandbars littered with white pelicans and through the marsh.

Captain Jamie’s boat is cutting through the water at extremely high speeds as he goes on to mention the importance of being first to the hot spots and why it’s not always worth loading up with bait if it means being second to a fishing location. “It’s all about respect on the water – respect for the fish, respect for the sport, and respect for other anglers on the water so as not to encroach on where they’re anchored.”

SCOUT THE TROUT

Now that we have staked our claim and anchored, the water temperature hovers around 65 degrees – the perfect condition for trout fishing. Jamie explains the secrets of scouting trout and their behaviors: they love clean, moving water, and they stay away from murky water where predators like the bottlenose dolphin lurk. He positions the boat to angle us along the shore and shallow waters where oyster beds create a perfect feeding ground for hammer trout. “You’ve gotta look for them hitting the top of the water in the points where the current is breaking because they like to hang out on the shelves” he says, pointing out small ripples where trout are starting to gather around baitfish.

He hands us all a Battle III & Battle IV set-up rigged with a Berkley Jig Head and some gulp bait from his trusty “goodie bag,” which is just a see-through gallon Ziplock bag stuffed with soft baits of every shape and color. Jamie demonstrates the slow jig technique, keeping the bait in the water long enough to attract the trout and create the action on the tail of the bait without rushing.

After a few casts without any luck, we start seeing the trout break on the surface a little outside our casting reach. With a quick look to Captain Jamie from our crew, he tells us that it’s not worth wasting your day chasing the fish up and down the shore and they’ll come our way with a little patience – he was spot on.

CAPTAIN'S CHOICE

Jamie’s choice of fishing gear is just as legendary as his fishing skills and precision. Today, he’s using the PENN Battle IV reels and combos, with Fenwick Eagle Rods for when heightened sensitivity is required. For his line preference, Captain Jamie leverages either fluorocarbon or braid Spiderwire to ensure the trout make it to the boat.

“I didn’t think they could make the Battle III any better,” he notes in reference to the Battle IV, “and if you’re casting 2,500 times a day, you really want a reel that can keep up.” Jamie continues to note how he would use the same set-up for hunting down 30–35-inch redfish as well - the species his company targets 9 months out of the year.

This setup is ideal, he explains, for feeling even the smallest nibbles from pinfish, which can strip your bait without you noticing. In a lot of cases, the pinfish, because of their small mouths, will just tug your softbait down on the jighead – an issue that Jamie refers to as “being caught with your pants down” and will deter the trout from striking.

THRILLS & GILLS: BATTLING TROUT WITH A HUNGRY SHARK IN PURSUIT

With the rigs ready to go and the right equipment in hand, we get on top of them in no time - fighting them 3 at a time trying not to cross lines!

The bite is thrilling, and the fight is fun, but it’s made even more exciting as a spinner shark starts catching onto our success and uses the opportunity to feed on our trout. From this point on, it’s a race to the boat – one we lost a few times pulling in only the heads of the fish hooked. The shark took this pursuit personally and even rammed the motor in one electrifying moment.

The fish continue to bite and our group pulls in everything from trout, to bluefish, to weakfish, to reds. The boat well is overflowing and we close the day with 38 hammer trout, keeping 20 for the hot grease.

Jamie continued this hot streak in the following days with full stringers – 7 redfish, 3 flounder, and 92 trout in just 3 days! Needless to say, this will not be our last outing with Captain Jamie Hough.

A MASTER CHEF & POWERFUL PHILANTHROPIST

When he’s not on the water, Captain Jamie is a master chef, cooking up southern classic for celebrities like shrimp and grits and his famous fish dip. He even hosts food lectures, sharing his expertise on everything from preparation techniques to perfecting traditional Lowcountry dishes.

In fact, Captain Jamie has been absent from the water – much to all the trout's delight – after the events of Hurricane Helene, working with his nonprofit. Through Southeast Rescue and Relief, Captain Jamie took his food trailer to North Carolina with a 25-foot smoker and prepared 3,000 meals in 4 days to provide relief to those affected. Additionally, he brought along 275 gallons of water tanks, 3000 gallons of fuel, 6000 lbs of canned goods, and donated roughly $20,000 worth of donated items including tents, heaters, generators, winter coats, flashlights, batters, and much more to the cause.

A big thank you to PENN Captain, Jamie Hough for an absolutely amazing day on the water, a story to be told, and a freezer full of trout. Scroll down to book your adventure with Captain Hough today. ↓↓↓

FISH LIKE THE PROS

CAPTAIN JAMIE's CHOICE GEAR

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