Down in Charleston, where tidal creeks weave through the marsh and redfish push across the flats on every flood tide, you’ll find Matt Fitts exactly where he’s always belonged — on the water, rod in hand, ready for whatever comes next.
By day he’s an electrician. By nature, he’s a fly fisherman. And there’s a difference between those two things — one is what he does, the other is who he is.
“I always have and always will — it’s just a part of me that was instilled in me at such a young age.”
From a Boogie Board to the Bow
Matt’s first fishing memory doesn’t start with a rod. It starts at age three — his dad walking Charleston flats and sight-casting for redfish, while Matt got pulled along on a boogie board behind him.
Most kids that age are in the backyard. Matt was already learning to read water.
At 14, it all clicked. His first redfish on fly. A moment more than a decade in the making — and one that never really left him.
The Next Adventure
When asked what keeps him coming back — the catch, the chase, the process, or the people — Matt’s answer is bigger than all of them:
“The endless need to experience the next adventure. Whether there is a fish caught or just a good evening on the skiff with the people that matter the most.”
It was never just about the fish. It’s about what happens when you put the right people on moving water and let the rest take care of itself.
What the Water Teaches
“Patience will get you farther in life and in fishing than impulsivity.”
Simple. Hard-earned. The kind of lesson that only sticks after you’ve blown enough shots at tailing fish to know it’s true.
On protecting the fishery, he doesn’t mince words:
"Close the slot for redfish for two years."
Bold. Direct. The long game over the short one.
What’s Still Out There
There are too many fish on the list to name — but one sits above the rest.
"Permit on fly."
The fish that humbles everyone eventually. And if he could go anywhere tomorrow?
"Australia."
Until then, you’ll find him somewhere on the Charleston marsh, living by a truth the water handed him a long time ago:
“Not every trip will lead to a caught fish, but every trip will teach you something.”
Fishing wasn’t something Matt chose. It got handed down on a boogie board at age three, confirmed on a fly rod at fourteen, and carried forward ever since.
We’re proud to call Matt a friend and thrilled to feature him in After Work Featured.
Sean Nguyen (@vin_nguyen)