Birds-eye view of giant redfish school in South Carolina is eye-opener

HILTON HEAD, S.C. — On a late January evening, hundreds of redfish clustered into a sliver of shallow green water in tidal waters a stone’s throw from the bridge between Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, surrounded by a sea of pluff mud at low tide.

Redfish often school in tight quarters like this in winter months across the Lowcountry, riding it out until high tide. It’s an ancient survival technique to avoid hungry dolphins.

But this time, drone pilot Jason All was there to document the massive school of redfish — and an equally compelling panorama of the veiny Lowcountry mudflats at low tide — from a birds-eye view.

The tiny aircraft he controlled hovered 100 feet above the mob of redfish mingling in just 10 to 14 inches of water. All, a Bluffton man who grew up catching the popular sportfish around Beaufort, watched in awe as the trapped throng slowly swayed. “They’re not going anywhere,” he thought.

All, of Bluffton, later shared the images on social media.

“Somewhere in Beaufort county, many many low tides ago, 200+ redfish trapped in a hole,” All wrote in his social media post. “My love and appreciation for our marshes/waterways grows more and more seeing views like this. Seeing these majestic fish in their habitat is a thing of beauty and grateful to have the opportunity to share what I see with others.”

All’s drone footage of wildlife that lives on the edge of South Carolina, which he frequently shares on TikTok, Instagram or Facebrook, is bringing a fresh angle to scores of venerable scenes of Lowcountry landscapes and wildlife that locals can come to take for granted.

The work documenting the redfish schooling behavior comes at a time when the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources says redfish numbers are on the decline, with the size of schools in some areas markedly shrinking.

From the air, All’s drones have captured dolphins herding mullet, rushing the shore and hoisting their bodies onto the mudflats to feed. He’s filmed pelicans, all beaks and wings, perched on large dock pilings. Bald eagles. Orange sunsets. Shrimp boats. He’s shot it.

But his real passion is documenting redfish as they do their thing in the shallow waters of marsh country.

“The redfish are the easier thing to see from the air from a drone and also, as a fisherman, that’s one of my favorite fish to catch,” All said.

Redfish are one of the state’s most prized sportfish. A big reason for the popularity is the fish’s habit of cruising through shallow waters, which allows anglers to “sight fish,” adding excitement to the hunt. Distinctive black spots on at the base of their tail fins add to their allure.

But All uses drones to document the unusual and fascinating movement of redfish, not to catch them.

Also known as red drum or spottail bass, redfish travel in smaller numbers for much of the year.

But during the winter, as the temperatures drop, they form massive, tight schools that can reach the hundreds in creeks and mudflats. It’s a way to stay warm — and survive predators like dolphins, which often target subadult redfish, the SCDNR says. But they’re forced to leave the youngsters alone at low tide when they are in the shallow water reefs. When the tide returns, the redfish move into the flooded marsh, where dolphins also can’t reach them.

All, who was born in Beaufort and spent a lot of time fishing and exploring in the Lands End area of St. Helena Island, knew redfish schooled up. He’d seen it from a boat. But when he began flying drones and saw congregating redfish from the air for the first time, he was shocked by the numbers.

“It’s like, ‘Wow,’ ” he said. “It’s pretty cool.” He also thought, “I have to share it.”

The licensed drone pilot gets shots of popular native fish from above as they swim through the creeks and rivers, such as trout and sheepshead and posts under “Southwest Winds” every few days on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. He often films in the Intracoastal Waterway in the Bluffton area, including the May River.

The scenes from the Lowcountry are beautiful, he says, and positive additions to an internet fraught with division.

“If I can add to some kind of positivity,” All says, “that’s where I’m coming from.”

Wood building was All’s first passion. He started a woodworking company when he was 22. Today, at 46, the licensed homebuilder is a subcontractor who works on boujee houses across Hilton Head and Bluffton.

In March of 2025, his techie brother-in-law suggested he buy a tiny drone and another passion took off. First, All bought one drone, then another and then another. Today, with 14, he admits, he has “a drone problem.” But he has no regrets. The scenes he’s been able to capture from the sky have given him a new appreciation of where he lives. He hopes others find that in the footage as well.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” All says, “until I started flying drones.”