July 28

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are in the upper 80s. The creeks are loaded with finger mullet, mud minnows, and menhaden, while shrimp are a little harder to find. 

It has been a surprisingly good bite around Beaufort recently, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that they have been catching a good assortment of redfish on each trip ranging from about 10-30 inches. But the really impressive thing has been the trout bite, and they are finding tons of small trout as well as the occasional bigger fish up to 18 or 20 inches. 

Both species are mixed together in the medium-sized creeks, and they are catching them best on the outgoing tide where a hard bank drops off onto ledges. The presence of trees and oysters certainly helps. They will take mud minnows, live finger mullet, and an assortment of soft plastics including Gulp! jerk shad in greyish white, Bass Assassin plastics, and more. 

It's really exciting fishing, because catching frisky trout is punctuated by the deeper bend of a bigger trout or even a drag-ripping redfish. 

They have also picked up a few acrobatic ladyfish on topwater lures. 

The Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that they are catching small trout and flounder as well as plenty of whiting off the pier this week. They are also picking up a few blue crabs in traps. 

July 20

Morning surface water temperatures in Fripp Inlet are in the mid-80s.

The Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that they are catching whiting, blacktip sharks and sheepshead off the pier. There are also a good number of red drum being picked up, but almost all of them are young-of-the-year fish that are well under the legal limit. Blue crabs are also being caught as well as one unlucky horseshoe crab this week!

July 13

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are in the mid-80s in the deeper sections of creeks and even hotter in shallow water. The creeks are loaded with finger mullet and menhaden and there are some shrimp around the oysters. The water is dirty. 

Back from guiding in Belize, Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that it’s been unbelievably hot but the redfish don’t seem to mind at high tide. He has been catching fish tailing in 91-92 degree water, and with the fiddler crabs out and moving about and the redfish finally well into summer patterns the action has been really good. 

At lower tides visibility is really tough for sight-fishing for redfish, and Tuck does not expect that to change anytime soon with algae holding whatever mud is in the water column up. As a result they are relying on dark (black, navy, purple) flies and artificials. The bite is also noticeably better in deeper water, such as creeks with at least four or five feet of water with some flow and where smaller creeks empty in. Cooler, cleaner water is also always better.

Tuck also notes that trolling ¼ ounce jigheads in 4-5 feet of water they are picking up a few reds and trout in the creeks. If it’s trout keep working the same area because there should be more. 

While his boat hasn’t gotten on many trout, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that they are also picking up some redfish on similar patterns and they are also getting flounder. The action seems to be better on the incoming tide, when they are coming up on mud flats and pinned up against oyster beds. Live finger mullet, mud minnows and jerk shad on a jighead are all working. 

They are also picking up a few sheepshead on fiddler crabs around docks. Even though the docks are relatively shallow they are right off the main channel, and Pat notes that you should keep fishing even if you get small ones are first. A variety of different sizes will all be grouped together. 

As for migratory species Tuck points out that tripletail, the tail end of the cobia, and tarpon are all around, and Pat reminds anglers that sharks can be a lot of fun when you want to get your line pulled. His boat has tussled with some bulls recently. 

June 29

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are in the lower 80s and the creeks are loaded with finger mullet and menhaden. Bait-sized shrimp are a little harder to find.   

Recently Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that they have had excellent success on the incoming tide, but today they discovered that the falling tide is just as good right now. Fish are feeding extremely well, and it seems that as long as fish can’t get way up in the grass they are easy to locate. 

In particular there are a surprising number of trout around in the creeks, and even without shrimp they are biting very well. Many of them were keepers and even the ones that weren’t were between 12 and 13 ¾ inches. Mud minnows and even Gulp! jerk shad are working very well. 

A variety of sizes of redfish are also around in the creeks, and they caught fish from 12 inches to 34 inches today. They also ate mud minnows as well as the pearl white swimbait. Ladyfish are also prolific including some big ones. 

Finally, in addition to lots of small sharks they caught flounder on some particular mud banks that also featured a lot of shells. The flounder bite does seem to be better on the incoming tide.

Sheepshead should still be around docks if you have fiddler crabs but Pat has not targeted them recently. 

Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) is back from Belize and will be reporting after the holiday week. 

June 22

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are in the upper 70s. 

Despite unfavorable weather they have been able to get in most of their trips this week, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that the fish have been fairly cooperative. In particular the action for redfish has been really good, and they have found fish from 15-30 inches on the low incoming tide around deep holes and downed trees back in the creeks. Mud minnows on a 3/8 ounce jighead have been particularly effective, and they are also picking up some small flounder in the same areas with the same bait.  

Floating mud minnows under a cork in the creeks they have found a mixed bag of species, including small trout, sharks, and ladyfish. You will catch even more trout and ladyfish when you can get your hands on live shrimp, and a couple of days ago with shrimp they caught fish around oyster bars and current rips on the rising tide. 

There are also plenty of croaker and whiting which can be caught on the bottom in the creeks with shrimp, and you if you put out some juicy cut bait like bonito you should be able to catch sharks. A 3-foot bull shark provided excitement this week.

While they don’t do it on every trip the sheepshead pattern remains unchanged, and at lower stages of the tide they can be caught with fiddler crabs on docks with 5-6 feet of water. When the tide is higher they are doing better around fallen trees covered in barnacles. Fiddler crabs are available at Tight Lines on Harbor Island, or you can catch your own.

Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) will be guiding in Belize through June 28. 

June 15

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are in the upper 70s. 

There’s a bit of everything going on around Beaufort right now, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that it’s a good time for running the creeks and targeting a mixed bag including redfish, trout and flounder. There are also bluefish and ladyfish scattered about, providing plenty of action. The basic pattern is floating baits under popping corks along grass lines and around oyster bars. 

Interestingly, even though bait-sized finger mullet have just started showing up everything is showing a clear preference for mud minnows. Captain Pat is also finding much better action on the low to rising tide than the high, falling tide. 

There are also a couple of more specialized fisheries that can produce, and in any of the inlets off the ocean both whiting and sharks are stacked up. You can put a couple of rods out with small pieces of shrimp for whiting while you wait for sharks to eat cut ladyfish out the back of the boat. 

Another great option is to fish for sheepshead with fiddler crabs, and even though the bite has dropped off a little in the heat fish can still be caught at lower stages of the tide on docks with 5-6 feet. When the tide is higher they are doing better around fallen trees covered in barnacles. Fiddler crabs are available at Tight Lines on Harbor Island, or you can catch your own.

Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) will be guiding in Belize through June 28. 

June 8

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are about 73 degrees and clarity varies.

Because of cool water temperatures the redfish are still acting a lot like it’s springtime, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that they are podded up tighter than usual at low tide and he is watching them swim around live shrimp as if they want nothing to do with them. With the transition to “hot” not having happened yet, and without a lot of sun to help them metabolize food, there just isn’t a lot of pressure on the fish to feed.

The one exception is that the flood tide has been pretty correct according to season, and there have been a lot of fish up in the grass. However, even then less of them are tailing and more are cruising than usual and so it’s been harder to get shots at the fish. It will get better but it’s just not there yet.

Overall crab patterns on the fly, sections of crab, and cut mullet are out-fishing other baits. 

At the same time the trout fishing has been pretty good, and in 3-5 feet of water they are catching them in turbulent water trolling or casting along the edges with ¼ ounce jigheads and paddletail grubs. Live shrimp under popping corks have also been really good. 

Cobia are still around but without a lot of sun they aren’t swimming as high in the water column and are harder to spot, and it’s still too cool for tripletail. For more about cobia check out the Hilton Head reports. 

Although the fish are still around the sheepshead fishing has dropped off a little this week, but Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that on lower stages of the tide docks with 5-6 feet of water are still working.  When the tide is higher they are doing better around fallen trees covered in barnacles. Fiddler crabs (available at Tight Lines on Harbor Island) are the best bait.

On the flood tide they have found a smorgasbord of species fishing mud minnows under popping corks along grass lines, including trout, ladyfish, bluefish and more. The better redfish action has come fishing shallow holes surrounded by shallow water for reds on the low to incoming. They have also picked up some sporadic small flounder.

Finally, with cut bonita you can catch all the sharks you want in the inlets right now, and of course whiting are also around in good numbers over sandbars. 

May 25

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are about 75 degrees and clarity varies.

It’s a substantially better cobia bite this year than last, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that even with relatively tough conditions for sight-fishing they have already seen way more fish than last year. They have had opportunities to cast at a ton of fish and caught a decent percentage of those. When they aren’t casting a fly then a big walk-the-dog style bait like a Spook or Top Dog is often most effective, although a lot of people opt for big bucktails.  The key to all these is to rip it past the fish so he doesn’t have time to think and just reacts. If you opt to sight-cast natural baits then an eel is usually impossible to beat.

To read about anchored fishing for cobia check out the Hilton Head report. 

While the cobia bite has been good, the redfish action has been unusually tough.  Fish are unusually finicky for the beginning of the summer, and some of the best bait fishermen in the area have had a lot of trouble hooking up.

Overall, Tuck reports that the best time to fish seems to be at high tide as tailing activity has been good. Outside of that, the second-best time to fish has been on the high outgoing tide when water first starts to come out of the grass. Since the fish are feeding so heavily on fiddler crabs at high water up in the grass that makes sense. 

While his boat has picked up a random trout here-or-there when they cast out the occasional mud minnow, the sheepshead fishing has been so good this week that Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports they really haven’t focused on anything else. It seems that about every good dock with 5-6 feed of water holds sheepshead on lower stages of the tide, but when the tide starts to rise they are switching over to downed trees in the creeks and keeping the party going.  Between a half and a third of the fish are keepers right now, and fiddler crabs fished vertically right against the structure are working very well.  

May 12

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort are about 72 degrees and clarity varies.

When cobia are in the Broad River they are often the biggest game in town, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that they have arrived. There have been relatively few days for good sight-fishing recently, but they have seen some fish. When they aren’t casting a fly then a big walk-the-dog style bait like a Spook or Top Dog is often most effective, although a lot of people opt for big bucktails.   The key to all these is to rip it past the fish so he doesn’t have time to think and just reacts. If you opt to sight-cast natural baits then an eel is usually impossible to beat.

With limited sight-fishing opportunities in the Broad they are still spending a lot of time going after redfish, and Tuck is seeing a significant split-off even at low tide. The fish are dispersing to feed on crabs and other prey at higher tides in the grass, and since they are getting spread out the schools are smaller even at low tide. On the fly they are throwing darker crab patterns, but when fish seem spooky they go for a more natural tan/ white fly. On artificials Gulp! peeler crabs in dark grey or new penny colors are both working well. Suspended twitch baits can also be good.

Additionally, Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that his boat is catching redfish on the low to rising tide back in the creeks around downed trees, deep holes and oysters. Mud minnows are working, and they are also catching redfish as well as sheepshead on fiddler crabs on a small jighead. They have also picked up some flounder as well as the occasional big bluefish. 

Finally, neither guide has pursued trout this week but other captains report catching them in clean, moving water 3-4 feet deep over oysters and current rips. Live shrimp are hard to beat, but Gulp! baits on a ¼ or 1/8 ounce jighead are also working. 

May 5

Morning surface water temperatures are down to 63-67 degrees inside the creeks around Beaufort, and clarity varies greatly depending on area and conditions. 

It’s been ridiculously tough conditions for inshore fishing around Beaufort this week, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that most of the week they have faced gale force winds. Yesterday they were finally able to get out, and unsurprisingly they found the redfish pretty grouped up in the chilly conditions, especially over white shell bottoms. They did see a few in the grass but they expect more as the water warms. They were able to pick up the occasional fish on popping corks and cut bait when they saw them, and even had one flounder on cut mullet! However, overall the fishing was pretty spotty. With temperatures in the 80s coming fish should start to get into much more normal patterns next week.  There were no trout reports this week. 

Conditions didn’t allow for much cobia fishing this week, but there are apparently some fish around. Hopefully more information will follow next week. 

April 27

Morning surface water temperatures range from about 68-71 degrees around Beaufort, and when conditions are calm the water is fairly clear. However, the first part of the incoming has been dirtier recently. 

They are still seeing signs of spring around Beaufort with jelly balls, lots of sea turtles, and sharks around, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that as temperatures have stopped warming it has created a delay in the seasonal progression of the fishing. The next warming trend should get things moving again. For now there have been a few cobia caught around the Broad River Bridge, but it’s hard to know how many are around because the combination of poor sunlight and cool water on the surface isn’t creating good conditions for looking. 

There has been some action with redfish tailing in the grass, but they are also seeing some cooler water tendencies including fish in bigger schools and fussy about feeding. It’s a transition period, and the fish are kind of up-and-down about how well they will eat. 

The main prey seems to be small shrimp that are now prolific in the creeks, and so targeting them with smaller artificial lures that imitate shrimp has been effective. Live shrimp are also great if you can get them, and as usual cut mullet are also working. 

Black drum are also in the grass at times, and shrimp imitations are the best way to target them. 

The trout are in familiar patterns, and the best place to fish for them is moving water in 4-5 feet. Live shrimp, mud minnows and jigs with soft plastics will all work. 

April 11

Morning surface water temperatures have dropped back to about 65 degrees around Beaufort and clarity is still good. 

Water temperatures dropped three or four degrees with the cold front over the weekend, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that as a result redfish have moved back in the direction of winter patterns and gotten more schooled up again. They also aren’t seeing any fishing floating in the grass or tailing right now on higher tides. 

The primary pattern is again sight-fishing on low tide, but if you fish on higher tides and get a bite fish the area hard. Fish don’t seem to be breaking out on higher tides as much, and so even if they don’t bite immediately more are probably in the immediate area. 

Even though there are a fair number of baitfish around fish seem to be keying on crab patterns again, and Gulp! peeler crabs on a jighead are working well. Small Gulp! shrimp in new penny colors are also productive.

Tuck has not had any trout reports this week or targeted them, but there do seem to be a fair number of black drum around. At times they are getting up in the grass. 

The best bet for trout is to fish either on the incoming or outgoing tide when water is moving around ambush points like creek mouths or oyster bars.  Try jigs in 3-5 feet.