December 21

Morning surface water temperatures in the creeks around Beaufort are about 51 degrees. The water has cleared quickly after recent rains. 

It’s winter fishing for redfish, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that the big picture is that the fishing is good. On low water they are feeding pretty well on the flats, although there is so little else for dolphins to eat that reds will get very skittish if dolphins are in the area. There are also times when the fish are holding a little deeper than normal if they can with these very cold mornings, as because when the tide comes in and the edges are very cold it can make the fish seek warmth a bit out from the banks. 

There are only a very few mullet still around, and they are seeing very little bait on the flats. The fish will still eat cut mullet but with flies and artificial lures they are having the best luck with darker lures that “assault” the fishes’ senses and trigger a reaction strike. 

There is again nothing to report from our captains with the trout this week. 

No news from Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) this week with very little fishing activitiy. 

December 14

Morning surface water temperatures in the creeks around Beaufort are in the lower 50s. The water has cleared substantially and in most areas visibility is high. 

It’s winter fishing for redfish, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that in the colder water fish are pretty schooled up and the quality of the bite ebbs and flows from day to day. One day the fish will be on fire, then the next the bite will pretty good, and then they will disappear. 

Redfish are still chasing shrimp in certain areas on the flats, and so it’s worth looking for the birds to locate them. When that happens you can actually throw topwater lures.  The rest of the baits they are using are subsurface baits in natural browns and tans in clear water but blacks and purples in dirtier water.  

Even though they are mainly targeting low water, especially with bait you can still catch some fish in the grass. However, the best bait pattern is to fish cut mullet on the dropping tide as the water starts to come out of the grass. As the fish leave the flood tide flats they are very condensed, and if you catch one or two it’s worth seeing if there are more in the area. 

There is nothing positive to report from our captains with the trout this week. 

Even with limited fishing activity on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) trout, redfish, and whiting are all being caught. 

November 30

Morning surface water temperatures in the creeks around Beaufort are down to about 55 degrees, while ocean temperatures are several degrees warmer. The water has cleared substantially and visibility is high. 

It’s now a great time for sight-fishing for redfish, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that even if the water gets churned up in an area one day there is so little algae that there is nothing to hold the sediment up – and as soon as the wind switches it clears again. His boat is mainly fishing low tide and looking for fish, and it is obvious that they have gotten into much bigger schools. For now the fish are very willing to eat but the only catch is that they are moving around a lot. This could be because water temperatures keep changing, but it could also be because dolphins come marauding through an area and push the fish out!

While Tuck has not fished higher water there are some reports of fish marauding in the grass. 

It’s also still a good time for fishing for spottails around structure, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that as long as the water is not up in the grass he is still finding fish loaded up around docks with oyster beds. They continue to be grouped by size, with some docks holding 16-23 inch fish and others holding 23-33 inchers. 

The trout fishing is also coming on strong, and Captain Pat reports that on drop-offs in about 6 feet of water he has found a very strong bite. With the big full moon tides it has been a narrow window when the current is not too weak or too strong, but for 45 minutes to an hour the fishing has been really good and on good spots you can catch a fish on every cast. They have mainly been fishing mud minnows on the bottom, but the bite got so good that they even caught several on the fly with a sinking line!  

There has been virtually no fishing activity on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) this week.

November 16

Morning surface water temperatures in the creeks around Beaufort are in the lower 60s, while ocean temperatures are around 64. The water has cleared substantially and visibility is high. 

By now the bulk of the redfish trips on the fly that Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) is running have switched over to low tide, and generally they are targeting big schools of redfish. They are on mud flats in the bigger bodies of water staying safe from dolphins. When you see gulls or other birds chasing shrimp then they will take topwater flies and they are absolutely creaming them!

Outside of the low tide flats fishing, the best bait fishing on the big water is generally coming when the water is dropping but oyster mounds are still covered.  They will take cut mullet under a popping cork, live shrimp and mud minnows fished just outside the oysters. Conversely, the smaller creeks are fishing better on the rising tide around newly covered mounds of oysters. This distinction makes sense because on the rising tide fish don’t mind going into the small creeks, but when the water is dropping they don’t want to get stuck up there. 

With cold, rainy weather there’s been very little fishing activity on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) this week.

Trout report to follow after the holiday from Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), but even though he has not targeted them there is no reason to think the patterns from last week are not still working. 

November 9

Morning surface water temperatures in the creeks around Beaufort have fallen to around 62 degrees with the cold nights. Ocean temperatures are closer to 65 or 66. 

As expected the redfish bite is still strong, although Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) is standing by his prediction that tailing is pretty much done for the year. However, fish are still very hungry, especially on the back side of cold fronts (that remind them winter is coming), and once things warm a bit they get more active again. In contrast, during actual weather changes like the last cold front and this coming one they can be a little lethargic.

That is exactly consistent with what Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) is seeing, and he reports that the he continues to catch lots of spottails. While you can find them on the river flats or in bigger water, he continues to catch them in shallow deep holes back in the creeks that have trees or some other structure. He is also finding fish loaded on docks. They range from about 15-28 inches, but fish are grouped by sizes and one dock will have smaller fish in that range while another will have only over-slot fish.  The low-to-rising tide has been best and mud minnows on the bottom are working very well on jigheads. 

Captain Pat is also finding a rapidly improving trout bite, and all of a sudden some of his redfish holes are filling up with trout. They are also eating mud minnows although a variety of other baits would almost certainly work.

However, Pat continues to be impressed with the population of redfish in this area. 

As if to prove his point, the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that it has been a really good bite for 22-25 inch redfish this week. Additionally, they are catching whiting and bull sharks. 

November 3

Morning surface water temperatures around Beaufort have been falling into the high 50s the last couple of nights, but rising into the mid-60s during the day. Clarity is down with big tides.

While Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) and  Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) weren’t on the water Wednesday or Thursday, Captain Tuck reports that he doesn’t expect the redfish bite to drop off very much – although it will change. He expects that tails will be less likely from here on, but reds should continue to eat well as long as the cold doesn’t linger too long. Additionally, look for the fish to begin to form tighter and larger schools – which conversely means there will be more areas without as many fish.  Don’t waste time on dead water hoping for singles.  

Additionally, there is little doubt that the trout fishing will pick up and Captain Pat reports that he looks for a really hot bite for the next month or more.

October 26

Morning surface water temperatures are around 68 degrees inshore around Beaufort.

There are still redfish tailing and eating fiddler crabs on high tide around Beaufort, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that overall he can tell that feeding pattern is starting to fade. In the Harbor River it’s pretty far off, and in the Broad River it has also slowed down but not as much. While there are still plenty of fish getting up on the flats and trying to feed, perhaps in a sign that fiddler crabs are less abundant in the cooler conditions they aren’t putting their tails up to eat fiddler crabs as frequently.  

The upside to that is that because they aren’t gorging as much on high tide they will feed more around the rest of the tide cycle, and he is seeing lots of fish chasing shrimp around oyster mounds both inside the small creeks and on the bigger water outside of high tide. Consistent with that, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that he is finding a really solid bite for a number of species, but particularly redfish. They are ranging from 13 to 30 plus inches, and it seems like fish of similar sizes are grouped up together in different areas. Certain docks might hold a lot of smaller fish, while another spot might be holding mostly 23-30 inch fish. As far as bait they aren’t picky at all right now, and Captain Pat is catching them on everything from Gulp! to cut bait to live shrimp. 

It's also been a really good trout bite, and his boat is catching fish drifting live shrimp along grass lines at higher tides. On lower water they are catching them off drops in around 6 feet of water. The best bite requires tides and areas with some current. 

They are also picking up black drum and even sheepshead around docks.

It’s still an exciting time at the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), and they continue to catch tons of over-slot red drum out towards deeper water. It can’t last forever but this has been a good bite for several weeks now. 

October 13

Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 70s inshore around Beaufort, and bait is still everywhere. Clarity was already low but the wind and rain of the last 24 hours won’t help. 

It’s been a good redfish bite around Beaufort, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that with so much bait around it’s not unheard of to wander upon a school of fish that just isn’t eating – or to fish in an area where you are pretty sure there are fish, but they won’t bite. When that happens he advises moving on, because somewhere there is certain to be a group of hungry fish. Even though cooler water is better for fishing overall, their metabolism does start to slow.

Overall live shrimp on a popping cork are good, and they are also eating cut mullet very well. The best action he is seeing is coming on the incoming tide as fish move back into the smaller creeks to feed, and even though he would expect the same to be taking place at the mouths of creeks on the dropping tide when bait is being flushed out that has not been fishing as well. And flats fish seem to be a bit more “on edge”. 

The next couple of days Tuck will be fishing morning flood tides and he expects good tailing action. 

Interestingly, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) also reports finding the best action on the low to rising tide, and he is catching fish on a bit of everything but mostly Gulp! baits. There are tons of pinfish in the areas he is fishing (as reported in Hilton Head), and so he is finding the best luck with something the bait stealers want less. He’s also getting cut off by small bluefish too often fishing finger mullet and mud minnows and losing a lot of bait. 

The trout fishing will continue to get better, but in the 4-foot range Tuck reports that both live shrimp and Gulp! are doing well around moving water. 

It’s still an exciting time at the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), and they continue to catch tons of over-slot red drum out towards deeper water. They are also picking up the occasional spotted seatrout and a few keeper flounder. 

October 6

Morning surface water temperatures are around 74 degrees inshore in Beaufort, and bait is still everywhere. 

Even as the king high tides recede into the rearview mirror, Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that there should still be good tailing activity for redfish even on lower high tides throughout this month. Fish won’t be able to get up onto the highest flats, but there will still be plenty of places where you can find them.  To the point, on a trip Wednesday they had shots at about 20 fish that were making their way across white sand on the flats toward hunting areas.

 

At the other end of the tide cycle, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that on the dropping tide he has been doing very well for 24-30 inch redfish in the creeks. He is fishing cut mullet against the grass and at the mouths of creeks where bait is being flushed out.

While Tuck is finally reporting that he thinks all the cobia have left the area – he hasn’t seen one or the conditions (turtles, jellyballs) that indicate their presence in the last couple of weeks – there have been tons of blacktip sharks around. They even had one that would not stop chasing a fly until it ate it this week! 

It’s still probably not peak conditions for trout, but Captain Pat reports that on the dropping tide when there is a lot of current he has been catching specks on artificial lures like Vudu Shrimp. They have been at the mouths of creeks near grass where there are oysters, and for right now it is very spot-specific. 

Finally, it’s been a really exciting week at the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) where they are catching tons of over-slot red drum. They are further out towards the deeper water, and they are running up to the mid-20 pound range. But there are almost certainly even bigger ones swimming around!

September 29

Morning surface water temperatures are around 76-78 degrees inshore in Beaufort, and the mullet run is now underway.   

While many coastal guides have found the king tides presenting unique challenges, for a high-water specialist like Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) who waits for these they have been an unmitigated boon. For the last few days on the extreme high tides, and almost certainly continuing for several more, they are seeing incredible numbers of redfish tailing at high water. On Tuck’s last trip he counted about 20 tails within a small area, and the fish have been taking flies. They are hopeful for a continued good bite in this weekend’s Savannah Flyfishing Invitational.

Outside of high tide they are seeing tons of redfish, ladyfish, jack crevalle and even trout chasing the prolific shrimp that are in the creeks and rivers, and they will eat both shrimp and artificials that imitate them. They are also seeing the same thing at high tide, but fish are so spread out and moving so much there isn’t much you can do about it. 

To that point Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) has gone out a couple of times at high tide and quickly realized that the fishing is much better at low. They have picked up some trout and puppy drum, but they are few and far between. It’s also very hard to stay in one place in areas like Fripp Inlet right now with so much water flowing, but if you break out the big anchors there are bull red drum, sharks and tarpon around. 

Perhaps that’s why fishing at the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) has been a little slow, although on low water they are picking up some redfish and there are also whiting (and stingrays) being caught.

Pat adds that at low water, when the fishing is better, in addition to redfish they are still catching black drum on fresh cut shrimp around docks. 

Finally, Tuck reports that the tripletail action is still incredible. At high tide the fish can be spotted feeding nose down on the grass flats, and unlike some other species they aren’t especially spooky and eat really well when they are up there.  Dark-colored flies or artificials are both working, and they will also eat a wide variety of natural baits. Around the tide cycle they can also be seen around a variety of other structure, including grass, floating debris, and structure. 

September 22

Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees inshore in Beaufort, and there are tons of shrimp around. The mullet run may be just starting to get underway but there are not huge waves in areas like the Broad River yet. 

This may not be the report anyone except a few hardcore locals were expecting, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that right now the tripletail action is incredible. At high tide the fish can be spotted feeding nose down on the grass flats, and unlike some other species they aren’t especially spooky and eat really well when they are up there.  Dark-colored flies or artificials are both working, and they will also eat a wide variety of natural baits. Around the tide cycle they can also be seen around a variety of other structure, including grass, floating debris, and structure. 

It's unclear why so many tripletail are around right now, but it makes for a very tasty fishery. 

Redfish are also tailing well, and on the next good flood tide Tuck expects the fishing to get really good again. Unlike in some other places the fishing has actually picked up since Idalia dumped a bunch of rain, and there are lots of fishing chasing shrimp in the creeks. It’s pretty simple to catch all the fish at the low end of the slot you want, and there are also better redfish around. 

Along the same lines, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that the fishing for reds and black drum has been really good around docks with fresh dead or live shrimp, and Gulp! is also working for reds. The low outgoing tide has been most productive for him.   

While a lot of fish are eating shrimp, there has also been a pretty outstanding bite around pods of mullet with topwater lures. Trout, redfish, ladyfish, jack crevalle and more can be found in the little creeks, and they are absolutely blowing up on baits in 1-3 feet of water. And instead of just an early or late bite, they fish have been eating topwaters all day even on sunny days!

Finally, Tuck adds that there are still some random cobia (!) inshore and lots of big sharks around. They are chasing mullet and menhaden and can be found on the edges of flats where they drop off into deeper water near the ocean. 

Report to follow from Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437).

September 8

Morning surface water temperatures are around 83 degrees inshore in Beaufort, having rebounded slightly after the storm. 

Immediately after the storm Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) was surprised to have a very slow day of fishing, but since then the bite has been outstanding every day.  Smaller redfish are everywhere, and they are now running from 14 – 14 ¾ inches. They are also picking up slot-sized and over-slot fish on the low to rising tide, and they are eating everything from Gulp! to live shrimp to mud minnows to cut and live finger mullet. Some of the best groups of fish this week have been relating to docks. 

Every small creek mouth has also been productive, not only for redfish but also for flounder, bluefish, trout and ladyfish. Bait on a jighead or a popping cork has been working, and that bite is frankly excellent on the lower half of the tide. They are also picking up some good black drum on cut shrimp around creek mouths.   

Pat has also noticed that you can’t go wrong right now fishing in the areas where there are egrets, as if you see an egret working a bank it’s a pretty sure bet that fish are nearby. 

Finally, the tarpon have moved into the Harbor River where they are feeding on big schools of mullet. 

Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that the fishing has been a little slow this week, but they have had whiting, more catfish, bonnetheads and stingrays caught. Flounder are also around but they haven’t seen many big ones. 

August 24

Morning surface water temperatures are back up to 88 degrees this week. 

It’s been an in-between week for fishing in Beaufort this week, and even though water temperatures rebounded in the heat Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports there have not been high enough tides to find out how inclined the redfish are to tail. That should be coming this weekend, and Sunday evening will be the first really good evening flood tide. 

For bait fishing it doesn’t make a lot of difference, but the key for sight-fishing on lower tides is to keep moving until you find cleaner water. In the extreme heat the water holds more mud up in the water column and takes longer to clear.

Overall the early part of the low incoming tide has been pretty good, and the first part of the falling tide when the water is a little cooler but everything is also being drained out of the grass has also been worth fishing. 

Beyond casting at tails, on these big tides Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) is also looking forward to putting cut mullet in the grass and letting redfish find them. Reds don’t move a whole lot and so if you saw them on low tide in one area they will likely be nearby on high tide, and so – for example – fish the grass near a creek mouth where you have caught them on low. It’s also a good bet to target the lower, sparser grass, but they have such good senses of smell that they should be able to find baits even in thicker stuff. 

Finally, remember that basically the onlyreason redfish will get up in the grass is to feed and so when you do find them they should be willing to eat. Unlike, for example, fish schooled up at low which could just be holding in an area and waiting. 

While Patrick’s boat hasn’t done a lot of trout fishing, as we move towards fall they are starting to see trout blowing up on shrimp. On higher tides they are at the mouths of creeks where water is running over oysters, and they are even getting up in the grass

chasing shrimp. Fish will generally be in the main rivers or bigger creeks until it cools. While you can throw topwater lures at them, live shrimp are hard to beat. 

There are still a lot of tarpon around .

Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) report to follow.

August 18

After some cooler weather and overnight rain morning surface water temperatures were about 84 degrees yesterday. 

Weak high tides have meant that not very many fish are tailing right now, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that overall the redfish have still been fairly cooperative.  While it’s still worth looking for fish up in the grass, they are also seeing a lot of fish over white shells on the dropping tide. For now cut mullet are working better than shrimp. 

That’s consistent with the report from Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), who reports that on high tide they are catching a lot of redfish on cut mullet in the grass. Redfish don’t move a whole lot and so if you saw them on low tide in one area they will likely be nearby on high tide, and so – for example – fish the grass near a creek mouth where you have caught them on low. It’s also a good bet to target the lower, sparser grass, but they have such good senses of smell that they should be able to find baits even in thicker stuff. 

Finally, remember that basically the onlyreason redfish will get up in the grass is to feed and so when you do find them they should be willing to eat.  Unlike, for example, fish schooled up at low which could just be holding in an area. 

While Patrick’s boat hasn’t done a lot of trout fishing, as we move towards fall they are starting to see trout blowing up on shrimp. On higher tides they are at the mouths of creeks where water is running over oysters, and they are even getting up in the grass

chasing shrimp. Fish will generally be in the main rivers or bigger creeks. While you can throw topwater lures at them, live shrimp are hard to beat. 

There are still a fair number of tarpon around but Tuck says that conditions have not been great for sight-casting. 

The Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that it’s been a pretty good week off the pier, with some keeper flounder, whiting, and sharks caught. There have also been an unusually high number of catfish caught, with ten or more one day this week. 

August 3

Morning surface water temperatures were about 83 degrees this morning in the middle of the Broad River, as the combination of lower overnight temperatures, storms and strong tides bringing in water from the ocean has cooled things off. 

With these high full moon tides, Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that it’s no surprise that there has been some really good tailing activity for redfish. Today they had about 20 shots at tailing fish on high tide, but Tuck notes that in sunny, bright conditions the fish were pretty spooky. They also saw a lot of sheepshead tailing on the flats, but as always they are pretty tough to catch.

Outside of high tide redfish have also been feeding well on cut mullet on the dropping tide when they are forced to group up a little more.

Tuck also notes that there are a ton of migratory species around right now, including some big jack crevalle and even more smaller jacks. They all provide pretty exciting action. There are also lots of tarpon and even some cobia still hanging around. 

The one species that seems to be unusually absent is tripletail, but Tuck also hasn’t spent a ton of time looking for them. 

Ladyfish are also making for some really exciting trips, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that drifting live shrimp along the edge of the inlets it’s easy to hook up. They are also having fun casting curly tail grubs at jacks when they see the water boiling. 

Overall it hasn’t been great trout fishing, but Pat’s boat has picked up some smaller ones on live shrimp. 

The Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that in the summer heat fishing has been a little slow this week, but they have had some ladyfish, a few blacktip sharks, whiting and of course blue crabs. 

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.