October 5

Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Hilton Head are still about 79 degrees and the water is dirty with the mega-tides. Bait is everywhere.

Big game specialist Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) hasn’t been able to get off the beaches to pursue tarpon or bull red drum this week with tough winds, but they have still been smoking the bulls in the rivers. They are in 10-40 feet of water in holes, contours and around the Broad River Bridge, and honestly they are pretty easy to catch with cut mullet if you know where to look. Kai reports they have actually been making an effort not to over-fish for them to avoid putting pressure on the breeding stock – even though they are safely releasing them all. 

The northeast wind has also been keeping Captain Trent Malphrus with Palmetto Lagoon Charters (843-301-4634) inshore, but fortunately that’s exactly where he wants to be. The redfish bite has been very good over the last few days, and he is seeing the most little fish between 12 and 16 inches in a long time. That should be a good sign for the future. They are also picking up some 24- and 26-inch fish. Fish are stacked up at the mouths of creeks on the dropping tide, and if you have to fish the high rising tide isolated patches of grass have been the best. 

The bait of choice has been hard to believe, and Trent points out that he puts in hours cast-netting for shrimp and finger mullet and working to keep it alive to have fresh live bait for trips. But chunks of frozen mullet out of the freezer have been out-fishing live bait!  All he can reason is that there is so much bait around that the fish are lazy. 

While Trent won’t spend a lot of time targeting trout until it cools, Kai has actually had some incredible trout trips since he’s been limited to inshore fishing. Overall the water is a one out of ten in clarity it’s so muddy, but when he has been able to find cleaner water draining out of a creek on the high to mid-outgoing tide it is lights out when there are finger mullet present. He has caught fish on live bait as well as Vudu and Savage Gear imitation shrimp.

Finally, Captain Trent notes that there are tons of bull sharks insides the creeks in holes, and 30-60 pounders have been keeping clients busy. Unfortunately they also seem to be running off the bigger drum they were looking for in those areas. 

September 28

Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Hilton Head are down to about 80 degrees and the mullet run is underway. 

The mullet run has gotten going around Hilton Head, and Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that despite some unpleasant weather this week they have managed to catch bull red drum in the rivers.  There are undoubtedly plenty of them still off the beaches, but the weather has been a little “bumpy”. There are also still tarpon around, and yesterday they hooked a good one. The big full moon tides over the next few days should bring in even more fish, and with prettier weather coming conditions should be ideal. There are also tons of sharksaround the mullet schools. 

Inshore the action is pretty similar, although Captain Trent Malphrus with Palmetto Lagoon Charters (843-301-4634) reports that the biggest change he has noticed is that artificials like Gulp! jigs are becoming more productive.     

The 14-16 inch puppy drum are so prolific you can pretty much catch as many as you want, and with shrimp you will get tons of bites.  Same with Gulp!  When you get tired of catching small fish then change over to larger finger mullet to target the bigger 18-27 inch reds. They are shallow, and fishing at the mouths of small creeks where bait is being flushed in or out is the best pattern. 

While Captain Trent doesn’t spend much time targeting small trout, he reports that there are a few bigger ones in the 20-26 inch range around right now which they are finding around deeper edges. While the bite will improve you have to work very hard for them at the moment, but they will take big finger mullet and live pinfish. With shrimp you could target smaller trout (and lots of bait stealers!). 

Unfortunately most of the flounder they are picking up at creek mouths while fishing for drum are small right now, but they are picking up some good black drum on shrimp while fishing for puppy drum. 

September 21

Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Hilton Head are about 83 degrees.

The latest his boat has ever caught a tarpon in Hilton Head was October 17, and so from now until they leave Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that he will be targeting them. Unlike some parts of the coast a mullet run doesn’t appear to have gotten underway as far south as Hilton Head, and so the silver kings are still extremely spread out. They are in the rivers, marshes and around the bridges, and after Idalia they are even more spread out than usual – although they will congregate again. Another complicating factor for catching tarpon is the fronts we get this time of year which can change fishing from day to day, but despite all this they are still getting a fair number of shots at tarpon and catching enough to keep clients happy.   

The other brand of big game in town is the bull red drum, and Kai’s boat is catching them offshore off the beaches on structure with cut menhaden. Underwater points and drops with lots of current washing bait around are holding the most fish. 

While Kai also caught a nice 17-18 inch flounder (on half of a big cut menhaden!) while targeting bigger species this week, Captain Trent Malphrus with Palmetto Lagoon Charters (843-301-4634) has really been getting after the inshore species.   

Right now he says that most fish are switching over to eating shrimp, and the 13-16 inch puppy drum are so prolific you can pretty much catch as many as you want. When you get tired of catching small fish then change over to larger finger mullet to target the bigger 18-27 inch reds. They are shallow, and on the more normal ¼ and ¾ moon tides the middle of the tide has been the best time to target them. Fishing at the mouths of small creeks where bait is being flushed in or out is the best pattern. 

While Captain Trent doesn’t spend much time targeting small trout, he reports that there are a few bigger ones in the 20-26 inch range around right now which they are finding around deeper edges. While the bite will improve you have to work very hard for them at the moment, but they will take big finger mullet and live pinfish. With shrimp you could target smaller trout (and lots of bait stealers!). 

Unfortunately most of the flounder they are picking up at creek mouths while fishing for drum are small right now, but they are picking up some good black drum on shrimp while fishing for puppy drum. 

Off the beaches a bit Kai advises that you can catch Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle, and five miles offshore he got into bonita on a fly rod this week!  There are also some Spanish inside the Broad River as well as jacks and ladyfish. 

September 7

Morning surface water temperatures around Hilton Head are about 84-85 degrees.

It’s been a weird week for fishing around Hilton Head, and Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that after the storm water temperatures dropped from 90 degrees down to about 83, and they have only just rebounded a degree or two. Unfortunately that has all coincided with a decline in the tarpon fishing, and for the last few days basically no one has caught any. Last year when the storm came through it essentially signaled the end of the tarpon season, but that was much later in the month and so they are optimistic the fish will show back up again. It seems likely they have just headed out and not south. 

Without the tarpon they have been concentrating on bull red drum, which have been found on offshore ledges, rock piles, closer-in structure and the Broad River Bridge. There have also been five pound jack crevalle at the bridges that can be caught on lures when the water is clear, but they are getting them more often on chunks of menhaden. There are also still a bunch of small cobia (up to about 30 inches at the bridge). 

Overall the north wind has been slowing down the fishing, but they are pretty confident that the new moon will start to pull in bait beginning in a few days. 

Inshore there is still no news on trout, but they are crushing the smaller redfish on mud minnows – although realistically they will eat a lot of different baits and it’s more about avoiding bait stealers. The best action has been in smaller creeks around oyster beds and fallen trees on lower stages of the tide. 

August 24

Morning surface water temperatures around Hilton Head are 90 degrees.

With water temperatures this hot Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that he has to keep less bait in the live well, but overall fishing has been pretty outstanding for the species he is targeting. That’s mostly tarpon and bull reds, although there have been some jacks around to the south of Hilton Head – although in the last few days they have petered out for some reason. 

There hasn’t been a big concentration of tarpon anywhere and they are super spread out, from the Broad River to the south end of Hilton Head to the ocean off the north end. This is largely a function of the amount of bait that is around this summer, and with bait everywhere tarpon are everywhere!

In the inlets and ocean they are putting live baits on the top and bottom, while in the rivers they are also using cut bait. River fish are more likely to be staying in one area and so cut bait seems to work better than for the more nomadic ocean fish. They are also getting some hook-ups casting artificials like big Zman MagSwimZ in black and purple. 

The bull reds have been around structure off the beaches, and they can be found from as little as 6 or less feet out to 36 feet. Cut mullet is the best bait although menhaden will also work, and with menhaden they are often cutting the tail off the bait to hook it through the harder head or even putting two on to increase the chances they stay on the hook. 

While Kai hasn’t spent as much time targeting them there is also a good inshore redfish bite. While you can certainly catch them on higher stages of the tide, on low tide they have been feeding really well on the mud flats that have oyster shells. Cut mullet and cut menhaden have both been working. 

Kai still hasn’t seen or heard about trout. 

August 18

Morning surface water temperatures around Hilton Head are about 89 degrees.

Inshore fishing has been pretty good around Hilton Head this last week, and Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that in particular there is a hot redfish bite. While you can certainly catch them on higher stages of the tide, on low tide they have been feeding really well on the mud flats that have oyster shells. Cut mullet and cut menhaden have both been working. 

Unfortunately that’s in contrast to the bull reds, which unlike the past couple of years have only showed up occasionally so far this August. Hopefully some cooler weather at some point will draw them in. 

But luckily there is plenty of other big game around, between giant jack crevalle in the Calibogue Sound and tarpon that can be found most everywhere. They are catching the jacks on topwater lures, and at high tide they are coming up in the sound while at low water they seem to pull out to the shipping channel. 

The tarpon are basically all about the baitfish, and you will find pods of them wherever there are schools of bait. Menhaden and mullet schools could be found in the Port Royal Sound, Calibogue Sound, or further up the rivers in the Savannah, Broad or Chechessee.  That’s a pretty typical late summer pattern. Live menhaden on the bottom have still been working the best, but it’s also worth putting baits higher in the water column in areas where they are feeding on bait.   

Kai hasn’t seen or heard about trout caught in a little while. 

August 4

Morning surface water temperatures around Hilton Head are about 87 degrees in the ocean, 91 in the main rivers, and even higher in the creeks at low tide. Bait is everywhere. 

The full moon is almost always a boon for the late summer tarpon fishing, and this week has been no exception. Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that the bigger tides bring in more baitfish and the fish seem to move around more, and with the ripping current they feed better and seem easier to find. This usually starts a few days before the peak moon phase and lasts until a few days after. Tarpon have been everywhere from the rivers to the ocean, and they have been eating the best on live menhaden on the bottom. Fish around bait schools, especially when you see fish targeting them.

The jack crevalle have also showed up again in the surf and they are running the beaches. Instead of the giants it has been the 5-10 pound fish, but they also make for really exciting fishing.  Often they are catching jacks while throwing out live menhaden around sandbars for tarpon, but when you see them boiling you can also cast lures at them. 

Once again this late summer the bull red drum seem to be kicking off an early spawn around the August full moon, and they are being found in the inlets as well as at the offshore sandbars. Overall it seems that they are starting to make their way shallower. Cut menhaden are working very well for them, and you will also pick up plenty of sharks this way. 

While there’s no trout report this week, inshore they are smoking the smaller redfish with cut menhaden in the grass. The best pattern is to cast them out on free lines or under corks in sparser areas of grass on higher tides and wait. Perhaps because of the heat the bite has been better on the flood than at low tide. 

July 27

Morning surface water temperatures around Hilton Head are about 87 degrees and the creeks are full of bait. 

With tarpon and bull red drum in the area you know Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) is making a run at them, but none of the fishing has been particularly easy this week. Kai thinks that might have a lot to do with weak, off-moon phase tides resulting in less water flow than usual, and so he is very optimistic about what the early August full moon may bring.

Tarpon can be found way up the Broad River out to the ocean, and with tons of menhaden around they have a lot of places they want to be. Anchoring live menhaden or (second-choice) mullet in likely places, usually around bait schools, is the best way to target them. You will also pick up plenty of sharks this way.

For now the bull red drum are on sand ledges and channel edges, mostly in about 20 feet of water off the beaches and inlets. They have not moved up on onto the bars or into the rivers where they will come in August to start their early spawn. 

There are still plenty of slot-sized reds to be caught, and Kai is targeting them with cut bait around docks and oyster/ mud flats.  

While Kai hasn’t fished for trout this week, he has watched another captain catch several small ones on live shrimp around relatively shallow oyster bars. 

July 13

Morning surface water temperatures around Hilton Head are about 87 degrees and the creeks are full of bait. Finger mullet should very soon be bait-sized.     

If you stick to the migratory species it’s a really, really exciting time to fish in Hilton Head, and Captain Kai Williams with Awesome Adventure Charters (843-816-7475) reports that the tarpon fishing has made for some real fun in the past two weeks. The best place to find them has been at the mouth of the Port Royal Sound, and anchoring live menhaden or (second-choice) mullet has been the best way to catch them. You will also pick up plenty of sharks this way.

While the cobia are about done, with only a few small ones still being caught around the Broad River Bridge, jack crevalle are in the area and marauding. They are providing some outstanding topwater action at the Broad River Bridge, Calibogue Sound, in the Chechessee River and in the Savannah River Channel. When they find feeding fish they are casting big poppers, Zman MagSwimZ and live menhaden on free-lines. 

Unfortunately the bull red drum have slowed down a little this week, but they are still finding some on the sand bars to the south of Hilton Head in about 15-20 feet of water. 

At the same time, while you can certainly still catch redfish in the boiling inshore water they aren’t feeding particularly well. The best bet is fishing around oyster bars with cut bait, or looking for fish up in the grass tailing on the higher tides. 

Kai has not heard any trout reports or caught any himself this week.