January 8
Morning surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees in the rivers around Beaufort. Visibility is high.
After a gangbusters fall the inshore fishing has finally slowed down around Beaufort, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that the fish are less active than just a week or two ago. Nonetheless, he is still picking up trout and redfish around structure including docks, trees and rock on the low to rising tide. Mud minnows and live shrimp, available from deep hole shrimpers in most area bait stores, are both working and right now both species are in similar places.
There are undoubtedly also schools of redfish on the flats, but Captain Patrick has been doing well enough in the creeks not to go hunting.
His boat has been to the nearshore reefs, however, and they have found a pretty fantastic bite for sheepshead and black drum around structure in 20 feet of water. Almost all of the fish are keeper-sized and they have caught everything on fiddler crabs and small live shrimp.
December 19
Surface water temperatures are around 55 degrees off the area beaches, while inshore temperatures this morning were 62. Water clarity varies because of recent very high tides but generally the water is clearing.
The inshore fishing in the Beaufort area is a bit of a roller coaster ride on the flats, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that between warm weather, cold weather, windy days, calm days and extreme tides the redfish are a little unpredictable. That applies from day to day, but also over the course of a day. Two days ago he found incredible winter schools up shallow in a river. They were voracious until the tide changed and they decided not to eat, and then the next day they had totally relocated. When he found other fish they wouldn’t bite regardless of the tide.
Basically you just have to commit to going fishing right now, and if you locate fish but they aren’t biting be willing to wait for them. But if they are biting and turn off it may be time to go home!
In contrast the trout fishing is very good and very consistent, and in fact it’s so good right now that Captain Tuck reports they are catching a lot of trout on the fly while targeting reds. However, if you want to target trout then fishing in 4-5 feet of water around current rips with shrimp under a popping cork or a grub on a jighead is hard to beat. The trout are moving around too, though, and some days they may have relocated from where they were the day before. And to make matters more confusing, the redfish may have moved in.
There’s no disagreement from Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) that the redfish and trout and frequenting some of the same areas, and in fact in the areas he is fishing it has not been uncommon to find them in same areas on the same day. He is frequently catching trout and redfish on back-to-back casts.
The fish are around oyster beds, drops, and in the mouths of creeks, and they are taking live shrimp on a cork very well but also eating Vudu Shrimp and curly tail grubs.
December 3
Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Beaufort have dropped into the upper 50s.
The inshore fishing in the Beaufort area is now the best that Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) has seen all year, and they are catching a ton of trout and redfish right now.
For the trout they are catching them as long as there is current but finding the best action on lower stages of the tide moving in both directions. The fish are around oyster beds, drops, and in the mouths of creeks, and they are taking live shrimp on a cork very well but also eating Vudu Shrimp and curly tail grubs. Fish can be found from the tiniest creeks to the biggest rivers, and the trout bite is truly wide open right now.
The redfish are also feeding best on the lower tides around docks and oysters flats, but they are also finding a good bite on some of the higher tides around trees and structure. Mud minnows and frozen shrimp are both working for reds, and they are also picking up some black drum on the shrimp.
On the river flats Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that reds are starting to group up in tighter schools, which can be a mixed bag for fishermen. While more areas don’t have fish, the massive schools can also be easier to spot. Captain Tuck is also noticing that fish are starting to leave certain shallow areas that may be getting too cold, although it’s hard to find much rhyme or reason to the areas they vacate.
There has also been some pretty remarkable fishing on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), and the catches of keeper trout and slot-sized to jumbo redfish have been pretty incredible. They are also catching lots of flounder but they have all been under 14 inches.
November 20
Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Beaufort are approximately 68 degrees and bait is abundant.
Several cooler nights are certain to usher in some changes, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that for now the inshore fishing remains about the same. Some days the redfish are feeding well and some days they are not, but overall if you are patient and work through the tide cycle you will usually run into some fish that are hungry. Overall the low tide bite has generally been pretty good, but Captain Tuck’s boat has also found fish feeding in the grass (but not tailing) on higher tides. Again, cooler weather may change those patterns. Shrimp and shrimp imitations have been most effective.
The trout fishing has been improving, particularly for anglers fishing with live shrimp. The best places to look for trout right now are moving water in 4-5 feet around oysters.
The cold front is almost certain to hasten in an even better trout bite.
November 14
Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Beaufort are approximately 70-72 degrees and bait is abundant.
Water temperatures this warm in mid-November make for unusual conditions on the water, and Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that he has never seen the inshore creeks and river flats filled with this many tiny shrimp this late in the year. At the same time all the ups-and-downs with the weather seem to have the redfish a little unpredictable, and one day they will be excited to eat but the next they may not. However, if you are patient and work through the tide cycle you will usually run into some fish that are hungry. But most days there are also periods of the cycle when they are more finicky, and from day to day those are varying. While Captain Tuck’s boat has mainly been fishing flies this week they have found the fish about as willing to eat bait.
Fishing with minnows they have picked up a few trout, but the day they fished with live shrimp they found the trout much more cooperative. The best places to look for trout right now are gently to moderately moving water in 4-5 feet around oysters. With the big tides this week they are not feeding when the current is moving too fast.
This week on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) pier they are catching redfish at the smaller end of the slot and whiting.
October 30
Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Beaufort are still about 70-72 degrees and bait is abundant.
It’s a pretty great inshore bite for Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), with both redfish and trout being caught in very good numbers. Unsurprisingly the redfish have been shallower, and his boat is catching them on the flats in 1-3 feet of water. They are taking cut mullet and the best time to fish for them has been the first 2-3 hours of the incoming around docks, trees, and oyster flats.
The trout bite has also kicked off, and in 5-6 feet of water Captain Pat’s boat is catching good numbers of trout over oyster beds, drops, and at creek mouths. There are also a fair number of 15-inch redfish mixed in in these areas. Live shrimp has been the best way to catch them, but they will also take mud minnows under popping corks as well as chartreuse curly tail grubs and Vudu Shrimp.
Fishing has picked up on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) pier this week, with lots of trout and reds as well as a few flounder and sheepshead being caught. Most of the redfish are in the slot but a few have been bigger.
October 16
Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Beaufort are down to about 72 degrees and bait is abundant.
Despite super windy conditions this morning and 57 degree air temperatures, Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that the inshore fishing around Beaufort is still strong with redfish chasing shrimp on lower stages of the tide and tailing at high water. It’s that time of the year where it’s hard to go wrong, and on low water you can locate reds feeding on shrimp by looking for birds that are waiting for bait to be disturbed. Redfish are in both the creeks and the rivers feeding heavily around structure and grass edges.
The high tide tailing bite has been a little odd, and the last five or so tide cycles have all been much, much lower than expected. With a northeast wind that’s hard to explain. Regardless they are still seeing lots of redfish tails as well as a ton of sheepshead and black drum. The sheepshead are up on the flats eating mussels (and very hard to catch) and so there may be a bumper crop of mussels right now in Beaufort.
There are also still a few tripletail around and so it’s worth keeping your eyes open.
It’s a similar bite for Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), but he has had to make adjustments because in the areas he is fishing the trout, flounder and redfish are all gorging on very small grass shrimp in certain places. Cleaning them their bellies are filled with one-inch shrimp. He has seen redfish in 6 inches of water just sucking them up, and when that is going on they only seem to want the smallest white and chartreuse Vudu shrimp he can throw.
At other times fish have had a wider palate, and on low to rising tide his boat has caught a bunch of redfish on mud minnows around downed trees.
There has also been a really good trout bite in the right conditions, and on moving water when you find a line of current in 5-6 feet of water off oyster beds or grass lines then the trout are often stacked up. They will take about anything, including curly-tailed grubs, live shrimp or Vudu shrimp under a popping cork.
While the biggest catch off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) pier has been rays this week, they are also getting a fair number of redfish.
October 3
Morning surface water temperatures inshore around Beaufort are still about 78 degrees and after the storm (including a possible tornado that came up the Beaufort River) there is tons of grass and debris in the water and it has muddied up.
Despite less than ideal water conditions, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that inshore fishing has been pretty good this week and in fact some better trout have showed up. On high tide the bite has been slow and they have basically only picked up a few small flounder, but on the dropping tide redfish and trout (with some over 20 inches) have been found on the deeper edges of drop-offs, oyster beds and drains where depths drop to about 5-6 feet of water.
The one disappointment is that so far they have not been able to locate the bull red drum in the inlets, but they should be around at any time.
That has also been the case on the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), where that for now the main catch has been whiting and slot-sized reds. The bigger blue crabs also seem to be showing up this week.
Fresh off the water minutes ago, Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports that in general the tailing activity has been pretty good since the storm but was down a little today. However, on high tide they saw some redfish tailing but more fish over white sand. They were willing to eat.
They have seen less tripletails recently, and that is probably a result of the freshwater inflow. At the same time more sheepshead are up on the flats right now, and Captain Tuck believes that is the result of storm surges pushing periwinkles up. For some reason there are not as many black drum around as they would expect.
Finally, anywhere in the state where you are boating right now, including Beaufort, Tuck points out that drivers should be standing and looking at what’s in front of them instead of sitting. There is so much debris and trash in the water that it’s important to have the best vantage point possible.
