August 5
Morning surface water temperatures are around 86 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and bait is everywhere.
From what Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) is seeing the inshore redfish are still pretty honed in on shrimp, and even in muddy water they don’t seem very excited about cut mullet right now. It doesn’t help that there is so much bait around that fish are very well-fed, and so they can be picky about what they eat.
Overall Captain Tuck considers it a pretty fair bite, and it’s certainly better than a few weeks ago when it was so dry that the rivers had a lot less life. With tailing tides starting around the week he is excited to fish the evening flood tide around the new moon.
Tuck notes that there are a fair number of tarpon around, but getting them to eat a fly is a very different story.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t take big baits, and this week in addition to the standard inshore fare Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that he has been getting some big bites fishing in deep holes. Sharks, bull reds, and tarpon are all around, and yesterday they jumped a big tarpon on a horse (large) mullet.
The creek redfish bite has also been pretty good on lower tides this week for Captain Pat, and he reports that they seem to be getting either 10-12 inch or 27-30 inch fish – all grouped together. They are being caught around oyster beds with a good bite the hour before low tide and then a great bite when the tide starts coming in. Finger mullet are working well but so are shrimp, and he has been pleasantly surprised by how few pinfish are in at least the areas he is fishing. That means they are able to catch trout in the same areas mixed in with the reds, with lots of mature fish and good numbers of trout eating especially live shrimp.
They have caught far less flounder this week but that’s mostly a function of the fact that his better flounder spots are around rocks on high water when he is less likely to be guiding in this tide cycle.
In Fripp Inlet, the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that this week there have been a flood of small rock sea bass around, and they are also still catching abundant whiting and the blue crab population continues to be strong.
July 30
Morning surface water temperatures are around 87 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and bait is everywhere.
The inshore fishing has been pretty consistent this week around Beaufort, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that running charters in the morning he has mostly been fishing higher stages of the tide and finding a good bite for flounder, trout and more. The redfish action recently has been better on the low-incoming, so they have caught less of those this week.
With a lot of finger mullet running through the creeks they are a good bait, but mud minnows under a popping cork are also effective for trout, ladyfish, and a host of other species including bonnethead sharks. For flounder they have done best with live bait fished on a 3/8-ounce jighead.
Captain Pat has had the best success fishing rocks close to the ocean, perhaps because of better oxygen levels.
In Fripp Inlet, the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that it’s been too hot for very much fishing, but hearty souls are still catching abundant whiting and the blue crab population continues to be strong.
July 23
Morning surface water temperatures are around 87 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and bait is everywhere.
The inshore fishing has really improved this week around Beaufort, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406)reports that from what he is seeing that is due to the abundance of shrimp around. The rain in the last couple of weeks has allowed the shrimp to grow quickly and so now they are everywhere. Today the redfish showed no interest in crab patterns, but imitation shrimp were extremely effective. But the other key for Captain Tuck is finding clean water, because even though there is little doubt that redfish are devouring shrimp in dirty water it’s hard for them to find an artificial or even live shrimp when visibility is very low. Partly for that reason the incoming has been fishing the best for him, and on low or dropping water it can also get very hot.
Captain Patrick Kelly withBoogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) is also finding a very cooperative redfish bite, and he notes the abundance of small fish that have showed up in the last two weeks. He is still catching plenty of over-slot fish but the juveniles are now thick. For him the best places to fish have been oyster beds and creek mouths on either the incoming or outgoing tide, but interestingly he is doing best at lower water. Captain Pat is fishing mostly with mud minnows and finger mullet for redfish.
He notes that he has also caught a good number of flounder on the first of the fall around rocks, but that they have mostly been smaller.
Bonnethead sharks are also around, while trout have been the most inconsistent with only one or two per trip on mud minnows.
Additionally, Captain Tuck notes that there are a fair number of tripletail scattered around as well as a growing number of jacks and tarpon. The best time to look for both is on high water at the incoming tide.
Finally,the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that they are still catching an incredible number of blue crabs as well as abundant whiting. They have also had some random flounder caught off the pier – like this one pictured below!
July 16
Morning surface water temperatures are around 87 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and bait is everywhere.
There are times of the year when redfish are the main (sometimes close to only!) thing going inshore around Beaufort, but Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406)reports that right now is not one of those times. An abundance of species are there to be caught, including jack crevalle, tarpon, ladyfish, tripletail (pictured in today’s catch of the day), and more. But the redfish bite has also improved, and Captain Tuck says that the fish are more willing to take artificial lures and flies than a week or two ago. About the only time when you basically have to use natural – and often cut – bait is when the water is super dirty and the fish can only smell and not see.
It’s also been a very good bite for Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), across a number of species, and with small finger mullet they are doing well in shallow creeks, around downed trees, and along the grass edges for redfish. Then on high tide they are still having success drifting live shrimp against grass lines for trout. Captain Pat is conscious of tide in how he approaches the fish, but with the morning so much more pleasant – and fish seemingly more cooperative – he is on the water at 6 and off by 11 most days regardless of the tide cycle.
Today’s biggest excitement was a nice tripletail caught on live shrimp, but tomorrow will probably be a different story. It’s truly a time of year when you have no idea what is bending your rod!
July 1
Morning surface water temperatures are around 85 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
Overall the inshore fishing has been good but a little up-and-down this week, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that they are having some fantastic trips and then some average ones. They are still catching plenty of redfish fishing live bait on the low to rising tide around rocks and docks, but the trout fishing has also come along this week. The best trout action is coming about an hour before high tide around structure with both live shrimp and mud minnows on popping corks. Points in the creeks are also producing at times. There are also some flounder being caught, and Captain Patrick has found the best bite for them around rock later in the rising tide.
Jack crevalle are also around, and when they are present they can be easily located making a commotion on the surface. They will eat pretty much whatever you throw at them.
The summer heat means fishing off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) is concentrated at cooler times of day, but when anglers get out there they are catching plenty of whiting. Blue crabs have also been really abundant recently.
June 17
Morning surface water temperatures are around 82 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
It’s been a very strange period for inshore redfish in the Beaufort area, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that that the fish are just not feeding like they usually do at this time of year. Despite it being mid-June the fish are acting more like they are in a transition period much earlier in the year, and reds are generally very hesitant about eating.
This is particular apparent with the high tide tailing bite, and even coming off of some fantastic new moon flood tides local captains saw very few fish tailing and only in a few specific areas. That’s indicative of fish not very interested in feeding, as they get up on the short grass flats purely to eat. The few fish they see tailing will sometimes take a fly, but they are very few-and-far-between. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that the shrimp and mullet bite at low to middle tides is also slow. It doesn’t seem to be a problem with numbers of fish, and they are seeing big schools at low tide, but they are just very resistant to eating. One established guide says it’s gotten so bad he’s putting away his little rods and targeting bigger game like sharks until the fall. And no one seems to know why the bite is off, although unstable weather is the most common hypothesis. With the persistent drought salinity levels could also have an effect.
Luckily there is a lot of “big game” around, and Captain Tuck reports that there seem to be the most jacks crevalle in the area that he has ever seen. There are also still a fair number of cobia in the Broad River, and it’s probably worth looking for them all through the hot months.
June 3
Morning surface water temperatures are around 77-78 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
With the cold front Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that the inshore fishing has been tough for a few days, but today they did see signs of redfish getting back into less lethargic patterns. As the tide rose and the water warmed back up they found some fish willing to eat, and for the next period they expect an uptick in feeding – in part because fish have not been eating.
While tailing action has overall been pretty good at high tide before the cold snap, the best action has been coming on dropping tides when fish are coming off the grass flats and everything is getting flushed out of the marsh.
The preferred bait right now seems to be shrimp over anything else, and because they are fishing with shrimp so much they are also picking up some nice trout. To target trout look at moving water near oyster mounds in 3-4 feet.
Captain Tuck notes that there are still a fair number of cobia around in the Broad River, and he expects them to be there through the month.
In a similar vein Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that inshore fishing has been a little slow recently, but today they managed to find a wide mix of hungry fish including sheepshead, black drum, redfish, small flounder, bluefish, and more. His boat is also fishing with shrimp (and sometimes mud minnows), and the basic pattern is following the tide. At low tide fish they fish the shallow flats, as the tide gets up they target flooded trees, at even higher tides they fish the edges of grass and oysters, and then on the dropping tide they fish the same areas in reverse – and throw in creek mouths.
Fishing activity is picking up off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) and the whiting catches have been pretty good. They are also catching flounder but so far they have been undersized.
May 22
Morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
It’s a tale of two species from Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) this week out of Beaufort, and he reports that inshore fishing for redfish remains pretty tricky. They are seeing decent numbers of fish, but getting them to eat remains challenging. The best conventional fishing patterns seems to be fishing around oyster mounds on moving tides and particularly the incoming, with cut mullet and shrimp working as well as anything. But for the number of fish around bites are hard to come by.
While still not where it should be, tailing action on the fly has picked up as fiddler crabs get more and more active. (There are also tons of sheepshead tailing, but they are always incredibly difficult to convince to take a bait).
Captain Tuck thinks the drought is probably responsible for finicky fish, and that basically more rain is needed to get fish feeding better. When salinity levels get this high redfish just aren’t as happy.
But on the other hand, the cobia fishing has been very strong this week – and ironically the drought may be helping as high salinity levels bring more and more fish inshore. Yesterday they managed a 47-inch fish on the fly, featured in the Catch of the Week, and with calm conditions and good sun they have been seeing a ton of fish.
Tuck reminds anglers that sheepshead are inshore to spawn, and so even once the season opens up after May it’s really important for the health of the population to continue to release them. With delayed warming and a later spawn that will be even more important this year.
While there has been little fishing activity off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) this week, with whiting the main catch, that’s likely to change after a holiday weekend and the unofficial beginning of summer!
May 15
Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) is tied up with a cobia tournament this weekend, but we will have news on that front soon. But Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that inshore fishing has again picked up around Beaufort, and they are catching some nice fish mainly over the slot in the 25-30 inch range. They are catching them in large creeks at lower tides cruising with the trolling motor and looking for fish pushing water around oyster beds and flats. Popping corks with mud minnows and Gulp! jigs are both working.
Trout fishing has also picked up, but it’s like magic the difference between fishing with live shrimp and without. The fish are there, but they seem totally focused on shrimp and when you don’t have them they will barely eat. Unlike reds they are biting best on higher tides around oyster beds with the bait under a popping cork, and finding cleaner water in the bigger creeks is the best approach.
Migratory species like ladyfish and bluefish are showing up, and there lots of smaller sheepshead around inshore structure that will take fiddler crabs. At some point more big ones should appear.
April 30
Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
It’s been another tough week of inshore fishing for both Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406), who both report that a drop in inshore temperatures, extreme tides, and wind don’t seem to be helping.
Captain Tuck also wonders whether the drought is a factor, and if it is affecting the shrimp population that will definitely have an effect on the redfish as well. Six weeks ago he recalls redfish chasing shrimp, but he’s not seeing it as much now. And fish remain very finicky.
In May if there is some rain it should shake things loose, but regardless more stable weather patterns should help. Redfish should be back in the creeks chasing shrimp, and they should also be tailing well on high tide this month. At the end of April they were not.
A bright spot is that cobia have showed up in the Broad River, and they should be around all month. The full moons should bring in big waves of fish, and with some better weather they should be easier to sight-fish for. Captain Tuck’s boat has landed some already before the sunlight got so poor.
In some other good news flounder have just started to show up off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), with whiting and stingrays still pretty abundant.
April 23
Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
Unfortunately the inshore fishing slowed this week for Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), who reports that higher tides, then dirty water and wind, made the fishing more difficult. In particular the trout fishing got a lot tougher with less visibility – but difficulty getting shrimp this week also did not help. Then the wind made it tough to fish some of the open areas and kept them back in the creeks. A few sheepshead and some redfish made up the bulk of their catch.
In sight-fishing news the redfish remain a little finicky, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that the fish are still fussy about eating what you put in front of them. He is optimistic that things will pick up again when they get some good tailing tides next week.
Finally, the catch off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) is mainly whiting and stingrays, with flounder still not making an appearance.
April 16
Morning surface water temperatures are around 68-69 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
It continues to be a great time for inshore fishing for Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), who reports that the trout have turned on and started feeding well. The outgoing has been the best time to catch them and fishing live shrimp under popping corks around drop-offs has been the ticket.
They have picked up a few small flounder but no numbers, while they are catching some juvenile sheepshead but hear that they are burning it up nearshore out at the Fripp Reef.
The most reliable thing going inshore continues to be the redfish, and recently there has been a strong bite around docks, trees, holes, and at times on the flats. Everything is better on low water.
But for sight-fishing it’s a different story (with an asterisk), and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that the fish are still a little fussy about eating what you put in front of them. It seems like this is the end of the transition period between cold and warm weather patterns where fish break out of their winter schools and split off, and when that is finally done fishing should be more consistent.
But the asterisk is that yesterday evening Captain Tuck got to fish high water for tailing fish after we initially talked during the day, and they saw fish which were cooperative – like the big red below which was caught on the fly. We may be getting into a period where the most consistent feeding takes place at high tide when redfish gorge on fiddler crabs.
April 3
Morning surface water temperatures are around 65 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.
He’s not sure what is responsible, but Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that in the last few days the inshore bite has turned on in Beaufort. Now they are catching redfish and trout in good numbers, and the sheepshead have really started chomping!
Redfish are feeding around the tide cycle, and on high water you can go up into the grass and fish for tailing fish on the short grass flats. Then on the dropping tide you can find them coming out of the grass, and on lower water they are holding around structure including docks until they start to spread out again. A variety of baits including mud minnows, cut mullet, and shrimp are working.
Meanwhile, trout are basically taking live shrimp, and they are a little tricky to catch without them but reliable with them. The best place to fish for them is in about 6 feet of water at creek mouths that drop off into the main channel. The falling tide has been the best time, and fishing shrimp on slip shot rigs with a small #1 or #2 mosquito bait hook has been working well.
Finally, the sheepshead are around all manner of structure including trees, rocks, dock posts, and more. 5-6 feet of water is a good depth to target, and fiddler crabs are working well. Captain Pat notes that he is mainly catching smaller fish with most of the bigs still at the reefs.