January 30

Morning surface water temperatures are around 49 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is gin clear. 

Back on the water today, Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that inshore redfish are in extremely tight schools, and so even if you only see a single it’s a pretty good bet that there is a school nearby. In the super clear conditions sight-fishing is the name of the game, and at low tide when fish are most concentrated there is the best chance to catch them. Light-colored lures (or flies) like white or tan are most effective right now.

Today Captain Tuck saw temperatures from the upper to mid-40s, but in the next few days he expects to mainly see temperatures closer to 45 and below.  Nonetheless, with a slower presentation, long casts, and natural colors they should continue to eat fairly well.

January 21

Morning surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet.

Off the water this week fishing in beautiful New Zealand, Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) is returning from the Southern Hemisphere summer just as things are getting nasty around here. Regardless his plan is to be back on the water in Beaufort Monday, and we will get a fresh report as soon as he is able to fish. 

For now here’s an impressive trout caught on the other side of the world… 

January 8

Morning surface water temperatures are 54 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is gin clear. 

It’s hard to put a good spin on the inshore redfish action this week around Beaufort, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that results this morning lined up with everything he has seen and heard recently. Running a huge circle from the rivers to the front beach and back again, they only spotted 3 or 4 fish in the gin clear conditions. One was a sheepshead. Everywhere they went water temperatures were exactly 54 degrees. Similarly, guides who use LiveScope report that even when they mark large schools of fish (which are holding a little deeper) they will not eat. 

It's hard to put an explanation on it, but in years of observation Captain Tuck has noticed that most any rapid change, in any direction, is a negative. Going from the hard cold front last weekend to this week may have made conditions more difficult. Then again, despite warming air the sunlight has not been great (they were running in thick fog this morning) and so maybe that has had some effect.

It will be interesting to see what the next week brings. 

December 23

Morning surface water temperatures are around 53 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is gin clear. There are still some mullet around but no signs of anything chasing them. 

It’s probably going to be mostly about redfish inshore for Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) for a little while, and he still isn’t seeing signs of sheepshead, black drum, or trout (although trout are certainly around). But in the perfect conditions he is finding large, tight schools of redfish, and they have generally been pretty cooperative at low water when they are easiest to spot. With flies and artificials light colors are working the best, and they are also eating natural baits like cut mullet or mud minnows. Dead shrimp will also work.

Again, it's now the time of year where basically Captain Tuck is trying to align his trips with low tide, but if you have to fish higher tides then hope for good sunlight and try to target the edges.  On dropping tides when all the water is about the same temperature look for fish over white shells where they will be enjoying the extra solar radiation and provide a more visible silhouette. On the rising tide they are less likely to be there because areas with dark mud are much warmer when first covered. 

December 17

Morning surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet but colder inside the creeks.  The water is gin clear. There are some mullet around but no signs of anything chasing them. 

It’s all about redfish inshore right now for Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406), who reports that he isn’t seeing signs of sheepshead, black drum, or trout (although trout are certainly around). But in the perfect conditions he is finding large, tight schools of redfish, and they have generally been pretty cooperative. With flies and artificials light colors are working the best, and while he hasn’t been throwing them they would also eat natural baits. 

Again, it's now the time of year where basically Captain Tuck is trying to align his trips with low tide, and largely because of the time of day the low incoming has been the best recently. 

If you have to fish higher tides then hope for good sunlight and try to target the edges, and on dropping tides when all the water is about the same temperature look for fish over white shells where they will be enjoying the extra solar radiation and provide a more visible silhouette. On the rising tide they are less likely to be there because areas with dark mud are much warmer when first covered. 

December 3

Morning surface water temperatures are around 60 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet but colder inside the creeks.

Unsurprisingly given the drop in temperatures, Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that, from what he is seeing inshore, redfish are very much headed into winter patterns. Fish are still working the banks, but with most shrimp that have not gone to the ocean headed to deep holes or already there they aren’t really chasing them anymore. Bait is getting sparse. 

It's now the time of year where basically Captain Tuck is trying to align his trips with low tide, and searching for fish on the low tide mud flats when water conditions are clear is the best pattern. If you have to fish higher tides then hope for good sunlight and try to target the edges, and on dropping tides when all the water is about the same temperature look for fish over white shells where they will be enjoying the extra solar radiation and provide a more visible silhouette.  On the rising tide they are less likely to be there because areas with dark mud are much warmer when first covered. 

While Tuck has not been targeting anything besides redfish, Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that fishing live shrimp around rock structure close to the ocean he has found a very strong bite for a mixed bag of species. They are catching some redfish, bluefish, weakfish and sheepshead, and the only disappointment has been the trout. They are just not around in the numbers expected. But the sheepshead in particular have been providing outstanding action, with a healthy mix of sizes but most importantly a much higher-than-normal hook-up ratio. They are not just pecking as sheeps often do!  

Where the trout are is anyone’s guess. 

Despite some fishing activity there has not been a lot of catching off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437). 

November 20

Morning surface water temperatures are around 63 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet. 

While there have been some days where the fishing has been off in the last two weeks, such as immediately after a cold front or other major weather fluctuations, overall Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that the inshore redfish are biting extremely well.  With the water clearing his boat is exclusively sight-fishing, and on lower stages of the tide they are finally seeing fish grouping up in larger pods. They are certainly not in schools the size of the ones they will get into this winter, but getting there.

On higher stages of the tide many fish are not going into the grass and certainly none are tailing, and so they are looking along grass edges for “floaters”. Then on the early dropping tide they are looking for fish over white shell bottoms that are coming back from the grass lines. Fish are pretty intent on feeding down right now, so whether on the fly or with artificial lures they are using heavier baits that get to the bottom. 

While Captain Tuck has not been targeting them the trout fishing is still good, and the best action is in 3-6 feet of water around some sort of structure with current. The earlier part of the outgoing tide has been fishing the best for trout, but really any higher moving tide will work – especially if there is clean water.  Live shrimp and jigs are both catching fish. 

Interesting Tuck has been seeing tons of sheepshead actively feeding on mussels. They are generally close to the ocean and on the high dropping tide when water is not yet out of the grass they are found along the edges. 

A week ago there were some good catches of red drum off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), but despite plenty of people fishing the inlet has been slower this week. 

November 6

Morning surface water temperatures are around 64-65 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is clearing although extreme tides are stirring it up. 

The redfish bite is changing in Beaufort, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that the inshore reds are definitely moving into cooler weather patterns. You can still find a few reds up in the grass on high tide chasing bait or looking for late-season crabs, but the numbers are dwindling and seeing a tail would be very unusual.  Now the best bite is definitely on the low outgoing tide, and Captain Tuck is trying to time his trips for the last three hours of the dropping tide. Once the water starts coming in again it has gotten very slow for inexplicable reasons. Super high tides could have something to do with it, but it’s anyone’s guess. 

On the dropping tide fish are chasing shrimp, but they will still take a variety of baits fished around creek mouths, oysters, and marsh edges. 

The trout fishing continues to improve, and in 3-6 feet of water around some sort of structure with current the bite is very good. The earlier part of the outgoing tide has been fishing the best for trout, but really any higher moving tide will work – especially if there is clean water.

Live shrimp have been working well but grubs on a jighead are also productive. 

Finally, in a rare occurrence the water was calm enough yesterday that Tuck’s boat could literally pole along the front beach. They hooked three sheepshead on a fly around trees and landed one!

October 29

Morning surface water temperatures are around 67 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet but cooler inshore in the mornings. 

We wish we had more news to report from Beaufort this week, but Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that that the weather has been so crummy that he has only run a few inshore charters in the last week. Nevertheless the redfish seem to be feeding very hard on late-season shrimp that are still in the creeks, and while fish will still go up in the grass tailing activity seems to be about over.

But the best thing going has been the trout, and in 3-5 feet of water around some sort of structure the bite has been very good. The earlier part of the outgoing tide has been fishing the best, but really any higher moving tide will work – especially if there is clean water.

Live shrimp have been working well but grubs on a jighead are also productive. 

October 23

Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet but cooler inshore in the mornings. There is starting to be less bait around.   

Inshore patterns are changing this week for Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406), and while they are still seeing fish in the grass on high tide they are a lot spookier. That is likely the result of less crabs moving about, and they are also seeing more fish just cruising and less tails. They can still catch fish at high water, but actually the low tide fishing has been better. They are catching fish on the fly but cut mullet and shrimp are also working very well. Captain Tuck notes that there are also less shrimp on the mud flats now.

That’s consistent with the report from Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), who is catching redfish and a fair number of trout – and also finds that low tide has been better. His boat is mainly fishing with mud minnows and live shrimp, and they are picking up both species on a popping cork around grass lines and over oyster beds. 

Unfortunately there has been very little fishing activity off Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437), but there should be abundant trout, reds and still some flounder around in Fripp Inlet.

October 15

Morning surface water temperatures are around 71 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet but cooler inshore in the mornings. Bait is still abundant.

With better weather this week Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that the inshore fishing has significantly turned around – even though no two days are exactly the same. They have mostly been catching redfish, but then a couple of days ago they got on a really good trout bite on the outgoing tide. They were fishing live shrimp under a popping cork in 5-6 feet of water around oyster beds in a small creek, and then when the tide started coming in the trout stopped and the reds started biting. But then the next day on the exact same tide cycle nothing but redfish were there. Overall the best action for redfish has come on oyster points as the tide comes in and shrimp and mud minnows are both working.  

It's an eerily similar report from Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406). It’s fall fishing, which means that even relatively slow days are still pretty good, but the fishing is all over the place. One day you will have fish on one pattern, and then the next day they will be doing something totally different. For example, on one recent trip at high tide they had only six shots at tailing fish but all of them ate, while the previous day they had fifteen shots but the fish mostly refused to eat. It seems that’s because of very unstable weather, including cooling, warming, wind, calm conditions, etc. Redfish do not like fast change.

Overall they are catching fix between a mix of high tide when they are tailing and low tide when redfish are chasing shrimp on the mud flats (when the wind makes open water fishable).

In Fripp Inlet, Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that in addition to catfish and stingrays they are getting a large number of whiting. Bull red drum have also started running. 

October 9

Morning surface water temperatures are around 77-78 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and with extreme tides the water has been very churned up. Bait is abundant. 

It’s a tale of two different fishing styles this week in Beaufort, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that abnormally high tides, heavy winds, swells, and accordingly dirty water has made for tough inshore fishing conditions. They are really just picking at the fish, catching a few redfish, flounder and trout on shrimp, mud minnows, and finger mullet.  Mostly they are having to fish back in smaller creeks and around structure like oyster beds, docks, and trees trying to get out of the wind. Some of the cleaner, sandier areas are more exposed and therefore tough to target. Lower tides have been better when fish can’t get up in the grass as much, especially with very high tides that allow them to move around a lot. About the only people having great success right now are running flats boats that can be polled around at high tide.   

And that’s exactly how Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) fishes, and so (consistent with Captain Pat’s report) he’s been having a ball on the flats. As mentioned repeatedly dirty water isn’t really a factor when the water is very shallow and filtered by marsh grasses, or when fish are literally sticking out of the water, and they have been finding very good tailing action. The one wrinkle is that tides have been so high that sometimes the fish are going even further back than would be expected, and sometimes the water is too high to see their tails. The best places to look for them on very high tides are often over white sand where you can scan the bottom for their silhouettes.  

Captain Pat also notes that, while he hasn’t wanted to fight the winds, bull red drum have moved into some of the soundsand inlets like around the Broad River Bridge and Fripp Inlet.  

Unsurprisingly then, Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437) reports that they are starting to get some big red drum caught off the pier as well as decent numbers of black drum. No word on flounder but they should be biting if the water is not too dirty for them to feed.