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. 

March 25

Morning surface water temperatures are around 61 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet. 

It’s still very much March inshore fishing around Beaufort, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that the redfish are still highly reactive to the erratic weather patterns. On cooler days they are less likely to feed, and when tides are higher or lower than expected that can also put off the bite, but there can also be some really good days. While Captain Tuck spends much of his year on the main river flats this is a time when the creeks can be much better, as there still aren’t a lot of mullet around and so redfish are very concerned about dolphins. The creeks are also often warmer than the main rivers.

By far the best bait is cut mullet, which for now is out-fishing everything else pretty significantly. 

The bite has also been challenging at times for Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503), who reports that their bread-and-butter right now is mostly smaller fish including reds, trout, sheepshead and flounder. The common denominator for them has been fishing in very shallow water, mostly around docks and downed trees on the incoming tide. Everything has been coming on mud minnows except sheepshead are biting fiddler crabs. 

Finally, despite fishing activity there is very little being caught off Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437). 

March 11

Morning surface water temperatures are around 58 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet. 

It’s a “transition” time for inshore fishing around Beaufort, and Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that during March you never know what you are going to get on the flats. Some days the fish are very willing to eat while other days they have little interest, and Captain Tuck says you can almost count on having some of the best days of the year as well as some of the worst. 

This week was a great example of that, and on Monday fish basically would not eat while on Tuesday they would eat anything they threw at them. Then today they were back to being very finicky and would not take a fly. Tuck even spoke to another captain who was sight-fishing with cut mullet and in six hours they only managed three fish despite spending most of the day with bait sitting beside giant schools of fish. Again, that’s March – when the fishing is as variable as the weather.  

Tuck notes that they are starting to see a few single fish break off from schools, while large numbers of fish are also still in big groups. Low tide continues to be the best time to target them most days. 

Back in the creeks for smaller fish it has been a little more predictable, and Captain Patrick Kelly with Boogieman Fishing Charters (843-962-3503) reports that his boat is catching small redfish and trout around trees and structure. As with Captain Tuck he is finding the best action on low tide, and they are catching fish on a mix of mud minnows and shrimp.

They are also catching fish around rocks close to the ocean, and when they use fiddler crabs they are picking up sheepshead around 14 inches. 

Finally, despite an increase in fishing activity there has not been a lot of catching off the Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier (843-838-7437). However, they are starting to pick up the occasional small flounder.   

February 26

Morning surface water temperatures are around 51-52 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is gin clear. 

While the ocean temperature is a few degrees warmer, Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) reports that he has seen inshore temperatures in the mornings as cold as 46 degrees and so it’s no surprise that redfish are still very balled up. They don’t want to chase anything and so you have to make tiny movements with baits, and in the clear conditions more natural colors and whites will out-fish darker baits. 

Low water is still the preferred time to fish, but the water is so clear that spotting fish is still possible even when they get up in the grass. However, Captain Tuck notes that with redfish the primary food source for dolphin they are doing everything they can to get away from them and that usually means going way up into the grass. You probably aren’t going to spot them just working the grass edges on high water. 

There is no news on trout but Tuck expects to have some as it starts to warm.

February 12

Morning surface water temperatures are around 47-48 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is gin clear. 

During the winter months many saltwater anglers flock to the inshore waters on unusually warm days, and that makes perfect sense from the perspective of angler comfort. However, Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) has consistently given the message that rapid change in any direction is rarely good for catching redfish, and from talking to our array of guides who fished on Tuesday the results by-and-large supported that theory. It doesn’t mean a winter warm spell is bad once fish have time to get accustomed to it, but a stand-alone warm day is not always as helpful as could be hoped.  It sometimes seems as if the sudden acceleration in their metabolism can make them more energetic but also more nervous and spooky. 

With that said Captain Tuck has continued to overall find a pretty good lower tide sight-fishing bite this week, and redfish are still overall in very tight schools. If you do find a single it’s a good bet there is a school nearby. Light-colored lures (or flies) like white or tan are still the most effective considering the water clarity.

No word on trout, but the good news is that Tuck never saw obvious signs of very fat or languid trout that appeared to be over-fed after the last cold snap. 

February 5

Morning surface water temperatures are around 46 degrees at the mouth of Fripp Inlet and the water is gin clear. 

It continues to be a really good time for the way that Captain Tuck Scott with Building Anglers (843-271-5406) likes to fish, and fishing after the storm there are no signs that the inshore redfish are taking a break from eating. They are still in very tight schools, and that means that even on higher water in the clear conditions you can spot the big groups – especially if you have sunlight. It also means that if you see one fish and don’t get too close it is likely to lead you to a larger group. Light-colored lures (or flies) like white or tan are still the most effective considering the water clarity.

While Captain Tuck has not seen trout or heard news about them since the weekend, he points out that just because there aren’t obvious signs of a kill doesn’t mean they weren’t affected.  In fact, even in years where there it later becomes clear there was a major trout kill he rarely if ever sees dead trout.  Instead he believes that in the Beaufort area they slow down to the point where dolphins gorge on them, and then for several days after a cold event he will notice the dolphins are fat and disinterested in eating.  He hasn’t seen many dolphins this week but time will tell if that happened this year. 

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.