July 30
Morning surface water temperatures at the mouths of the main rivers are around 86 degrees and there is tons of bait in the creeks.
The inshore fishing for redfish continues to progress along a trend that has been going on for years, and Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that this morning with perfect water levels and good clarity he was shocked by how few redfish they saw on the main river flats. At the same time the creeks are full of redfish, particularly young-of-the-year puppy drum, and on a recent trip he and a friend caught 50 11-12 inch fish in one area. Reds of all sizes are around any sort of structure in the creeks, with lower tides the best time to target them. The easiest way to fish for them is with a mud minnow or finger mullet on a ¼ ounce jighead.
The trout fishing is still well below where it should be but has picked up, and they can be caught on finger mullet fished around white shell banks on main river points. Live shrimp will also work but don’t last as long between picker fish and being more fragile.
Good numbers of flounder are around, but out of more than 50 fish Ron has caught this summer none have been keepers.
Perhaps the most exciting thing going inshore is the tarpon bite, and tarpon will be found anywhere there are large bait schools, especially when there is also a current rip. About the best place to look for them is by menhaden schools close to the mouths of inlets. Live menhaden and mullet are the best baits; expect to also catch lots of sharks.
Every time Captain Ron heads back in from an offshore trip he looks for Spanish mackerel off the beaches but they have been close to nonexistent for him, and nearshore there isn’t much at the closer reefs besides some spadefish and cobia. At the deeper reefs amberjack, cobia, and bottom fish are around.
But the best bottom fishing is on the ledge in 140-180 feet.
Offshore trolling there are lots of sailfish, a few marlin, and very few dolphin, wahoo and tuna. Wahoo should show up in August and September while it will have to cool a good bit before tuna return.
July 21
Morning surface water temperatures at the mouths of the main rivers are around 86 degrees.
A variety of fish species are providing good action right now in the Edisto area, but Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that one highlight is theoffshore fishing for sailfish. Captain Ron and crew fished a Governor’s Cup tournament last week in the “Non-Sonar Division” and finished second out of 12 boats with five sailfish landed in two days. He said the action is beginning to level up, and later in August and September it’ll get even better.
Captain Ron said the sailfish action is good, and getting better!
For the inshore fishing, the activity is good for several species, with trout numbers not what they normally are, but they’re still catching good fish consistently. He said an overall trend is the fish are being caught farther up the rivers right now. The lack of rain and fresh flow in the rivers means salinity is higher further up, so the fish have a larger area to thrive. But when you find them, the sizes are good.
Theredfishaction is good in the creeks, including some early morning topwater action, but not a lot of success is being found in the rivers. He recommends targeting docks in the creeks later in the morning. Finger mullet about 3 inches long, on a ¼-ounce Carolina rig, are the best bait and rig for redfish. Flounder success is good on mudminnows or shrimp, but a lot of fish are under the legal-size limit to keep.
On thereefs, cobia remain abundant, but many are undersized, and spadefish are being caught. Spanish mackerel numbers are low, as they have been all season.
TheTarpon are around in good numbers and are being targeted just offshore around the big sandbars near the mouths of the rivers.
Bottom fishing is good in 90-100 feet, but the variety of fish is small; the catch rate is good.
Offshore trolling for dolphin is slow, but the wahoo action has picked up recently. As noted earlier, the sailfish bite is good, plus marlin are still around.
--Terry Madewell
July 2
Morning surface water temperatures at the mouths of the main rivers are around 85 degrees.
While inshore catch-rates for trout are still about a third of what they would typically be, Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that at least they are catching fish now. They are averaging 10-15 trout per trip instead of 30-40, but the bright spot is that the “average” size is an above-average 17-18 inches. The fish are around main river points close to the ocean on clean, higher tides, and at least for now there are plenty of brown shrimp for bait – although those usually go away around the Fourth. July is typically finger mullet month, with three-inch fish about perfect.
The main river redfish action is really slow, although there is an early morning topwater bite. However, the big schools are not there and the best way to catch redfish is up the creeks fishing around docks. Anchor up for a couple of hours either side of low tide with cut mullet or live bait. Also – note the new slot limit, 18-25 inches, and that just one fish can be kept per person and just two per boat.
The good news is that there are lots of flounder around, averaging 4-5 per trip, but they are all small. Captain Ron doesn’t have a keeper this year! Finger mullet are catching them.
Catching better sheepshead inshore is tough.
On the reefs cobia are thick but mostly undersized, and there are spadefish around. Spanish mackerel numbers are low, as with the rest of the coast.
Bottom fishing is best in 90-100 feet, and they are hoping for a good snapper season once the rules become more clear.
Offshore trolling for dolphin and wahoo is slow, and tuna have been scarce since mid-April. But there is a strong sailfish and marlin bite.
June 17
Morning surface water temperatures at the mouths of the main rivers are around 78 degrees.
Recent reports oninshore fishing from the Edisto area have not been very positive, but Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that there has been a good uptick in activity, and fishing for redfish, flounder, and trout has improved. Not up to the level he wants, but significantly improved.
Captain Ron said one big change is trout fishing: it was almost non-existent before; now most trips provide 10-15 trout for anglers, and about 4-5 of them will be solid keepers. Getting a limit of keeper trout is still tough, but the action is solid.
Redfish are much more abundant now, and most of the reds are in the creeks, although they are scattered out well now. Captain Ron said the prime time for the day's best action is early morning, especially on a low, incoming tide. He also got a report from an angler he knows who reported success at the end of the falling tide one morning. He said early morning seems to spark excellent feeding activity, and topwater lures, jigs, and, as always, live bait should provide multiple hookups on a typical morning.
He recommends starting by 5:45 am, and anglers can expect good action until about 7:30 am. After that, unless it’s cloudy, it’s more of being in hunt mode for additional fish.
The flounder fishing has improved, and some quality flounder are being taken.
Flounder action is improved, but again, not the action he’s hoping for. Captain Ron said a lot of flounder are in the area, and some keepers are being caught, but he said only about 20 percent of the flounder caught will be 16 inches or more. Fishing finger mullet on a Carolina Rig is the best bet for keeper fish.
He reports the reefs have been, and continue to be, slow for mackerel. But Cobia and Spadefish are available in good numbers, and he said the spadefish are strong fighters, pound-for-pound, among his favorites to fight on a rod and reel.
Offshore, the dolphin bite is still good, and overall, it’s the best he’s seen in 3 years. But the dolphin action is winding down, although plenty are still available for now. He added that the Wahoo bite has been slow.
Terry Madewell
June 3
Morning surface water temperatures at the mouths of the main rivers are around 76 degrees.
There’s no sugar-coating that the inshore fishing for trout has been poor this season, and Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that there are almost no fish around on the main river points where they should be spawning. Migratory fish have not even showed up, and while he hopes things are just running way behind fears are that the winter’s trout kill may be even worse than last year’s – and perhaps there has been a cumulative effect of two tough winters in a row. Similarly, there are some shrimp in the creeks but not nearly as many as last year. The only trout around right now are in the very backs.
Main river fishing for redfish is also very slow, and the early topwater bite is poor. You basically have to fish cut or live bait. The reds that are being caught are also way in the backs around structure, and they can be caught on live bait at low tide. Basically docks are the best places to catch fish right now.
There are a lot of undersized flounder around, but of the thirty or so that Captain Ron has caught this year none have been over 16 inches. It’s very hard to know what to expect for the rest of the month with the three main inshore species not doing better.
On the reefs there are sheepshead, spadefish and cobia, but Spanish mackerel have not showed up and trolling with planer boards and spoons has been futile. There also very few birds around.
Bottom fishing should be good this month, and offshore trolling should also produce even as a strong dolphin season winds down. Tuna and wahoo have been slow but should get much better in June.
More than usual it’s hard to predict June, but we will report changes and improvements as we learn of them.
May 29
Morning surface water temperatures at the mouths of the main rivers are around 73 degrees, and back in the creeks, the water temperature is 76-78 degrees.
Theinshore bite has not been great over the past week, and Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that he's hopeful fishing will improve in the next week. He believes we’re coming up on a good time for redfish based on tides and the moon phase. Anglers are catching plenty of flounder, but few are keeper-size. The trout bite is slow for this time of the year, and he believes it’s linked to the cold weather this winter.
Fishermen are catching redfish around the grass and in the flats, and Captain Ron reports that ‘by far’ the best bait is live shrimp. Shrimp are now in the local area, and while they may be difficult to find, if you catch them, you’ll have the best possible bait.
He said using them on Carolina or Popping Cork rigs has been the best tactic.
He is seeing a lot of finger mullet now, but most schools are in the 1-1.5-inch range, which is smaller than he prefers for bait. By late June, they’ll be at that prime 3-inch size, he said.
Catching flounder inshore is not a problem, he said, but catching keepers is more difficult. But anglers are enjoying good fish-catching action. As noted earlier, trout fishing is very slow.
At the Reefs, he said both Cobia and Spadefish are now in and on a good bite. Large bucktails with trailers are good for cobia. Shrimp or jellyball pieces are ideal offerings for spadefish. Sheepshead action is also good on the reefs.