Our apologies for the sporadic fishing reports in recent weeks. We will do everything we can to get back on track with weekly updates, but one of our children is getting through a significant health challenge which has occupied a great deal of our time and kept us out of work.  

September 25

Morning surface water temperatures are around 79 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and water conditions remain pretty typical. Bait is abundant. 

There probably isn’t as much bait in Winyah Bay as there would be if the great “flush” of freshwater a few weeks ago had not happened, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that otherwise conditions are pretty typical. The fall redfish bite is strong for fish in the mid- to upper end of the slot and bigger, and there are also young-of-the-year fish around, but when temperatures drop just a few more degrees he expects it to be wide open. Most of the fish have been around oysters, and fishing lower tide when fish are not as dispersed with cut or live mullet has been most productive. Instead of merely looking for bait right now they are also trying to look for fish activity to locate reds.  

The trout fishing has started to pick up, and they are having the best success fishing the first of the dropping tide around current rips and creeks mouths. Anywhere there is water flowing and something like a point or oyster mound to create disturbance in the current can be a magnet for fish.  Live shrimp under a popping cork are good but Vudu or DOA shrimp presented the same way are also working.

They are picking up a few flounder, particularly at ambush points with water and bait flowing across them.

They are still seeing some tarpon inside the bay but there are more off the beaches where the big mullet are running. 

September 11

Morning surface water temperatures are around 78 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and water conditions are getting back to normal and bait is returning.       

A couple of weeks later the salinity levels have improved significantly around Georgetown, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that bait has returned to Winyah Bay and there is once again “life” all around. While the fall bull red drum have not showed up yet they are seeing very good numbers of redfish, and in one spot they had 8 good ones on his last charter. They caught 20 fish with only 4 under the slot. With abundant shrimp and mullet around fish are starting their annual feed in preparation for winter when the bait leaves.

The trout haven’t showed up in numbers yet, but they are finding redfish shallow on the edges of big water as well as moving into the backs.  Moderate temperatures and good water quality greatly expand the areas where they can be. Overall the best bite has been on higher water recently around sparse grass and outflow from creek mouths.

Live and cut mullet have been working the best. 

August 27

Morning surface water temperatures are around 82 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and a ton of freshwater has flooded into the area.   

With lots of water coming down the Waccamaw and Pee Dee Rivers, Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that Winyah Bay has basically gotten blown out. The water is dirty, the salinity is very low, and riding through the bay there are basically no signs of bait – including no birds feeding on them. Just like last year after an August tropical storm there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of life around. 

Captain Greg’s rule of thumb is that if you don’t see bait then keep moving, and accordingly he has been concentrating his efforts on the cleaner, saltier water of the North Inlet. 

There the fishing remains good, and fishing with live mullet on the dropping tide he has been catching redfish, trout and flounder. The best areas have been the edges of the grass when it is being drained and creek mouths with the same dynamic. With water temperatures generally still over 80 he continues to target shallow areas that are close to deeper water in bigger runs.  Greg notes that there are a lot of pinfish around right now, as well as decent numbers of young-of-the-year redfish and small bluefish, and particularly to avoid pinfish he is having better luck using larger finger mullet which have harder heads and are more difficult for them to mess with.  

 

If you are going to fish out of Winyah Bay then the best bet is to head closer to the ocean where the water is saltier, and even at the jetties perhaps avoid the dropping tide when so much freshwater is being flushed out to the rocks. In a recent tarpon tournament all the fish were caught close to the ocean and not back in the bay. 

August 13

Morning surface water temperatures are around 82 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is abundant. 

While ocean temperatures have remained more stable, Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that inshore temperatures have dropped substantially with the cooler weather.  Two weeks ago he saw daytime water temperatures up to 96 degrees, and this week he has seen water temperatures in the upper 70s. 

With a better temperature range the fish have been a little more willing to eat, but the biggest change has probably been in the locations where fish can be found. Instead of fish, and particularly redfish, being found almost exclusively in bigger water and usually fairly close to deep water, they have been more willing to swim into smaller creeks even during the heat of the day. They also seem to have gotten a bit shallower. With plenty of rainy, overcast days the trout bite has also lasted longer into the day and been better throughout, and even while fishing with cut bait and larger mullet they are picking up trout on the bottom since they are more willing to feed in low-light conditions.

  

Still, most of all catching fish right now is about following the bait, and trout, redfish and flounder are all concentrated in the areas where there is bait. Creeks that have more bait for whatever reason are attracting far more fish, and they are moving within areas as the bait moves. A large expanse of oyster beds can be productive one day when there are schools of mullet around – but then a desert the next day if they vacate. 

Perhaps tarpon are the most vivid example of this, and the key to catching them right now is to fish around big schools of mullet or menhaden. Anglers with high-end electronics report catching fish even when they did not mark any simply by drifting through bait schools. 

Finally, all the flooding around Conway and above could dramatically change the fishing in the coming days. Last year at this time rain from a tropical event flooded into the inlets and bays and bait headed to the ocean to escape the freshwater and find higher salinity. That seems very likely to happen again this year, in which case the better action will shift to the beaches and jetties. 

July 31

Morning surface water temperatures are around 85 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is abundant. 

Temperatures aren’t ideal for inshore fishing for most species around Georgetown, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that this is exactly the weather and water temps that tarpon like and so they have spent some time pursuing them this week.  Basically tarpon are all around them right now, and they can be off the beaches, at the sandbars, and inside the inlets. But they are going to be around schools of mullet or menhaden, and so finding bait is a key to locating the fish. The last couple of days they have actually found the most tarpon back in the stained water inside Winyah Bay, where they have seen them charging into schools of 6-10 inch mullet that can’t see them until it’s too late. This picture captures it perfectly. 

Catching sharks has been easier than catching tarpon, but both live and cut bait on the bottom or under float rigs can work. 

The pattern for redfish has changed very little, which makes sense considering that one day Captain Greg saw 96-degree water! They are still seeking out shallow areas to feed that are adjacent to bigger, usually deeper water. Outside of the early morning it’s rare to find a redfish up a small creek. Besides deep water nearby the biggest common denominator is the presence of oyster shells. Live and cut mullet seem to be working about equally well, and this week they managed a 42-inch fish inside a big creek run. They have also had plenty of fish in the 30s.     

There have been some good trout reports this week, and it seems like some of the better trout fishing is moving out towards the ocean. Sandbars at the mouths of inlets are holding fish, and even when it looks like dead water fishing live shrimp under a cork can be very productive. 

Yesterday Greg told me he wouldn’t be surprised to see large numbers of flounder start to show up in the ocean looking for better oxygenated water, which turned out to be prophetic with some area piers reporting excellent catches. There should still be flounder on the inside but the numbers might be getting better close to the ocean or in it. 

Finally, Greg reminds anglers that tripletail are now here, and running crab pot buoys and looking for them on the surface at high tide when water clarity is sufficient can be a great pattern. Imitation shrimp or live shrimp or minnows under a cork can all work. 

Our family is travelling next week for the last week of the summer before our children go back to school, but we will resume weekly fishing reports the following week. Hopefully some cooler weather will give us some exciting changes to relay – although it will still be August in South Carolina!     

July 22

Morning surface water temperatures are around 83-84 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is abundant. 

Summer inshore pattern are holding pretty steady in Georgetown, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that bait is getting so prolific that you don’t have to give as much thought to fishing in areas with lots of baitfish. Instead, particularly redfish seem to be seeking out shallow areas that are adjacent to bigger, usually deeper water. Outside of the early morning it’s getting rare to find a redfish up a small creek. The outgoing tide has generally been the best, but there are still times where they will find a concentration of fish at high tide and get healthy fast. Even though it’s common to catch single fish at a location, there are also plenty of spots where they catch five or six. Besides deep water nearby the biggest common denominator is the presence of oyster shells. Live and cut mullet seem to be working about equally well, and on both they are picking up some nice bonnethead sharks. 

 

While Captain Greg has not heard much about flounder this week, with the new moon and high tide falling early it’s a near-certainty that some good trout will be caught in the new few days along grass lines. Topwater lures and live bait under a popping cork will both work. 

While tarpon are around they are still not quite yet thick inside the bays, but unless there is a deluge of rain that pushes the bait out that is just a matter of time. By August both bait and tarpon should be stacked up in Winyah Bay, Muddy Bay, and the North Inlet.  

Finally, Greg reminds anglers that tripletail are now here, and running crab pot buoys and looking for them on the surface at high tide when water clarity is sufficient can be a great pattern. Imitation shrimp or live shrimp or minnows under a cork can all work. 

We apologize that these reports are running a few days behind – the author had some unexpected issues in his other job arise. 

July 10

Morning surface water temperatures are around 83-84 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is abundant. 

There’s a pretty simple rhythm developing to inshore fishing in Georgetown, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that an important common denominator in where they are catching fish is the presence of bait. Fish still want to be near deep water, often feeding on shallow flats off the side of deeper areas, but if there is not bait around it’s rare to find many redfish. This week they have located some really large concentrations of fish even in the heat of the day at lower water near mullet schools, and as long as you stay off the fish and make long casts with cut mullet they will eat. Captain Greg has had better success when the fish can’t get too far up into the grass and spread out, although at those times you can still get bites anchoring cut mullet in sparse areas or along the edges. 

There have been some reports of flounder this week, and with this full moon it’s a great time to targe trout at higher water when it is cleaner. Regardless of tide you can also fish for them at daylight with topwater lures. 

While tarpon are around they are not thick inside the bays yet, but unless there is a deluge of rain that pushes the bait out that is just a matter of time.

Finally, Greg reminds anglers that tripletail are now here, and running crab pot buoys and looking for them on the surface at high tide when water clarity is sufficient can be a great pattern. Imitation shrimp or live shrimp or minnows under a cork can all work. 

July 2

Morning surface water temperatures are around 82 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is everywhere.

The inshore fishing is settling into a good summer pattern in Georgetown, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that there is a lot of life in the area. Still redfish are his mainstay, and most trips they are having pretty reliable catches. 

This week with morning low tides they have concentrated on fishing the first of the rise around oyster shells where fish hold off to the sides of larger creek runs waiting to move into the grass. Again, in the summer heat having deep water at least nearby is generally better than fishing up very small creeks. Small finger mullet have sometimes been the most easily available bait besides larger mullet, and the redfish have not seemed to mind. Captain Greg has been glad not to waste fishing time searching for the perfect bait when often good bait at the right time is enough.  Then later when the water has been higher they are soaking cut mullet on the edges of the sparse grass when it is first flooded.

While waiting for redfish to eat baits at anchor they have picked up some flounder casting Zman swimbaits on Texas-rigged jigheads, but with trout between spawning moon phases Greg has not seen or heard of them this week. 

Tarpon are around in good numbers now, and on lower tides when the bait washes out to the jetties they follow it. But on higher tides when the big schools of bait move to the inside they will follow it into the bays. 

Additionally, Greg reminds anglers that tripletail are now here, and running crab pot buoys and looking for them on the surface at high tide when water clarity is sufficient can be a great pattern. Imitation shrimp or live shrimp or minnows under a cork can all work. 

Finally, check out the different in color between these two redfish that were caught just miles apart by the same angler. The darker fish lives in muddy, more brackish water while the lighter fish lives closer to the ocean, in green, salty water. 

June 26

Morning surface water temperatures are around 82 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is everywhere. Water clarity has been lower than normal with the extreme tides.

Even with the extreme heat this week the inshore fishing has been good around Georgetown, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that you have to make some adjustments to catch fish when it gets this hot.  Smaller feeder creeks are becoming much less productive for redfish, and instead he is trying to concentrate on areas like flats with shells bars off to the side of the main run so there is deeper water nearby.  And especially in the heat of the day he is trying to fish a bit deeper than normal in 5-6 feet of water.  Time of day can matter as much as tide, but moving water is also important and low tide in the heat of the day can be very slow.  

Beyond that they are still looking for bait, which is a lot easier now than a few weeks ago, and when they find it the fish are more likely to be around it. And while live bait is still working at times, a lot of times in the dirty water cut bait like menhaden is the easiest for fish to find. 

The same formula of fishing a little deeper is also good for black drum, but the key to catching trout right now seems to be fishing early in low-light conditions.  They have been few-and-far-between during the day.

One bite that only gets better with the heat is the tarpon, and they have been seeing some 70-90 pound fish rolling in schools of menhaden. There are tons of small menhaden in both Winyah Bay and North Inlet, but on rising tides the bigger ones that are fairly thick off the beaches come into the inlets and the tarpon follow them. 

June 19

Morning surface water temperatures are around 80-81 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is really prolific.     

In part the patterns for inshore fishing haven’t changed a ton this week, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that if targeting flounder he is still looking for areas where creeks are emptying into bigger water on the dropping tide. For trout they are searching for cleaner water and current around main points. But for redfish the prevalence of bait has changed what they are doing, and so now instead of just looking for certain structure on a certain tide they are looking for the giant schools of finger mullet. On the rising tide when the water isn’t yet up in the grass, or lower tides when the bait is pulling out, they have found schools of mullet a quarter mile long against the banks. Invariably there are fish feeding on them, and the best bet is just to pull back and watch before casting. Fishing this pattern they have gotten into a really good grade of redfish this week, and when you see the fish attacking the bait schools a well-placed live mullet is likely to get slammed. 

Finally, while reds may be the most visible fish feeding on bait schools it’s a good bet that flounder are more likely to be in the area and trout too as long as there is good visibility. 

June 11

Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and bait is getting to be a better size for fishing.   

Fishing the Inshore Slam tournament this weekend Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) took a shot at redfish, flounder, and trout, and it was a big trout that got away that kept them from a high finish. While the patterns for other species were pretty clear, the trout continued to be elusive. 

For flounder the best pattern was fishing the last of the dropping tide where shallow creeks emptied into a main run, while reds bit best on the rising tide. They would move out of deeper water up onto flats that they had to cross in order to get into the grass to feed at high tide. But the bite would really slow when they would get up in the grass.

For trout they searched for cleaner water and current around main points, but it was actually a redfish hole beside an oyster bar on lower water where they hooked a four plus pound fish.  Partly because they wanted flounder and trout, not just redfish, they only fished with live menhaden and mullet.

In the end about a 4-pound flounder was the big flounder of the tournament. Captain Greg’s boat landed about four keepers and so there are certainly more 16-inch fish around now. 

May 29

Morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay, warmer inside the creeks and inlets.  More bait arrives each day. 

The inshore fishing is about right for late spring in Georgetown, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters(843-241-0594) reports that – while it’s not like the fall bite – they are picking up some good redfish up to 30 plus inches. There are also lots of slot-sized fish around. The key right now seems to be fishing side creeks where reds want to explore, and Captain Greg has had the best success on the dropping tide at the creek mouths. But other captains have caught fish on slack tide in side creeks that have enough water.  

Live bait seems to be the most effective right now, and the best action has generally been coming on mullet. Bait can be tricky to find with low visibility from big tides, boat traffic, and wind, but fish seem to want live bait more than cut bait.

While he has not pursued them, Captain Greg has heard reports of some big trout caught on live shrimp and so it seems that the migratory fish predicted to arrive on the moon phases have done so.

There have also been some flounder caught, and fishing live bait on the bottom where water is coming in and out of creeks is as good a way to catch them as any.

Captain Greg reminds anglers to get their catches in to the boat quickly with so many sharks now around!

Note that on June 7 the Habitat for Humanity Hooked on Habitat Inshore Slam Tournament will be taking place out of the Carrroll A. Campbell Marine Complex. 

Our family is travelling for our annual beach vacation next week, but we will resume regular fishing reports the following week.   

May 21

Morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay, warmer inside the creeks and inlets.  More bait arrives each day. 

The inshore fishing is even further into summer patterns around Georgetown, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that temperatures are still cool enough that redfish can be found in small creeks that they may not want to enter once it gets very hot. Lots of fish are also being caught in shallower parts of Winyah Bay on higher water when fish can move up and feed, but the easiest time to locate fish right now is usually on the dropping tide when bait is pouring out of creek mouths. Most of the time cut mullet is hard to beat but there may be times when fish are around so much small bait that they don’t really want to eat anything else. 

There are also reports of more keeper flounder, and on the upcoming new moon Captain Greg expects the trout action to pick up as fish spawn. On these super extreme tides it’s probably best to look for clean water at the top of the tide when the current is not ripping as hard. Fishing live shrimp under a cork around points near the ocean is a good pattern.

The sheepshead bite is also strong at the jetties, while inside Winyah Bay (without many docks and piers) anglers can look around oyster beds in the marsh on high tide.

Finally, Captain Greg reminds anglers to be cognizant of salinity levels. They have had some rain but could certainly use more, and if salinity levels get too high then bait, crabs, and fish will spread out way up the rivers. 

May 6

Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay, warmer inside the creeks and inlets.  More bait is showing up all the time. 

The inshore fishing is beginning to look a lot more like summer, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that the biggest change in the last couple of weeks is with the number of flounder around. Because of the number and sizes of fish showing up the giggers are also starting to get active, and on hook-and-line they have caught fish up to about 20 inches. You do have to wade through them this early in the season, and in areas like North Inlet about a 25% keeper ratio seems the norm right now. 

The best pattern seems to be fishing the lower dropping tide in areas where bait is being swept out of smaller drains into bigger water. Fish are pretty active and soft plastics like jerk shad seem to be working about as well as live bait. Keep in mind that the biggest fish will eat big baits, and even smaller flounder will often attack something much bigger than you would expect when they are hungry. 

At the same time the trout don’t really seem to have showed up yet, although expectations are that on the May 12 full moon some big fish should appear.  With water temperatures pushing 80 in the afternoon this should be a good spawn. 

There is not much change with the redfish this week, and they are generally spreading out in all the main waterways and around their normal structure. They are also feeding in the grass on higher tides and soaking cut mullet is becoming more effective. Basically to catch redfish you just have to work likely locations and keep looking for new ones – unlike the cold months where they are concentrated in a few shallow areas they can be about anywhere. 

Finally, in another sign of summer the sharks have really showed up, including inside the estuaries. Another captain had a six-foot blacktip shark take a mullet bait in less than two feet of water – a good reason to get fish in quickly instead of playing them for too long!

April 24

Morning surface water temperatures are around 69 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay and captains are seeing 70s inside North Inlet.  Bait is arriving with mullet now prevalent, tiny flea shrimp everywhere, and the number of small menhaden about to explode. 

The inshore fishing for redfish continues to improve and change, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters(843-241-0594) reports that the main change is that the period where the fish are hyper-concentrated on crabs is now over. He is still hearing some reports of fish only showing interest in crab in areas where there is an abundance of mullet, but generally they are now on a more eclectic diet. There are still a few fish way up the shallow creeks, but in general fish are starting to make their way back down towards the main waterways and get around their normal structure. They are also feeding in the grass on higher tides and soaking cut mullet is becoming more effective. 

Trout reports have still been pretty thin, but what action there has been seems to be coming fishing live shrimp under floats or topwater lures early around points. In May typically more and bigger fish show up when they begin to spawn, and the best place to look for trout now is probably still at the jetties. There have also been good reports on big red drum, sheepshead, and black drum at the jetties. 

April 9

Morning surface water temperatures are around 67 degrees at the mouth of Winyah Bay but captains are seeing 70s inside North Inlet.  More mullet are appearing and menhaden should be arriving soon. 

The inshore fishing has really picked up as temperatures have warmed, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that on his last trip redfish from 22-33 inches were very cooperative – once the tide got lower.  At first it was a grind trying to catch them around grass edges and in the sparse grass, picking up only a few small fish, but eventually they seemed to get concentrated in smaller secondary creeks off the main runs. They appear to be moving way up these small creeks then falling back with the tide, and the best place to catch them is at pinch points. Schools of fish are smaller than a few weeks ago, but there are more of them, and they are also feeding better in moving water than on slack tides.

As for what to feed them that’s easy right now – busted blue crabs are the bait of choice for reds.   

Captain Greg has tried for trout at good spots including creek mouths, points, areas with eddies, shelves running by creek mouths, and all manner of areas with current that trout like to feed in. So far his boat has had no luck. 

They have picked up some short flounder, which appear to be arriving in pretty good numbers, and heard reliable reports of a few early keepers. 

At the jetties the sheepshead and black drum fishing is strong, but Greg’s boat has also picked up some good sheepshead and mostly juvenile black drum inshore on live shrimp. 

Finally, he notes that for unknown reasons the sand has shifted in a lot of areas in North Inlet, making certain areas much shallower than expected, and so he urges caution as anglers relearn the waterways this spring.