December 3

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 57 degrees around Hilton Head and the water is getting very clear.  

The main inshore events in Hilton Head right now are redfish and trout, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that on low tide the redfish bite has been really good around oysters, docks and structure. Generally the fish are sitting in very shallow water, but when they are around docks or structure they could be as deep as 8 or so feet. The trout are in some of the same areas but they are also more likely to relate to creek bends and current that is running over oyster bars. For now they are generally in 4-10 feet of water, and they should stay there for a few weeks until temperatures drop into the mid- to low 50s when they will head deeper.  The trout bite is better on higher, moving tides. 

Live mud minnows, Zman PaddlerZ and Zman MinnowZ are working well for both species.

Yesterday the seas were calm enough that Kai was able to get out to some nearshore reefs about 10 miles out, and while they did not find the bull reds they were hoping to see under the birds they did catch a mixed bag of bonito, bluefish, black seas bass, barracuda and pamplico jacks. 

November 19

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 63 degrees around Hilton Head.

Hilton Head is significantly warmer than the Grand Strand, but on both ends of the South Carolina coast the trout fishing has turned on and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that in Beaufort County the numbers have arrived. Yesterday Kai’s boat caught 30 plus fish, and while the majority of them were caught on mud minnows under corks Zman Trout Tricks on ¼ ounce jigheads were also effective. They were fishing high tide long grass lines and eddies off of oyster bars.  

They only picked up one redfish, which Kai reports is not unusual on higher water. The key to really nailing the reds is to fish low tide around oyster flats, mud flats and creek mouths. Mud minnows, cut mullet, Zman PaddlerZ (with Pro-Cure) and Johnson Silver Minnows will all work for redfish. 

On the bottom half of the tide cycle black drum are biting really well around docks with cut shrimp, and there are also redfish around the docks.   

While getting a bigger fish is a little tricky, there are tons of smaller flounder right around the legal size in the creeks right now. Dragging mud minnows is working well. 

There are also still lots of bull reds just off the beaches and in the sounds, but they are starting to get further out. However, this also makes the fish more approachable as they get around nearshore structure and reef soundbars. 

The king mackerel fishing is really good 15-30 miles offshore trolling live bait. 

November 12

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 62 degrees around Hilton Head.

All along the coast inshore fishing is really turning on, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that Hilton Head is no exception. The trout are biting really well in about 5 feet of water over oyster beds, with moving higher tides fishing the best. Live shrimp are great if you have them, but mud minnows, Gulp! shrimp and Zman PaddlerZ will all work too. 

It’s also a very strong bite for redfish in the creeks, and conveniently they are biting best on lower tides. Small creeks with about 5 feet of water have been fishing well in holes and around shells, and Gulp! baits are catching so many fish that it hasn’t been necessary to break out the live bait. 

Docks are also covered up with reds right now. 

While getting a bigger fish is a little tricky, there are tons of smaller flounder right around the legal size in the creeks right now. Dragging mud minnows is working well. 

There are also still lots of bull reds just off the beaches and in the sounds, and based on current conditions they probably won’t leave until about Thanksgiving.

November 4

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 68 degrees around Hilton Head, and with windy conditions and big tides the water is pretty muddy right now. 

Water temperatures are pretty far behind schedule for November, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that he caught his last tarpon of the season on October 22 – the latest he’s ever gotten one. Nonetheless, it’s a strong inshore fall bite right now for several species while there is still a lot of bait in the creeks.  

The trout are biting well in creeks mouths over shells, and they are finding the best action in about 4 feet of water on higher tides. Live shrimp are preferred but mud minnows have been working very well. There are also some flounder in the same areas, and just yesterday they caught a big 20-inch fish. 

Redfish are pretty abundant, with a mix of sizes from rats to over-slot fish around. Generally the bottom half of the tide has been the best time for catching redfish, particularly around oyster beds in the creeks. Docks are also covered up with fish right now. 

There are also still lots of bull reds just off the beaches and in the sounds, and based on current conditions they probably won’t leave until about Thanksgiving.

Windy conditions have limited offshore fishing, but Captain Kai had a friend catch nine king mackerel pulling live mullet on Tuesday. 

Finally, our apologies for the long hiatus in this fishing report, which was the fault of our site, not the guides. We will do our best not to let it happen again.  

October 7

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 79 degrees around Hilton Head, and with rain the last few days (as well as monster tides) the water has gotten muddy.  Finger mullet are everywhere from the ocean to all the rivers and creeks, and by next week rain should have pushed bait down the rivers and the tides will be weaker – allowing for easier netting. 

Even though there is a ton of bait around fishing conditions have been pretty crummy this week, but Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that they are still catching plenty of redfish, intermittent trout and even some flounder on mullet and mud minnows.  Cut mullet will also work for the reds. This week they have done the best fishing on lower tides fishing around downed trees, docks, and the mouths of creeks. When water has been dropping the fishing has been the best. 

While other species are shallower trout have been more likely to hold a little deeper in 5-10 feet of water. 

As far as migratory species, the presence of so many mullet means that the bluefish and jacks are still around in good numbers. Tarpon are also around even though less people are targeting them, and it won’t be until water temperatures dip below the mid-70s that they migrate south. They are being caught with live baits on the top and bottom. 

Probably the most exciting bite continues to be with the bull redfish, and they are still off the beaches in about 15 feet of water. Cut mullet and cut menhaden have both been working, and if you are lucky enough to find them feeding on top (which has happened recently) they will take topwater plugs. 

September 30

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 81 degrees around Hilton Head, and with all the recent rains the Broad and Chechessee Rivers are both very stained until you get to the sounds.  There is still tons of bait around.

The most exciting development around Hilton Head this week is with the bull red drum, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that they are starting to get off the beaches in about 15 feet of water. Cut mullet and cut menhaden have both been working, and if you are lucky enough to find them feeding on top (which has happened recently) they will take topwater plugs. 

Inshore there are plenty of redfish being caught on the high outgoing tide when water is coming out of the grass, and cut mullet have been hard to beat. There have also been some trout around, but you pretty much have to be fishing live shrimp to catch them. They are relatively shallow in 5-10 feet of water.

There are also a ton of smaller jack crevalle present right now in the Calibogue and Port Royal Sounds, and they will take a variety of surface lures thrown at them when they are feeding on top.

Finally, with water temperatures still pretty hot there continue to be a ton of tarpon around in both the sounds and off the beaches.  Live mullet and menhaden are both working.

September 17

Morning surface water temperatures are only down to about 84 degrees around Hilton Head. There are tons of shrimp around. 

There’s other stuff biting around Hilton Head right now, but by far the most exciting action is for tarpon. Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that his boat landed two fish yesterday and had another get off on a friend’s anchor rope. Yesterday they were catching them off the beaches in about 20 feet of water, but they are also in the rivers right now. Live mullet and menhaden are both working very well. 

Inside, the under-slot and slot-sized redfish are biting very well on both mud minnow and shrimp. They are everywhere around oysters and grass. 

The trout action has been a little slower, but on live shrimp anglers are catching some trout on high tide along grass lines. At low tide they have been in holes and around deeper docks. 

While there are still some bull red drum around the water will have to cool a few degrees for the big numbers to show up.

September 2

Morning surface water temperatures are still about 85 degrees around Hilton Head and the water is still relatively clear. 

The most exciting new development around Hilton Head is that the bull redfish are really showing up, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that the bulls are all over nearshore reefs, bridges and rock piles. They can be found in 20-50 feet of water, and they will eat both mullet and menhaden baits.

Inshore the fishing is still really good around oyster bars and grass lines, and both cut bait and shrimp are working for smaller reds. They are also catching tons of small trout along the edges at low tide – a very promising sign for the future.   

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations changed, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat(from 20). The minimum size moved to 16 inches (from 15).

The water is still extremely sharky since it has not cooled, and as a result there are also still tons of tarpon around near bridges and other structure. Live menhaden are catching fish on both the top and the bottom.

Not many people were able to get offshore this week, but bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle are apparently all over the reefs.

August 26

Morning surface water temperatures are about 86 degrees around Hilton Head and visibility is about normal. There are shrimp and mullet in the creeks and menhaden everywhere. 

It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks around Hilton Head, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that they are catching a bunch of redfish in the grass on high tide with cut bait fished in little pockets and holes. At low tide they are doing well around the oyster flats with cut mullet or menhaden. 

Trout have moved out of deeper water and towards the banks, and they are catching lots of specks on live shrimp fished along the grass lines. Moving tides in either direction are fishing well. 

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations changed, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat(from 20). The minimum size moved to 16 inches (from 15). 

The tarpon fishing has been really good recently in the Port Royal and Calibogue Sounds. Live menhaden are catching fish on both the top and the bottom, but there are still a lot of sharks around.

Big jack crevalle can also be found in both sounds, and there are small numbers of jacks everywhere.

Spanish mackerel can be found in both the Broad River and nearshore, but to find king mackerel you have to go way offshore.

August 6

Morning surface water temperatures are about 85 degrees around Hilton Head.  Shrimp and finger mullet are prolific in the creeks.    

Storms and winds have wreaked havoc on the fishing this week, but Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that all things considered they made the best of it and caught some good fish. Another challenge is that there are still as many sharks as he has ever seen around, but they did manage to catch some tarpon this week. They can be found on both the river side and in the ocean on the south side of the island, and live menhaden or mullet under a float are working the best. On the bottom you get even more sharks. 

There have also been some big jack crevalle around this week, and this is pretty much exclusively a sight-fishing game. When you spot them feeding on top you can throw big poppers or swimbaits at the fish, although if you get in an area where you know they are you will also sometimes pick them up with live baits on the bottom.

While trout have been conspicuously absent, they are still catching big redfish in the 28-30 inch range in very shallow water in the creeks. On low tide they are feeding on the oyster flats and cut mullet or cut menhaden is doing the trick. 

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations changed, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat(from 20). The minimum size moved to 16 inches (from 15). 

While it’s been too rough to get offshore, the Spanish mackerel have been showing up in the Port Royal Sound and Kai has caught some around the Broad River Bridge. 

There are some very isolated reports of king mackerel being caught a couple of miles offshore, but otherwise the nearshore fishing has been slow even when it was possible to get there. 

July 29

Morning surface water temperatures are about 84 degrees around Hilton Head and the water is relatively clear. There are tons of small shrimp inshore and more big ones should be on the way. Finger mullet are also prolific.  

As he predicted last week, Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) is pleased to report that the full moon did bring in a wave of tarpon and they have been catching more this week. Of course, there are still as many sharks as he has ever seen in the area, and you catch a bunch for every tarpon that you jump, but today they caught a good one on a live menhaden under a float at the mouth of the sound. You can also catch them on the bottom but there are usually more sharks that way. 

Kai is still targeting big redfish in 28-30 inch range in very shallow water in the creeks. On low tide they are feeding on the oyster flats, and cut mullet or cut menhaden is doing the trick. 

Early in the morning there is a good topwater bite for trout, and they can also be caught on live shrimp or finger mullet in four plus feet of water. They are holding a bit deeper than the reds. 

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations changed, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat(from 20). The minimum size moved to 16 inches (from 15). 

The Spanish mackerel fishing has picked up a little this week, and Kai has caught a bunch of them in the Port Royal Sound.  While live bait is usually preferable, he has even picked some up on cut menhaden fished around a rip when he was fishing for ladyfish. 

There is still a really good bite for king mackerel from about three miles off the beaches on out. The shipping channel in particular has been holding a lot of kings. Fish can be caught pulling live bait or anchoring up, chumming and putting out king rigs on top. 

Finally, the action for bull reds has come on this week and there are a bunch of bulls being caught off the beaches over rock bottoms a couple of miles offshore.  Chunk menhaden is working the best.

July 23

Morning surface water temperatures are about 83 degrees Hilton Head.  There are tons of small shrimp around and more big ones should be on the way. Finger mullet are also prolific.  

Summer in Hilton Head usually means abundant tarpon, but Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that the tarpon fishing has been a little off recently. He points out that the fish usually come in waves, and right now we are obviously between groups. However, he is optimistic that this full moon could bring up some more tarpon over the weekend, in which case live menhaden under a float or on the bottom should be productive.

What is around right now is sharks, and Kai reports that he does not remember ever seeing as many sharks as this summer.

Kai has been spending the most time recently guiding for redfish, and there have been some really nice 28-30 inch fish caught in very shallow water in the creeks. On low tide they are feeding on the oyster flats, and cut mullet or cut menhaden is doing the trick. 

While Kai’s boat is not targeting them as much there are also some trout being caught on live shrimp or finger mullet in four plus feet of water. They are holding a bit deeper than the reds. 

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations changed, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat(from 20). The minimum size moved to 16 inches (from 15). 

While it continues to be a slow year for Spanish mackerel, there is a really good bite for king mackerel from about three miles off the beaches on out. The shipping channel in particular has been holding a lot of kings. Fish can be caught pulling live bait or anchoring up, chumming and putting out king rigs on top. 

July 8

Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-80s inshore around Hilton Head.

When you are chasing tarpon nothing is ever certain, and Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that some weeks they are just easy while other weeks they “play hard to get.” Unfortunately this has been the second kind of week, and they have been fishing for tarpon but catching tons of sharks. Kai reports that he has seen more blacktips than ever before in his life. 

Live menhaden remain the best bait, both under a float and on the bottom, and after this storm passes the fishing should get better again.  

Typical inshore species have been a bit of mixed bag recently, and while Kai has not seen many small redfish they have been catching good numbers of over-slot fish in the 26-32 inch range. The best bite has been on the high outgoing tide where water is coming out of the grass near feeder creeks. They are fishing very shallow in about a foot of water with cut menhaden under a cork or on the bottom. 

The trout bite has been slow, but they have caught the occasional good black drum like the 27-incher pictured below which came on a piece of shrimp under a dock. 

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations changed, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat (from 20). The minimum size moved to 16 inches (from 15). 

A few small late-season cobia can still be caught in the Port Royal Sound, and there are also a decent number of fish out at the Betsy Ross. 

While the fewest Spanish mackerel in the last four years are in the Port Royal Sound this year, they have picked up some big kings in the sound. While there is bait it’s not an incredible amount, and so this is unexpected. You can catch kings along the rips on live menhaden. 

The jack crevalle that were around a couple of weeks ago headed south and they can be found at the mouth of Savannah River.

June 25

Morning surface water temperatures are about 81 degrees inshore around Hilton Head.

It’s been a tough few days between very high full moon tides and steadily blowing wind which has muddied up the water, but Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that they have still picked up some good fish. Both yesterday and today they have caught cobia in the Broad River, and they also picked up a big jack crevalle in the 30-pound range. The cobia season is certainly winding down, but there could be jacks around off and on through the summer. They follow the bait, and fish can be caught on Pop-Rs on the surface or on big baits under floats. 

Kai’s boat has pursued redfish and trout less frequently of late, but when he has both species have been caught at low tide over shell beds. Docks are also holding both species as well as black drum on the lower half of the tide cycle. Live shrimp will also catch all three.  

Some flounder are also being picked up on mud minnows at the mouths of creeks. 

Note that effective July 1 flounder regulations will change, with a new limit of 5 fish per person (from 10) and 10 per boat(from 20). The minimum size will move from 15 to 16 inches. 

While all those species are fun to catch, the most exciting action in the past couple of weeks has undoubtedly been with the tarpon. Before the tropical storm rolled in all the area guides were catching tarpon and there was tons of bait around in the Calibogue and Port Royal Sounds. They were probably off the beaches, too, but Kai saw no reason to look there with the bite so good in the sounds.  So far this season his boat has caught about half of their tarpon on top under a float and half on the bottom. Live menhaden are hard to beat.  

There have also been a ton of sharks around, the most Kai has ever seen, a sure sign of a good fishery. 

While as mentioned the bite has been off for the last few days, and the full moon usually moves the fish around anyway, there is every reason to think that they can find the tarpon again soon. However, they may have to do some work and burn a lot of gas to find them!

June 11

Morning surface water temperatures are about 79 inshore around Hilton Head.

With persistent winds this past week Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports that they have mostly been stuck inshore, but with a lot different things going on inside they have still been catching a mixed bag of species. 

The cobia fishing has only been fair recently, although some fish can still be caught anchored up in the Broad River, but they have caught tons of male Atlantic sharpnose sharks. There have been also plenty of Spanish mackerel in the same areas. Overall they expect cobia to be in the area through the end of the June since the season got off to such a late start, and the June 24 full moon could have another wave of fish.

They still aren’t catching many juvenile redfish, but at low tide cut menhaden on the bottom around oyster points have worked for big ones. At some point the slot-sized fish will show up again, as if by magic, but right now they are catching mostly brutes in the 10-pound range. 

While trout haven’t really been prolific, on one trip they caught some big ones on a point that had clear water where they were mixed in with Spanish mackerel and ladyfish. They caught everything on diamond jigs, although other baits and artificial lures certainly would have worked. 

In a sign of excitement just ahead there have been some early sightings of tarpon, but they have not been in the numbers yet to generate a consistent fishery.  With menhaden just now starting to flood into the Port Royal and Calibogue Sound they are really excited for what is coming.