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AHQ INSIDER Hilton Head Island (SC) Summer Fishing Report – Updated June 21

  • by Jay

The newest Hilton Head fishing report, updated July 14, can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-hilton-head-island-sc-summer-2017-fishing-report/

June 21

Hilton Head inshore water temperatures are in the mid-80s and water clarity is good right now – better than it was this spring.

Inshore fishing has been pretty good around Hilton Head, even though Captain Dan “Fishin’ Coach” Utley (843-368-2126) reports that redfish are still not thick along the grass edges.  Instead he is catching them on the dropping tide around large oyster shell rakes.  It takes some searching but if you work along the edges you will eventually find areas where the fish are gathered up around the oyster beds, and then a mud minnow or cut mullet under a cork is hard to beat.

A healthy redfish caught recently on Fishin Coach's boat
A healthy redfish caught recently on Fishin Coach’s boat

The troutfishing has been a little unpredictable, with some tougher days mixed in, but overall they have been catching a lot of fish including numbers of small male fish and some good ones in the 3-pound range.  Fish have been in the faster water around creeks mouths and points where there are oysters, and finding glass minnows is a good sign.  Trout will also inhabit the same areas as the ladyfish, which also like current.  Live shrimp or mud minnows under a rattling cork, Mirrolure Mirrodines and Trout Tricks are all working well.  The bigger fish seem to be holding around drop offs near points where there is still some good current.

To go with the usual inshore bites there has been a better-than-expected flounder bite, and around oyster shell rakes on the outgoing tide they are picking up a good number of flatfish.  If you can find a spot where water is running out of a drain into the main river channel flounder should be around, and on higher stages of the incoming tide fish can be found around the edges of white shell rakes where the oysters have washed up.  In addition to live bait Trout Tricks have been working very well for flounder, and while the fish haven’t been huge some good ones in the 16-18 inch range have been caught.

Tarpon have been sighted but the numbers don’t seem to be huge yet.

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