August 25

Morning surface water temperatures are about 86 degrees in Murrells Inlet and water clarity is fairly high. There is a ton of bait around. 

We’ve been saying for a while that there’s a lot of bait around, but it’s now more than that as Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that the mullet run has just started. There are tens of thousands (millions?) of mullet running the beaches, and already today Tom saw fish busting on them. It could have been Spanish mackerel or bluefish, but a host of species including trout, redfish, king mackerel, tarpon and of course sharks will be attracted. 

Inside the inlet the fishing has slowed down, and while they did manage one 19.5 inch flounder today they only caught three or four smaller ones. The incoming seems to be fishing the best for flounder. Note that the mullet run should pull flounder that went offshore in the heat back inshore, and get them feeding aggressively.  

At the jetties there are also tons of small black sea bass around, which provide good action even if you can’t keep them. On the other hand pinfish are so prolific right now that it can make fishing in certain inshore spots difficult. They are voracious, almost like piranhas, and will peck at a finfish bait (including other pinfish) until they devour it. And you can forget about fishing shrimp. When you get into too many of them you just have to move on.

Inside the inlet trout and reds are very slow, but the mullet run should attract more species. 

August 18

Morning surface water temperatures are still around 87 or 88 degrees in Murrells Inlet.

It’s a surprisingly good bite for the middle of August in Murrells Inlet, and Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that they are catching plenty of inshore species. 

The best action has still been with the flounder, and at one spot this week they caught 25 flounder in an hour. Only four were keepers, and so as a percentage it was just fair, but no one who has been flounder fishing recently in South Carolina is going to complain about catching four fish over 16 inches in one spot!  While most of the fish are being caught with mud minnows or finger mullet on the bottom, they also had a really nice 22-inch fish this week that came on a live shrimp under a float in the mouth of a creek. 

The redfish are also thick, particularly the 12-14 inch young-of-the-year fish. It’s not unusual to pull up on a spot and catch eight or nine redfish in quick succession. They can be caught around the tide cycle on a variety of baits, including finger mullet and live shrimp.

While trout are rarer right now, they did get a nice 17-inch fish this week as well as some smaller ones. Live shrimp are working for trout, and there are lots of other species around as well that will take shrimp. In addition to redfish black drum, croaker, and even the occasional tripletail can be caught!  

There’s also plenty of sharks and stingrays around right now, and so all-in-all there’s no shortage of action.  And it should only get better for the next few months!

August 4

Morning surface water temperatures are 87 or 88 degrees in Murrells Inlet.

After a slower summer for redfish they are finally showing up in Murrells Inlet, and Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that they are catching a decent number of big fish over the slot, slot-sized fish, and 12-14 inchers. Fish can be found around grass edges and the banks in as little as a foot or two of water in the creeks, and so despite the heat they are still fishing shallow. There is plenty of bait around and the reds will eat about anything. 

The flounder fishing is nothing like it was earlier in the summer, but they are still catching half a dozen or more fish each trip – although keepers are hard to come by. There are tons of junk fish including pinfish, lizardfish, and more around. 

Each trip they seem to catch one or two trout, but the numbers are low. With so many bait stealers they are actually having better luck with mullet or menhaden for trout, rather than live shrimp. 

Sheepshead and black drum fishing has been slow at the jetties, but they expect that to improve (along with basically everything) in the next couple of weeks. 

While not around in the numbers of earlier this summer there are still plenty of sharks in the creeks, including bonnetheads and even bull sharks, to provide action. 

Finally, for the time being Tom’s boat has basically stopped making the run out to the nearshore reefs with so many boats out there. Flounder, Spanish mackerel and more should be around but it’s just crowded. 

July 27

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s in Murrells Inlet.

The fishing has slowed overall around Murrells Inlet, and Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that it’s not terrible but they are really having to work to catch fish.  In particular the flounder, which had been so reliable earlier in the summer, are a lot harder to locate. They are still catching a few keepers inshore each trip, but it seems as if a lot of the better ones have headed offshore.

They haven’t seen any trout in about 3 weeks until a 14-inch fish yesterday, but one bright spot is that redfish are showing up around docks and at the jetties – after a prolonged absence. They will eat cut bait, mud minnows, finger mullet and more.

 

Despite putting in some serious time they are having trouble catching sheepshead even chumming with barnacles and fishing with fiddler crabs, and even the sharks have been a little slow. 

At the nearshore reefs and wrecks they aren’t finding very many exciting species, and while there are a lot of Spanish mackerel around they have been a little finicky about eating a hooked bait. 

July 13

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s in Murrells Inlet.

Despite the heat it’s been really good fishing at the south end of the Grand Strand, and it’s hard to discuss the last week of fishing for Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) without leading off with the flounder report. This week they caught an eight(!) pound fish inshore and then more big fish up to 21 inches. However, it seems like the fish are starting to make their way to deeper water and the nearshore reefs. While the 8-pounder was caught inside the jetties, it had moved out of the creeks and seemed to be heading offshore. For anglers continuing to fish inside the creeks it’s a good bet to seek out slightly deeper water where the fish can find cooler temperatures.  

While they haven’t caught a ton of trout, they have caught some really big breeding fish up to 21 inches (released). The jetties have been holding the most trout, and live shrimp or finger mullet under a cork have been working.

Unfortunately the redfish have been very hard to find, and Tom believes the resident population is very low. Eventually some fish will move down from the Little River area or up from Georgetown, and for a while there will be some action, but they seem to be heavily overfished in the area. 

There are some Spanish mackerel inside the jetties, but the best numbers are running the beaches with all the bait. There have also been some small cobia up to about 30 inches but they seem to be moving out. 

While Tom would expect the best shark fishing to be along the beaches, recently it’s best really good inside the jetties.  Mostly they are blacktip sharks and generally running from about 7-70 pounds. Outside the jetties there should be more bonnetheads, dusky sharks, and sand sharks. 

June 29

Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 70s in Murrells Inlet.

There has been plenty of excitement inshore around Murrells Inlet, but Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that with the onset of true summer some changes in the fishery are apparent. While the flounder bite is still pretty good, they are catching a few less keepers this week than a week or two ago. They can be found from the backs of the creeks to the reefs, and don’t seem picky about baits, but the bigger ones are just not showing up quite as much.   While they can be caught inshore around the tide cycle, in general slacker water an hour and a half each side of low and high tide has been better than the middle tides. 

At the same time more sharks have showed up including bonnetheads (out towards the beaches) and tons of small blacktips in the inlet, but the most exciting arrival may be the ladyfish. These aerial fighters are eating minnows on the bottom – while flounder fishing – and providing outstanding action for anglers.  Live bait under a cork may catch even more.  

There are some redfish at the jetties but overall redfish and trout inside Murrells Inlet have been fairly sparse. That’s not uncommon for the hot months, but there are also periods (like the third week of summer last July) when they just show up and the fishing gets good. 

Just off the beaches Spanish mackerel and bluefish are still prolific. You can catch them casting jigs and sometimes live bait, or trolling with spoons.   

While there are fewer menhaden schools than normal this year, when it’s very, very calm Tom has wandered out to the nearshore reefs and gotten into cobia. Spadefish are also prolific. 

June 22

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s in Murrells Inlet.

Since the weekend weather has limited fishing opportunities, but Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that everything is similar except that Spanish mackerel and bluefish have showed up in droves off the beaches. You can catch them casting jigs and sometimes live bait, or trolling with spoons.   

The flounder bite has still been strong in Murrells Inlet, and most days they are catching several keepers amongst tons of smaller fish. They can be found from way back in the creeks out to the nearshore reefs. 

In general flounder don’t seem terribly picky about baits right now, and they will eat mud minnows, finger mullet, menhaden or Gulp! For bigger fish a bigger bait is almost always better, including small pinfish. 

While they have inshore spots around the tide cycle, in general slacker water an hour and a half each side of low and high tide has been better than the middle tides. 

The redfish and trout haven’t showed up on the last couple of trips, and it still doesn’t seem like there are very many around. There is always the chance for a giant roe trout in the summer, and while fishing with live shrimp increases your chances they will also take finfish. 

Tom notes that there are lots of sharks around which are cooperative most days, including dusky, blacktip, bonnethead and bull sharks. 

June 15

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s in Murrells Inlet.

The flounder are probably the best thing going again this week in Murrells Inlet, and even though keepers can be hard to come by Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that they have had some incredible days. A couple of days ago they caught 35 fish in 45 minutes on one spot, and even though only two of them were over 16 inches it was a blast! Another positive is that the keepers they are catching are generally on the larger end, averaging at least 18 inches.

In general flounder don’t seem terribly picky about baits right now, and they will eat mud minnows, finger mullet, menhaden or Gulp!  For bigger fish a bigger bait is almost always better, including small pinfish. 

While they have spots around the tide cycle, in general slacker water an hour and a half each side of low and high tide has been better than the middle tides. 

Spanish mackerel and bluefish are now thick off the beaches, and catching them is pretty easy. Captain Tom reports that the Spanish are mostly keepers but on the smaller end, and they will take most any spoon trolled or casted. Cobia are also showing up around the pods of menhaden and at the nearshore reefs, and they have caught some just under 36 inches so far. 

Finally, redfish and trout seem to be few-and-far-between right now. It just doesn’t seem like there are very many around, although the rare giant roe trout can definitely be caught. Fishing with live shrimp increases your chances but they will also take finfish. 

June 8

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s in Murrells Inlet.

It was a mixed feeling to win the 97-participant Murrells Inlet flounder tournament last weekend, and while Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) was of course excited about winning with his buddy Kehl, to see a 23 inch, 3.955 pound flounder come out on top was a bit disheartening. That day they caught a ton of fish just under the limit but no other keepers. They caught all their fish on live mud minnows and pinfish.

It's hard to generalize about the best tides right now, and two days ago the best fishing was on the rising tide. Yesterday the best action came right before high tide. And then there have been other days where low, moderate tides are fishing the best.

In the last couple of days pods of menhaden have really started to show up, and they caught (and released) a 26-inch trout, a 21-inch trout, and a nice redfish. All of these fish came on small pogies and Gulp! baits. While there may be some schools of trout in the inlet, it’s not unusual at this time of year for them to be loners.  There are also ladyfish and sharks around to provide exciting action. 

The jetties have been really tough to fish because they are covered up with small bluefish and big pinfish that will run through your baits. And on Gulp! Tom didn’t catch anything. 

On days when the wind is moderate the offshore fishing has been really good, and this week when they got out they caught some scamp and gag grouper, a 37-pound king mackerel on the drift line, dozens of amberjacks and a couple of dolphins.  

May 25

Morning surface water temperatures are up to about 74 degrees in Murrells Inlet and all the wind has the water muddy.   

It’s still all about the flounder in Murrells Inlet, and Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that with conditions too rough to get out to the jetties and look for redfish or trout, or head to the nearshore reefs, they are very thankful for flukes!

Of course the keeper ratio is still low, and most days about one out of ten fish is over 16 inches. They are still catching fish around the tide cycle as long as you keep moving to likely spots, but moderate tides are usually the best. Most of the fish seem to be in 1-6 feet of water in typical early summer spots and mud minnows have been working very well.  Gulp! baits have also been productive. 

Remember that flounder, like all fish, don’t eat 24 hours a day, and so don’t expect to get a bite on every cast. Certainly there are peak feeding times, but in general if you are getting a couple of bites every thirty minutes you are doing well.

 

When the wind lays down nearshore there should be Spanish mackerel and bluefish should be getting closer in, and with menhaden pods getting closer to the beaches it shouldn’t be long until people start picking cobia or kings out of them. 

May 11

Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 or 71 in Murrells Inlet and the water is usually a pretty green. 

There were more major tournaments for flounder Friday and then Saturday on the Grand Strand, and Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that on Saturday he threw his hat in the ring. About a four-pounder won Friday and a fish over five won Saturday, and Tom didn’t catch either of those. But he did catch about 25 flounder, and lost about the same number. However, keepers are very rare right now.  But he may or may not have hooked a doormat, as it’s hard to know what a big fish that gets off in the creeks is – and he had several. 

There are obviously a ton of flounder around and more seem to be moving in each day, and so you can basically catch them around the tide cycle as they look for haunts where they can ambush bait. In general moderate tides are the best, dead tide is okay, and very heavy current is the worst – but even on very strong tides they are catching some fish. Most of the fish seem to be in 1-6 feet of water in typical early summer spots. 

Live bait is hard to beat. 

There haven’t been many trout or redfish caught in the creeks recently, but bluefish are keeping the bait shops in business selling mud minnows. 

The jetties seem to be slow right now but with all the wind it’s hard to know too much about the bite outside the creeks. 

Nearshore Spanish mackerel and bluefish should be getting closer in, and with menhaden pods getting closer to the beaches it shouldn’t be long until people start picking cobia or kings out of them. King mackerel were already showing up about 12 miles offshore last week.

May 5

Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 60s in Murrells Inlet. 

There was a major tournament for flounder last week on the Grand Strand, and another today and another tomorrow, but Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) is optimistic that the fish won’t be feeling too heavily pressured right now since from Sunday to Wednesday the wind blew 30 miles per hour or more. He is still catching them on all his spots around the tide cycle, and they are taking both live bait and artificials. 

At the same time there has not been a lot of news on trout or redfish inside the creeks, although there have been some catches out at the jetties for both.   Of course, this is always a tough time on the inside for both species. There are tons of bluefish inshore though. 

Nearshore Spanish mackerel and bluefish are starting to get closer in, and with menhaden pods getting closer to the beaches it shouldn’t be long until people start picking cobia or kings out of them. King mackerel are already showing up about 12 miles offshore. 

April 21

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-60s in Murrells Inlet. 

It’s been a big week for flounder fishing on the south end of the Grand Strand, and Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) reports that he is catching fish casting at pretty much all of his spots right now. And while usually he prefers to fish either side of low tide, the bite has been so good that he has been catching fish around high tide too.

The catch is that the keeper ratio is very low right now, and usually you get about 12 fish under 16 inches for every one over 16. However, that percentage should improve in the coming weeks.   

It’s still a transition period for redfish, and they are still making their way down the creeks and out of the skinniest water and starting to think about feeding again. They will be moving around a lot looking for good places to eat and so anglers need to do the same. At times they will head into the ocean looking for food, and so the jetties can be a good place to target them.  There have been no reports on trout inshore, but the jetties are also a good place to look.

While at times they are too heavily pressured to fish very well, a cornucopia of species is passing through the nearshore reefs, wrecks and live bottom areas. Bonito seem to have mostly come and gone, but bluefish, Spanish mackerel, weakfish, redfish, black drum and more are all around at times. 

Finally, with menhaden pods starting to show up they are optimistic that cobia and king mackerel will arrive before too long. 

April 11

Morning surface water temperatures are around 60 in Murrells Inlet. 

As the weather improves later this week Captain Tom Cushman of Cush’s Calmwater Charters (843-997-5850) is optimistic that the fishing will pick up. Flounder are creeping back into the area, but as the snot grass breaks up it can be tricky to troll for them. One trick is to get out of the current where there is less grass flow, and you can also fish minnows under a bobber.  Of course, avoiding current and fishing off the bottom will usually decrease your catch but there can be no alternative. 

This is always a transition period for redfish, and as other species and baitfish arrive the dolphin become less monomaniacal about devouring them and so they can come back down the creeks and out of the skinniest water and start thinking about feeding again. They will be moving around a lot looking for good places to eat and so anglers need to do the same.  At times they will head into the ocean looking for food, and so the jetties can be a good place to target them.

Speaking of the jetties trout should be all over them, and they will also be on shell banks in 3-8 feet of water.  Live shrimp are still hard to beat. Bluefish should also be feeding all over the jetties, and hopefully the sheepshead will show up again soon.