December 14

Morning surface water temperatures in Debordieu Creek were down to 52 degrees this morning.

Fishing conditions haven’t been especially inviting recently, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that they have still been able to catch a decent number of smaller redfish back in the creeks. The best time to target them has been on lower tides, and they are still catching them on Vudu Shrimp under a popping cork around oyster beds.  The redfish should be starting to group up tighter. 

While wind has limited the trout fishing, Captain Greg reports that the best places to look are in or near deep water in 6-10 feet. Sinking plugs, jigheads or baits set well under a slip float are the best bet along deeper edges close to shell banks. 

For now the creeks are still loaded with black drum up to about 18 or 19 inches, while bigger ones are out at the jetties or off shell banks. Inshore soaking pieces of shrimp on the bottom at the edges of oyster mounds or in tighter, shallower creeks will both work. 

November 29

Morning surface water temperatures in Debordieu Creek were down to 54 degrees this morning.

While he hasn’t fished since the last two cold nights, Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that prior to that the trout bite had not taken off. There have been a ton of people in the creeks fishing (and duck hunting, and oystering) around the holiday but success has been limited, and it seems that the fish have just not really grouped up yet. That usually happens when water temperatures stay below 55 degrees so it should be coming.  But for now artificial lures nor live shrimp have been working – and if people aren’t catching trout on shrimp you know they either aren’t there or aren’t eating!  

Meanwhile the slot-sized redfish have been eating very well, especially on lower tides. They are catching them on Vudu Shrimp under a popping cork around oyster beds, and they will also take a variety of baits.

Finally, the creeks are loaded with black drum up to about 18 or 19 inches, while bigger ones are out at the jetties or off shell banks. Inshore soaking pieces of shirmp on the bottom at the edges of oyster mounds or in tighter, shallower creeks will both work. 

November 16

Morning surface water temperatures in Debordieu Creek are around 60 degrees.

The trout bite is getting better and better around Georgetown, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that in the midst of a cold front they may slow down slightly but immediately afterwards the action picks up again. 

The best way to catch fish is still targeting current rips, points, eddies, creek mouths, pockets of slower moving water, or most any other area where the current changes. Sometimes the trout are in the fastest moving water, but often they are looking for a pocket of slower-moving water. On higher tides fish are often shallower, while as the tides gets lower he is more likely to fish out into deeper water 6-7 or more feet deep. 

There are still plenty of bull red drum off the beaches, and inshore there are lots of juveniles 30 inches or less. This week the best action has again been on lower water, and on higher tides they are still getting up in the grass. They can also be found running the grass lines on middle and higher tides.  A variety of baits will work. 

While the bigger black drum are mostly out at the jetties, where they can be caught soaking baits by the rocks, inshore the juvenile fish are still biting well on shrimp. Look in holes, around the edges of deeper channels, and shelves near drop-offs. The bite is generally better on lower tides.

November 9

Morning surface water temperatures in Debordieu Creek are back to about 65 degrees.

The trout are trying to get right around Georgetown, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that with a rise in water temperatures again this week it has been a little tougher fishing. They have caught decent numbers of trout – as well as a few weakfish – throwing artificials in the creeks, but water temperatures really need to get back closer to 60 for the bite to take off again.  

The best bet is targeting current rips, points, eddies, creek mouths, and pockets of slower moving water, and more generally Captain Greg is looking for some type of current change. Sometimes the trout are in the fastest moving water, but often they are looking for a pocket of slower-moving water. On higher tides fish are often shallower, while as the tides gets lower he is more likely to fish out into deeper water 6-7 or more feet deep. 

There are still plenty of bull red drum off the beaches, and inshore there are lots of juveniles 30 inches or less. This week the best action has been on lower water, and on higher tides they are still getting up in the grass. They can also be found running the grass lines on middle and higher tides.

While the bigger black drum are mostly out at the jetties, where they can be caught soaking baits by the rocks, inshore the juvenile fish are also biting well on shrimp. Look in holes, around the edges of deeper channels, and shelves near drop-offs. The bite is generally better on lower tides.

November 2

Inshore surface water temperatures in Debordieu Creek bottomed out at about 58 degrees early this morning, but they are rising into the mid-60s during the day. 

With cold weather comes a drop in the numbers of big red drum caught inshore, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that at the same time the trout fishing is taking off. The trout bite only gets better as temperatures get to around 60 degrees and below, and you don’t need live shrimp to catch them. Even before the cold snap they were already catching good numbers of trout on artificials, but as the shrimp disappear they will be even less necessary (and harder to get, unless you look in deep holes). Greg is targeting current rips, points, eddies, creek mouths, and pockets of slower moving water, and more generally he is looking for some type of current change.  Sometimes the trout are in the fastest moving water, but often they are looking for a pocket of slower-moving water. On higher tides fish are often shallower, while as the tides gets lower he is more likely to fish out into deeper water 6-7 or more feet deep. 

Curly tail grubs are hard to beat, but right now on gray, overcast days topwater lures can be very effective.

There are still plenty of bull red drum off the beaches, but inshore fish are more likely to be juveniles 30 inches or less. They are not grouped up as much as they will be later in the winter, but already they are feeding in tighter schools. Like the trout they are also getting more receptive to artificial lures as crabs migrate out, fiddlers hunker down, and mullet numbers drop. However, mud minnows and cut shrimp can both work – especially as there are less picker fish around. 

Fish can be found anywhere in the creeks depending on the height of the tide, but they are likely to be running grass lines and on shallower edges.  They will still go in the grass on high tide, and in general low tide is better for redfish while higher tides are usually the best time to target trout. 

October 26

Inshore surface water temperatures in the morning are about 68 degrees around Georgetown.

The large, inshore redfish that have been so prolific are slowing down a little inside the bays, well up the rivers, and in the creeks, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that off the beaches or in the surf the fishing is still great for bigger reds. They are also thick at the rocks. He’s not sure how much longer they will be found on the inside, but for now you can still catch them in both areas on cut mullet. 

But at the same time the trout fishing has really come on with the dropping water temperatures, and Captain Greg reports that they are catching very good numbers of fish up to about 20 inches – with a substantial portion of them in the 17-inch range. The best fishing has been at creek mouths on the dropping tide when bait is being funneled back out into open water, or around points that have extended mud shelves. Trout are such visual feeders that clearer water is important, and while brown water is okay having a foot or two of visibility is important.

While you could certainly catch fish on live bait or suspending twitch baits, they have been catching everything on jigs with paddle or curly tails. White-bellied baits with a green or chartreuse back have been working the best.

While they are not actively targeting them, they have picked up some flounder fishing this way, and Greg notes that the better flounder will not leave until water temperatures hit about 60. They are also picking up some smaller black drumand little red drum on bait. Like the bigger reds, the bigger black drum seem to be making their way out to deeper water. 

October 13

Inshore surface water temperatures in the morning are about 70 degrees around Georgetown and more cooling is about to take place.

We are still in the “magical” period that inshore coastal fishermen wait for all year, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that they are still finding a really good bite for big red drum in the 35-42 plus inch range. This week I wanted to focus on the types of areas where Greg finds these monsters (without asking him to divulge his spots), and he says that he is generally fishing shallow water off the edge of grass banks. There might be a shoal, an area of dead shells, or something else that creates a current break, and it could be a shallow shelf beside deeper water. Anything that funnels the bait through a certain area where reds can ambush them is especially good, and at the jetties it could be a big rock that forces all the baitfish to swim around it. While he’s not doing much surf fishing he also notes that it’s the prime time to catch big drum there, too, especially around the sand bars that – again – corral baitfish. 

Speaking of big reds, Greg reminds anglers that they need to be treated with care. Going after the big ones it’s not fair to use inadequate tackle which means the breeding stock is fighting for hours, and at the minimum he recommends 4000 series reels, preferably 5000 series, spooled with at least 30-40 pound test. They live in a zero gravity environment so it’s not good to hold them up with something like a BogaGrip and compress their organs, and when you release them make sure they are breathing again or else they have a low chance of survival. 

While the peak trout fishing won’t come until temperatures drop a few degrees, they continue to pick off some nice trout on live baits and they also caught one 19-inch weakfish this week!  The key to catching trout is clean, moving water. 

Black drum and flounder are also still around, but to target black drum you need to be fishing some sort of crustacean. Flounder are most likely to be found at creek mouths on the dropping tide.   

October 6

Inshore surface water temperatures in the morning are about 74 degrees around Georgetown and with big tides the water has been dirty.   

This is the magical time that inshore coastal fishermen wait for all year, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that – barring a major tropical storm or some other significant weather event – he expects the fishing from now until about Thanksgiving to be the best of the year. 

Even with the northeast wind they had a really good day for large redfish yesterday, and Greg reports that they caught six fish from 27-39 inches. All of them were inshore in about 3 feet of water, and they all took big baits. With smaller selections of mullet (or shrimp) you can catch all the smaller “bluetail” redfish you want. 

There are also plenty of big redfish out at the jetties, but with the windy conditions fortunately you don’t need to go out there to catch them. On the big moon the larger fish moved inside.  

While most trout specialists agree that the best trout fishing in the area comes when water temperatures get below 70 and maybe even 65 degrees, on the rising tide yesterday Greg’s boat caught about a dozen trout including an 18-inch fish. At first they were catching them on live shrimp under a cork, but they soon realized the fish would also hit a suspending twitch bait. Clean, moving water at the mouths of creeks is the best place to look. 

Often fishing muddy water they haven’t picked up any flounder in the last few days, but there are plenty of black drumaround. Live or cut shrimp are both working for them. 

September 28

Inshore surface water temperatures in the morning are in the mid-70s around Georgetown. 

Extremely windy conditions and raging tides have made for tough fishing, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that between dropping temperatures and the full moon he expects some good troutfishing to start in the next few days. In general the trout are on deeper shelves beside the shallow spots the redfish hang out in, and while Greg is catching them on mullet on the bottom they will certainly take shrimp fished under a cork or free-lined.

The redfish bite is still really good, and they are getting a mix of over-slot reds and smaller ones that are eating voraciously and trying to grow up fast. You can catch the puppy drum until you are tired of catching them, especially when they are concentrated on low tide. For bigger fish on higher tides they are putting cut or whole live mullet beside the edges of the grass or in sparse spots, while on lower tides they are putting bait just off the sides of oysters. Small redfish will eat anything they can get in their mouths, so cut mullet and small finger mullet are good options.

While Greg isn’t spending a lot of time targeting them, they are still picking up some flounder. The best place to look for flounder seems to be around small creek mouths on the dropping tide when bait is being flushed out. Be mindful of shells when you are fishing baits along the bottom, and particularly on a jighead where the hook is closer to the bottom (instead of the baitfish swimming slightly up) you may have better luck hopping it rather than dragging.

September 22

Inshore surface water temperatures in the morning range from the upper 70s to about 80 around Georgetown. 

With temperatures more comfortable for the fish, Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that he can already tell they are starting to feed better. And we are getting close to the really good fishing, as when water temperatures hit about 75 the trout noticeably turn on. For now they are catching some decent trout up to about 17 inches as well as a few short fish, and on one good day they caught four in rapid succession off a good spot. In general the trout are on deeper shelves beside the shallow spots the redfish hang out in, and while Greg is catching them on mullet on the bottom they will certainly take shrimp fished under a cork or free-lined.

The redfish bite is already really good, and they are getting a mix of over-slot reds and smaller ones that are eating voraciously and trying to grow up fast. You can catch the puppy drum until you are tired of catching them, especially when they are concentrated on low tide. For bigger fish on higher tides they are putting cut or whole live mullet beside the edges of the grass or in sparse spots, while on lower tides they are putting bait just off the sides of oysters. Small redfish will eat anything they can get in their mouths, so cut mullet and small finger mullet are good options.

While Greg isn’t spending a lot of time targeting them, they are also picking up some flounder. The best place to look for flounder seems to be around small creek mouths on the dropping tide when bait is being flushed out. Be mindful of shells when you are fishing baits along the bottom, and particularly on a jighead where the hook is closer to the bottom (instead of the baitfish swimming slightly up) you may have better luck hopping it rather than dragging.

The next couple of days may be tough for fishing with extremely windy conditions, but it looks like better weather is just around the corner!

September 7

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s around Georgetown and the inshore bait has thinned out a little. 

There have been a lot of changes surrounding the storm last week, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that water temperatures had been about 88 but dropped as low as 79 before starting to climb again. Between incoming fresh water and high tides the water was also very high last week. 

While bait has gotten a little thinner in Winyah Bay with all the rain, the dropping temperatures seem to have coincided with a better bite. On Greg’s most recent trip they caught 12-15 redfish mostly over the slot on cut mullet and finger mullet fished on the dropping tide. Particularly with the very high tides we were having about all you could do at higher water was look for tailing fish. 

While they haven’t caught flounder (without targeting them) they have picked up some trout on topwater lures. That’s an early morning bite except on cloudy days. 

Finally, there are still tarpon around and they have spent 30 minutes here and 30 minutes there targeting them with large finger mullet between going after other species. 

August 24

Inshore surface water temperatures are still in the high 80s around Georgetown and there are tons of shrimp, mullet and menhaden everywhere. 

There’s not much change in the last week with the fishing around Georgetown, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that even with prolific bait the fish are still willing to take something with a hook in it. In particular there are tons of smaller redfish around right now, and with little finger mullet you can wear them out throughout the tide cycle. The bigger reds are still holding a little closer to deep water and they are also feeding.   

The tarpon bite is also pretty steady from the rivers to the ocean, and in the Charleston tournament last weekend several boats thought it was worth making the trek to Georgetown to target the tarpon up there. 

With big tides coming the next week the trout fishing should pick up again, but it may take some cooling before more flounder show up. Again, Greg suspects that many of the fish have headed out to cooler, deeper water and the nearshore reefs. That’s not to say you can’t catch a few inshore on 4-6 inch mullet, but it’s a grind. Again, try to fish earlier when the water is cooler, and avoid – for example – a late low tide which will make the fish more lethargic. And while it’s fine to fish shallow edges, stay close to deep water. 

At the same time sharks are still prolific, and flats close to the deeper inlets are often good places to look.   

Finally, keep your eyes open for tripletail along the edges of the grass. On the higher parts of the tide on cleaner water you can run crab pots and look for them lying on their side and cast to them. And while often a by-catch while chasing other species, they always make excellent table-fare. 

August 18

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the high 80s around Georgetown and there are tons of shrimp, mullet and menhaden. 

There is so much bait around right now that about all the fish have to do to eat is open their mouths, but despite that Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that the fishing has been pretty good. 

In particular there are tons of smaller redfish around right now, and with little finger mullet you can wear them out throughout the tide cycle. The bigger reds are still holding a little closer to deep water. 

The other big change this week is that the tarpon have moved further inland, typical for this time of year, and there are even reports of them being caught above the bridges in Georgetown. The salinity line is pretty high right now and there is also bait all over the place – and they will follow it. 

Away from the big tides it’s been a little slower for trout this week, and even though they are picking up a few flounderthey are also a little slow. Again, Greg suspects that many of the fish have headed out to cooler, deeper water and the nearshore reefs. That’s not to say you can’t catch a few inshore on 4-6 inch mullet, but it’s a grind. Again, try to fish earlier when the water is cooler, and avoid – for example – a late low tide which will make the fish more lethargic. And while it’s fine to fish shallow edges, stay close to deep water. 

At the same time sharks are still prolific, and flats close to the deeper inlets are often good places to look.   

Finally, keep your eyes open for tripletail along the edges of the grass. On the higher parts of the tide on cleaner water you can run crab pots and look for them lying on their side and cast to them. And while often a by-catch while chasing other species, they always make excellent table-fare. 

August 4

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s around Georgetown and bait is prolific in the creeks. There is still some really pretty water off the beaches.

Even though temperatures have dropped a bit over the last day or two around Georgetown, Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that there is little chance they will stay there. He expects temperatures to come shooting back up. Fishing early and late can make a big difference in results, and obviously comfort. 

But despite mostly hot weather, it’s actually been a really good week of fishing. As always seems to happen around the summer full moons, the 18-20 plus inch trout that have basically been absent showed up this past week.  They seem to come inshore to spawn on the big tides, and they feed on small mullet and menhaden while they are in. A lot of times they are mixed with the redfish, and on one spot this week they caught five redfish and five keeper trout in a few casts.  The best spots for both species are still a little deeper, or at least near deep water. 

At the same time sharks are still prolific, as Greg was reminded when a client had a nice fish on but then wound in only a third of a 22-inch trout. The back two-thirds had been eaten by a large shark while the fish was struggling.  To target sharks, flats close to the deeper inlets are often good places to look.   

It’s also been a really good week for tarpon, as they always seem to feed best on the full moon. There have been a ton of them in Winyah Bay. Again, Greg doesn’t spend much time pursuing them but will fish for them when they are working an area he happens to be.   

The flounder are still a little slow, and they really seem to have headed to cooler, deeper water and the nearshore reefs. That’s not to say you can’t catch a few inshore on 4-6 inch mullet, but it’s a grind.  Again, try to fish earlier when the water is cooler, and avoid – for example – a late low tide which will make the fish more lethargic. And while it’s fine to fish shallow edges, stay close to deep water. 

Finally, keep your eyes open for tripletail along the edges of the grass.  On the higher parts of the tide on cleaner water you can run crab pots and look for them lying on their side and cast to them. And while often a by-catch while chasing other species, they always make excellent table-fare. 

July 27

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the upper 80s in the shallow waters around Georgetown and bait is prolific in the creeks. There is still some really pretty water off the beaches.

It’s hot in the Georgetown area, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that the fishing has gotten a little tough. It can be a bit of a grind, but they are still managing good fish each trip. 

Overall, we are still in the period where fishing early is probably more important than targeting any particular tide. A particular challenge recently has been the baby blacktip sharks, which are thick as flies and continue to make it hard to keep a bait in the water. At the same time bigger sharks are also an opportunity, and there are spinners, blacktips, Atlantic sharpnose, lemon sharks and more around which feed very consistently even in the hot water. One of the most exciting is bonnetheads, and on flats close to the deeper inlets you can often find them working an area. 

Probably the best bite going has been for big redfish, and they are picking up some slot-sized fish and near-bulls on the grass edges. For redfish you want to look in the main runs of creeks, particularly at depths over 3 feet on lower water. At times they will move up shallower to feed, and you can sometimes even see their backs out of the water, but they will want to be able to quickly get back to deeper water. 

The flounder have gotten a little slow, and they really seem to have headed to cooler, deeper water and the nearshore reefs. That’s not to say you can’t catch a few inshore on 4-6 inch mullet, but it’s a grind. Again, try to fish earlier when the water is cooler, and avoid – for example – a late low tide which will make the fish more lethargic. And while it’s fine to fish shallow edges, stay close to deep water. 

They managed to pick up one 18-inch trout that was passing through but they are not prolific. 

The tarpon are still around, and while I was interviewing Captain Greg yesterday one rolled on bait not 20 feet from his boat. But he points out that trying to catch them is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle with so much bait around. 

Finally, the catch of the week was a tripletail caught yesterday. It was caught along the edges of the grass, and incidentally you will catch them on baits once in a while even as far north as the top of our coast. But on the higher parts of the tide on cleaner water you can run crab pots and look for them lying on their side and cast to them. 

July 13

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the upper 80s in the shallow waters around Georgetown and bait is prolific in the creeks. There has been some really pretty water off the beaches. 

It’s hot in the Georgetown area, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that we have entered the period where fishing early is probably more important than targeting any particular tide. A particular challenge recently has been the pup sharks, and while they are picking up some trout, redfish and flounder little sharks can make it hard to keep a bait in the water. They will even tear up 6-8 inch mullet! At the same time sharks are also an opportunity, and there are spinners, blacktips, Atlantic sharpnose, lemon sharks and more around which feed very consistently even in the hot water.  One of the most exciting is bonnetheads, and on flats close to the deeper inlets you can often find them working an area. 

While the full moon was good we are entering a drier spell for big trout, although you can still catch keepers on live shrimp under a float. For redfish you want to look in the main runs of creeks, particularly at depths over 3 feet on lower water. At times they will move up shallower to feed, and you can sometimes even see their backs out of the water, but they will want to be able to quickly get back to deeper water. 

Similar rules apply for flounder, and if you persist in soaking whole baits you will pick up a few. 4-6 inch mullet are ideal for hooking better flounder, even if menhaden have slightly better visibility because of their shape, but you can also catch them on white paddletail grubs on a jighead. But try to fish earlier when the water is cooler, and avoid – for example – a late low tide which will make the fish more lethargic. And while it’s fine to fish shallow edges, stay close to deep water.

 

But one species which has evolved not to mind the heat at all is the tarpon, which for Captain Greg are a fish of opportunity. He’s not going to soak baits for hours hoping they appear in a likely area, especially in low visibility water where they have thousands of baits to choose from, but when he finds them feeding he is ready to go.

Lately he has seen them feeding on high tide in Winyah Bay, and at times they will have an acre or more of mullet all wadded up. He has seen fish from 40-50 pounds to over 100, and they will often be on the edges of deeper areas but feeding in as little as 3 or 4 feet. In clean, green water your chances of having them take your bait are higher, and when it happens the excitement is hard to beat. Just watching them feed is thrill enough. 

June 29

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the low 80s around Georgetown and bait is now prolific in the creeks. 

As we start to get into the heat of summer early patterns become more important, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that especially on low tide fish will be holding in deeper water. They don’t usually want to be in water so warm that shrimp and crabs practically cook, and in particular the trout are very light and heat sensitive. However, on overcast days they will bite all day on topwater lures. 

While they haven’t caught a ton of trout recently, around the full moon it’s almost a certainty that bigger females will move in to spawn. They will be around shell banks, points and sand bars that drop fast into the ocean, especially at the higher stages of the tide. They will want to have close access to deep water because it is cooler. Small menhaden or mullet on a split shot rig can work very well, especially fished with a light drag just off the bottom. 

As it gets hotter redfish are likely to be more in the main runs of creeks, particularly at depths over 3 feet on lower water. At times they will move up shallower to feed, and you can sometimes even see their backs out of the water, but they will want to be able to quickly get back to deeper water.  

There are also plenty of flounder in the creeks, but when it gets really hot you probably want to focus on deeper water or even the nearshore reefs. Inshore you can incidentally catch flounder with live bait under a cork, but to increase your chances of hooking up with flatfish pulling a Carolina rig or mud minnow/ mullet on a jighead along the bottom around creek mouths and oyster beds is the best bet. 

There are also a bunch of sharks in North Inlet right now, including bonnetheads in many of the same spots where they catch redfish.

June 22

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the high 70s in North Inlet and bait is prolific in the creeks. 

With the fishing so good it’s been an unfortunate week for the weather to be so uncooperative, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that it’s been hard to find days to fish lately. Still patterns remain similar when you can get out there, especially since we have been on average tides. However, we are about to hit higher flood tides and negative low tides, which makes fishing for species like redfish trickier.  At high tide they may move up onto a flat to feed, cover a great expanse of grass, and end up in a completely different area than where they were on the last low tide. Additionally, more turbid water reduces visibility and can make it harder to fish artificials.   

In general redfish will still eat about anything, including live baits, cut mullet or menhaden, blue crabs and even cut bluefish. On higher tides the best fishing has been at the edges of the grass or even just inside it in the big inlets, while on lower tides they are spending a lot of time in the smaller creeks. Of course, you have to have the right size boat to get in those creeks andyou have to know when to get out on the dropping tide. That’s a good reminder that much of the Georgetown area, like Winyah Bay, Muddy Bay, and even North Inlet, looks really big and deep but is actually very shallow. 

While there aren’t a ton of trout around right now, particularly around the new and full moons the ones that are there seem to be large spawning females. Most have been 20 inches or better, and they even caught a 25 ½ inch fish on cut menhaden. While that was a rarity the bigger fish to do seem to eat more finfish than shrimp as they like to get more “bang for their buck”. 

You will also catch flounder incidentally with live bait under a cork or on the bottom, but to increase your chances of hooking up with flatfish then pulling a Carolina rig or mud minnow/ mullet on a jighead along the bottom around creek mouths and oyster beds is the best bet. 

There are also a bunch of sharks in North Inlet right now, including bonnetheads in many of the same spots where they catch redfish.

June 16

Inshore surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-70s around Georgetown and bait is prolific in the creeks. 

It’s a fantastic time to fish the Georgetown area, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that with small shrimp, mullet, and a variety of sizes of menhaden showing up everything is on the feed. Moderate water temperatures are also helping. When temperatures hit the mid to upper-80s fish will feed in narrower windows, but right now they are chomping around the clock and tide cycle!

While redfish are around all year they seem to be particularly prolific right now, and they aren’t very discriminating about what they will eat at the moment. Live baits, cut mullet or menhaden, blue crabs and even cut bluefish are all working. On higher tides the best fishing has been at the edges of the grass or even just inside it in the big inlets, while on lower tides they are spending a lot of time in the smaller creeks. Of course, you have to have the right size boat to get in those creeks andyou have to know when to get out on the dropping tide. That’s a good reminder that much of the Georgetown area, like Winyah Bay, Muddy Bay, and even North Inlet, looks really big and deep but is actually very shallow. 

While there aren’t a ton of trout around right now, particularly around the new and full moons the ones that are there seem to be large spawning females. Most have been 20 inches or better, and they even caught a 25 ½ inch fish on cut menhaden. While that was a rarity the bigger fish to do seem to eat more finfish than shrimp as they like to get more “bang for their buck”. 

You will also catch flounder incidentally with live bait under a cork or on the bottom, but to increase your chances of hooking up with flatfish then pulling a Carolina rig or mud minnow/ mullet on a jighead along the bottom around creek mouths and oyster beds is the best bet. 

There are also a bunch of sharks in North Inlet right now, including bonnetheads in many of the same spots where they catch redfish.