October 3

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s around Georgetown and the water is starting to get dirtier and less saline. 

At this point it’s hard to know exactly what is coming as the deluge of water hasn’t arrived from the Pee Dee yet, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that from what he can tell it doesn’t look like the Winyah Bay is going to get as blown out from Helene as it did from Debbie earlier this season. However, with all that water coming in again conditions should once again get challenging. 

Still, for now the inshore fishing remains really good in the Georgetown area. Fish are feeding up as they know that bait is not going to be around forever, and the redfish are biting really well. Slot reds can be caught in all the regular spots in the creeks, and low tide has been fishing the best. But in Winyah Bay Captain Greg’s boat is finding big 38-42 inch fish that want big chunks of cut mullet. They are having the best action on the rising tide, fishing about 7 feet of water max. Other anglers are catching them in the deeper channels.

They are also picking up 3-4 foot sharks that seem to be running with the big reds, but they aren’t having much luck with trout or flounder. Of course, cut bait is probably limiting those catches. When they have fished with artificials lures they are picking up a few trout and flounder, but most have been small fish that won’t keep. About the only big trout they have seen have been feeding at first light in the clearest water. 

Finally, tarpon are certainly still around. 

September 26

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s around Georgetown and water conditions have cleared – but that is likely to change. 

Just as water color was normalizing there is likely to be a ton of fresh water coming into the system again from the Pee Dee region, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that for now the inshore fishing has been really good in the Georgetown area. Fish are putting the feed bag on as they know that bait is not going to be around forever, and the redfish are biting really well. Slot reds can be caught in all the regular spots in the creeks, and low tide has been fishing the best. But in Winyah Bay Captain Greg’s boat is finding big 38-42 inch fish that want big chunks of cut mullet.  They are having the best action on the rising tide, fishing about 7 feet of water max. Other anglers are catching them in the deeper channels.

They are also picking up 3-4 foot sharks that seem to be running with the big reds, but they aren’t having much luck with trout or flounder. Of course, cut bait is probably limiting those catches. When they have fished with artificials lures they are picking up a few trout and flounder, but most have been small fish that won’t keep. About the only big trout they have seen have been feeding at first light in the clearest water. 

Finally, tarpon are certainly still around and they jumped one this week. 

September 12

Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the mid-70s in Debordieu Creek and water conditions are dirty but normalizing. 

Finally the Winyah Bay area is getting back to normal, and Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that both bait and fish are returning to inshore areas which they had abandoned. The salinity levels are returning to where they typically are, and even as the water still has a dark color to it fish and bait are back in places like Muddy Bay (at the top of Winyah Bay) where they had evacuated. There have also been some good reports from the Shell Banks, including for flounder and some trout.

The bait situation can be a little challenging, and there still aren’t very many shrimp – certainly not big ones – around, while mullet are present but hanging a little lower in the water column instead of “running the roof”. But it’s worth making the effort to catch mullet because they have been the best bait for redfish right now, although the smaller menhaden that are around will also do in a pinch.  Generally fishing cut or live mullet around traditional ambush points like shell beds, drop-offs, or creek mouths has been working well. 

While it’s well south of Georgetown, Greg notes that Bulls Bay is loaded with shrimp and trout right now. It has far less freshwater inflow than the Winyah Bay area and so they either never left or returned more quickly. Expect the area to be flooded with fishermen as soon as shrimp baiting season opens this weekend!

August 28

Morning surface water temperatures dropped into the upper 70s in Debordieu Creek but have now rebounded into the 80s. Water conditions are slowly normalizing and bait is returning to areas it vacated after the storm. 

Salinity levels are still relatively low and the water is darker than usual, but Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that things are getting back to more normal as Hurricane Debby gets further in the rearview mirror. There is still not a ton of bait in Winyah Bay, and fish are more likely to be closer to the ocean, but both bait and fish are clearly returning.  However, after seeing salinity levels at the top and bottom of the water column drop to literally zero it was always going to take some time!

In fact the bigger consideration to catching bait this weekend was the cold snap, and on higher tides the mullet were not up in the water column where they could easily be netted. At times like that Captain Greg says it’s a good idea just to take what bait you can get, even if it’s small, less durable menhaden. 

On the first of the rising tide it’s almost impossible to avoid small redfish about everywhere right now, but as the current gets up it’s easier to target better fish by looking for slower moving water around oyster bars and other current breaks. Fish are basically in the same type of spots they have been in and right now live bait seems to be working the best. They are still finding large groups of good fish, indicating fish are still not as spread out as before the storm. 

Trout have been pretty scarce recently but they did manage a small one, while they have picked up the occasional better flounder. 

Finally, there have been a ton of tarpon around close to the ocean recently anywhere that you can find large schools of big mullet. 

August 14

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 82 degrees in Debordieu Creek and there is an incredible amount of freshwater inflow. Bait is still around but has moved to higher salinity. 

At the end of the last report Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) noted that bait was stacking up in Winyah Bay and “that should just continue unless a big tropical event flushes the bait out,” but that is exactly what has happened in the last week.  There is now an absolutely incredible amount of freshwater flowing into the system, and it actually should not peak for several more days. The result is brown, muddy water, and on low tide there is extremely low visibility. 

But the real result is that fish have cleared out of the river-fed bays in part because of the water color but even more because of the low salinity, and areas like Muddy Bay are now relatively devoid of life. Things can change fast but right now there are basically no birds or bait to be seen in large areas of Winyah Bay. 

The better fishing (and bait catching) is now either in the actual ocean/ at the jetties or in areas like North Inlet close to the ocean. The good news is that with fish very concentrated there has been some really good fishing in North Inlet. At one spot where Captain Greg has caught up to 5 good redfish on previous trips yesterday he caught 11 on cut mullet at the edge of the grass. While live bait does have some scent to it cut bait is probably better right now because of the smell, and you really can’t count on fish feeding based on sight. For that reason flounder and trout fishing has been really slow in the low visibility. If you opt for artificials they basically have to be scented.

As noted things can change fast and tomorrow fish could be in areas they are not today, but in these current conditions Greg recommends not lingering in an area if you don’t see bait. 

One final tip is that there are a ton of sharks around, and so Greg recommends winding fish in quickly.  Additionally, especially with low visibility it’s probably better to simply release redfish and not to spend much time trying to resuscitate them with your arms in the water!  

August 1

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 83-84 degrees in Debordieu Creek and there is a lot of freshwater inflow. Mullet are abundant although the cooler temperatures have pushed them a bit lower in the water column and can make them harder to net. 

There has been so much rain and muddy water coming in from the rivers, and especially the Pee Dee, that it is has really dirtied up Winyah Bay and the southern end of North Inlet. It has also pushed the salinity way down, and as a result Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that he is fishing closer to the ocean right now. 

Overall it’s pretty good for summer fishing right now, and he is catching redfish, a few trout and some nice flounder.  Everything has come on finger mullet or cut mullet. The best action is still coming in shallower spots off big water, and the better spots remain creek mouths and shallow shelves adjacent to deep water where there is a current break and oyster beds. Fish are still sitting in 1 ½ to 3 feet of water depending on tide, and in general the redfish bite better when the current is weaker but as the tide picks up the trout turn on. The first of the rise has been the best time this week, and Captain Greg notes that they are starting to pick up a ton more young of the year redfish. 

Finally, as bait stacks up in the bays the tarpon are getting thicker and thicker, and that should just continue unless a big tropical event flushes the bait out. 

July 18

Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 87 degrees in Debordieu Creek. Finger mullet are now abundant. 

While Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) isn’t changing his opinion that a big, fresh, bloody piece of mullet is often the best bait for enticing a big redfish, instead of chasing bigger bait this week he has been stocking up on readily available finger mullet and killing it. On the incoming tide they have been anchoring finger mullet on a heavy split shot rig and catching tons of slot and over-slot redfish as well as good numbers of trout from 20-22 inches (as well as a few smaller ones). The fish have been on shallow shelves adjacent to deep water where there is a current break and oyster beds, and they have been sitting in 1 ½ to 3 feet of water depending on tide. While there is frequently an overlap, in general the redfish bite better when the current is weaker but as the tide picks up the trout are more prevalent.  In general it seems that fish want to feed in shallow spots off big water, and areas like creek mouths are also holding fish. They have also picked up some smaller flounder this way. There’s no reason they haven’t caught big ones, but they haven’t this week. Moving the baits would probably improve the chances of catching flounder. 

Captain Greg notes that even though it’s not as bad as shrimp, picker fish like pinfish will nibble at finger mullet and so you need to have tons of bait and check them often. 

 

Finally, with bait getting thick in Muddy Bay Greg notes that the tarpon are also showing up in force.  

July 11

Morning surface water temperatures are about 87 degrees in Debordieu Creek. There is a ton of bait around but a lot of it is very small menhaden and finger mullet.  

It’s typical summer inshore fishing around Georgetown, and as noted previously Captain Greg Holmes with Fish Skinny Charters (843-241-0594) reports that means fishing early (and sometimes late) is usually preferable. And at very low water the temperatures can get so hot that fish get lethargic and/or seek out deeper water, and of course sting rays are a constant nuisance.

Nonetheless they have had some good summer trips recently, and in particular the redfish have been feeding pretty well. Particularly in stained water it’s very hard to beat very fresh cut mullet for reds, but they are also picking up some fish on live bait. Oyster-lined banks continue to hold the most fish, but on lower water the fish do often seek deeper areas and leave the smaller creeks. 

Trout are around but mostly feeding in low-light periods, and the best way to catch them may be with topwater lures for the first hour and a half each day. They will also feed again as the sun sets. 

The flounder fishing has also been pretty good, and it seems that more flounder are around this year. Whenever they fish live bait or jerk shad on Eye Strike jigheads they pick up one or two keepers even while primarily targeting reds. 

Finally, while few people are going to get very excited about catching sting rays, the bonnethead sharks that are also cruising at low tide can make for some really exciting fishing. At lower tide they will feed along shallow edges, particularly where there is some sort of shelf, sometimes in such skinny water that their backs are out of the water.