Inshore fishing in the Georgetown area isn’t “dynamite” yet, but Captain Kevin “Stump” Grant of Pawley’s Island Guide Service (843-833-4477) reports that they are catching fish. Because of the absence baitfish many species are hungry, and so if you can locate predator species they are often willing to eat.
Perhaps the best bite has been at the jetties, where both black drum and sheepshead are being caught. Black drum are mainly eating shrimp while sheepshead are taking both fiddler crabs and shrimp. Fish will eat at most stages of the tide and the best areas are 3-10 feet deep.
As is the case in the Murrells Inlet area, flounder are starting to show up. In the Winyah Bay and North Inlet areas they are being caught on both the rising and falling tide. Fish are hungry and they are taking most offerings, but mud minnows as well as Gulp! 3-inch swimming minnows are working particularly well.
Not a lot of trout are being caught right now but some redfish are starting to be caught on the falling tide in the creek channels. Areas where small creeks/ flats are draining into channels have been good. Mud minnows as well as Gulp! jerkshad have both been working.
On the freshwater side it’s an exciting time to fish the rivers in the Georgetown area, and there is a a really good bite for catfish in the Waccamaw, Santee and Pee Dee rivers. Fish are being caught in the main river channels around current breaks as well as just off the main river ledges in 3-20 feet of water, and cut herring and cut shad have both been working very well.
Striper are also running as fish make their annual spawning migrations from the bays (sometimes the ocean) up the rivers. Anglers are mainly catching them bottom fishing with cut bait, or fishing live or cut bait suspended under a bobber.
Bluegill and shellcrackers are also being caught in good numbers in the rivers, and they are in a pre-spawn pattern and some early fish are moving towards bedding. Red worms are hard to beat.
Offshore: Georgetown Landing Marina (843-546-1776) reports that some good wahoo have been caught out of Georgetown recently.