Outdoors: Tropical Storm Ana churns up fishing prospects

During late April and the first week of May the offshore trolling action for dolphin, blackfin tuna and wahoo heated up early in areas such as the Georgetown Hole, Winyah Scarp and Black Jack Hole.

For about a 10-day stretch, Carolina Offshore Slams were very common and the late spring fishing season was off to a super start.

Then came a nearly unprecedented event for early May along the Carolina coast – Tropical Storm Ana made landfall between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach on Sunday – creating an unwanted hiatus for area fishermen.

Ana’s winds topped out at 60 mph and the storm churned right over those very fishing grounds before moving onshore. Now, with the one of the most prestigious tournaments in South Carolina – the 48th annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament – less than a week away, a big question looms.

How will offshore fishing be in Ana’s wake and during the tournament?

“I don’t think it will hurt anything,” said John Horton, General Manager of the tournament’s host, Georgetown Landing Marina. “If anything it might have helped. Anytime fish can’t eat for a while they’re hungry later. Hopefully it’s a good thing – a little stirring up out there. It’s usually good on the changeover from rough to smooth.”

On Wednesday, the Critter Gitter headed out of the marina on a charter trip and found some fish – four dolphin and three blackfin tuna – confirming the meatfish are still be to found after the storm. The crew wasn’t fishing for billfish, and didn’t see any.

“We’ve got a bunch of people fishing Saturday so we’ll know more then,” Horton said.

For the third straight year, the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament will be the opening event of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series, which features a slate of four tournaments this year.

The Governor’s Cup awards points for documented catch and releases of sailfish (200 points), white marlin (300 points) and blue marlin (600 points), but only blue marlin can be brought to the dock and weighed in.

The series minimum size requirement for blue marlin to be weighed in is 105 inches, 6 inches above the federal legal minimum size of 99 inches.

For anglers who want to see a blue marlin brought to the dock, the Georgetown tournament, the oldest billfish tournament in South Carolina, is your best bet.

The tournament, founded by the late Wallace Pate in 1968, is traditionally held in late May, when blue marlin are most commonly found off the Palmetto State coast.

There have been five blue marlin weighed in during Governor’s Cup events since 2008 – all five at Georgetown. Two years ago, two blues hit the docks during the 2013 tournament.

There already have been blue marlin encounters. A local boat, the Sportsman, released a very early blue marlin in March and there were a few releases by Charleston area boats before Ana arrived.

The Captain’s Meeting will be held Wednesday at Georgetown Landing Marina with fishing set for Thursday through Saturday (May 23).

Weigh-in opens at 5 p.m. on the first two days of fishing and is set for 5 to 9 p.m. on the final day of fishing. Boats are allowed to fish two of the three days, Captains Choice. For more information, call 843-546-1776.

Far Out Shootout

Fishing was scheduled for eight days concluding on Saturday in this event out of Ocean Isle (N.C.) Fishing Center but as of Thursday no boats had fished their one day.

Capt. Brant McMullan notes sea conditions look good for Friday and Saturday and all competing boats will fish one of those two days.

Boats can still enter the event, with a $350 entry fee. Prizes are awarded to the top three overall teams weighing in the heaviest aggregate weight of one tuna, dolphin and wahoo. Prizes are also awarded for the largest tuna, dolphin and wahoo weighed in.

For more information, call 910-575-3474.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Outdoors: Tropical Storm Ana churns up fishing prospects."