Grand Strand Fishing Report: Unusual seasonal weather has put some damper on catches
Estuary
Look For: Flounder, black drum, red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, bluefish.
Comments: October-like conditions — windy, rainy, misty and very cool for mid-June — prevailed across the area for several days until conditions finally improved on Thursday. Flooding rivers thanks to the over-abundance of rain in recent weeks have water conditions murky at best in the estuaries and near-shore in the Atlantic Ocean. Capt. Dan Connolly of O-Fish-Al-Expeditions observed a water temperature reading of 74.5 degrees in Murrells Inlet at low tide early Thursday afternoon. At a time of year when the water temperature should be creeping upward, it has dropped considerably. About 10 days earlier, the water temperature had reached the 80-degree mark. “Since this cold front and rain, it’s been tough,” said Connolly, who has boated several black drum and flounder in the inlet this week. Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service in Georgetown has ventured south for a few solid catches over the last week. Last weekend, McDonald and crew caught 29 red drum on cut shrimp and soft plastic grubs. “They were mostly (15-23 inch) slot fish, with a few above the slot,” said McDonald. On Tuesday, McDonald returned to the same area and produced more redfish and a bonus three-pound flounder. McDonald noted a water temperature of 74 degrees on the trip.
Inshore
Look For: King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cobia, spadefish, bluefish, whiting, pompano, flounder, black drum, weakfish.
Comments: Englis “Capt. E” Glover of Reelin’ Up The Coast and the Southern Anglers Radio Show headed to Paradise Reef, known locally as Three-Mile Reef, on Wednesday and Thursday. Conditions were certainly strange for the third week in June. At 11 a.m. Thursday, Glover noted a water temperature of 73.8 degrees and atypical water conditions on a relatively calm morning. “The water color was insane, it looked way out of place,” said Glover. “We caught some Atlantic sharpnose (sharks) and we couldn’t see them until they were up close to the surface. It looked like tannin-stained water and felt cool to the touch.” On Wednesday, Glover and crew caught nine flounder with three keepers (15 inch minimum size limit) including a 21-inch fish. Glover noted they caught a 15-inch undersized cobia and spotted a large cobia. “The water is muddy brown from Paradise to Pawleys,” said Capt. Jeff Maples of Reel Salty Charters. Connolly missed a nice king mackerel and several Spanish on a Thursday trip to Paradise Reef. Apache Pier produced a pair of king mackerel on Sunday, plus a few Spanish, flounder, black drum, whiting and croaker have been caught this week. No kings have been landed this week on Cherry Grove Pier but anglers have caught Spanish, spots, whiting, black drum, spadefish and pompano.
Offshore
Look For: Dolphin, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, king mackerel, bonito, grouper, red snapper, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, red porgy, black sea bass.
Comments: After numerous days of nasty weather with little offshore action, the seas calmed just in time for opening day of the Carolina Billfish Classic in Mt. Pleasant, the opening tournament of the 2020 South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, the field of 22 boats had put four sailfish releases on the board. The tournament continues through Saturday. The crew of Painkiller including Dr. Jason Rosenberg and Capt. Jay Sconyers of Aces Up Fishing headed out for a regular Wednesday trip aboard Rosenberg’s Contender, Painkiller. The six-man crew wound up putting in a few hours of bottom fishing in the Winyah Scarp vicinity and landed a pair of large amberjack, also known as reef donkeys, including one 45-pounder. They also caught 13 red snapper including an estimated 30-pounder released by Eric Rosenberg. Of course, all red snapper must be released in the South Atlantic Region, except for the upcoming four-day mini season on July 10-12 and July 17. The Painkiller crew also caught vermilion snapper, porgy and grunts.”The water was clean and clear (and) last week it was brown and tar-colored all the way out,” said Rosenberg.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, bass, catfish, crappie.
Comments: The river levels are getting more fishable as the waters begin receding from the recent flooding. The Waccamaw River at Conway was trending down just below moderate flood stage, at 11.7 feet Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. The Little Pee Dee at Galivants Ferry was barely in minor flood stage, at 9.26 feet and holding steady Wednesday at 3 p.m. One of the top areas to fish in high water is the Ricefields vicinity on the lower Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers in the Murrells Inlet-Pawleys Island, and Plantersville areas.