Grand Strand Fishing Report: River water levels are the best they have been in months
Estuary
Look For: Flounder, black drum, red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead, bluefish, Spanish mackerel.
Comments: Water temperatures are in bath water range, which can make for difficult fishing in local estuaries. “I have had brief moments of success, but it’s been very, very inconsistent,” said Capt. Dan Connolly of O-Fish-Al Expeditions in Murrells Inlet. “It’s been very tide dependent.” Flounder and black drum have been the best bet for Connolly. “Flounder, there’s a lot of small fish - if I do get on a bite we might catch 2-3 keepers out of a dozen. Black drum are in the creeks on both sides of low tide.” Connolly has used finger mullet for flounder and fresh shrimp for black drum. The shrimp, of course, earns bites from numerous bait stealers including pinfish, croaker and pigfish. “To say there are a lot of bait stealers is an understatement,” said Connolly. Capt. Patrick Kelly of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters has caught black drum, a variety of sizes of red drum including in South Carolina’s 15-23 inch slot and some small flounder this week in the Little River area. Finding live bait has not been a problem. “I’ve been using a lot of live shrimp,” said Kelly. “Shrimp is everywhere and also little finger mullet.” On Tuesday, Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service ventured south of Georgetown and produced a Carolina slam with a fly fisherman on board. McDonald’s crew caught 14 red drum, five spotted seatrout and three flounder, plus a bonus striper in the 18-20 inch range. McDonald noted a water temperature of 89 degrees. August is the unofficial beginning of tarpon time in South Carolina estuaries, especially the larger estuaries from Winyah Bay and points south.
Inshore
Look For: King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cobia, tarpon, spadefish, whiting, pompano, flounder, black drum, red drum, spotted seatrout.
Comments: Kelly of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters has taken advantage of frequent calm days of late to venture out to the Jim Caudle Reef, located three miles southeast of the Little River Inlet. “There’s a lot of action on the reef,” said Kelly, who has kept his customers entertained by catching flounder, black sea bass, bluefish, sharks and undersized cobia in the 20-25 inch range. Connolly of O-Fish-Al Expeditions has headed to Paradise Reef, three miles east of Murrells Inlet, and has had success live-baiting finger mullet for Spanish mackerel. Connolly produced a few 3-5 pounders on a Sunday trip, when he noted a water temperature in the 82-85 degree range. The Painkiller crew out of Murrells Inlet found king mackerel receptive on a quick Wednesday trip to the Buoy City area in 50 feet of water, landing one for dinner and releasing another in the 20-25-pound range. Look for kings on bottom spots in depths of 50-90 feet. Apache Pier reports whiting, Spanish mackerel, flounder and spadefish have been landed from the pier this week, plus angler Rob Walker caught an 18-inch trout.
Offshore
Look For: Wahoo, king mackerel, dolphin, blackfin tuna, sailfish, blue marlin, bonito, grouper, red snapper, amberjack, cobia, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, red porgy, black sea bass.
Comments: While bottom, or reef fishing, has stepped to the forefront in recent weeks, there is hope for anglers with trolling for pelagics. “In the last couple weeks, there’s been a lot more bottom fishing, with the regular culprits from the bottom,” said Ed Keelin of Georgetown Landing Marina. “We have seen quite a few cobia too.” With August arriving on Saturday, Keelin looks for an uptick in wahoo action as is traditional. In fact, there have been some wahoo landed this week. Keelin also notes offshore of the break there is billfish action including sailfish with a few blue marlin encounters. Bottom fishing is producing a variety of species including grouper, red snapper, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, red porgy, black sea bass. Scamp have been the most commonly caught grouper. Good action for pelagics isn’t out of the question. Capt. Austin Keener of Underdog Sport Fishing Charters out of Murrells Inlet had a great offshore trip on Monday, producing 17 dolphin and a wahoo. Keener started by catching a wahoo while high-speed trolling in 150 feet of water. Keener then went deep dropping for reef species. “On our first drop I looked out a mile and saw a massive weedline and mahi (dolphin) were jumping,” said Keener. The crew wound up catching around 50 dolphin and keeping 17. The four days of the 2020 red snapper mini season ended on July 17, and the species once again must be released in the South Atlantic Region.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, bass, catfish, crappie.
Comments: The river levels are in the best shape in months, with the Waccamaw at Conway finally making good tides at midweek. “The rivers are looking pretty, there’s a lot of people fishing and a lot of fish being caught,” said Ronald “Catfish” Stalvey of Stalvey’s Bait and Tackle in Conway. Bream are hitting crickets and worms in 2-4 feet of water, and Stalvey recommends the big Pee Dee and Ricefields areas for bream. “The Waccamaw is also good but not as good as those other areas,” said Stalvey. “Bass fishing is good everywhere. The Little Pee Dee is picking up real good with the bass.” Stalvey suggests using topwater lures and Texas-rigged Senkos and craw baits for bass. With the hot days of summer entrenched, action is best early and late in the day, but not hopeless in the heat of the day. “In the middle of the day is when you want to pick up that worm and fish a little deeper,” said Stalvey. Catfish are hitting eels and live bream. Stalvey also recommends live Black Salty minnows for catfish and bass.