Saltwater Fishing Trends
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North Grand Strand
Inshore: Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that after a good late April they have high expectations for May, and redfish, trout and black drum should all continue to be caught in the creeks as well as at the jetties. Live shrimp will catch all three species. The flounder were already arriving by the end of April, and this month more bigger fish should return. They will take mud minnows.
Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that that his month they should continue to catch Spanish mackerel, bluefish and abundant whiting, and the flounder should get bigger. However, the real excitement is that water temperatures are already where they need to be for king mackerel to start the month and at some point very soon numbers of kings should arrive.
Nearshore: Captain Smiley Fishing Charters reports that bluefish and Spanish mackerel fishing was strong by the end of April, and it should get even better this month. The tail end of the bonito fishing should last into early May while big weakfish should be around a bit longer. Cobia should arrive by about the third week of May.
Most detailed North Grand Strand Updates
South Grand Strand
Inshore: Captain Caleb Hartley (843-241-7706) reports that typically the flounder fishing turns on earlier, but at the end of April the fish began to show up in impressive numbers. They will eat mud minnows, finger mullet, and more. May is usually not a great month for trout in Murrells Inlet, but redfish usually feed better this month. They will eat a variety of cut and live baits.
Nearshore: Captain Caleb Hartley reports that bluefish, Spanish mackerel, spadefish, and king mackerel should all bite well this month.
Most detailed Southern Grand Strand Updates
Georgetown
Inshore: Captain Greg Holmes (843-241-0594) reports that by the end of April redfish were moving towards their warm weather patterns and feeding more consistently, and May should see even more improvement. With more bait around and fish broken out of winter schools they are more dispersed but often easier to locate since they are in more places, and in May fish will take a variety of baits including live finger mullet, cut mullet, mud minnows, and shrimp. Trout will also feed better this month, and in May big trout should be caught around the moon phases when they spawn in the rivers. Live shrimp are hard to beat but they will also take artificial baits like Vudu shrimp. Flounder will also get more prolific as they return inshore, and by the end of April some keepers had already arrived. The jetties should also be loaded with sheepshead, black drum, and more.
Charleston
Inshore: Captain Rob Bennett (843-367-3777) and Captain Addison Rupert (843-557-3476) report that May should be an excellent month for catching trout on live shrimp with lots of big spawning females around, and the redfish should continue to be caught on a variety of cut and live baits in the creeks. At the jetties and in the harbor bull red drum will continue to arrive in better and better numbers this month, and cut menhaden and mullet are both effective. As bait returns to the area sharks are also showing up in droves and will continue to get more common this month.
Surf and pier: Folly Beach Pier (843-762-9516) was already getting good for trout, black drum, Spanish mackerel and more by the end of April, but May should only be better and fish will be bigger. As more bait arrives the king mackerel should also be right behind the Spanish. The usual suspects of whiting, croaker, spot, and other good-eating panfish should also be caught.
Nearshore: Captain Rob Bennett (843-367-3777) reports that May should be a phenomenal month for fishing at the nearshore reefs, and this month cobia, spadefish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and more will all be biting. This will also be the peak month for dolphin fishing.
Most detailed Charleston updates
Edisto Island
Inshore: Captain Ron Davis Jr. (843-513-0143) reports that the redfish action should be decent on the rivers with a variety of baits this May, and fish will also be caught in the smaller creeks on mud minnows. Big spawning trout will be caught in the main rivers on shrimp or baitfish, and for both species there will be a topwater bite first thing. Flounder will flood back into the area and will take mud minnows, and there should be some more good sheepshead fishing on fiddler crabs before it gets very hot. In the surf and inlets whiting fishing will stay very strong with shrimp as bait, with the biggest fish found around sandbars.
Nearshore and offshore: Captain Ron reports that at the nearshore reefs cobia, spadefish, weakfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, bull red drum, and more will be caught this month, while in 90-100 feet the bottom fishing will be strong throughout the month. Early May should be the peak for dolphin fishing, and wahoo and tuna should also be caught as well as some early marlin.
Most detailed Edisto Island Updates
Beaufort
Inshore: Captain Tuck Scott (843-524-5250) and Captain Patrick Kelly (843-962-3503) report that as temperatures rise and even more bait starts to return in May the redfish should feed more regularly. The tailing activity at high tide should pick up as reds devour consistently available fiddler crabs, and fish should also eat better around the tide table in the creeks. If you can get live shrimp they are hard to beat, but finger mullet, small menhaden, mud minnows, and more will also catch redfish. Trout fishing should also pick up in the creeks and rivers, and both jigs and shrimp will catch fish – as well as finfish baits. Big roe trout will be in the main rivers to spawn. But the most exciting development in May is usually that the cobia return in numbers to the Broad River. Some were already caught in late April, and people will catch them both sight-fishing and anchoring baits on the bottom. Tripletail, bluefish, ladyfish, and other migratory species will also be around in ever-greater numbers during May, and the bigger flounder should continue to show up after starting to trickle back inshore during April. Finally, don’t overlook the sheepshead bite on fiddler crabs – especially before it gets very hot and patterns change.
Most detailed Beaufort Updates
Hilton Head
Inshore: Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) and Captain Trent Malphrus (843-301-4634) report that May is usually more consistent than April around Hilton Head, and they expect both redfish and trout to bite better this month. By the end of April there was already significant improvement with the reds while trout were still a little slow. Redfish will be caught in the creeks and rivers with a variety of baits including shrimp and finger mullet, and you will also pick up black drum on the shrimp. Trout should be eating live shrimp this month. Cobia should be around the Broad River through most of May.
Nearshore: Captain Kai reports that at the nearshore reefs and hard bottom areas migratory species like bluefish, Spanish mackerel and cobia will be caught.