SALTWATER FISHING TRENDS:

PIERS: All piers have reopened with limited hours.

Cherry Grove Pier: Open Sunday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. A few bluefish are hitting Gotcha plugs and cut bait. Black drum can be caught with shrimp and cut-bait on the bottom. Small flounder have been hitting mud minnows. Fishing has improved for bull whiting and bluefish using shrimp and cut mullet. Water temperature is 63 degrees.

Apache Pier (Myrtle Beach): Bait Shop open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Nice whiting are biting cut shrimp and mullet. Flounder and bluefish are biting shrimp and artificial bloodworms. One ten-pound blue caught recently. Small sharks and skates taking cut bait. Water temperature abut 62 degrees. A few small Spanish mackerel have been caught, first of season.

Springmaid Pier: Open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, year-round. A few small spotted sea trout, whiting and bluefish were taken on shrimp and cut mullet. One nice pompano caught. Small flounder are hitting shrimp and mud minnows. Several nice Spanish mackerel were caught on jigged gold hooks. Water temperature 63 degrees..

Myrtle Beach State Park Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Lot of whiting bigger than normal have been caught on shrimp and cut bait. A few Spanish mackerel were on jigged gold spoons. Water temperature around 63 degrees.

Surfside Pier: Open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Good catches of nice sized whiting, along with a few small spotted sea trout and bluefish. Use shrimp. Few flounder are taking mud minnows or shrimp. A few summer trout were taken. Skates and small sharks biting cut bait. Water temperature about 63 degrees. Afternoon and nights best for whiting. First Spanish mackerel -weighing 6 pound 14 ounces - taken last week using a float rig with live bait.

The Pier at Garden City: Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, Friday and Saturday all night. Good catches of whiting and croaker reported on shrimp. Flounder beginning to bite mud minnows. Sharks and rays are being caught on cut bait and shrimp. Water temperature is 63 degrees.

Winyah Bay Fishing and Observation Pier (Georgetown): Open 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, with free parking and fishing. Visitors also enjoy great bird watching. A Freshwater Fishing License is required due to brackish water. Coming soon, a second fishing pier on Winyah Bay. Activity is slow but getting better.

Folly Beach Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. through October. Nice whiting, bluefish and croaker reported caught on cut shrimp. Water temperature is 64 degrees.

Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier: Pier open 24 hours a day. The Nature Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday. Whiting, small black drum and a few flounder are biting shrimp and cut bait. Use mud minnows for the flounder. One black tip shark reported caught.

INSHORE (State Waters): Windy conditions have hindered some activity.

Cherry Grove: Flounder have been reported to be taking mud minnows in the inlet.

Murrells Inlet: Nice flounder were reported to be taking mud minnows and cut shrimp.

Charleston Area: Red drum activity has slowed. Sheepshead and black sea bass are very good at the jetties and other structures. Use fiddlers and live shrimp. Flounder can be found in shallow inlets using mud minnows. Summer Trout and flounder picking up live ship and plugs

Edisto Area: A few red drum are being caught on shrimp and cut bait. No sheepshead yet. Rainy weather limiting activity temporarily.

Beaufort Area: Red drum are biting live mud minnows or shrimp, as well as artificial grubs. Sheepshead will take fiddlers around rocks and structures. Flounder mud minnows, a few summer trout live shrimp and artificial,

OFFSHORE (Federal Waters) Rough seas have hindered activity.

Cherry Grove: The Gulf Stream is bringing back yellowfin tuna and dolphin. Atlantic Bonita are just offshore from 2 to 10 miles out. Use No. 1 Clark spoons. Bottom fishing over reefs and live bottoms is still producing black sea bass as well as silver snapper. Use squid or cut bait. Water has been dingy limiting fish biting.

Murrells Inlet: Tuna, wahoo and king mackerel were reported to be biting in the Gulf Stream. Snapper, grouper and a few amberjack are good. Catches of black sea bass are still good. Fish over live bottoms and structures. Use squid and cigar minnows. Some wahoo and blackfin tuna were caught past the 300 line in the Gulf Stream. Some king mackerel caught, offshore only.

Charleston Area: Georgetown Hole and the Southwest Banks are yielding nice wahoo, dolphin, blackfin and yellowfin tuna. Troll with ballyhoo. Black sea bass are still good over reefs and live bottoms. Snapper and grouper are good over reefs around 75 to 95 feet deep. Use cut bait or squid.

Edisto River/St. Helena Sound: Fishing for black sea bass, snapper and grouper using squid or cigar minnows continues to be good at offshore reefs such as the Edisto 40 (PA-31) or Edisto 60 (PA-30). Some dolphin, sailfish, blue marlin, wahoo, and yellow were caught in a recent local tournament.

Beaufort Area: Reports of cobia the Broad River continue, using eels, squid, or Sabiki rigs with herring. Wahoo, dolphin and blackfin tuna have been caught near the Gulf Stream at the thermal break, trolling with ballyhoo and artificial lures. Sheepshead and whiting are being caught off wrecks, using fiddler crabs and shrimp.

Reporters: The S.C. Department of Natural Resources' Marine Resource Division thanks the following participants for their cooperation in compiling this week's report: Cherry Grove Pier, Apache Pier, Springmaid Pier, Myrtle Beach State Park, Surfside Pier, The Pier at Garden City, Winyah Bay Fishing and Observation Pier, Folly Beach Fishing Pier, Hunting Island State Park, Mark Dickson/Shallow Minded Charters & Capt. Randy Atwood/Sea Hunt-Cherry Grove, Capt. Dick's-Murrells Inlet, Haddrell's Point Tackle-Charleston, Edisto Marina-Edisto, Low Country Outfitters-Hilton Head.

- Written by Mike Creel -

For South Carolina marine recreational fishing regulations: http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/etc/rulesregs/img/saltfishing.pdf

Visit the Saltwater Fishing License Web site at http://saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/

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