News Release
October 23, 2006
DNR News (803) 734-3950

Saltwater Fishing Trends:

Cherry Grove Pier:Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Whiting caught with cut bait. 16 inch flounder caught. Bluefish caught with cut mullet and blue rigs. Spadefish caught with cut bait, shrimp.

Apache Pier (Myrtle Beach North): Pier and bait Shop open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. Some pompano. Spottail with bloodworms and synthetic bloodworms. Red drum and black drum also reported

Springmaid Pier (Myrtle Beach): Pier is open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, year-round. Tackle shop open 6 a.m. to 11 pm. Spottail caught with bloodworms. Trout and whiting caught with cut bait. Spanish mackerel caught with gold hooks. Also some flounder being caught.

Myrtle Beach State Park Pier (Myrtle Beach South): Open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Spots caught with bloodworms and artificial bloodworms. Trout caught with shrimp and cut bait. Some whiting caught.

Surfside Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Spottail doing well. Whiting fishing very well with shrimp. Some trout being caught.

The Pier at Garden City: Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Spottail caught with bloodworms and artificial bloodworms. Pompano caught with shrimp. Whiting also reported caught..

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. A second fishing pier is open on Winyah Bay called Hobcaw Point Observation and Fishing Pier. Catfish are always good on cut bait. Crabbing is doing well using string and bait.

Folly Beach Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Redfish caught with mullet. Black drum, whiting and sheepshead caught with shrimp.

Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier: Pier is open 24 hours a day. The Nature Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Sheepshead caught with fiddler crab and cast net. Some whiting, flounder and skate also caught. Redfish caught with mud minnows. Sea bass caught with shrimp.

33rd Annual Coastal Carolina Invitational Fishing Tourney

The 33rd Annual Coastal Carolina Invitational, still the only and certainly the oldest college fishing match in the United States, will be held October 27th out of Murrells Inlet.

South Carolina, Clemson, and Francis Marion will again be the guests of Coastal Carolina University with an assist from Captain Dick's Marina in Murrells Inlet in this tournament which is now in its fourth decade. (There were two matches one year, which is why the math isn't exact.)

The Coastal Carolina Invitational is unique in that all the teams fish from one headboat, drifting live or frozen baits anywhere from 16 to 35 miles off shore. King mackerel move inshore in early fall and the
catches can be extraordinarily good, with up to 55 kings being taken on one trip. Student anglers and their coaches-the latter are allowed to fish-average over a dozen kings per trip.

In addition to the kings, the participants bottomfish for black seabass and take an occasional grouper. The bottom fish are filleted, the kings steaked, and the traditional awards dinner at the Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet features fried blackfish for the first course, and blackened and grilled king steaks for the main course.

Elgibility for the tournament is open to male and female students, graduate and undergraduate. Tournaments have honored the memory of Coastal Carolina fishermen including Governor Carroll Campbell, and professors John Scalf and Don Kelley who coached teams from UNC-Wilmington
and Francis Marion respectively.

Prizes for the student anglers include rods and reels, fishing knives, tackle boxes, line, and hooks supplied by leading manufacturers. Dr. Richard Moore of Coastal Carolina University has been the judge for all the tournaments. Dr. Donald Millus, professor of English, started the Coastal Carolina Invitational when he first moved to Conway in 1974 with help from Moore and Mitch Godwin of Conway National Bank. The Coastal Educational Foundation provides financial support.

------

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 and Dr. Donald Millus.

- Written by Brett Witt –

For South Carolina marine recreational fishing regulations:

http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/regs/pdf/saltfishing.pdf

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