Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Report - 8/6/2013

Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina:

Edisto Emcee Craig Jones and a skipjack tuna

Inshore Report: Scott Hammond from Haddrell's Point West is finding less rainfall totals is bringing a solid inshore bite back to boaters. Most encouraging are the flounder reports, which goes further than simply numbers of flatfish, it's the size that is exciting. Four to five-pound flounder are being caught near the edge of rock piles and in 'white wash' associated with shell rakes in 2 to 8-feet of water, fishing with live mud minnows and finger mullet. Scott's pro tip is to attach a small Colorado spinner blade on your hook for added flash - they don't call 'em fluke killer for nothing! Even gigging enthusiasts are finding plenty of big flatties to post pics of, and to dine on too. Trout numbers continue to be solid, and though many of them are juvenile fish in the 11 to 13-inch range, there are some larger 18 to 22-inch specs out there. Jerkshads, Trout Tricks and live shrimp are some of your better choices for trout right now. Large Bull Reds continue to produce some drag screaming action around the inlets. Tarpon continue to deliver heart-pounding moments and great stories for those who target these big game fish. To view the latest seminar information visit the Internet at Haddrell's Point.

Shane Clevenger at the West Ashley location of Charleston Angler shares that an August 3 trip the Grillage ended when a huge strike yanked his Penn rod and reel combo out of the holder and into the ocean. How many other anglers know his pain I wonder?! You never know what exactly hit your line, and you don't get to see your equipment again either! His fishing day started out well enough with light southwest winds at 5 to 10-miles per hour under a picture perfect blue sky with small white puffy clouds. Despite the flat water conditions Clevenger had trouble locating bait, and this has been a continuos trend for anglers over the past few weeks. When they did score some menhaden they put their lines out at Dynamite Hole near the jetties. Before the breakfast biscuits could be consumed the first reel went off and a lady angler reeled in a sharpnose shark. A stud 37-inch redfish was next into the bait spread, and five more nice reds were caught and released as well. It was a pretty good day of fishing, even remembering the one that got away. For the latest seminar information visit the Internet at Charleston Angler.

Offshore Report: Scott says that while the trolling has slowed somewhat regarding the dolphin, we still continue to see some quality wahoo hitting the scales. A decent sailfish bite in ongoing and everyone is hoping that trend continues to build in September and October. The best wahoo reports are coming from 130 to 200-feet of water, and the sailfish are hanging in 350 to 800-feet of water. Bottom fishing is still going strong with plenty of action on grouper, blackfish, triggers and vermillions in 80 to 120-feet of water. Cigar minnows and cut squid are a can't fail option for bottom fishing, but butterfly jigs and diamond jigs will suffice if you are baitless. Big kings in the 30 to 45-pound range are showing up in good numbers right now, with the best reports coming from deeper than usual over live bottom in 40 to 65-feet of water. These smoker kings are sure to keep things interesting during the upcoming Fishing For Miracles tourney.

To view past Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Reports click here.