Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Report - 5/27/2014

Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina:

The 2014 Wahoo bite has been slowing recently

Charleston Inshore: Scott Hammond at Haddrell's Point West says to Pick Your Poison when it comes to species right now! From trout to flounder, Spanish to sharks, redfish and bluefish, there are dozens of ways to bend a rod these days. The Spanish armada is once again back in port, and anglers can find them schooled up both in and around the jetties, as well as by Castle Pinckney. Other toothy silver slashers that may take the bait include bluefish and ladyfish! A Strong flounder bite is going on around rock piles and inlets when using small bucktail jigs, or by hooking on the old reliable can't-kill'em-so-might-as-well-fish-em Mud Minnows. Topwater is where its at for trout right now early in the morning before they seek refuge from the summer sunshine, and just after the topwater strikes stop switchover to a DOA-shrimp and popping cork Deadly Combo. Both bonnethead and sharpnose sharks are plentiful around the inlets and creek mouths using a half blue crab or cut mullet. For all the latest seminar information visit the Internet at Haddrell's Point.

Beaufort Inshore: Craig Lupton at Buck, Bass and Beyond shares that the redfish bite is going good despite a downturn in water clarity. Nice redfish are being caught on Carolina rigs with mud minnows and by using artificial lures like DOA shrimp around creek mouths and oyster banks. When the reds are pushing in the grass try the gold Bagley spoon tipped with a Zman chartreuse swimming mullet rigged weedless in electric chicken or redbone coloration. The trout bite has begun to slow but a few are being caught from deep water using mud minnows under a popping cork. Keeper-size flounder are jumping on Gulp swimming mullets and jerk shads fished around creek intersections closer to the ocean inlets. Don't forget the whiting bite is awesome right now at the beaches using cut shrimp and mix in some cut mullet to catch a small sandbar shark too. Cobia are still being found but the bite tapers off by late May and 2014 is no different, but best bets include fishing at the 170 bridge in the Broad River using greenback herring and live eels. Remember that chum will aid in catching their attention so keep it fresh and flowing if you want to encounter a brown bomber. A more sure bet for cobia is to head to a nearshore reef like the Betsy Ross or the Edisto 60 and fish with a SPRO jig. Take advantage of the weakfish bite while out there using one-ounce jigheads and Gulp swimming mullets. For the latest store info visit the Internet at Buck, Bass n Beyond.

Offshore: Craig says the house is a rocking both north and south for the mahi bite! Trolling just about any color lure rigged with a medium ballyhoo is working fine. A few wahoo singles are being caught here and there using a Braid Marauder in blue and silver fished way back behind the boat. The blackfin tuna bite has all but disappeared but the bottom fishing remains excellent with good reports of vermillion snapper, triggerfish, and porgy - and they all want to eat some SQUID.

Scott continues to see a Wide Open dolphin bite off the coast now with a lot of big fish caught in the 25 to 45-pound range. Plenty of teenager fish are mixed in, and the latest Dolphinfish Research newsletter from Don Hammond reports that more juvenile fish are on the way up from Florida presently. Wahoo continue to be found along good bottom relief while trolling from 130 to 250-feet deep. A strong blue marlin bite kicked in recently too. Cobia continue to be found in better-than-usual numbers around artificial reefs in and around 60-feet of water, where a well-presented Hogy Eel or live bait can produce the chance for the cobia of a lifetime.

To view past Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Reports click here.