Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Report - 5/5/2015

Fishing Report for the Coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina:

May 3 mahi harvest at Ripley Light Yacht Harbor

Inshore Report: Scott Hammond at Haddrell's Point West shares that Charleston Harbor is Full of Bull, meaning that large 'bull' redfish have shown up in great numbers around our jetties and grillage areas. Large chunks of mullet, live menhaden and blue crab are all cannot fail bait options for these bronze bruisers. Flounder have also shown up in good numbers around our inlets and rock piles. Live minnows, Zman jerk shadz and the J-n-T spinner jigs have all been deadly options for anglers. Trout are still inhaling live shrimp along shell rakes, and a hot new option is Savage Gear shrimp, with the old standby being a D.O.A. shrimp. Many fishing guide photos are showing a good mix of Gator trout in with the regular smaller size specks. For the latest seminar information visit the Internet at Haddrell's Point.

Offshore Report: Scott heralds the news that offshore anglers wait for all year - the May bite for dolphin has hit full stride! Sunday May 3 saw flat oceanic conditions and many sportfishers launched from Georgetown, Charleston and Edisto in order to fish for mahi mahi, and most of them found great success with dolphin and blackfin tuna mixed in. The best dolphin bite seemed to be fishing south in 250 to 450-feet of water. Blackfin fishing was best at the Georgetown Hole and the Southwest Banks. Wahoo are still hanging around in the 150 to 250-feet of water range near the ledge. And don't forget that grouper season opened back up on May 1 with solid reports coming in from bottom bumpers in 80 to 130-feet of water using cigar minnows and butterfly style jigs.  Weather Note: The South Carolina coast is forecast to experience the first tropical low system of the hurricane season, so offshore anglers need to keep a weather eye concerning the offshore forecast for the next several days. To view the latest Governor's Cup Billfish Series newsletter click here.

To read about why May is for Mahi Mahi and for Marlin click here.

To view past Lowcountry Saltwater Fishing Reports click here.