** Archived Article - please check for current information. **

June 19, 2006

Saltwater Fishing Trends:

Murrells Inlet: Some excellent catches of spadefish have been made out of Murrells Inlet over wrecks and artificial reefs using jellyballs for bait. Flounder and Spanish continue to be disappointingly slow this spring.

Cherry Grove Pier: Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Whiting and spot caught on shrimp and bloodworms. Bluefish are biting cut bait and gold hook jigs. Spanish mackerel caught on Gotcha plugs and gold hook jigs. Sheepshead caught on fiddler crabs.

Apache Pier (Myrtle Beach North): Pier and bait Shop open 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. seven days a week. Whiting caught with shrimp and squid. Flounder caught using minnows. Bluefish hitting Gotcha plugs, cut pinfish, and live bait. Spanish mackerel caught on gold hook jigs. Sheepshead biting fiddler crabs.

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. Whiting caught with cut bait and shrimp. Spanish mackerel hitting gold hook jigs. Spots caught on bloodworms. Bluefish caught with cut bait and Gotcha plugs.

Myrtle Beach State Park Pier (Myrtle Beach South): Open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Whiting caught on shrimp and minnows. Spots caught with bloodworms.

Surfside Pier: Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Spanish mackerel caught on gold hook jigs. Pompano caught on sand fleas and shrimp. Bluefish caught with live bait

The Pier at Garden City: Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Bluefish are biting Gotcha plugs, cut bait and shrimp. Spanish mackerel caught with live bait. A few whiting caught on shrimp and bloodworms. Spots have been taken on cut shrimp.

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. Mostly crabbing and birdwatching.

Folly Beach Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Whiting and spot caught on cut shrimp. Sheepshead caught with fiddler crabs. Spanish mackerel hitting Gotcha plugs.

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. Tues. though Sat. Spots caught using shrimp. Flounder caught on mud minnows.

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.

For South Carolina marine recreational fishing regulations:

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/saltfishing.pdf

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