Columbia - Brett Witt (803) 667-0696
Clemson - Greg Lucas (864) 654-1671, ext.22
Charleston - (803) 667-0696
Spokesman - Mike Willis (803) 734-4133
After Hours Radio Room - (803) 955-4000
SC Dept. of Natural Resources
P 0 Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
Oct 16 , 2006
Saltwater Fishing Trends:
Cherry Grove Pier: Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Good runs of spots caught with bloodworms or shrimp.
Apache Pier (Myrtle Beach North): Pier and bait Shop open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. Good runs of spots using bloodworms and artificial bloodworms. Blues caught on a variety from gotcha to shrimp. A few pompano caught with shrimp. Some whiting 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. Spots running well and caught with bloodworms. Spanish mackerel caught by jigging. Trout fishing well with squid or shrimp. Some small pompano also reported caught with shrimp.
Myrtle Beach State Park Pier (Myrtle Beach South): Open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Fishing a little slow, but a good variety reported. Spots caught with bloodworms and artificial bloodworms. Trout caught with shrimp. Sheepshead recently caught with shrimp, but barnacles are usual choice. Flounder caught with either mullet or shrimp (some 3 and 4 pounders reported). Some black drum caught and released. Pompano and small blues also reported.
Surfside Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Fishing is picking up with nice catches of Spanish mackerel using live bait. Trout caught with cut mullet and spots caught with bloodworms. Whiting and pompano also reported.
The Pier at Garden City: Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Good run on spots. Caught with bloodworms and artificial bloodworms sprayed with WD-40.
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. Flounder and spottail bass both reported caught with various mullet.
Folly Beach Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Trout, redfish, black drum and flounder all caught with live shrimp. Whiting spots and croaker caught on cut 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. Fishing picking up with sheepshead doing well on fiddler crabs (20 inches plus reported caught). Flounder caught with shrimp and 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
Don’t Be Dingy About Your Dinghy! by DNR Sgt. Kim Leverich
The dinghy is the family car for boaters on a cruise. Usually the only car, it must serve all purposes: water taxi for shore trips, fishing and diving trips, and many other purposes. Often I find dinghies are neglected when it comes to safety and registration requirements. Be sure to have a personal flotation device in the dinghy for each person onboard. Many boaters use the oldest PFDs in the dinghies, which may not do much for the spirit of the safety requirements, but is less of a temptation to borrowers. Dinghies are not exempt from navigation light requirements. Use clamp-on or suction-cup attachments to carry appropriate lights powered by C or D cell batteries.
If you have a motor on your dinghy in the state of South Carolina the dinghy must be registered. The registration must be with you in the dinghy. Placing the registration card in a zip lock bag and rolling it to fit in a floating key ring is a good idea. Watch for condensation and be sure you have made photocopies. You must have the registration numbers and stickers displayed. Some manufacturers of small inflatables provide velcro flaps forward to secure lines holding number boards. Outboards greater than 5hp must have a motor titling sticker on the cowling.
Be careful about marking the dinghy with the boat name “tender-to” at the dinghy dock or while on an excursion as this could suggest to a would-be thief that the big boat might be unoccupied.
Even a dinghy needs a few emergency items. Keep a few safety items aboard for that unexpected occasion when the outboard motor quits. A flashlight, bottle of water, oars, repair kit, mushroom or folding anchor and rode, extra sounding device, flares, handheld foot pump, and an extra bailer may come in handy. Flares are required in coastal waters defined as seaward of the salt water dividing line.
Always remember to watch those capacity weights and be careful about how you move around and shift weight in the dinghy. Wearing a PFD while in use is a great idea no matter the legal age requirements. Children under 12 are always required to wear PFDs in boats less than 16 feet.