Last Updated on November 13, 2022 by Capt. R.C.
Located just minutes South of Myrtle Beach and Murrell’s Inlet, Winyah Bay offers up some of the best fishing in South Carolina. Georgetown, SC is the home of Winyah Bay; the third largest estuarine watershed on the East coast. This body of water offers year-round fishing with several seasonal specialty species. As the hot humid summer leads to a crisp cool Fall, local fish become more active.
Activity began to pick up early in 2022, and I fully expect it to continue. We had a rapid decrease in water temperatures to the tune of around 15 degrees. Cooling water temps, along with clean water, is where I give credit to this early Fall’s bite being so good. Speckled trout have been the most productive target on recent trips. There were some epic days of fishing where we caught fish everywhere we went…it was simply on fire!
Speckled trout tend to give us the Fall kickoff (ironically close to football season) every year. Trout are voracious feeders, but they are extremely sensitive to water temperature and salinity levels. This is what leads them to begin their aggressive feeding behavior before other species. While there is always an off day, we have had many days catching double digit numbers of fish.
The trout bite will continue until water temperatures get around the lower 50’s. While the bite will continue, location and tactics will change. They may become harder to find in the bays, and more common near places like Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island. Don’t worry about how our tactics change…we will come up with a way for all skill levels to have a chance at success.
The redfish bite has been picking up as well, already seeing some days in the double digits. We have also been having a great bull red run as these mature fish come in for their Fall spawn. As water temperatures continue to cool, the reds will begin to congregate in large schools.
We have recently been targeting redfish around jetties, rips and oyster bars. They seem willing to take artificial baits, but we have mostly been using live bait. Topwater baits (my favorite) will work great until water temperatures get below 60 degrees. Adding a little scent to the artificial baits has gotten the fish more willing to bite.
There have been some days where you will immediately catch a fish when you pull up to each spot, but you have to keep moving. We are also getting on some small schools where you can get a bite on almost every cast.
We are getting action despite having a warm end to October in to November. Seeing some of the fish already schooled up tells me that we are not far off from things getting hot!
If you would like to experience the best time of year to fish South Carolina, give me a call or book online. You can check out our faq’s to answer many of your questions. Maybe you will be visiting the Myrtle beach area for a wedding, golf trip or Thanksgiving. If so, try to make the most of it by seeing where the Lowcountry begins through a local’s eyes.