fishing help near myrtle beach

[scottprice]

ill be taking my first trip down there around mid july....what are some good tactics from the beach/pier/banks

i am also wondering what kind of fish can be found in the Intercoastal Waterway....
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[Tarpon4me]

If you're in myrtle beach, you've got a few different choices in regards to fishing. Cherry Grove Pier, Myrtle Beach State park pier, Spring maid, and Apache is a little farther up. They are all probably about the same in regards to fishing, as you're waiting on the fish to come to you, were as in a boat you go after the fish. Price wise, I think Myrtle Beach State Park is the best bet. It's cheap, there is other stuff to do, and the scenery is nice. [angelic]

If you can throw a cast net, you're good to go. The best bait is always fresh live bait. A carolina style rig with a kahl hook matched to the size bait is perfect for flounder, spottails, blues, etc...... The best place to fish for bottom dwellers around a pier is around the bait cleaning tables. I also toss my lines under the pier and slowly reel them back. Moving frequently, so I can locate the flounder hiding in the shade.

From the beach, the idea is to get your line past the breakers. The best baits in my opinion are still live baits, but also fresh shrimp, sand fleas, or fresh cut bait works great. Back to the cast net, if you can throw one, lots of times you can find more bait than you'll be able to use. The big divantage to fishing the beach is, it's hard to keep bait alive, versus on the pier, where you can simply put the bait in a bait bucket and lower them down in the water. This is where the fresh shrimp and sandfleas come in. Also, if you cast net some fish, just put them on ice and use them for cut bait. Don't just toss them on the beach and think they'll work OK. You're not fishing for channel cats in the local river, most saltwater species will turn thier nose up to a stinky old piece of bait. Fresh is always best. If you'll eat it, they'll eat it.

In the end of the intercoastal you'll be at, you'll catch anything there you would in any other river. Bass, bream, big catfish, etc...
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[scottprice]

Bryan thanks a lot! I can throw a castnet and its one of my top items no matter where i fish

i think ill have to take some time on the ICW for some catfish too! i love catfishing
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[Tarpon4me]

You're in good shape then. If you plan on fishing from a pier, make sure one of the things you pack is plenty of rope. Remember, you've got a decent drop before your cast net, or bait bucket, hit the water. With your bait bucket, you've got to have enough extra rope to compensate for the change in tides too.

You can dig sandfleas up for free along the piers. They are especially easy to get during low tide. Wait for the water to break on the beach, and as the water flows out, look for the little "V's" in the sand. Dig where the v's are. (be mindful of the larger seashells, which also create said v) Live sandfleas are great bait for surf fishing.

The catfish around here love live bait and and fresh cut bait. We'll actually keep the fish live before we cut it. A big bream head is actually one of my favorite baits. Cut and live eel is also great bait for big cats, and can be found at some of the local bait and tackle stores. Irby Street here in Florence sells them, if you happen to cut through here on your way.

Let us know how it works out for you man. Good luck! Also, if you get bored with being land locked, there are a couple places in murrells inlet you can rent boats, and I know the bulk of the charter captains in that area as well. In fact, I just hooked up a couple soldiers with a friend of mine. [cool]
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[scottprice]

cant thank you enough for helping me out man, kinda felt lost since this area is so new to me. Im bringing a medium action spining rod (my bass rod) for stuff like sheepshead, flounder, croaker and other similar sized fish. Then i have my Abu Garcia Ambassedeur C4 spooled with 30# braid on a med/heavy rod for bigger stuff like redfish, black drum, shark, and those cattys! What do you think? will i be ok?

I surf fish Nj a lot and sandfleas are a great bait there too. I wish i had a bit more money because i would definately rent one of those boats! Being in college has me a tough tight on cash though lol[crazy]
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[Tarpon4me]

Leave the bass rod at the house, you won't need it. The Abu Garcia will do everything you want to for all the species mentioned. What you need to do is invest in some good fluorocarbon leader. I'd get some 20 pound fluoro, and that should handle all the above, with the exception of sharks. You'll need steel leader for those.

The tactics you use in NJ for surf fishing will not differ for our coast, same-same. It's going to be smoking hot, so i'd plan for early morning or late evening trips. Thing is, when you're on a boat, you can get a little relief when you move from spot to spot. On the hill, you're screwed and am at the mercy of mother nature. And I can assure you, it will be 105+ heat index, and the humidity at the beach will be no less than 90%. It will suck, LOL! [sly] The fish will also bite better early morning or late evening. The heat turns the bite off, even offshore bottom species in 100' of water shut down mid day in the summer.

Something we use to do when I was a teenager was shark fish from the beach around huntington beach state park. We get a camp site there, round up our bait late evening, and off to the beach at night. It was a great time. A lot of times, we'd go by the fish market in murrells inlet before they closed, and they would give us their fish scraps to use for bait. All you have to do is get your bait beyond the breakers, and you're good to go. Also, the jetties are just a mile walk from the beach entrance in huntington state park. there is also great surf fishing there. The tide rips, and I wouldn't swim there, but the fishing is pretty darn good. You can also fish on the ocean side of the jetties during the day and catch monster breeder redfish, mackerel, and all kinds of crap. Just thought i'd throw that out there.
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