Early morning action has been outstanding for past few weeks
For the past few weeks, anglers along the Grand Strand have experienced a strong run of king mackerel close to shore. The area is flooded with huge schools of menhaden and mullet, creating the perfect menu for toothy kings.
Capt. Englis Glover, host of Reelin’ Up the Coast television is itching to get on the water each and every time he has the opportunity, and he makes sure to be one of the first out on the water these days to have the best success.
“The best bite is right at daylight,” Glover said, “and some of the best action is in places very close to shore in shallow water.”
Glover fished on Brian Malcolm’s Rough Book crew, which finished third in last weekend’s U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament out of Southport, N.C., with a 39.55-pound fish caught with just a glimmer of light on the water only 1 ½ miles off the beach.
“While everybody else was catching bait, we were gaffing the third-place fish,” said Glover (843-655-5459). “We caught a dozen baits the day before to make sure we could put the lines in the water fast.”
The bite has been the same in his home waters. Some popular spots not far from Murrells Inlet’s jetties have produced an exceptional king mackerel bite.
“The bite has been real good on the beach, at the jetties and at the nearshore livebottoms and reefs, like the Belky Bear, North Inlet Reef, Pawley’s Reef, and the 10-mile,” Glover said. “The mullet and pogies are still running good, fueling the bite and keeping the kings around.”
While the best bite has been early and late, anglers can expect successful fishing throughout the day with all of the baitfish around. Glover prefers trolling live menhaden along the surface and at various depths on downriggers.
