Stephen Walker was participating in king mackerel tournament
This past weekend, Stephen Walker of Myrtle Beach stole the show at the 2019 Grand Strand King Mackerel Tournament by catching a 100-pound tarpon. On June 1 and 2, anglers gathered on two of South Carolina’s northernmost fishing piers to battle it out for king mackerel bragging rights. But the king mackerel didn’t cooperate, and no anglers caught one. So Walker’s tarpon catch was even more of a highlight.
As is often the case when such a fish is hooked from a pier, Walker had to walk the entire length of the pier, then down to the beach and into the surf during the fight. After fighting the fish for more than an hour, Walker finally got his hands on his prize catch. With the help of fellow pier anglers Landon Steen, Logan Thorpe, Jon Trull, Brian Snyder, and Cam Steele, Walker held the fish for a quick photo. They unhooked the fish, and released it. The fish swam off unharmed.
Anglers have caught king mackerel off both piers this spring, despite none biting during the tournament. And anglers on both piers still had a lot of success with other species. Aside from the tarpon, anglers landed lots of redfish, speckled trout, flounder, pompano, black drum, spanish mackerel, and whiting.
Piers provide great summer fishing
The Cherry Grove Pier is located at 3500 N. Ocean Blvd in North Myrtle Beach. It sports the only two-story observation deck among privately-owned piers in the area. The pier has a full service tackle store and sells daily and season fishing passes. It also serves as an official weigh station for anglers.
The Apache Pier is located at 9700 Kings Rd. in Myrtle Beach. It is the East Coast’s longest wooden pier. It is open year-round, and offers daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly fishing passes. The pier also has a full service tackle shop.
Pier fishing is a great summertime activity. The structures keep anglers out of the sand, and gives them access to fish not reachable from shore. And the nice ocean breezes help anglers beat the heat.
Click here for profiles of all South Carolina’s public fishing piers.
