Rock on around the big rocks

For most of the year, the rock jetties at the entrance to the coastal estuaries provide a perfect state of affairs for a wide range of predator fish, bringing ample food resources and stable water conditions. For flounder, the living is real good at the jetties, even during late spring and early summer.

In 1981, the jetties at Murrells Inlet were built to bypass sediment buildup and to protect the navigation channel, but the two massive structures do more than protect the channel from extensive shoaling. With more than a mile of rock extending into the Atlantic Ocean, a tremendous expanse of rich marine habitat was created. And no fish ambushes its prey around jetties like flounder.

Currents are always passing through the jetties from tidal flows and the wind. Tons of baitfish pass in and out of the inlet each day, and plenty of them try to take refuge along the edges of the jetty rocks.

Most jetties have two segments, a low-gradient weir section and a large rock section at the end. The weir is found between the large rocks and the shoreline, allowing waves and currents to pass over for sediment capture. However, the edges of the walls will have scour pools on the edge of the structure that are perfect for flounder to ambush passing bait. The rock sections extending into the deeper water also provides places for bait to attempt to evade predation. From one end of the jetties to the other, flounder will find places to get plenty to eat.

If seas allow, Jason Burton of Fly Girl Fishing Charters will spend plenty of time along Murrells Inlet’s jetties, and he believes some places are definitely better than others.

“I look for irregularities at the jetties, such as the small flats behind big rocks or where big rocks meet smaller rocks,” said Burton. “These little openings allow water to shoot through the gap between the big and little rocks, offering a perfect place for flounder to ambush bait funneling through.”

Burton fishes both the north and south jetties, as well as each side of each jetty.

“I have my spots that I like, but you have to move around some because the flounder will not stay in one place too long if the bait is not rolling in. Flounder move more than people think they do,” Burton said.