Dolphin fishing great for offshore fishermen out of Georgetown

Dolphin action in the bluewater has been great for boats out of Georgetown.

Weed lines, temperature breaks and floating debris holding plenty of fish

For the past several weeks, fishermen heading offshore out of Georgetown have had little downtime. Every weed line, temperature break and even piles of floating garbage have been stacked with more dolphin than any angler can stand to catch in one day, and the action isn’t expected to slow down any time soon.

Ed Keelin, who runs the Early Bird charter boat, is logging plenty of offshore time these days, with dolphin catches at the top of his list.

“The dolphin have turned on strong offshore,” says Keelin (843-543-5126) “We are catching fish in 400 feet at the break and some big bulls out at 100 fathoms.”

The best places to find dolphin are weed lines, floating debris, temperature breaks and anything else that creates an abnormality in the ocean. To reduce search time, Keelin reviews the satellite imagery in the vicinity of the 226 Hole and the 380 Hole.

“You can see where the (water) emperatures or current changes on satellite imagery,” he said.

As the major wave of dolphin arrives, their appetites are strong, and they will eat about anything that catches their eye and looks tasty. Dolphin are an extremely fast-growing species, and after a long migration along the Gulf Stream, they arrive ready to eat, and trolled ballyhoo are their prime rib.

Trolling ballyhoo and lures along the structure and/or temperature break will draw dolphin in no time at all. Naked ballyhoo on circle hooks are Keelin’s “go-to” baits, but he will always deploy his own custom-tied sea witches when dolphin fishing in the azure waters of the Atlantic in bright colors.

“Dolphin like bright colors; pink/white, yellow/green, bleeding dolphin and blue/chartreuse are my personal favorites because they catch fish,” he said.

Keelin expects the dolphin bite off to stay excellent for the rest of the month.

About Jeff Burleson 1308 Articles
Jeff Burleson is a native of Lumberton, N.C., who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He graduated from N.C. State University with a degree in fisheries and wildlife sciences and is a certified biologist and professional forester for Southern Palmetto Environmental Consulting.