Cooling nearshore waters pushing baitfish out to warmer Gulf Stream waters, jump-starting great bite
Mother Nature has recently delivered calm seas and gorgeous weather to South Carolina’s coast, and the offshore fleet from Murrells Inlet has been unleashed for some of the season’s best fishing for wahoo, blackfin tuna and trophy billfish.
On a recent trips, Capt. Englis Glover, Host of Reelin’ Up the Coast television teamed up with a Capt. Jay Baisch of Fishful Thinking Guide service (843-902-0356) and returned to the dock with sore muscles and a few boat loads of meat.
“The wahoo and blackfin are chewing like crazy at the ledge,” said Glover (843-655-5459). “Capt. Jay Baisch had a 300-pound blue marlin on a trip last week to the (Gulf) Stream.”
Recent cooler weather has cooled nearshore waters, sending schools of baitfish toward the warmer Gulf Stream current offshore. The predators have been practically waiting at the trough with serious appetites.
The location of the feeding frenzy can vary from the shallow side in 100-foot depths to 500 to 600 feet of water. According to Glover, anglers can save some fuel and stay in the shallow end of the pool.
“Don’t go deep right now; stay on the ledge where there is plenty of bait. They are holding from 160 to 300 feet deep along the break from the Winyah Scarp to the Georgetown Hole,” he said. “Be prepared with lots of bait, because the bites are frequent, with plenty of wahoo cut-offs and the tuna not getting the hook.”
Typical offshore trolling lures pulled with and without ballyhoo are drawing plenty of strikes. A local favorite from the Murrells Inlet area is keeping the rods singing and testing every inch of their fiberglass blanks.
“I use only Fishizzle Ballyheads rigged with fluorocarbon with No. 9 Gamakatsu hooks and in a variety of colors, but blue/white has been the hot color for wahoo with pink/white and a multitude of other colors have kept the lines stretched with black-fin tuna on the other end,” Glover said.
Over the next few weeks, the action should continue and potentially get even better. The fall and early winter months are well known to produce some of the best tuna and wahoo fishing of the year.
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