Hilton Head Island Deep Sea Fishing

[Bumblebee_1]

The family and I will be at Hilton Head 8/11 through 8/17. I was thinking about a deep sea fishing trip. I would prefer an evening or a shark trip. The kids are 18 & 22. Does anyone have any experience down there? Will we catch fish in August? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Best regards,
Bumblebee

[Topwater2004]

Well, you will have to find a private guide who will take you out to the Gulf Stream, that time of year to find big fish.

If you just want to have fun, a bass boat will do to fish in-shore. I just concentrate on the inlets to the inter coastal areas during the incoming or outgoing tide process.

You can use your regular bass fishing gear, a big 1 oz egg sinker and a Kahle style or circle hook. Simple as that. Then you need to buy some minnows and buy lots of them. Its easy to use up 4 dozen in a couple of hours. In the ocean, nothing gets wasted, something is going to hit the minnow and eat it.

You will catch flounder, lizard fish, in the inlets. Find boat piers on the intercoastal water way with pier poles in fairly deep water, and when the incoming tide is moving the water, it is like fishing in a river. Off the piers you will catch redfish and speckled trout.

If you can, take your bass boat with you, you will have more fun doing this by yourself than hiring someone. Its not hard, just like fishing in a lake, just go no further than the mouth of the inlets. There are usually creek estuaries abundant just off the inter coastal waterway, and you can find bait and fuel easily on the inter coastal. Watch your fuel and oil levels closely too.

Find a good quality outfitter and they will have a local intercoastal waterways map that will show you the best places to fish, they are lamenated and have very useful mileage charts and marina information.

If you can't take your own boat, it will take $400 to $450 to get a private guide for 8 hours. You are going to the most expensive areas in North or South Carolina.

I can recommend Wrightsville Beach as a very nice alternative to Hilton Head. I rent a beach house from a realtor for about 1/2 what it costs down at Hilton Head, and the beach and fishing are just as good.

Good Luck,
topwater