Myrtle Beach Fishing....
is...
South Carolina Fishing
is...
and a new Extreme Fisherman™
equals:
2006 Catch of the Season
After my target fish, Bull Red Drum; "Philadelphia" Bob, a veteran light tackle/fly fisherman from New Hope, Pa. came on board Fri. 9/1 after "Tropical Storm" Ernesto blew through, Thurs PM 8-31. Typically cyclical storms bordering on Hurricanes suck out all the high winds/rain when moving out leaving you with perfect blue skies. Ernesto evidently had other ideas; when Fri AM broke 20 knot constant and gusts of 30+ were still rolling through in bands. (Blue skies not till Sat. a day late.) Bob wanted a Bull Red. I decided to delay our start from normal 6:30 AM departure till 9:30 hoping for a lessening blow to give Bob a shot with the fly rod. No such luck. Our big weather friend was still hanging in there. But so was Bob, he knew what all great fisherman know; the Sea Gods don't always bless you with a perfect day! So when you ask the question "do you want to go fishing on such a low percentage day?...the real fisherman like Bob don't blink and eye and say, "Let's Go". They know this is fishable weather, and the idea is to go out and do your best to have a great day on the water; catching is always the bonus; this isn't about a fishing show hawking lures in perfect weather editing down to 20 mins after several filming days.
Underway at 1 HR-minus HI-tide flip, inbound, flow picking up velocity. I headed for the inlet's mouth to check conditions along the breakwaters. SW -W 20, gusting 35 +, but westerly blow was laying the seas down a little near beach . There wasn't another boat in sight. The only crazy fools out there...or were we? I ran around the outside point of the NO jetty and headed for the "low post" for some cover in the lee for calmer water. Just enough behind the rocks to "hide" and "accelerate" a fly out? Bob starting throwing my Mercuro's Extreme Minnow pattern hunting for Bulls on the 9WT. Immediate hook ups and good pulls. To my amazement and his, a large school of very super-sized ribbon fish, 3' plus were attacking. Bob boated over twelve. Problem was these voracious feeders with their steel row of curved Dracula teeth were running through my flies and then his like cotton candy. One even bit through a hook? Jumping flat across the surface, chasing bait, they were prehistoric slithering snake-like silver belts with bear claws for teeth. What devils to net and de-hook. We pulled out after 45 mins still pondering why they were schooled up thinking... that's why we couldn't catch anything else. Bob chuckled " I should open a bait shop". While fun on a fly rod if nothing else they are great bait for kings and other huge sea roaming predators.
I "hit" the inside wall of the south jetty, and with a little wind cover drifting in with tide, power on for control, keeping Bob casting. I soon suggested to Bob to pick up a spinner rigged with artificial shrimp; the in-your-face wind now too high for fly. On the third pass, fish on; a jumping lady put up a neat fight. Still no Reds (Spot tail bass in SC). After several passes I switched back to the NO jetty now powering slowly up the inside inbound rip again keeping Bob positioned to cast up-stream, letting the weighted "bait" drop through the water column, sliding in . A few good bumps, but no hookups. Working hard, after 50 mins + we headed inside, working a trout hole first, no action, then heading back as far into the skinny my Mckee craft would go; less than 1 1/2 ft of water. In a deep hole, another high speed hook up...another lady...unbelievable... here, all the way back in storm high water inbound flow? Still no Reds. We worked the back estuaries and near flats for quite a while.
Time passes; now approaching the tide flip, I said , "Let's give the jetties another shot". Bob didn't hesitate and nodded. We ran all the way back out. Conditions along the rocks were rougher. I said to Bob "get ready...we're going in"! I positioned the boat for the outbound drill working up the inside of the NO jetty and around the point. Switching to a Minnow type weighted artificial , on the spinner, I had Bob gunning again. On the fourth pass, Fish On! I knew at once this was the trophy Bob was after: Mr. or Mrs. Bull Red. The ten lb line kept screaming on the light reel and the boat was being spun around with wind and water flow in opposite directions. I tried to keep the helm on a straight bearing on the fish but Bob yelled, "don't worry I got him, just keep us off the rocks!" Soon this monster bull with a fat belly, a female warrior no doubt, was in the net and on board. Some quick pics and Bob had her released. Almost 1/2 hr over so we headed back to the barn.
Some might say this wasn't a great day to go fishing , and some might say we only caught a few fish. But in many ways it was the best of days to go fishing. That's a day when it's not so easy ... when it's a true challenge to hook a fish, no less a trophy.
Philadelphia Bob is what it's all about... this sport called fishing. Positive and enthusiastic, even with Ernesto still knocking on the backdoor of our mental fishing shacks. And most of all its about the keep going at em' attitude...a confidence that you will do your best to hook em' high or low so when all is said and done...you like Bob, are a member of the Extreme Fisherman Club, the Best of South Carolina Fishing!
Capt Pete
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