Myrtle Beach Jan. 18 2020

[Big Cliff]

Big cold front moved in, only 4° here this morning but the winds are light so it shouldn't be too bad out on the pier, water temperature is around 14 C so unless the wind is off shore it can actually be quite a bit warmer on the pier. For the next week we actually might get down to close to freezing at night but that only lasts a few days and then we get back up above normal again. It's going up to 16 later on and I brought my winter coat so a fishing I'll go😊

I have been playing around with the solunar tables and tide charts and it's surprising how accurately you can predict the active feeding times, I've started a spread sheet to record the results and I'll need a lot more data to confirm that it isn't a fluke but so far so good. Several of the other guys are helping with it so it is pretty interesting and giving me a wide range of information to evaluate.

Here is a better picture of the whitings we are catching, when they first come out of the water they are silver, the blotches appear after they have been put in our pails, I'm not sure but I think it might be stress related or perhaps an attempt to camouflage themselves. I made a fish chowder with some last night, OMG was it ever good.

Tight lines and stay safe

[porkpie]

They look a wee bit like a pickerel... maybe that’s why their so tasty.

[GBW]

40 minutes ago, porkpie said:

They look a wee bit like a pickerel... maybe that’s why their so tasty.

I was thinking a walleye but...    

[Rizzo]

ya cross between a pickerel and a chub...hopefully inherit their flavor from the pickerel gene

[Big Cliff]

1 hour ago, Rizzo said:

ya cross between a pickerel and a chub...hopefully inherit their flavor from the pickerel gene

I love pickerel/walleye but these guys are better eating than even Simco perch (which are my favorite fresh water fish). For their size they put up a really good fight!

[mamona]

Solunar tables... that's interesting. Any use of them on Kawarthas for example?

[Beans]

Cliff/Brian...Am I mistaken but doesn't the whiting look samilier to a codfish ?

 

 

[Old Ironmaker]

3 hours ago, mamona said:

Solunar tables... that's interesting. Any use of them on Kawarthas for example?

I think we use Lunar tables more up north. Dany Columby swears by them hunting Musky on Nipp.

[bonessk01]

BIg Cliff

Whats your goto bait of choice off the pier 

Do you fish the beach at all 

Also wondering if the pompano make it up your way

Bill

[Big Cliff]

5 hours ago, bonessk01 said:

BIg Cliff

Whats your goto bait of choice off the pier 

Do you fish the beach at all 

Also wondering if the pompano make it up your way

Bill

Well it depends on what we are targeting at the time; shrimp is pretty standard for most things but when we are targeting whitings a product called FishBites seems to work very well and it stays on the hook better than shrimp do. For sharks and skate we use squid, shrimp, or cut bait. King fish; jigging or mullet.

I don't bother fishing the beach although when we are fishing the pier we can fish anything from dry sand to about 1000' off shore, I just get the annual pass so I can use the pier as many times as I want.

Myrtle Beach is quite good for pompano but not this time of the year, the water is too cold, pompano prefer water in the 70-80° range, last week it was 57° at the pier and this last cold front brought it down to 50.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

A tip I learned fishing in Florida years ago when using live shrimp Cliff. IN the head of the shrimp you will see a dark spot that is the brain. Pierce your baitholder hook in front or behind it. The shrimp will live for quite a long time. The best thing about using shrimp and Calamari as bait is if they don't catch fish you can eat the bait. I once asked Frank from "Fishin' Franks Live Bait and Tackle" in Charlotte Harbor FLA. What's the difference between these shrimp and the shrimp from the store and he said these shrimp are fresher. We buy shrimp rings for big Catfish on the Grand River down here. Often we have eaten more on the boat than we used for bait. 

[bonessk01]

thanks cliff i spend a couple weeks every spring casting the surf from New Smyrna up to Marineland FL, quite familiar with the fishbites have been using it  in SK for walleye works quite well enjoy catching sand fleas and using them off the beaches