Jessica… “Fish On”!
Being a Blogger who writes about girls who like to hunt and fish, I quickly realized Jessica was the silver tuna! There was something very special about her. I featured her on my blog a number of times because she was a fascinating girl in a man’s world. I listened to her light up when she talked about fishing. Her passion was only upstaged by her knowledge. Her following was beyond incredible and It did not take me long to realize why. Whenever you arrived at the bait store, she would drop everything to talk to you. It did not matter how many people were waiting to pay for their bait and get out to the water. You knew when it was your time at the register, she would take as long as you needed to get what you wanted. There was never a rush. It was never about the sale; it was aways about making sure you caught fish. That was Jessica. This is my last post about Jessica. In her short life, her influence in the fishing world is undeniable and she clearly was loved by so many people. We will miss you Jessica Hill. “Fish On”! Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogleRedditLike this:Like...
Floundering Around… A day on the Inlet
Living on the salt marshes in Murrells Inlet offers the perfect opportunity to fish the tidal waters. The summer months are passing by much too quickly, and soon it will be hunting season, which will abruptly put an end to any fishing excursions. So, we set out on a warm late summer afternoon for some time on the water. After gearing up at Perry’s Bait Shop, we set out with two bait pails full of live finger mullets, mud minnows, and fresh cut mullet, hoping to catch some redfish or maybe a shark. I am always up for an outdoor adventure, and my hopes were high to reel in something exciting and perhaps make a fresh fish dinner! A short boat ride to the jetties and the channel was exhilarating, as we sliced through the shimmering waters flanked by fluorescent green marsh grasses. The crashing waves at the jetties reminded us that the calmer waters were now behind us. Fishing by boat at the jetties can be challenging, and we totally respect the dangers that lurk everywhere. The currents, along with the wind and waves kicked up by the heavy boat traffic can cause anchors to break loose, and boats can quickly end up impaled on the rocks. I always keep a sharp eye on the rocks and make sure we are not drifting slowly toward them. From experience, we feel this is the perfect spot, as a lot of bait congregates there attracting the big reds and other sport fish. We always get as close as we can but always with a margin for error in mind. We rocked with the waves and the blaring classic rock music streaming from our radio as we settled in on what we thought would be the honey hole. We were excited when my hubby, Trippett caught a flounder and I caught a black sea bass soon after anchoring on the north side of the jetties. We had the jetties mostly to ourselves, with only a boat here and there that stopped by for a brief time. No one landed any fish that we could see. I was annoyed when I hooked up with a couple of toadfish, since they are horrible to have to take off a hook. We pretty much drowned the rest of the bait after that! After a few hours, we decided to get on back to the house. Trippett, my “in-house photographer,’’ snapped a quick photo of me with my single quarry, and I was excited about making a nice fish dinner that evening with the flounder and the black sea bass. In order to make the...
Finding my Passion for Fishing
I have been around fishing most of my life. Growing up on a farm offered a perfect opportunity to play along the banks of the pond that my dad carved out of the landscape. Inspired by clean, fresh springs, he worked for years with his bulldozer to create that pond, which would hold memories for all of us for years to come. He created a little island in the pond, not perfectly centered, but a spot that made our imaginations run wild. We would paddle over to the island in our small boat and set up camp, but mostly opted not to spend the night after the skies turned dark and the sounds of nature seemed a little too close for comfort. We caught plenty of bass and brim, and often spotted bullfrogs, snapping turtles, lots of snakes, and occasional visitors such as geese and ducks. Many years later, I look out over the most beautiful waters one could imagine: Murrells Inlet! My husband and I have been blessed to live here almost a decade. Since we have a dock and a 15-foot Whaler—which happens to be the perfect size boat to fish the inlet—you would think that we would be out on the water all the time and would be excellent anglers. But I have to confess it is quite the contrary. Don’t misunderstand. We have had some exciting times. We especially love to fish the jetties for red drum and have taken some beauties there. The excitement and adrenaline rush fishing in the rough waters is what we enjoy most. Realizing that this was not the safest thing to do (we frequently saw the remains of wrecked boats smashed on the jetties), we decided to try flounder fishing, which we could enjoy in calmer waters. We found flounder fishing to be a bit boring, but not because we were so good at it. Without a doubt, we have not had very much luck fishing for flounder. So, I ask myself: What can I do to make fishing more enjoyable? I know what some of you are thinking . . . I would rather be hunting, right? Truthfully, the answer is yes. Fishing will never take the place of my passion for hunting. But hunting season is over now, with the exception of predator hunting, so it is only natural that I would turn my attention to fishing, a wonderful outdoor sport that is right at my backdoor! My husband is an experienced off-shore fisherman and has enjoyed many wonderful fishing outings throughout his life. He has tried to get me more excited about it by taking me...
It’s Summertime, Fish are Jumpin and…
Oh yeah! It’s summertime alright! But your Daddy doesn’t have to be rich nor your Mama good lookin to be successful hooking up with some fish! Jessica with Perry’s Bait & Tackle is here to help us navigate hot weather fishing on these beautiful coastal waters! Fishing Report: Veteran Pier – Some Black Drum off Veteran Pier and the south end of Murrells Inlet in pretty good numbers – 1-10 keeper ratio. The Inlet- Few Flounder reports and some slot size Red Drum showing up on Perry’s finger mullets. Surf Fishing- Some Whiting and Croakers off the beaches. Weakfish (Summer trout/gray trout) off ledges and the beach in front of the Holiday Inn just north of Surfside Pier- Just remember, these trout need to be 12 inches to keep and be aware…. ONLY one per person. Shark activity off the beaches at night- Blacktip and Atlantic Shark Nose off the surf and the south end of Garden City near the sea walls. The Jetties– Speckled Trout (winter trout) at the Murrells Inlet Jetties as well as the north end of Pawley’s Island. This is not typical this time of year and they are catching them on Perry’s live shrimp under popping corks or click clackers or vudu shrimp. Fish the same way for Flounder. The Pier- Just in- Breaking News! As of yesterday, August 18th, we are having a dissolved oxygen issue in the Inlet. This means that the Flounder are pushing outside of the Inlet to the jetties, beaches, and pier in LARGE NUMBERS!!!!!! Jessica also indicated that any minute she is waiting for the Bull Reds to show up at our jetties and ledges. Spots also should be migrating in very soon. So, hush little babies, don’t you cry about no fish because of the heat! Get over to Perry’s, and talk to Jessica. She will put you on the right bait for the right fish so you can have right good time out on the water! For those of you who love incredible photography, check out Austin Bond Photography for some of the most exciting photos of our beautiful coast. “Summertime” was composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess is one of my all time favorites. This was our go to “lullaby” to sing to our babies way back when!! Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogleRedditLike this:Like...
Something is lurking in our Inlet waters!!!! Jessica’s Fishing Report
Have you seen it? Sightings have been coming in from Mt. Gilead and all along the canals in Murrells Inlet. Is it a Sailfish? No, a Dolphin? NO!!!… its a SHARK!!! Right after our last big storm the end of May, it has been spotted by a lot of different people. It seems like it has found a great place to munch on a lot of mullet and it is sticking around. So keep your eyes open! Speaking of Sharks…. You are not allowed to target sharks when fishing off the pier, but be warned, they are swarming around. If you want to fish for sharks, it is legal in Georgetown County ( 2 blocks south of Garden City Pier). Reports of 5 to 6 ft. Spinners, Black Tips, and Atlantic Sharpnose have been caught. A young man caught a good sized Hammerhead this week with Perry’s shrimp. If shark fishing is not on your radar, here is what is happening in this weeks Fishing Report: The Pier– We have had a lot of Whiting after the rain, random Founder, Croakers, Weakfish, Blues, and Spanish. The Inlet– Some Flounder on the falling tide, but the vast majority are being caught on the rising tide. A 4 pounder came in yesterday. Also reports of Red Drum within and slightly above slot limit on the north end of Garden City Canal as well as the causeway at GC. Also some reports of Black Drum in deeper holes and Blues and Whiting out near the mouth of the Inlet. Surf Fishing– Good reports of Pompano, Blues, and Whiting mainly and some Weakfish and Speckled Trout mixed in with best reports coming from The South end of Georgetown County, in and around the sea walls, and the length of Huntington Beach State Park., as well as the stretch from Surfside Pier to Springmaid Pier: Veteran Pier– Random Black Drum, Flounder, Croakers, Pinfish, Skates. The Jetties– Producing some Sheepshead caught with fiddler crabs and live sand fleas and even dead shrimp by surprise. As far as the closer offshore reefs, larger Gulf Flounder being caught at 3 mile along with Cobia and Weakfish, Spanish some days, other days trolling south of the 1 mile bouy has been effective. Kings starting to push out a little deeper from Belkie Bear with red skirts and live bait rigs working best at the moment. Spade Fish at 10 Mile. Squid can be used in lieu of jelly balls. Parking Lot and Bill Perry would be a good starting point for Mahi. Remember, you can access Perry’s by water -pull right up to the dock! Would love to hear some of your fishing tales,...
What’s Shakin – What’s Biting in Murrells Inlet? fishing report.
What’s shakin – what’s biting in Murrells Inlet? The thunder of Harley’s is all about us in Murrells Inlet for the annual spring motorcycle rally with record attendance expected this beautiful week in May. But fishing is what draws residents and visitors alike to our beautiful waters all year round! What’s biting??? I stopped by and asked Jessica for an update and here is her report: Keeper Flounder, slot sized Redfish and Black drum reports are coming in. Blues and Whitings are running the beaches as well as Spanish Mackerel and a few nice sized Pompano. Sheepshead and bull Redfish reports are coming in from the jetties in Murrells Inlet and Georgetown, especially. The three mile reef has reports with summer trout, small King Mackerel and Weakfish in addition to Spanish and a few Cobia. A lot of guys bait ball fishing for them on the days the Menhaden are there (running the beaches). It’s the only time of year guys with smaller boats have access to these fish. Guys are ripping lures or bulk tails with live eels (now available at Perry’s)/squid or eel type simulators. Larger King Mackerel out at Belkie Bear (a reef about 12 miles out). A large number of Mahi, with Wahoo, and Blackfin mixed in for guys fishing the Gulf Stream. Boy if that does not get you excited….. If you are not fishing or riding your Harley, there is plenty more to do on our famous Marshwalk … but bring an appetite for great seafood and plenty of entertainment. Be sure to call Jessica at Perry’s Bait and Tackle -(843) 651-2895 with any questions you have and to get that fresh bait that will make your fishing trip a fun and successful journey Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogleRedditLike this:Like...
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