# HOUSE REPORT: Hilton Head Island, S.C. 6/14-6/21/2014



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

*HOUSE REPORT: Hilton Head Island, S.C. 6/14-6/21/2014*

I'm headed back down to the island again in about a month, is anyone else from OGF going to be down there?

This year I'm going to try and update this report each night with photos and videos. I'm up against some rather unfavorable morning tides, so shark fishing on the beach might be a bit more challenging with high tide each day starting around lunchtime. It looks like night fishing the high tides will be my best bet, especially with the full moon when I get down there. I'll probably fish the intercoastal waters a bit more in the mornings this year and target reds and trout.

Here are my reports from my last three trips:
2013 Report: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=234855
2012 Report: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=207510&page=2
2011 Report: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=176153&page=2

*2014 trip planning:*
SC DNR: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/fishing.html
SC Fishing License: https://dnrlicensing.sc.gov/dnrlicensingsales/salescategories.aspx
Tide Tables: http://www.hiltonheadisland.com/beaches/tides/skull-creek-north/june/









I'll post the fishing reports below as I get them. As to the original question, *is anyone else going to be down there June 14th-21st???*

-House


----------



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

(saving spot for pictures/reports)


----------



## fireline (Jun 14, 2007)

I will arrive on the 21st, I never fished anywhere but the beach, any additional locations would be appreciated, and what gear is needed.


----------



## MikeC (Jun 26, 2005)

Great Stuff, House. Thanks for all this info. Maybe a primer on inshore tackle would help, I know it would help me. Those links are great too.


Found some great inshore tackle info at the end of those redfin and seatrout links. Thanks. 

Do you use dedicated salt stuff or bring your freshwater equipment down?

Thanks,

MikeC


----------



## Bazzin05 (Feb 2, 2011)

Last year when I was there we had a house so I rented a Yak for the week for $100 from Jarvis Creek. Here is a link if anyone wants to use them. 

http://www.jarviscreekwatersports.com/rentals/


----------



## Niceman (Aug 1, 2005)

Bazzin05,

Thanks for the info on Jarvis Creek Watersports. I have a Nucanoe that I was going to take until I saw your post. I am going to save myself the hassle of hauling mine down to Hilton Head and just rent there's. Never fished there, but I got some great info from House and can't wait to give it a try. Heading down July 12th.


----------



## Bazzin05 (Feb 2, 2011)

Just make sure to call the guy before hand... He has another job so you have to set times to meet him. He was really easy to work with and come up with a time though.


----------



## Niceman (Aug 1, 2005)

Thanks for the heads up Bazzin.


----------



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

fireline said:


> I will arrive on the 21st, I never fished anywhere but the beach, any additional locations would be appreciated, and what gear is needed.


I usually bring 4 rod/reels down with me, one for shark fishing, another for catching bait in the surf, a catfish-style combo for redfish, and a medium-action bass-style combo for trout fishing/bike fishing. This year's tackle includes:

1) 12' Penn Prevail Surf rod // OceanMaster Sealion reel (reel needs to be upgraded to something with 20+ pounds of drag that can pack 300+ yards of line).
2) 10' UglyStik // Penn Persuit reel for surf fishing that I swap out with a shimano reel (20# braid) for reds in the lagoons. 
3) 7' bass pro combo for casting/inshore purposes w/12# nanofil or braid. 

Depending on what you want to fish for, you could probably get away with fewer combos. Be careful with your reels, though, as most of my "Ohio" reels in the past didn't survive the trip due to rust and corrosion. Wash them off with freshwater when you leave the beach to help extend their lifespan. Some just buy cheap combos and throw them away after the week, but I finally cracked and bought some saltwater-rated reels and they have held up pretty well for the last 5 trips. 

For tackle, I have used a shark-fishing tutorial on YouTube by BlacktipH for my current shark setups: 



 I'm tired of catching small <4ft sharks, so I stepped up my game this year with some pretty hefty rigs:
9/0 circle hooks > 2foot 180#steel bite leaders > 6' 250# mono leader > 30yard 40# mono shock leader > 300yards 50# braid main line. 

I pick my shark-fishing spots at low tide, looking for depressions and pools in the beach. I then fish these spots at high tide (+/- an hour), as baitfish tend to congregate in these locations once the water rises. I find it pretty terrifying when I think about how many toothy critters I catch where kids were building sand castles just hours before. 
-I use full 8-10" whiting and croakers for bait, but sometimes just the head on a 4-6ounce sinker. Take a seat, grab a drink, and wait for the show...

I catch my bait in the surf (whiting, croaker, and small sharks) using double hook "fishfinder" rigs and shrimp. I've tried squid and just about any other bait in the past, but it's really hard to beat shrimp. Dump some salt in your shrimp the night before to thicken them up and they will stay on your hook better. Also, the fresher the shrimp the better. You can buy these fishfinder rigs at Walmart down there for a dollar, but I prefer to tie my own to keep them a bit more compact. Here's a perfect example of a typical fishfinder rig that I tie:








-I keep my hooks small (straight J-hooks or Aberdeen hooks) and usually throw a 2ounce weight. Cast parallel to the shore in the whitecaps for best success. I see a lot of rookies cast out as far as they can and then wonder why they only catch stingrays and sand. I usually hook the bait straight through the mouth if it's alive with a stinger hook buries in the side. For fish heads, I just run it through the cheek.


Redfishing is very similar to cat-fishing around here. I usually throw cutbait or live bait out on the bottom of the lagoons using a Carolina rig and 2/0 hook. I've used popping corks and shrimp with great success, but it's hard to beat a fresh mullet or pinfish for bait. Gulp ALIVE is my backup plan if I can't find bait, but there are plenty of go-to spots I can share with you via PM to find mullet, menhadden, pinfish, and maybe even some shrimp if you get lucky.

Trout fishing is similar to our bass fishing, as I usually lob swimbaits, spoons, and GULP alive products out into the lagoons on jigheads. Trout have been hit or miss over the years as 2011 had a severe winter kill-off, but I've never gotten skunked on any of my trips. I just started using the Nanofil and launchers to get farther casts, as some of the lagoons are pretty large and the baitfish are far from the banks. Most bait down there is silver and flashy, similar in size and shape of our gizzard shad, so I usually stick with those sort of patterns.

Watch out for gators and no-trespassing signs down there. Both of them will get you in trouble before you can blink an eye. Hit me up with a PM for specific locations, as I tend not to post most spots publicly on the forum. I'm leaving in 24 hours, too, so stay tuned for a daily report on here from my adventures...

-House


----------



## MikeC (Jun 26, 2005)

Good luck down there. Have a great trip. Thanks for all the info.

MikeC


----------



## midoh39 (May 8, 2005)

I'll second the watch for gators, I had one creep up on me or I creeped up on it but either way it wasn't happy to see me!


----------



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

Day 1: I didn't get to fish much do to a lot of Father's Day festivities, but I certainly had a chance to catch something big. While I was down at the beach, I heard the lifeguards blow their whistles and clear the water. A huge school of 8-12inch mullet or pilchards was spotted moving up the beach very close to shore and some monster fish were blasting them. I saw a few spinners and black tips smoke some of the bait so I ran up to the condo and threw a quick combo together to throw out there: 12ft surf rod with 20pound braid, using a. 5ft leader of 200pound mono. I didn't get 5 casts in with a 2oz spoon, though, before our lifeguard started blowing her whistle at me telling me to clear the water. She kept telling me "No shark fishing!" Even though I was casting a freaking spoon...so I put the rod down for a bit. When another school of fish came through, I went out there again and got another 5 casts in, but again the darn lifeguard blew her whistle when a big spinner came flying out of the surf. Talk about torture!!!
- In 20 years I surf fishing, I've only been that close to a feeding frenzy probably 5 times. Fish were actual swimming between me and the shore and bumping my legs. Kind of creepy being part of the food chain! Too bad this year's lifeguards are lame  I'd really like to hook into whatever was crushing those baitfish! I'll be ready for them tomorrow...maybe I'll have a new lifeguard who will let me play ball.


----------



## Bazzin05 (Feb 2, 2011)

Dude you look like a kid holding that rod. I want to see some pics of fish not your mug!


----------



## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

I was down there the last week of May. House, thanks again for all the great info and spots you provided. I ended up catching a few really nice sharks on the first day fishing off the beach and never even ventured out to the lagoons. All in all it really was an epic time. We landed over 30 sharks during the week using cut mullet on big 8/0 circle hooks fished off the bottom. I used 150 lb mono rather than wire as I released all sharks and did not want to cut into their faces with the wire. I caught a few live mullet which were awesome to use for bait. I actually hooked up with what appeared to be about a 3' tarpon right off the beach using live bait. 

Here are some videos and pics from my trip.

First shark of the trip:


Unhooking a 3-4 foot blacktip on the beach. People don't like when you let them go, lol



Stingray that liked mullet - I'm guesstimating it was 70 lbs


And my favorite video, a 5' blacktip taking a 10" live mullet right off the beach.


----------



## walleye willey (May 29, 2014)

I'm going to HH next week with the family , really re-thinking letting the kids swim at the beach , going to encourage swimming in the Condo pool without scaring the heck out of them 

Thanks HOUSE for the reports , I'm going to try some of he lagoon fishing and see if I can catch anything to put on the grill


----------



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

Jim, nice fish dude! That video of the fish hitting was fun to watch. I can't let you show me up in my own OGF thread so I'll step up my game. 
I'm a few days behind in my posts since I only have my cell phone down here to write on, so hang tight for some shark pics. I finally got into some good ones down here on day 3. Here's yesterday's report:

Day 2: Started off promising as I hit the beach at daybreak. I had a pinfish left over from the night before that didn't last five minutes in the water before hooking up with my first shark. I was able to battle the fish for about five minutes but it came off once I got it into the shallow water after it made a blazing run parallel to shore. I'm not exactly sure why it came loose but it had me quite excited to get another line out in the surf!
I was the only bait that I had to start the day, so I spent the next hour trying to find something to throw for shark bait. It was Low-tide however and there were no whiting to be found. I finally hooked a 9-inch croaker, which I lobbed out on my mega-rod and within 10minutes of siting out in the surf, it went off BIG. Luckily, my 5yr old nephew was nearby, and he helped me battle the fish to shore:










Five minutes and 20 bystanders later, we hauled in our first respectable fish of the trip, a 3ft diameter ray:









(^Five year old photographer^)
We had a few good runs with cut whiting out there but no landed sharks. Bait was difficult to catch so we called it a day until after dinner. 

I snuck out for an hour after dark and fished for some reds in the lagoons and had one good fish on but I didn't land it. I saw a huge gator in the water about 10yards from my rod so I called it an early night:


----------



## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Nice! I am not sure why but we had the most luck at low tide on the sharks. I use primarily bait that I bought from Shelter Cove's marina (the big mullet). I would use them all in halves.

I hope you hook a giant! I am hooked on the saltwater fishing now. It's just so fun! You never know what you're going to tangle with out there.


----------



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

I forgot to update this thread after day 2 of vacation, sorry, but the fishing heated up as the week went on. Here's a quick recap of the rest of the week:

Compared to previous trips, this vacation was a great success on the surf. I ended up hitting the surf 5 times and catching 11 fish over 3 feet long, with the biggest shark just short of 5 feet. Half of the fish were large rays or skates, but they pulled hard and all seemed to weigh 50-100pounds so even those were fun. I teamed up on day 3 with a cool dude I met down there from Indiana and we never had a single equipment malfunction all week long which was a first...no broken leaders, no straightened hooks, no spooled reels  I also didn't have any injuries on the trip which was also a first, lol. 

Here are some better photos from the trip:
-The battleground for the week:









-First casts of the trip with my 5yr old nephew:









-First shark of the trip (which also got me kicked off the beach for the day by the lifeguard):









-One of several large skates and rays:









-First blacktip of the trip:









-Second blacktip:









-Dusky shark?









(I also have some videos that I'll post once I edit them this week.)

*Notes:*
-I lost a handful of big fish due to poor hookups on the 9/0 circle hooks, so next year I might try a few double hook rigs with the larger baits. Most of the hooks were pretty easy to remove, but I did struggle a few times getting the circle hooks out with a normal pair of pliers and had a few close calls with shark teeth, so I need to buy a better pair or a long hook remover. With the large stingrays and skates, I had best success flipping them over while someone on the beach helped control their stinger with the end of my fishing pole. It was a little bit of controlled chaos, so I'm going bring some sort of U-shaped stake next time to pin their tail down in the sand while I work on removing the hook.

Day 1 and 2 was slow because bait was little tricky to catch at first because my hooks were too big on my fishfinder rig. I ended up buying a sabiki rig with size 10 or 12 hooks which worked great. (I also salted my shrimp cut them into tiny pieces that really helped.) Next year, I'll buy mullet when I get down there on the first day of the trip to speed up the fishing just in case bait is scarce. I'll also have a working cast net, as on this particular trip, I lost my net on an oyster bed within the first 3 casts, doh! 

Inshore fishing for trout and redfish was a bust, but I only went out after them twice since the surf fishing was so much fun. I had no cast net to catch fresh mullet out of the lagoons, and they didn't seem to like the whiting cutbait that I was using. I caught 2 trout all week and zero reds. Most of my favorite locations were fishable as usual, so I'll update my HHI map with new information for those of you that are using it.

Good luck to everyone heading down there the rest of the summer. Fishing the island is a blast so you should hopefully have just as good of luck as I did. Send me a PM with any questions.

Until the next adventure!

-House


----------



## MikeC (Jun 26, 2005)

Thanks for the update. The constant lifeguard battle sounds like a hassle so I'll probably just fish the lagoons a bit. Any update on those would be appreciated.


----------

