Charleston’s August Fishing Forecast
A nice tarpon
In August, hot hazy days and calm seas will be the norm. When the air temperatures get near 100 degrees, the water is always a nice place to cool off. Fishing early in the morning or late in the evening will be the best.
When trying to decide which species of fish to target, there will be many options. You might want to go at daylight and cast some top-water lures for redfish, sea trout or ladyfish. I like to use a walk the dog type of top-water lure, such as the Rapala skitter walk or Zara spook. A great way to catch a variety of fish is to drift a popping cork with a DOA shrimp or live bait two feet below along the banks of the marsh. You can still find a variety of migrating fish in August like Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish and Jack Crevalle. These fish can be found in the Charleston Harbor, inlets and off the beach. Look for birds over bait or fish breaking the surface. Small spoons, jigs or flies work great for these fish. If you’re fishing on the piers or in the surf, you can also find whiting, spots and pompano using cut shrimp.
If it’s something bigger you’re looking to catch, August is the month. You can catch large redfish in the surf or rock jetties. Sharks will be abundant in all sizes and can weigh up to several hundred pounds. August is also one of the best months for catching tarpon. To catch all of these larger fish, go to the deep holes in the Charleston Harbor or off the beach or fish in the inlets. You can also surf fish. Just make sure you use heavy tackle. You will need a reel with line capacity of 300 yards or more, as these fish can scream some line off the best reels. You can use chunks of cut bait, but live menhaden are hard to beat.
A great way to spend the day on the water is to book one of the area’s great guides. I have been fishing in Charleston for almost 21 years. I run Shore Thang Charters here in the Charleston area, and I would love to get you out on the water.