This summer so far has brought excellent fishing to the Folly Beach Pier. We’ve had multiple days with double digit catches of big spanish mackerel in excess of 3 lbs.
The largest spanish for the year is currently well over 6lbs caught by Kevin Kaylor. Live bait such as menhaden, mullet, or greenbacks are productive for the larger fish.
While smaller mackerel will readily take flashy, quick retrieve lures such as Gotcha plugs.
Early morning high tides with clean water provide ample opportunity to catch limits of spanish mackerel without having to venture out in the heat of the day.
Trolley rigs (aka pin rigs) are the most effective way to target the larger fish
Trolley rigs (aka pin rigs) are the most effective way to target the larger fish and consist of a main anchor line held to the bottom with a large spider weight.
A second fighting line connected to the anchor line with a sliding release used to support a live bait at the surface of the water column.
The first Folly king mackerel of 2019 was caught on June 27th by Randy Robbins and weighed 29.34 lbs.
Tarpon are also starting to show up at the pier, the first of which was caught by Nicholas Knotts on July 5th. Summer is also a great time to target large jack crevalle off the pier.
The first big jack of the summer was 23 lbs. decked on July 14th with hopefully more in store for the rest of the season.
It’s been a great summer so far for trolley rigging at Folly and we can’t wait to see what the fall has in store for the pier
- James Strange
You may also enjoy reading: Trolley Rigging For King Mackerel
