# Myrtle Beach area surf fishing



## docott (Jul 7, 2012)

I will be vacationing in Little River with my family from Sunday Aug. 29 to Friday July 3. My sons and I are avid fishermen, although 99% of that is freshwater experience. When the boys were much younger, I took them pier fishing in Galveston (where I also went fishing for blacktip sharks), and they have also fished Redfish, Specks and Flounder out of Venice, LA (4 years ago) and Stripers out of Gloucester, MA (3 years ago). That is the sum total of our saltwater fishing experience, but we have certainly enjoyed all of it.

We will be going out with a guide for sharks (bringing my wife and two little girls as well) on Tuesday, but am planning to do as much a.m. fishing as possible. My personal inclination is to fish from the surf, rather than the pier. And I might be persuaded to try fishing from the jetties (if that is practical) and/or the waterway. 

Two questions for those of you who have fished the area: 1) should I try it all? or really try to focus on just surf fishing; 2) after having spent weeks researching surf fishing for sharks, I only just now discovered that shark fishing in Horry County is illegal....is there anywhere nearby where it IS legal to fish for sharks from the beach?

Any insight you can provide would be most welcome


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## Davidvw9 (Oct 4, 2009)

I have caught some decent 4'-6" sharks at cherry grove by accident, off of blue crab purchased at the seafood store, or on a hooked pin fish or spot, while fishing for big drums and such. 
I catch and release about everything but a legal size flounder, big pompano, or big whiting. 
Cough Cough


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## Davidvw9 (Oct 4, 2009)

docott said:


> is there anywhere nearby where it IS legal to fish for sharks from the beach?


North Carolina, I don't think there is a law at Ocean Isle Beach that bans shark fishing within so many feet from the shore. Go to the far east end at shallotte ave, I have had decent luck there. Maybe someone else can comment.


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

Davidvw9 said:


> North Carolina, I don't think there is a law at Ocean Isle Beach that bans shark fishing within so many feet from the shore. Go to the far east end at shallotte ave, I have had decent luck there. Maybe someone else can comment.


If you're staying in LR, up in NC will be your closest option like David says. If you were staying farther south, you could go past the Georgetown County line at Garden City Beach, but that's a pretty good piece from LR. Don't forget fishing license(s).

On the north end, Apache Pier's hard to beat, imo, should you decide to pier fish. There is bank access to Hog Inlet at 53rd Street in Cherry Grove. 

Good Luck. Let us know how you do.


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## docott (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks, guys, for taking the time to reply. Any info. is much appreciated. The whole family is very excited about the trip in general, and for me and the boys, the chance to fish every day!


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

enjoy the scenery and weather too


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## docott (Jul 7, 2012)

Interesting baptism to surf fishing today. My two sons and I set up at Cherry Grove Beach (south of the pier, simply because of how close it is to where we are staying in Little River.) About 9 a.m., a woman (called herself a local) approached my 15 year old son to ask him "what are you doing?" Calling me over, she then asked me the same thing. I decided not to be a smart-aleck as I stated the obvious. She proceeded to explain to me that it was not allowed there. Asked me "why don't you just go to the pier; it only costs $5". Diplomatically, I explained that although we were from out of town, we had been informed that it was legal to fish anywhere along the beach. She told me that the beach ("this is our beach" she told me) was for swimming. Diplomatically, I told her that I had intended to fish no longer than 10 or when it began to get crowded near us. However, not wanting to argue, I just decided we would pick up and move (we hadn't landed anything; mostly just had our baits robbed from us). I really believe that she meant what she said. But at the public access point, where the rules for the beach are posted, it says nothing about "no fishing". I also observed, when we drove up north of Cherry Grove Pier, that there were quite a few guys fishing (and at least they were managing to hook fish!).

I am told by others that we did nothing wrong. Nevertheless, I would not want to return to that stretch of beach again.

I am going to go out again this evening for a little while. 

Also, what would you say is the best place for me to get bait, nearest to where I am at?

Thanks again to those of you who responded to my original post


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

She's full of chit. 

Eugene Platts Seafood on Highway 9 (on the left) as you're going in to Cherry Grove for bait.


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## justinfisch01 (Feb 19, 2006)

I have been coming to the Myrtle Beach/Surfside/Garden CIty/Murrells Inlet area for over 20 years...I am 29 now. My family owns a place in Surfside and sometimes stays there 6 months out of the year or so. I was about 17 or 18 and I was on the beach on morning around 6:30-7am. My families place is second row right across from the beach access so I could look back and see our place. This huge whale of a woman comes down to me and tells me I have to leave. She said that since she owns a condo in the building that I was not allowed to fish on the beach. I politely informed her that fishing was allowed on the beach just as much as sun bathing/swimming and that I had every right to be there. She asked me " what are you going to do when you end up hooking one of my kids?" I told her she was going to need to buy me a new hook.  This threw her into a rage and threatened to "get here husband" and call the cops...just as she was saying this a beach patrol officer comes driving up the beach...she is flagging him down screaming at the top of her lungs...meanwhile it is 7 am in the morning. She starts yelling and screaming at the cop insisting to tell me to leave. He looks over at me and says "son, if this woman or anyone else gives you trouble about fishing on the beach give me a call" and hands me his business card. I have never seen a woman get soooooo angry as she stormed off. Her hooves shoook the beach...I fished until about 9am and left for the day well before many people were on the beach. I fished everymorning and didn't have another problem. But I will say this, the north area of MB are too crowded and would not try and fish there much later than 8 am at the latest. The areas south such as Surfside, GC, HBSP offer better places to surf fish all day without anyone giving you trouble. When I plan on fishing all day I usually got to HBSP or spots in southern GC


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## myrtle843 (Aug 5, 2012)

You can legally fish on the beach ANYWHERE on the Grand Strand. Don't let anyone on the beach tell you otherwise. Technically you're not supposed to be within 50 feet of swimmers is what a lifeguard told me. If someone complains tell them to go swim somewhere else - there's plenty of beach. It really depends on who is there first. It's also always good to go close to other fisherman (if there's any out there) to form a "fishing section" 

I fish off of 45th Ave N in Myrtle until about 11am because it's close to home. I do leave if it gets too busy. I also go down to Huntington State Park whenever I get a chance, and love it down there. There's plenty of space to fish and it's nice and peaceful.


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## myrtle843 (Aug 5, 2012)

docott said:


> I will be vacationing in Little River with my family from Sunday Aug. 29 to Friday July 3. My sons and I are avid fishermen, although 99% of that is freshwater experience. When the boys were much younger, I took them pier fishing in Galveston (where I also went fishing for blacktip sharks), and they have also fished Redfish, Specks and Flounder out of Venice, LA (4 years ago) and Stripers out of Gloucester, MA (3 years ago). That is the sum total of our saltwater fishing experience, but we have certainly enjoyed all of it.
> 
> We will be going out with a guide for sharks (bringing my wife and two little girls as well) on Tuesday, but am planning to do as much a.m. fishing as possible. My personal inclination is to fish from the surf, rather than the pier. And I might be persuaded to try fishing from the jetties (if that is practical) and/or the waterway.
> 
> ...



It's not legal to fish for sharks, but it's not your fault if you accidentally hook one  Just release it. I catch sharks all the time, but I'm not specifically trying to catch sharks.


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## docott (Jul 7, 2012)

*Thank you*

Just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who took time to respond to all of my rookie questions. cr I thoroughly enjoyed my time surf fishing, and I believe I learned a lot even if my results were poor. For the record, my two boys and I caught nothing that first morning at Cherry Grove Beach (last Monday, 8/30). Went back that evening, to Futch Beach, where I caught a crab and nothing else. Tuesday morning, again at Futch, one of my sons caught a small redfish (about 14-15 inches) and my other boy caught a whiting, about 14 inches long. Tuesday afternoon, took the girls along on a charter with Longway Charters out of Little River, where we caught a bunch of cooperative black sea bass (mostly small) and seven sharpnose sharks...not the big blacktips and spinnners I had hoped to catch, but fun nevertheless. Wednesday evening, fished at Hogg inlet, oceanside, and got skunked. Thursday a.m., last chance to fish, my younger son had his rod double over and part of his rig came back in bitten off. While I was retying it, I asked him to watch my rod. As I was working, it also doubled over, drag was singing, and Brett lifted the rod and (unfortunately) decided to immediately screw the drag down tight. The rig came back with a 1/0 circle hook bent completely out of shape. Although disappointed, I took this as a hopeful sign. But, we failed to get any action for a while, until my older son finally caught one of the pinfish which had been robbing us of bait all week long. I immediately filleted it and chunked it into bait, but nothing seemed interested, and we left at our usual 10:00 a.m. to rejoin the family, eat lunch, and go swimming! I wish I had better success to report, but I will say that we were never bored and never quit believing, either. I might even be able to use the gear for casting spoons for chinooks from my favorite Lake Michigan piers this fall.

Thanks again. I am looking forward to the next time, where I know the area better, and plan to catch my own mullets, too.


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