# Surf fishing Folly near lighthouse



## Stevie_D

Hello everybody -

I am new here and a total newbie to fishing. I got bit by the surf fishing bug last year and it hasn't let go yet...My wife has been remarkably tolerant of my new mania so far  I've been reading this forum and learning a lot - y'all really know your stuff.

I live in NC, but am closest to Charleston area (straight down I26 till you get to Folly in about 4 hours). I don't have a boat so I am definitely shore-bound. 

I was down in January and got to walking around the park at the lighthouse end of the island (it was way too windy for any decent casting so my wife and I went exploring) - I was wondering if any of you fish or know about fishing that end of the island - and is it OK to walk through the woods to get more into the inlet area of that park and fish? I'd rather catch fish than tickets...I'm mostly interested in flounder and sea trout to get started but am open to any suggestions... 

Next time I'll be able to get away will probably be in April.

Hope y'all are surviving the cabin fever OK....

SD


----------



## clinder

welcome friend.


----------



## Railroader

Welcome aboard.....Keep us posted on your progress.


----------



## mountain man

*Folly*

Hey Steve, 

I'm glad that I'm not the only one on this board stuck up in the hills! LOL! It's not all bad I guess, especially during the 'cane season.

I've got a friend that has a condo right before you cross the Folly River going into Folly Beach (across from the boat ramp). I've caught alot of flounder and redfish right in that area, but when we go over to the beach we usually just hang out with the kids. I've not went out in the water at the light house, but the rest of the beach area is really shallow and everything I've seen caught down through there has been small. I'm sure that someone else out here knows way more than I about that exact spot.

I know what you mean about the fever though. It's going to be a few monthes before we'll be able to get to the salt and I'm spazzin'. This board only makes it worse!!!


----------



## matt anderson

*welcome*

sit back and enjoy the ride my friend

you can lern alot here


----------



## johnnyleo11

I've tried fishing from the surf here in the Charleston area and have found it difficult to find places to do so. I used to live in Virginia Beach and could read the beach there rather easily because of the wave action and see where there were cuts and such. But here, the beach is so flat and so shallow for so long, it's tough to find a hole or cut. After looking at some charts the deepest cuts that you might be able to cast out to are around inlets. I've tried casting lures out by the Morris Island Lighthouse (the one at Folly) with no takers. I've only gone there four times, but no luck. I've tried dunking squid, but nothing. I feel like I'm limited to fishing the pier so I can get some depth, but it gets crowded and hot on the planks.

Good Luck.


----------



## bottomfeeder

*south carolina surfline*

yes the surfline is very gradual drop-off,
however most fish come in to the shallow water
hunting crustaceans,etc anyway.i think it depends on what you are fishing for and when
that determines whether you get fish in our surf.
on the other local fishing forum,guys have been reporting catching trout as well as other fish in
the surf.you are right in saying some inlet areas
will give you deeper water faster(morris island,breech inlet,etc).i caught 2 flounder today
at folly in probably 2.5 feet of water along the jetties well before morris island.this was what i would call shallow water.i read in a surf fishing book recently that the author said"most people try to cast to spain,and cast right over the fish."
just a thought.


----------



## Stevie_D

Thanks a lot for the welcome and tips. I figured it was pretty shallow by Morris Island lighthouse, but I did notice porpoises running through that channel while we were walking the inland side of the beach across from the lighthouse - I figured if you could get your bait out into the current you might get lucky. It's peaceful there in January when there are no bugs...I wonder how far out you could wade safely...

Last November I tried below the jetty wall thowing shrimps in the little cove there - all I caught was a pinfish and what I think was a black sea bass (too small to keep), plus a blue crab - it rode my line all the way in holding on to the shrimp it was stealing - I'd never seen a crab go water skiing before  I did see some folks catching some nice sized trout at the jetty wall... 

Since I'm no long-distance casting wiz yet, and my rig is an 8' daiwa eliminator w/ a cabelas salt striker spinning reel, I think I need to figure out how to find the fish close in and hope for the best. If I turn out to be any good at this then I can graduate to the good gear...


----------



## bottomfeeder

*small black sea bass*

i got into some small ones today.they were grabbing those shrimp before they ever reached bottom.none were of size though.still had the
juvenile stripes on them.at least thats what some
other guy that was fishing out there said.to me,
they almost looked like a small sheephead.but were narrower.needless to say,it was fun to be catching something.


----------



## bottomfeeder

*black drum*

excuse me,not sea bass,but black drum.


----------

