Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

BluefishOff season

Bay · South Carolina

Long Bay

33.59°N · 78.96°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Bluefish

73/100Great
Now
357 AM EDT
Best window
7-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.4 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Long Bay scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide4.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind8 kn Ngusts 16 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with SCDNR before you keep a fish.

Source: SCDNR · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Bluefish season by week of the year. Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in South Carolina

Spot profile

Long Bay

Depth
25-30 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Off seasonBluefish

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Long Bay

Long Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM, South Carolina. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with SCDNR before you keep a fish.